The German Shepherd is a truly unique breed of dog that organically combines beauty, grace, strength and intelligence. With a competent approach and proper upbringing, reliable guards, excellent companions and loyal friends grow out of puppies of this breed. To protect yourself from mistakes associated with the acquisition of a defective or sick pet, you should consider a number of important recommendations for choosing a German shepherd puppy. What do you need to pay attention to? What are the rules for choosing a puppy of this breed?
At what age is better to take a puppy?
One of the very important criteria that should be considered before buying a pet is its age. Experienced breeders are not advised to take puppies under the age of 4 weeks. It is worth noting that this condition applies to the acquisition of not only German shepherd babies, but also puppies of any breed. From about a month old, puppies begin to show independence and conscious interest in each other and the world around them. By the age of one and a half months, babies undergo a vaccination course (vaccination complex) and the branding procedure.
Breeders recommend taking puppies aged 2.5-3 months. At this stage of life, the kids are already able to adapt to new conditions of detention and an unfamiliar environment. At this age, pets can clearly see the exterior makings, allowing to evaluate the exhibition and breeding potential of the animal.
Puppies at the age of 1-2 months old are allowed to be taken only if the potential owner is confident that he can pay enough attention to the pet.At this stage of life, children need enhanced and reusable nutrition, communication, active development and socialization.
If the owner does not have enough time to raise a puppy and communicate with him, then it is better not to rush with the acquisition of the dog.
People who dream to have a German shepherd, but have a limited amount of free time, it is better to give preference to puppies aged 4-6 months. But in this case, before acquiring a pet, it is important to correctly calculate your strengths and capabilities. There should be enough free time for the new owner to educate and train the puppy, who, having found himself in unfamiliar conditions, at first will urgently need housekeeping attention and control.
Acquisition purpose
In the selection of a German shepherd puppy, the purpose of its acquisition plays a significant role. Before making a final decision, the future owner must decide what he needs a pet of this breed for. So, if a potential owner plans to get a thoroughbred animal for further participation in exhibition events, attention should be paid to the pedigree of the puppy and other documents related to its origin. At this stage, it is also necessary to take an interest in the achievements of the baby's parents, their exhibition awards and titles.
When purchasing a dog for home protection, you should evaluate the protective qualities of the puppy's parents. It is preferable that both mother and father possess pronounced watchdog qualities, a calm and balanced character.
It should be noted that cowardice, indecision and flashes of uncontrolled aggression are considered defects of this breed.
If the dog is supposed to be started not for exhibitions or for house protection, but for the soul, then more attention should be paid to the baby’s health condition, his temperament and behavior. Usually, by the age of 2.5-3 months, puppies already have certain behavioral characteristics. So, some kids at this age begin to demonstrate physical strength and special activity, others - curiosity and phlegmatism, others - arrogance and security skills.
If a German shepherd is acquired by the future owner "for the soul", then small flaws in its exterior can be considered uncritical. Regardless of the purpose of acquiring a puppy, he must be healthy. The health of the pet in the future depends on the calmness of the owner. To ensure that the animal does not have hereditary or chronic diseases and has all the necessary vaccinations, only a reliable and conscientious seller can.
Basic selection rules
Experienced breeders do not recommend acquiring a puppy, guided only by first impressions and emotions. Even if the seller’s reliability is not in doubt, the animal must be carefully inspected, its appearance, character and behavior evaluated. Visually, the head of a German shepherd puppy should be proportional to the body, the neck should be strong and moderately long. In healthy thoroughbred puppies, the shepherd's eyes have a dark iris and almond shape. Light eyes are considered a breed defect.
The bluish color of the iris is permissible only for small puppies under the age of 2 months.
There should be no discharge from the eyes, ears and nose. Any mucous or purulent discharge are objective signs of an animal's disease. Also, the smell should not come from the puppy, which often indicates the development of infectious diseases and endocrine disorders. The ears of German Shepherd puppies aged 2-4.5 months may visually appear disproportionately large. This is not considered a deviation because At this stage of life, an intensive production of collagen and, as a result, the active development of cartilage plates occurs in the animal organism.
By about 5 months of age, collagen production slows down, and at the same time, the growth of the auricles is stopped.Practice shows that puppies of a German shepherd have ears at the age of 5-6 months.
The puppy's teeth should be clean, even and white. The correct bite is scissor-like. The protruding incisors of the lower jaw indicate malocclusion (snacking). Only a slight overshot is considered acceptable, in which the distance between the incisors of the lower and upper jaw does not exceed 1-2 mm. The lower jaw should be shorter than the upper.
Healthy babies of the German Shepherd have a compact sturdy body, wide and long hips with symmetrically located joints. Paws of puppies of this breed are large, massive, rounded, with tightly assembled fingers. Claws - slightly protruding, dark in color. Paw pads - rough, elastic, black.
