German Shepherd Life Span: 15 Ways To Increase Longevity
Do you want to know how to extend the German Shepherd life span and increase your German Shepherds longevity?
Then youre in the right spot! This guide covers science-backed ways to extend our breeds life span and increase longevity.
Follow the advice to give your dog the best chance at a happy and healthy life with you! Here are the best tips to increase longevity in the German Shepherd life span.
Keep Stress Levels Down
According to the Ontario SPCA, stress increases a dogs chance of getting ill, not to mention displaying unwanted behaviors.
Avoid punishment, which contributes to stress and keep your training sessions upbeat. Offer plenty of calming massages to your dog, which is shown to decrease stress levels.
Some owners report changes in their GSDs personalities after daily massages. Work in times when you and your dog have quiet one-on-one calming sessions for both of your health.
How Long Does A German Shepherd Stay Pregnant
German shepherds are a lovely breed of dog. They are loyal, fun, and enjoyable to be around. When your German shepherd gets pregnant, either on purpose or by accident, it is important to know just how long she is going to remain pregnant and what to expect from the process.
We want you to be prepared, and we have some helpful information to share.
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How Much Should A German Shepherd Puppy Eat
So, youve just brought your adorable ball of fur home and now are not quite sure how often to feed him. Learning about and setting up a proper routine for your pups feeding schedule is quite a significant task for both his or her health and training your puppy to learn where and when to expect meal times.
Initially, when your puppy is four to six weeks old, you can start introducing some wet food along with his mothers milk. Make the transition slow and steady. Start with small amounts three to four times per day and continue over a two week period. After that point, your puppy can safely eat wet food alone. When he or she reaches eight weeks, you can start transitioning to dry food. During the transition, be sure to add only ten percent of dry kibble each day, to the existing wet food diet to give your dogs digestive system time to properly adapt to the change.
Number of Meals
Puppies usually require three or maybe more meals per day. So, following the chart on your bag of puppy food, simply divide the daily feeding amount by three , feeding it to him or her throughout each day. An example of a puppys common daily feeding schedule would be 7 am, then noon, and then 5 pm.
Average Age For German Shepherds
Most German Shepherds live in between ten and thirteen years. Owners of small breeds of dogs might see their animals live up to seventeen or twenty, but larger dogs put more strain on their bodies and simply do not live as long, no matter how well they are taken care of. A dog that is neglected or does not get proper exercise will actually die much earlier than age eleven.
While some German Shepherds do live far beyond age thirteen, this is fairly uncommon and impossible to predict, especially if you do not know the lineage of your dog and what health problems they might encounter as they transition into old age.
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Find A Reputable Breeder
Since German Shepherds are such a popular breed, many breeders are only looking to make money from breeding the dogs and arent interested in improving the breed.
A dog bred simply for looks or money is more likely to suffer from genetic problems like hip dysplasia or degenerative myelopathy than German Shepherds bred to work and be as healthy as possible.
Because GSDs from American lines may have shorter lifespans than those from German lines, it may be worth your while to search for reputable breeders who have added German dogs to their breeding programs to help strengthen the breed and reduce the likelihood of genetic problems.
How can you make sure you avoid a backyard breeder or puppy mill dog? Here are some tips for finding a reputable German Shepherd breeder:
- You should be able to visit the puppies on site
- In addition to answering your questions, the breeder should ask you questions to make sure youll provide a good home for a German Shepherd
- You wont find their puppies in a pet store
- The breeder does health testing on the parent dogs
- They will take the dog back if you cant keep it
German Shepherds With Children
The GSD is a large breed dog. And both males and females are powerful dogs with lots of energy including jumping.;
These traits could make them harder to handle around small kids or children. Generally, female GSDs interact better with children due to their maternal, less dominant nature.
And male GSDs tend to be larger, more muscular, and may become too powerful for smaller children. Their large personalities and behavior may push around the kids and they are more aggressive in nature.
Females are a better match for a family with children.
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Are There Any Other Ways To Potentially Prolong The Life Of A German Shepherd
A shepherd lifespan is dependent on the health and well-being of the dog. Some will live beyond 12 with the right care, while others will suffer from health issues and may not reach the age of 10.
The day-to-day care and well-being of the dog can play a big role in determining this life expectancy.
A fit, healthy dog with the right exercise regimen and diet is more likely to stick around than one that doesnt get all the right exercise or the chance to stay slim.
These dogs need plenty of room to run around, walks that suit their ability and a diet that adapts to their time of life.
