Black German shepherd: description, feeding and care

The black shepherd, like the white variation, is sometimes perceived as a separate breed of German dog. Is this really so, and because of which the hair of the animal has acquired a black color - we will consider in this material.

The article describes in detail the features of the breed, its origin, differences in the care of a pet contained on the street and in the apartment. The questions of the correct choice of a puppy and much more are considered.

Most people think that a black German shepherd is a separate breed. Not really. This is an ordinary shepherd of zonal color, it was because of it that she got her name. In general, the zonal color is gray, however, a pair of zonar and turtle color can give birth to completely black puppies. Such babies are more expensive than their "standard" brothers. Black German shepherds differ in size, animals are not so large, but more active.

The history of the German breed began in the 19th century. Shepherd dogs were born in the role of labor - dogs watched herds of sheep, goats, guarded pastures from predators. Over time, the animals were hired by the security services. However, there was a period of time when the dogs were out of work, and the breed was close to oblivion.

In World War II, German shepherds were used by German troops as combat orderlies, and animals also dragged communication cables. When the war ended, the breed of German shepherds began to spread outside Germany. Dogs were introduced to the rest of Europe, the USSR.

However, kennels were few in number to supply the desired number of pets, and purchasing German dogs was expensive. It was decided to develop their own analogue of the "Germans", which was called the "East European Shepherd Dog". Therefore, you should not perceive these two breeds as one.

Now the black German shepherd is a fairly common breed. An animal attracts with its qualities: mind, devotion, fearlessness, external beauty.

According to its characteristics, the black German shepherd does not differ from the German breed. As mentioned above, the dog got its name from the zonal color, respectively, the color of the coat can only be black. Pets that have spots, a redhead or other shades on the wool are discarded.

• The head is medium in size. The muzzle is narrow, elongated. The ears are large, triangular in shape, set high. Scissor bite. The eyes are almond-shaped, the color of the iris is dark brown and golden brown. Eyelids, nose, lips have dark pigmentation, close to black.

• The body is elongated, the back is flat, goes to the croup with a slope. Shepherd's pelvis is always below the shoulder line. The limbs are straight, parallel set. The neck is strong, short. Thoracic rounded, belly retracted. The tail is saber-shaped, long, the tip reaches the floor. The muscles are clearly visible under the coat. Toes are gathered in dense brushes.

The black German shepherd is a working breed of dog, so you should immediately prepare for the fact that you will have to spend a lot of time raising and training a pet. Dogs are very curious, active, energetic, playful. The puppy will constantly try things on the tooth. So that the baby does not gnaw home slippers, it is worth buying a lot of dog toys.

With other animals, black shepherd dogs are friendly, get along quickly. Dogs do not attack cats. If the house contains a small kitten and puppy, then the latter will make every possible contact, so that any conflicts between the pets are excluded.

The shepherd is capable of caring, behaves neatly with children, no matter how old they are. It is recommended to purchase this type of dog for married couples. The shepherd dog grows up at about 3 years of age, so until that time she will behave like a puppy, even if she has reached 60 cm in height and weight of 50 kg.

The dog needs training, but it will be enough to learn simple commands. If you need a guard or watchman, then you should use the help of a dog training club.

Getting a black German shepherd puppy is quite problematic. When choosing a pet, you can’t immediately tell with what type of coat you will get the dog. Standard breed traits will appear closer to the pet's year of life.

It is undesirable to buy puppies on hand or in street markets. It is better to contact a nursery or a breeder, since there are enough of them in Russia and the CIS. It is worth asking about the pedigree; in the column "ancestors" there should not be dashes. The breeder must provide a puppy metric, veterinary passport.

Before buying, you must have a live look at the baby and his parents. Spend at least an hour on this. It is worth paying attention to how the baby behaves. Puppies should be active, inquisitive, sociable. Ask the seller what kind of food he feeds his parents and puppies, ask about dietary recommendations or have a menu. The seller must talk about how to care for the animal, about its diseases.

If the breeder is trying to hide information from you, is reluctant to communicate, then you should find a new seller. Before buying an animal, a contract of sale is compulsory.