Dewclaws (those that are above the rest) are removed from thoroughbred puppies. Usually this procedure is carried out until the animal is 6 days old. If during this period the dewclaws were not removed, the procedure is postponed until the puppy is 12-16 weeks old. The tail of purebred puppies should have a slightly saber shape. In healthy animals, the tail should be flat, without visual curvature and creases. On palpation of the caudal vertebrae, seals or bumps should not be felt.
In a relaxed state in dogs of this breed, the tail gently hangs along the hind legs. In an excited state, the tail can be slightly raised (but not above the horizontal of the body). When examining an animal, attention must be paid to the condition of its coat and skin. The coat should be thick, clean, soft, and close to the skin. Hair bald spots are not allowed. The skin should be clean, pale pink or pink, without visual changes (rash, pimples, strange formations).
Before buying, you should not only inspect, but also feel the puppy. Particular attention should be paid to the condition of the abdomen, which should be tight, but not swollen. A swollen belly in combination with dull hair and depressed behavior of the animal indicates that it suffers from helminths. Of great importance is the behavior of the animal. Puppies of this breed are most often mobile, cheerful, playful and inquisitive. Insecurity and timidity to German shepherds are unusual.
If the baby is active, willingly plays with peers and is interested in the world around him, most likely, a bold, loyal and intelligent dog will grow out of him.
According to some dog breeders, the most powerful in the litter are usually the puppies who were born first. However, in practice this observation is not always confirmed. To choose a pet that is most suitable for the potential owner in temperament and character, it is worth watching each puppy from the litter. If a young animal behaves aggressively, offends weaker counterparts, growls or tries to bite - all this may indicate an unstable psyche.
Experienced breeders do not recommend purchasing such puppies to those people in whose families young children grow up.
When choosing a German shepherd puppy, it is worthwhile to focus on the generally accepted standards of this breed. So, the presence of such defects in animals as:
- white color;
- weakness of the ears or fold;
- excessively long outer hair;
- deformations of the auricles and tail;
- cryptorchidism (prevention of testes in the scrotum in males).
On how to choose a German Shepherd puppy, see the following video.
Where is better to take?
In choosing a place to purchase a German Shepherd puppy, it is advisable to be guided by the goal of buying a pet. If the animal is purchased for further participation in exhibitions and competitions or for the purpose of subsequent breeding, then the purchase of the animal is most reliable in a specialized nursery.Moreover, professional German shepherd breeders recommend choosing such kennels that specialize in breeding and selling dogs of this particular breed, and not several breeds at once.
When choosing a puppy from private sellers, you should ask about the hereditary potential of the animal. A conscientious seller will without fail provide the buyer with detailed information about the puppy's parents, their achievements, security qualities and other characteristics. It is undesirable to pick up a German shepherd puppy in questionable places - in markets and bazaars, from breeders with a suspicious reputation or from sellers selling puppies by ad.
If a specific person was chosen by the seller, it is better to give preference to someone who enjoys authority among professional shepherd breeders.
Who to choose: boy or girl?
When choosing a pet for a certain gender, it is better to rely on your own expectations and preferences. So, female German shepherd dogs are considered more organized, affectionate, flexible and loyal. They are easier to train, and therefore it is recommended to start them for novice dog breeders.
However, when purchasing a puppy girl, the potential owner should consider that in the future, he will have to deal with such a delicate feature of the animal as periods of leaks. At this time, the dog requires special attention and control by the owner. Some bitches during estrus become naughty, overly playful, restless.
Dogs of German shepherds are more characteristic of aggressiveness, assertiveness, obstinacy and incredulity. Many males of this breed tend to dominate, and therefore their training requires a professional approach and specific knowledge.
When acquiring a puppy-boy, the potential owner must take into account that the sex drive in males persists throughout life. Smelling a flowing bitch, a male shepherd can break off the leash, make a dig in the aviary or booth, and then run away. Taking into account these features of males, dog owners should initially pay maximum attention to raising animals, seeking from them unconditional obedience and obedience.
Professional Tips
Experienced dog handlers recommend buying a German Shepherd puppy to pay attention to his gait. It should be smooth and smooth. Lameness or rolling the puppy to the side when walking is not allowed. It is also necessary to assess the condition of the back of the animal. It should be smooth, without dubious hump-like formations or sagging.
To assess the character of each puppy from the litter, you can conduct a small test, which involves throwing a tennis (or any small) ball to them. Those puppies that show fear when throwing the ball, according to the dog handlers, are unlikely to be able to please the owner with protective or combat qualities in the future.
Another way to evaluate the protective potential of German Shepherd babies involves a completely simple action - clapping. As the practice of experienced breeders shows, such a test allows you to quickly weed out weak, defective and cowardly puppies.
