Keeping German Shepherd Puppies

The German Shepherd is a very common breed of dog. Their popularity is due to the beautiful appearance, amazing working qualities, incredible mind. Dogs are large-breed, the process of growth is quite lengthy, therefore it requires patience from the owner. In order for a pet to develop well, be healthy, maintain a spectacular appearance, it is necessary to properly care for the animal, properly feed and educate it.

The German shepherd and her puppies are very active by nature, their temperament is quite pronounced, therefore, it is necessary to immediately correctly approach the training of the dog, otherwise it will be very difficult to do in adulthood. This is a guard breed, its upbringing is a big responsibility. Going for a puppy, you need to weigh the pros and cons, be sure to study the nature, features of the future pet. Characteristic features of the breed are as follows:

• superbly developed intelligence;
• great intuition;
• openness and sincere attitude to a person;
• very reliable, faithful;
• strong nervous system;
• courageous, fighting;
• acute instinct;
• perfectly trained.

German shepherd dog has the following distinctive features:

• the need to serve, and it is not so important where exactly, the main thing is to be involved in the work; she can equally successfully guard the house, look after a child or an elderly person, execute commands;
• the need for activity of a physical type, and quite high; the dog needs to spend a lot of time outdoors, run, walk in the woods, you can safely go hiking with him, because it is an excellent partner for sports, for example, swimming or running;
• there is a risk in a number of hereditary diseases, and it is quite large, which is worth considering before buying;
• Among the negative character traits: incredulity, excessive alertness to strangers; This is a fairly independent dog, which can be tricky, which should be taken into account when organizing training.

One of the main positive qualities of the dog is the highest intelligence, the breed is in the top of the most intelligent dogs on the planet. She lives an average of 12 to 15 years. Caring for her is simple, so she will fit perfectly into an active, calm family, including with children. She treats children very well, she is a great nanny, since her desire to protect her children is excessive. Another positive quality is a stable psyche, a strong nervous system. Dogs are very calm, not anxious, not aggressive. An exception is the attitude towards strangers, but this is a good quality for a watchman.

Before you bring your baby home, you need to choose a good place for it, which should not be in a draft, near heating appliances or near doors. For the puppy, a rug or mattress is prepared, ideally it is worth putting on pillowcases that change and wear. Dogs can be kept both in a private house, on the street, and in an apartment. If you get a dog in a city apartment, you need to consider that for the first time she will help at home. Learning to walk is carried out gradually, after sleep and eating.

Important! In new home conditions, the baby can yearn and whimper the first days, missing her mother. The owner’s business is to show affectionate, caring attitude, not to swear, to console the baby. In no case do not cover it in the dark and do not tie it.

The optimal content of German shepherds is considered an aviary in a private house, regardless of the age of the dog and the time of year. Shepherd dogs feel great outdoors in winter. The main condition for a good enclosure is space, so that the dog can freely frolic, move and run. Mandatory canopy and organization of the booth, which should be insulated. In it, the dog will feel comfortable in bad weather.

From birth, it is very important to properly organize the diet of a small pet. There are the following feeding methods:

• dry prepared food;
• combined feeding;
• natural products.

First of all, a dog’s healthy nutrition ensures its well-being and timely development. Feeding in the first few weeks should be identical to what the puppy received from the breeder, it does not matter if you have a monthly dog ​​or an adult. You need to take care of a bowl that can be placed under the chest level. As it grows, the level is regulated. It is very important to adjust the stance during feeding, monitoring the position of the paws. In the second bowl should always be fresh water, change it at least 3 times a day.

Monthly feeding rates are as follows:

• from one to two months - six meals a day;
• from 3 to 5 months - four times a day;
• from six months to a year - gradually come to two times.

As for the diet, most of it consists of protein, namely:

• raw meat (beef, horse meat, veal);
• dairy products (cottage cheese, sour milk);
• eggs (2 pieces per week).

The meat is not given in the form of minced meat, but in pieces, it must be fresh.You can not make a menu only of cereals. Cereals are good only in addition to meat. After the dog reaches 4 months of age, they begin to feed it with offal at least three times a week. Do not forget about vegetables and fruits, their babies are rubbed. Be sure to include herbal complementary foods in the diet.

In addition to feeding, it is necessary to care for the appearance of the shepherd, for its health. First of all, this refers to walking, which should be long and regular, especially after vaccination. At first, it’s enough to walk no more than 5-10 minutes, gradually increasing the time of walking. At 2 months, the dog begins to accustom to the occasion, you can already walk for 30 minutes. After six months, walks should be at least 2 hours a day. During the walk, the dog must be allowed to communicate with thoroughbred dogs, but be protected from contact with stray dogs. Daytime walks are more beneficial since the dog needs sunshine for health.

For German Shepherds, hygiene is important, and you should not be too zealous. If you wash the dog too often, you can harm it, as frequent washing adversely affects the protective layer of the epidermis, poorly affects the condition of the coat. Until three months of age, dogs are not bathed at all, starting from this turn - three times a year. Be sure to use special detergents. After bathing, the dog needs to be wiped, allowed to dry. If the dog got dirty during a walk, they perform local cleaning: they wash their paws and remove the dirt. You need to clean the hair every day, regularly comb it with a special comb, otherwise the hair will roll into tangles.