Another way to get a pet is to take the puppy to a teenager. This method is practiced in nurseries of power structures. For example, you can come to the kennel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and ask a puppy for a teenager. You will be given two babies, whom you will take care of at home until they are 6 months old. In such cooperation, the services of veterinary centers are paid in half. The attending physician is prescribed from the nursery, and also a dog handler can come to you.

When the puppies reach six months of age, there is an exchange of pets. One puppy is taken by the kennel (the dog goes to the service), and the second baby stays with you. The issuance of documents for the dog.

As for the price of animals, a black German shepherd is more expensive than its German counterparts. On average, the price of one individual fluctuates around $ 400-800.

Let's take a closer look at the conditions for keeping shepherd dogs in the house and on the street. What is the difference in care.

If the pet will live in the open, it is necessary to create the proper conditions for its existence. The dog needs an aviary, a booth. The dog’s house should be located so that one part of it is always in the shade, and the other is lit. The floor of the house is covered with non-slip material, it is permissible to use sand, pebbles, gravel, pre-rammed material.

Mandatory availability of water drain. The booth is made of wood, the bottom of the house is covered with straw or wood shavings. In cold damp weather, the flooring is left clean, that is, the covering material is removed. In winter, the walls of the booth and the roof are insulated with straw, snow.

The size of the booth should exceed the size of the dog so that the animal can easily move on it, stand, lie in a comfortable position. To save heat, the entrance to the house is made of medium size. The roof of the booth is better covered with tiles, slate or any other waterproof material.

The entire territory of the dog needs cleaning and periodic disinfection. Little puppies should not be alone all the time. The dog should be walked on the territory of the site and beyond. The dog should receive sufficient physical activity, which cannot be provided by walking in the aviary.

Do not sprinkle salt on the site. Salt can cause irritation on the paw pads of the dog, causing bleeding wounds.

Pet care in the apartment comes down to the organization of the dog’s sleeping place, feeding zone. For an animal, you should buy a large stove bench, toys. A food bowl is best placed on a pedestal or holder so that the dog is comfortable to eat. A container of clean water is located a little further from the food zone. The liquid in the bowl is always replaced with a new one, even if a piece of food gets into it.

From a young age, a puppy is accustomed to a leash, a muzzle. It is recommended to walk the dog twice a day, walking with him for at least half an hour. The older the dog gets, the longer the walks last. It is advisable that the pet can run freely, carry objects, climb shells.

After a walk, they begin to care for the hair and eyes of the dog. Next, we will familiarize ourselves with the rules of care.

It is recommended to wash the shepherd dog no more than 2 times a year. Shedding in the animal occurs once every six months, in the spring and autumn season. During molting, the dog’s hair is combed out by the furminator, while the animal is not bathed. It is allowed to use a spray for driving wool.

Dog washing itself is carried out before performing in competitions or in case of severe contamination of the coat. The dog is washed with special shampoos for shepherd dogs. Then dry the animal’s hair with a hairdryer. After drying, comb the hair with a comb or comb-mitten. If the dog bathed in a pond, then upon arrival home, the dog’s coat is covered with warm running water.

• The ears. The most vulnerable zone.The hair on the ears can grow deep into the ear, which leads to a violation of the allocation of earwax. In such a situation, it is necessary to regularly cut the problem area. The ears themselves are not cleaned of sulfur.

• Eyes. After a walk, it is recommended to clean the eye area with a special lotion or warm water. The selected product is applied to a cotton pad, after which it is squeezed. Wet material with soaking movements removes dust and dirt from the animal’s eyes.

• Claws. With a sedentary lifestyle, the dog's claws do not have time to grind. To trim or remove excess length, use a clipper-guillotine. Particular attention should be paid to the fifth finger, which can grow into the muscle, causing pain in the dog.

Once a season or six months, the animal must be taken for examination to a veterinary clinic. The doctor also carries out a hygienic toothbrushing procedure. Tartar, caries is removed. Enamel grinding is monitored. The teeth of the dog at a young age are snow-white, with tubercles visible on them.

At an advanced age, the dog may lose teeth, in which case open areas must be treated with wound healing preparations. The ingestion of food in the wounds can lead to inflammatory processes in the oral cavity.

