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How Big Is An 8 Week Old German Shepherd Puppy

Pointers For Feeding German Shepherds

8 Week old German Shepherd Puppy

Improper feeding practices can lead to serious health problems for German shepherds. Most of the time, these problems linger throughout the dogs lifetime.

You should remember this before doing something reckless, such as altering your German shepherd puppys feeding amount.

An owner is responsible for taking into consideration the age and weight of a German shepherd before feeding them. So here are some tips that can be applied according to your dogs age and weight.

Training Goal #: Impulse Control

Learning to control their impulses is important for all puppies, and for the GSD, it can be one of the most important ways to curb problem behaviors to which this breed is prone if allowed to become bored: behaviors such as excessive barking, digging, aggressive chewing, and inappropriate chasing .

The key to impulse control is getting your dog to focus on you. This will have beneficial effects for all the rest of your training efforts, especially in AKC dog sports like Obedience and Rally.

Require that your puppy sit before getting food, playing with an exciting toy, going outside to play, or any other favorite activity. As your GSD puppy advances in obedience training and knows more commands, you can require more advanced commands or tricks in order to receive treats or play.

Their Environment & Exercise

Genetics has a large part to play in estimating a puppys adult weight, however, the environment will also impact it.

Over-exercise can cause injury and damage to both the skeleton and ligaments of your puppy, which will then require rest.

This is not ideal for a developing puppy as exercise is how puppies increase their bone density.

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How Much Do 8 Week Old German Shepherds Sleep

If your new puppy seems to be asleep more often than shes awake, dont worry this is totally normal.

In fact, an 8-week-old puppy can spend as many as 18 hours a day sleeping!

This is why its important to allow for quiet time in your puppys schedule, so she can get the rest she needs to help her grow.

How Much Should A 6 Week Old German Shepherd Puppy Eat

German shepherd puppy, 8 weeks

Feed your six-week-old German Shepherd puppy anywhere from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of dry kibble soaked with warm goats milk 3 to 4 times daily. Your puppys energy needs and the food you provide will dictate how often you feed them.

But, you should offer them their meals at least 3 times daily at a minimum.

You can also offer healthy treats occasionally throughout the day as long as theyre dog-safe and dont make up more than 10% of your puppys overall daily calories.

How often? What foods?
3 to 4 times a day 1/2 to 3/4 cup at each meal Soaked kibble in warm goats milk with some healthy treats occasionally

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Potty Training An 8 Week Old German Shepherd

Potty training can be one of the most daunting tasks of raising a brand new puppy.

The younger the puppy, the more potty breaks shell need.

Dont be surprised if you find a few messes around the house in the beginning. It may take a bit longer than you expected for your puppy to get the hang of things!

But if you stick to a strict schedule, youll decrease the likelihood of potty training mishaps.

German Shepherd Growth Chart

Whats the normal weight and height of a German shepherd? How big do German shepherds get? Can they get any bigger?

These are just three of the countless questions asked by German shepherd owners. Well, its only natural to questions about a German shepherds size.

After all, its important to understand how these things work. That way, you can ensure that your full-grown German shepherd is normal. It will also help you tackle health problems concerning the German shepherds size. Fortunately, the German shepherd dog FCI standards made sure to provide owners with German shepherd growth chart so were able to gather data from there.

However, a German shepherds average weight and height can be affected by genes and their environment. Therefore, a pup may grow larger or smaller than the other. This article looks at the standard German shepherd weight and a height chart so owners may be able to understand their dogs better.

Before anything else, you should know about a full-grown German shepherds normal milestones.

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How To Train A 10 Month Old German Shepherd

During the tenth month of training your German Shepherd, youll need to keep reinforcing earlier commands. Thats why, in the next four weeks, I recommend merely adding a simple ROLL-OVER! trick to his repertory.

Your German Shepherd has already mastered the DOWN! cue at 3 months old. You can now develop this further and teach him to roll over on command. Similar to teaching spin, use high-value treats with oodles of praise.

What To Expect From A New Puppy

8 weeks Old German shepherd Puppy Can Run As Big Dog

Raising any puppy has its overwhelming moments, and German Shepherd puppies are no exception!

After a few nights of interrupted sleep, potty-training mishaps, and that puppy penchant for destruction, you may feel like youre at the end of your rope.

This is completely normal. Every new puppy owner has their moments of frustration and doubt.

Remember that your 8-week-old German Shepherd puppy is going through a big life change, too.

She may be feeling stressed and out of sorts when you first bring her home. Consistency and structure will go a long way toward helping both of you.

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How To Train A 1 Year Old German Shepherd

While the one-year mark may seem significant to humans, your dogs capacity to internalize commands and learn to follow cues does not significantly change after this point. Your one-year-old German Shepherd continues to learn at the same rate as he has since he was six months old.