There are different dietary needs for each German Shepherd lifecycle stage. Pay attention to formulas and minerals to help prevent some of the issues mentioned above.
One important question for owners is to neuter or not to neuter.
It is often suggested that GSD owners should look into neutering their pets early to combat those issues of adolescence.
On top of that, there are some studies that suggest that neutered females live almost a year longer than intact females. There are also reduced risks of certain cancers, but some vets will point out the risks involved in going through with this procedure.
There is a chance that it will make no difference to a male German shepherd lifespan so talk things through with your vet.
Early Seeing Eye Dogs
Initially, the German Shepherd was almost exclusively the breed of choice as guide dogs for the visually impaired. Their formal guide dog training started back in the 1920s in Switzerland and was led by Dorothy Eustis. Every dog trained was a female German Shepherd. Later, a temperament testing experiment showed Labrador Retrievers;were best suited for working as guide dogs while German Shepherds are best suited to police work. And, so it has been that way ever since.
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About The German Shepherd Breed
German shepherds are a very loyal breed, and as a rule, they are rather high energy and are a very active dog. Female German Shepherds, on average, range from 49 lbs to 71 lbs.;
German shepherds are very intelligent, alert, loyal, confident in what they do, and are also obedient if they are trained well and if they love their owner.;
As a rule, German shepherds are good family dogs if you do have the time to devote to train them and to work with them to make sure they are going to be socialized and ready to live with your family.
Reduced Health Risks From Getting Neutered Or Spayed:
Make sure to neuter or spay your German Shepherd at the appropriate time in their development. Neutering or spaying your dog too early can lead to problems.
Male German Shepherd house pets should be neutered after they are done growing which is typically between;12 and 15 months. Any earlier could have a negative impact on their skeletal growth.
Female German Shepherds should be spayed before they are;5 months;old.
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Are There Different Types Of German Shepherds
Officially there’s only the one breed. But I explained in the Temperament section that there are different lines of German Shepherds with different temperaments. Those lines can also LOOK very different from each other.
Show lines
Those of us who admired the strong, noble look of German Shepherds from decades ago are saddened at what has been done to the appearance of modern show dogs.
If you go to a German Shepherd specialty show in the United States or Canada, you’ll see tall narrow bodies, long narrow heads, and such excessive curvature of the rear legs that the dog’s back slopes downward from shoulders to tail. You could roll a ball down that back.
In my opinion, these are misshapen caricatures of a German Shepherd. To make matters worse, show lines produce more than their share of spooky and low-intelligence dogs, which is what happens when you over-focus on appearance rather than temperament and trainability.
In contrast, the West German show line has a more normal shape. Best of all, German Shepherds in West Germany cannot win show ring ribbons or be bred without passing a temperament/trainability test.
There are many West German bloodlines in the United States. So if you’re interested, you can look for show breeders who emphasize West German lines instead of American/Canadian.
Just be aware that these dogs aren’t couch potatoes: they do have plenty of energy and some working drives that will need to be exercised.
Working/protection lines
Pet lines?
Are German Shepherds Easy To Train
The German Shepherd breed has a long history of being trained as guard dogs, herding dogs, guide dogs, rescue dogs, police dogs, and many other roles. They are intelligent, active, strong, and eager to learn, which makes them ideal to train. German Shepherds are easy to train because of these qualities. However, do keep in mind that there are some dogs that may be easier to train than others, depending on the lineage from which they came from.
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The 4 Stages Of A Dogs Growth And Development
I think we can all agree that its difficult to figure out the best way to take care of your dogs health. Not knowing about a German shepherd average weight and height only adds to the list of problems.
As German Shepherds grow through the stages of their life, they also develop more health risks. But are the stages of a dogs life?
Give More Love And Affection To Your Dog
In this period, your German Shepherd will require more attention. You should give her some extra love and show more affection. It will help her to stay calm and not suffer.
Your German Shepherd can be frustrated during this period because she is not getting a male with whom she can mate.
She does not know and cant understand why you do not want her to breed.
You have to give her a lot of love and affection to keep her calm. You can give her a little massage, pet her, please her and give her some of her favorite treats.
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How Long Do German Shepherds Live Is Lifespan Important When Choosing A Dog Breed
When people consider a dog breed, you might think a short lifespan would be a deal-breaker. According to data compiled by Companion Animal Psychology, longevity is outweighed by other factors.
Potential dog owners may even overlook health and behavioral concerns of particular breeds in their quest to have a certain type of dog.
Dog owners worldwide recognize the health issues of the English Bulldog, French Bulldog, and pug, to name a few. Despite this, these snub-nosed dwarf dogs are still super popular.