Too hot and cold food can lead to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as death. Digestive system diseases develop over time and are asymptomatic. The same goes for bones in food. You can’t let the dog bite the bones - their fragments injure the stomach, can get stuck in the throat, gums.

Puppies at the age of 2 months should receive small portions of calf cartilage, bone meal, boiled or raw vegetables. Some dogs are unable to digest raw potatoes. Before feeding, you should make sure that the pet is not allergic or has other reactions to the selected product.

The first six months of life, the puppy needs high-calorie food. Upon reaching one year of age, the amount of food consumed increases, but the frequency of food intake is reduced.

• It is forbidden to feed the dog with only one meat.
• A balance of vitamins, trace elements should be observed. Food should not be abundant in vitamin D, A.
• The diet for 30% -70% consists of protein foods.
• You can not overfeed your pet or give little food. The dog should not be obese, lack of weight.
• It is forbidden to give dogs sweets, flour products, pickled, smoked products, sausages, spicy foods.
• Dog food is always at the same time. It is not allowed to feed the pet between meals, free snacks.

Frequency of nutrition:

• small individuals eat up to two months 6 times a day;
• from 3 to 6 months - up to 4 times a day;
• from six months of life - 2 or 3 times a day;
• after a year and until old age - 2 times a day.

When you bring the puppy home from the kennel, for the first 2 weeks of life in the apartment, the baby should eat food compiled on the recommendation of the breeder. Changing the diet occurs smoothly, as sudden changes lead to inversion of the intestines, regurgitation, or a complete rejection of food.

At night, pets are not fed. The first feeding begins in the early morning, when the owner gets up, and the last falls in the evening, at about 22 hours. It is advisable to give the dog meat products in the evening.

The basis of the diet should be protein food. Suitable lean meat of pork, poultry, beef. The product is served raw or boiled, cut into medium pieces. It is advisable not to grind the meat into minced meat, as such a consistency of the product is not completely digested.

Boiled sea fish can be given to puppies who have reached 4 months of age. Be sure to remove the scales, bones from the product. The puppy eats fish once a week. Excess fish products in the diet lead to stunted growth, digestive upset and other ailments.

Chicken eggs are fed boiled. You can give the baby only the yolk. The diet also includes low-fat kefir, cottage cheese, cereal cereals with a small amount of salt, Adyghe cheese, soaked feta cheese, yogurt. As a dietary supplement, you can use brewer's yeast, as well as a drug to normalize the intestinal microflora, which is called "Bifitrilak".

The puppy gets fats from sunflower and other vegetable oil. Carbohydrates - from cereals, rusks, bran, potatoes, black bread, vegetables and fruits. The puppy is allowed to feast on small portions of honey.

Legumes are almost not part of the dog’s diet. These products are poorly digested, which is why nutrients are practically not absorbed. Fruits should be washed before serving, remove the seeds, cut into portions, and some fruits can be grated into porridge.

Education and training of the puppy begins when he reaches 3 months of age. A small pet remembers any commands and instructions easily and quickly. If the puppy does not understand what is required of him, one should not yell at the baby or use physical punishment. It is necessary to clearly demonstrate how the team is executed, or to push the puppy to its implementation - to help him sit down or lie down, give a voice.

Any correctly performed action must be supported by a treat so that the dog develops a reflex.

Little dogs like to jump on strangers or on their family members. Shepherd must be weaned from this. The easiest way is to ignore the pet at the moment when he jumped.

It is important to accustom the baby to the nickname, the dog should always respond to his name. If you don’t have time for training or you don’t have a good time, then together with your puppy it’s worth visiting a canine school.

Black German Shepherd is a universal breed. Cheerfulness, kindness, loyalty, curiosity, a sharp mind and sense of smell, quick learner - all these qualities make the animal indispensable in security services. It is the shepherd dog that people working in the police, the Ministry of Emergencies, and customs choose as partners.

You should still get to know the shepherd, even if you prefer other guard dogs. These cunning eyes, a pretty face, balanced temper captivate the first time. There is no more faithful friend than a German shepherd.

See how to feed a German Shepherd puppy in the next video.