In addition to wool, you need to provide care for the auricles and the oral cavity. This is done infrequently, for example, brushing your teeth once a quarter with a special tool for dogs. Also, give your dog the opportunity to gnaw bones for cleaning with fluoride. Ears are often examined to fix possible inflammatory processes, cleaned with a cotton swab if necessary. Watch your eye health, there should be no lacrimation, pus, redness. If you find something like this, immediately rinse your eyes and drip anti-inflammatory drops.

It is very important to vaccinate on time and regularly visit a veterinarian. In addition, the dog needs periodic treatment of parasites from both internal and external. If you do not plan to breed puppies, then up to one and a half years you need to sterilize it.

Dogs of this breed are extremely active, they are full of energy, so you need to play a lot with them. So that the puppy does not get bored alone and does not find toys among furniture and household items, he needs to buy appliances to his taste. Focus on your pet's preferences, some are more likely to play with balls, others with ropes or sticks, others prefer puzzles. Pet shops now have a huge selection of dog toys. Experts recommend paying attention to the quality of materials, because the dog will definitely bite the toy.

In no case should the material be dangerous, because the puppy will play in your absence. Small fragments of plastic, latex or rubber, small elements with which the dog can easily choke are very dangerous. Cheap Chinese toys are not the best choice. It is worth paying attention to durable gadgets from reputable manufacturers. Such toys as are very popular with shepherds:

• balls;
• rubber sticks, cords;
• pullers from two rings;
• flying discs.

Since this breed belongs to the service, the whole creature of the dog is directed towards this goal.To make the shepherd obedient, intelligent and well-mannered, you will have to make a lot of effort. With the incorrect organization of the educational process, all the positive qualities of the breed can be leveled. First of all, the owner should know that you need to raise a puppy from the first day of appearing in the house and be sure to socialize it.

If you get a puppy aged from one to two months, you can save yourself and him from many problems. During this period, shepherds are as friendly, malleable, curious as possible. Therefore, they are good at making contact with both people and animals. The need for socialization and a tolerant attitude towards animals and people is necessary for the dog, as its brain develops more actively, it learns to control itself. If you do not provide the dog with communication, do not encourage her to this, she will grow up cowardly and aggressive.

In order to properly raise a shepherd, you must always consider the following points:

• the dog, with all its mind, does not think like a person, it is only in the present;
• the shepherd will always choose the pleasant, rather than the unpleasant, experience is pushing her towards this;
• this breed knows all its advantages and strength perfectly, therefore, it likes to demonstrate abilities;
• it is an animal of the herd type, it needs communication and understanding who the leader is;
• the shepherd does not understand the human language, but is quite capable of memorizing words and phrases, posture, facial expressions, intonations during training are also very important;
• it is very important to understand the language of the animal, its habits, signals, what is meant by them;
• it is impossible to beat an animal, if only for the reason that it perceives you as the leader of the pack, the same animal, and it has no hands, punishment should occur without assault.

Teaching a dog elementary rules begins with a game, so you can teach her to resort to a call, look for objects, bring things. Be sure to immediately accustom to an adequate perception of the leash, collar. The first training with the baby is recommended to be carried out an hour before a meal, when he is awake and in anticipation of food. Periodically, the puppy will lose attention, indulge. At this time, you need to ignore him until he gets involved. The first training scheme is very simple: executed the command - received praise, did not comply - did not receive. It is not necessary to consolidate actions several times; at an early age, unquestioning obedience has not yet been achieved.

Regarding the duration of the training, consider the age of the pet as follows:

• from 1 to 2 months - no more than 10 minutes;
• from 3 to 4 months - no more than 17 minutes;
• from 4 months to 1 year - gradually increases to 40 minutes.

In no case can you force things, even if it seems to you that the dog grasps everything on the fly. Mental development follows a certain algorithm, it is impossible to violate it, otherwise you can achieve regression. Do not forget that there can only be one master in a pack, and that is you. He must be persistent, consistent, rigorous, but patient. Begging for treats is unacceptable; molestation with games is not on time. This behavior is suppressed, otherwise the concept of unconditional power in the dog’s head will not be fixed for you, especially if it concerns the male dog. The male may not obey and get out of influence.

The German Shepherd must know the following commands and skills for up to 10 months:

• team approach;
• landing;
• aporting;
• calm perception of the leash;
• indication of the place, the command “near”, “fu”, “lie”;
• search for items;
• occupy the starting position on the left at the foot of the owner;
• crawl on command;
• taking a barrier;
• ascending and descending stairs.

Upon reaching the age of ten months, it is recommended that the dog be reduced to a professional in order to consult about the development of skills and choose the right tactics for continuing the training. The German Shepherd must complete the full course of general training.

For information on keeping German Shepherd puppies, see the next video.