The German Shepherds health problems arent as drastic, but the breed suffers alarming problems from the increasing demand for a particular look.
What leads to the increasingly poor health and correspondingly shorter lives of some of the most common dog breeds?
Irresponsible breeding, commonly through line-breeding and inbreeding, has led to a dramatic rise in detrimental diseases that are passed from one generation to the next.
Inbreeding drastically shrinks the gene pool. Diseases are often recessive traits, only showing up if a puppy receives two copies of that one gene.;
The probability of expressing recessive characteristics skyrockets as the number of genes decreases.
Of course, breeders never sought to create crippled dogs or to promote pets who always gasp for their next breath.
These issues are attached to some of the same genes that would produce roached backs or wide heads.
Female German Shepherds Sociability And Training Needs
The GSD is currently the second most popular family pet dog in America, and this is for good reason, but ongoing regular socialization and puppy training is a huge reason why! Here, when planning your GSDs sociability and training, it is wise to keep certain fundamental German shepherd dog traits in mind.
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The General Life Expectancy Of German Shepherds In Years
So what is the lifespan of a German shepherd?
A survey carried out in the UK suggests that the median German Shepherd life expectancy is 10.95 years, based on their size, weight and history.
A more useful way of putting this is that theaverage lifespan of the German Shepherd is around 10 to 12 years.
There are some that will live longer and others that will live for a shorter amount of time, but this is the general average.
Lets take a quick look at the German Shepherd life cycle to get an idea of German Shepherd old age.
German shepherd puppies tend to reach adolescence at the age of 2. Their hormones take over as sexual maturity occurs and this is when owners notice more behavioral problems.
At this point, they are seen as the equivalent of 15 year olds, which gives you a good idea of what to expect. Luckily, this tends to only last a year before the dogs reach adulthood.
German shepherd age is much different than that of human ageing and it is wrong to simply work on the old-fashioned principle of doggy years.
It is thought that a dog ages seven years for every human year, but this actually depends on the breed. If this were true of a GSD lifespan, these dogs would feel like a 70 year old at age 10.
A more accurate scale suggests that they reach retirement age at 12 and may be able to live a little longer with appropriate care. By 9 they are beginning to slow down as middle age takes over.
Teach Them Something New
Its not true that you cant teach an old dog new tricks. This might actually be the perfect time to teach them some new tricks. It will help keep their brain engaged something we all need as we progress into our elder years. Whether you just want to teach your German Shepherd to shake or you are going to refresh some of the tricks that he knew as a younger dog, spend some time each day teaching your dog and rewarding him for his progress and effort.
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German Shepherd Growth Stages
True is, all puppies go through growth stages. Most of the time youll see that it will take up full maturity before your dog will start to calm down, which is 36 months. But if your GSD dog is super high-energy dont be surprised if you only see her/ him calm down just a little because they have that high energy in their bloodline, which is strong prey drive in them. My German shepherd princess is and she is still a super high-level energy dog.; That comes from her breeding and blood-lines. This what working dogs do, is work.; You may have heard some say, your dog needs a job.
Now remember every German Shepherd has a different temperament, and temperament in dogs is energy level. Thats why its best to have the breeder pick the puppy or older GSD dog for you, to match the right dog for your lifestyle. I was out training my German Shepherd princess last week, and this man was watching me why I was working with her, and stop to talk with me and said he had a dog just like mine and it was a good thing that he owned 15 teen acres land at the time because he could not imagine living the city with a high-energy dog.
Anyway, short post today but I just wanted to put the information out there. Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks, Dennis.
How Long Do German Shepherds Live With Health Issues
German shepherds Health issues are unavoidable. Fortunately, some health issues arent life-threatening.
This is especially true with skeletal problems. They are unavoidable, but they arent going to affect how long German shepherds live.
So that answers your question of how long can a dog live with hip dysplasia. But alas, there are many other health issues faced by German shepherds.
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How Often Are Female Gsds In Heat During The Year
Male service dogs may also get chosen more frequently because they dont go into heat during the year. When a female goes into heat she is more distracted and less likely to listen to commands and become more moody.;
Other male dogs would also make it impossible to have a female GSD around unless she was spayed.;
Female German Shepherds are in heat generally twice a year, or about every 6 months. This schedule also coincides with the blowing of their coat.;
She will generally be in heat for about 21 days, though this can differ from dog to dog. There is some bleeding that is noticeable, so many owners prefer to keep their female GSD secure in an easy to clean room with hard floors, away from the male dogs.