What will change is that your dog will interact with other people more frequently. You can train him to do additional tricks to give him a more appealing presence. This will deter him from merely barking for attention. CRAWL! and WAVE! commands are perfect at this stage. You should also review previously taught commands and see any weak associations you can reinforce.

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At What Age Is A German Shepherd Fully Grown

German Shepherds require more time to fill out their adult size in their abdomen and chest as well as reach their full height. Female German Shepherds are fully grown when they reach the age of around two years.

On the other hand, male German Shepherds grow to be bigger than female German Shepherds and are fully grown when they are about two and half years old.

Some German Shepherds may continue to grow until they reach the age of three years, but most of the growth happens by 2 to 2½ years old.

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What If My New 6 Weeks Old Gsd Pup Wont Eat

The new environment may make it stressful for your dog and he may not eat immediately. Be patient and keep offering your pup their meals.

Try not to vary what you feed as the main meal, as any changes can cause an upset stomach. Puppies have delicate tummies at this young age, especially German Shepherd puppies.

Watch for other signs of illness such as:

  • lethargy
22

How big a 6 week old German Shepherd really depends on their parents and their specific breeding history, but on average, a baby German Shepherd weighs around 12 to 15 pounds at six weeks of age.

German Shepherd Feeding Chart

8 week old German Shepherd puppy. One if three around here

So youve got yourself a German shepherd, and you think you can take care of them just fine without any knowledge. However, this will be your undoing. Youll come to a realization that you cant get by without studying about German shepherds.

German shepherds are similar to humans in the sense that they need to eat consistently. And just like us, they, too, have a specific feeding amount and nutrient requirements. You cant just make them eat whatever you lay your eyes on. However, as their owner, you cant always rely on your keen observation.

They can be a bit dishonest sometimes. They may even hide their hunger. Thats why you wont figure out their needs by simply observing. Thats why you need to have clear standards, especially on how you feed them. Overeating can cause sugar levels to spike. The opposite can cause malnutrition.

Either way, this German shepherd feeding chart will be a helpful asset when taking care of these dogs.

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Working Dogs Versus Show Dogs

Something that may determine your German Shepherds overall body conformation is whether they were bred to be a show dog or a working dog. Years of line breeding has produced several distinct types of Shepherds.

Show dogs are known for a sloped back in which the back legs are shorter than the front. This unnatural formation can cause back and hip problems along with an abnormal gait. German Shepherds bred for show will also be thinner than their hardworking cousins.

As you can see in this picture, this is a show-bred German Shepherd with an obvious curved back and short back legs.

Working dogs, on the other hand, are bred for a sturdy, straight back so they can work long hours without getting sore. They tend to be thicker than show dogs and will, therefore, weigh more, even at the same height.

As you can see in this picture, this dog has a straighter back and longer back legs, so it has been bred for working.

Something else I wanted to mention here is that, according to some sources, Black German Shepherds are larger than their bi-colored cousins, despite being otherwise the same. Its hard to prove for sure, but its possible that their recessive genes that carry the black gene may also contribute to a larger size.

White German Shepherds, on the other hand, arent known for being any different in size than other dogs. So, if you have one of these rare and beautiful creatures, you can follow the same charts that were listed above.

Variations Of German Shepherds

It is worth noting that these charts do not apply to the different variations of Shepherds, except possibly White German Shepherds .

East-European Shepherds, King Shepherds, and Shiloh Shepherds are bigger than standard German Shepherds. Miniature German Shepherds are much smaller and have completely different development requirements and problems.

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Start Advanced Command Training

Its also a good time to concentrate on your dogs advanced training. To train your 6-month old German Shepherd puppy, start with two commands that will be most useful. LEAVE IT! is a command that tells your dog to let go of whatever hes chowing down on. This will come in handy if he grabs something he shouldnt, and its a great method to teach discipline.

The second command I recommend you train your dog is the WAIT! command. As previously stated, you will be exercising your German Shepherd much more frequently from now on. The wait command might assist you in catching up if your pet is running too far ahead of you!

You can teach these commands or tricks in any order from six months onwards until your German Shepherd is a well-trained adult.

Where To Get A German Shepherd Puppy

Loki – 8 week old German Shepherd Smart puppy

Never buy a German Shepherd puppy from a pet store or from an Internet site that will ship a pup to you without asking you any questions beyond “Check or charge?” These puppies come from puppy mills. They will not only be sickly, but they will have missed a major learning period for basic training and will be harder to train and more uncontrollable.

The best German Shepherd puppies come from breeders, animal shelters, or rescuers. German Shepherds are most often abandoned when they are six months old and past the cute stage.

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Training Goal #: Begin Obedience Training

The German Shepherd Dogs work ethic is legendary, and you can encourage your dogs best working traits with early and ongoing training. GSDs excel at obedience, so begin teaching your puppy basic commands like sit, down, and stay, as well as loose-leash walking, from an early age. Enrolling in a puppy obedience class can be extremely helpful both for teaching these commands as well as socialization, and its not too early to begin thinking about CGC training as well.

What To Feed A 6

The best diet for a six-week-old Shepherd pup is a tested and proven kibble diet soaked in warm goats milk to soften the food.

Only some brands meet your puppys nutritional requirements and its best to purchase brands that are known to be tested for optimum nutrition.

These foods ensure your young dog gets the best nutrients possible to ensure proper growth, which is important in your large breed dog.

But only some brands pass this stringent food testing, and you need to know the best ones.

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Training Your German Shepherd Puppy Young: Its Easy And Possible

When it comes to dog training, the rule of thumb is that they are trained young. This does not imply that adult dogs cannot be trained it simply means that the success philosophy of bending the tree while still young applies.

In fact, the German Shepherd Dog Club of America indicates that the first 2-6 months are important in laying the foundation for a German Shepherd puppy to integrate into the family.

What all this means is that when you bring your German Shepherd puppy home at eight weeks , the dog has most likely interacted with few realities and is fresh enough to learn and follow the rules of a new home.

The truth that young puppies learn easily has been scientifically proven. A study with 8-week-old puppies found that they easily learned to open a puzzle box motivated with food and retained the skill. Surprisingly, these puppies learned the skill better from a conspecific than they did from their own mother.

Other studies have also proven that its significant to train puppies instead of older dogs for future behavior. In this study, puppies who attended a command and socialization training class for one hour daily in six months showed better behavior towards strangers than adult dogs attending the same classes.

Apart from the age factor, other breed-specific reasons make training a German Shepherd puppy easy and possible. Here are 3 of those reasons:

Begin As Soon As Possible

My little sister 8 weeks old

As explained by the official German Shepherd Dog Club of America, the first few months are crucial in establishing core concepts for training.

In creating a good foundational knowledge for them to build on, you should prepare them for a lifetime of good behavior and a strong, loving bond.

Likewise, according to the American Kennel Club, German Shepherds are some of the smartest pups around, so you might find they pick up on these new skills quicker than you anticipated.

When you first bring your pup home, you might be tempted to spend the first few days or even weeks getting to know them all day every day, setting up Instagram photoshoots and the like.

Whilst youre more than welcome to do so, it is important you devote some of that time to training and exercise as well.

Puppies are a little like kids, in that they absorb everything around them and soak up information with ridiculous ease.

According to a scientific study conducted by Claudia Fugazza in 2018, published in Scientific Reports journal, social learning skills are present in 8-week old puppies those they tested learned how to open a puzzle box filled with food and demonstrated they could retain this information for at least an hour.

Their research concluded that dogs as young as 8 weeks old have already developed some social learning skills, demonstrating their ability to learn and consistently recall what they discovered. Starting as soon as possible is well worth it!

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Week Old German Shepherd Puppy Biting And Nipping

To an 8-week-old German Shepherd puppy biting and nipping are all part of playing with their siblings. Its a fun game that they all explore and play!

And, your puppy will most likely bite and nip you at some point too. They may even growl at you and tug at your hands or nip your ankles. This is all part of puppy play.

But

It can really hurt you or make you bleed!

This is because your 8-week-old puppy doesnt really understand how to control their biting and nipping or bite inhibition yet.

Understanding bite inhibition means they know how to control the power of their play bites and how hard or soft they nip you.

Teach Different Commands For Different Places

Usually, BED! is the perfect command to teach a dog to go to his bed or crate on cue. The eighth month is the time for training your German Shepherd to go to different places upon hearing your command word.

This could be for practical reasons or to maximize the intellect of your dog. In any case, dont overburden him with place commands limit him to two every month.

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Working Vs Show German Shepherds Size Comparison

When adopting a German Shepherd puppy, you will need to consider whether you are looking for a working dog or a show dog.

While you might just be looking for a nice addition to your family, GS puppies have been bred for specific purposes for many years, resulting in dogs that are made to work and dogs that are not.

Working dogs need to have a lot more stamina and energy because they need to do a job. They do not have the same cosmetic attributes that you will find with show dogs, instead making up for it with incredibly athletic bodies that can move all day long.

Meanwhile, show GS are bigger and bulkier and a lot less energetic. They have thicker coats, more color uniformity, and are bulkier in size. These make for better family pets, because they do not require the same level of work to keep them happy.

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