They Will Ask You Questions Such As:
- Why do you want a GSD puppy? They will be asking this to see for what purpose you want a GSD pet/protection/show. This will aid them in helping you choose.
- Where do you live, in an apartment or in a home? They will want to ensure that the puppy will not be in a cramped space.
- Do you have a yard, and is it fenced-in? They will want to make sure that the puppy will have adequate room to exercise as it grows.
- Do you have children in your home? They will want to make sure that you understand the importance of socialization and training to keep your family safe.
- Do you have other pets in your home? They will want to make sure that you know how to properly introduce the puppy to other animals, and whether any other pets you have may actually be a danger to the puppy.
- What type of work do you do, does it require you to be away from home for long periods of time? Because GSDs do not do well alone, they will want to make sure that you have adequate time to devote to your dog.
- Are you financially prepared to take on a GSD? While this may be a bit of a personal question, it is important to know that you are financially able to care for a GSD. They are expensive to care for, and it is fair for a breeder to ask this question.
If a breeder does not ask you some form of these questions, then perhaps think twice. It may be an indication that they are more interested in profit than raising a quality puppy that they care will go to a quality home.
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.
Identify A Gsd By Characteristic Pointed Ears
These dogs typically have triangular-shaped ears that are wide at the base, very upright, forward-facing, and in average proportion to their skull size.
In their first months of life, their ears may hang slightly.
However, their ears will take on the traditional look within passing months, as the puppies mature. So, dont you worry if your puppys ears dont look pointed right away.
Also Check: German Shepherd Growth Chart
Ask For Your Breeders Help
Nobody knows your puppy better than the breeder where you are getting it from. They will have spent the first weeks of your puppys life with it, and they also will have a very deep knowledge of everything about the mother and the father. So by default, this knowledge enables the breeder to be very good at placing the proper puppies with the proper personalities.
Beware The Land Sharks
German Shepherd Puppies have earned the moniker land shark for their mouthiness. It comes from somewhere deep in their herding heritage, I suppose, but these are very bitey puppies! For this reason, a GSD can be a trying breed with young children, who often become unwitting targets for playful biting. Start teaching your puppy right away that biting humans is inappropriate behavior and channel that mouthiness into heavy-duty chew toys and games that dont involve tasty human hands.
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From 9 Months To 24 Months
Dogs of different breeds and sizes mature at different ages, and while one year of age is commonly considered the end of puppyhood in general, a German Shepherd Dog may not reach an adult level of maturity before the age of two or three . So continuing to work on impulse control, improve obedience skills, and advance to training in more focused activities like tracking, scent work, protection work, agility, and herdingall of which are capabilities of this breedmust continue throughout this period and then be reinforced as your GSD reaches adulthood.
Keep in mind that this is a breed that thrives on constant and consistent work and training, and loves to have a jobor many jobs!to do. If you can provide your GSD with outlets for their intelligence and versatility, both you and your dog will reap the rewards.
Yasmine S. Ali, MD, is a cardiologist and writer based in Tennessee, where she lives with three Canine Good Citizens, including an AKC-registered German Shepherd Dog.
Bringing Your Puppy Home
- Coming home: Encourage your new puppy to lie down and sleep to lessen the shock of the car ride.
- The vet: Take him to the vet within 24 hours of bringing him home, even if he has passed a vet’s inspection at a shelter.
- Potty training: When you get your puppy home, take him or her to the right place for dogs to relieve themselves. Praise the puppy highly when he goes in the right place. Keep using that place for toilet training and use verbal commands. Small puppies have small bladders. They will need to go outside to try and toilet every two hours until they are about six months old when they can start holding their bladders for seven hours. German Shepherd puppies usually walk in circles sniffing when they need to go. When a puppy has an accident, he is not trying to be bad. He often just can’t hold it. However, once they learn, it’s learned.
- Getting spayed or neutered: You can help the training process along by getting the puppy spayed or neutered. Mentally, neutered dogs stay more like puppies and are more comfortable letting you make the big decisions. They also avoid a lot of health problems this way.
In time, with lots of patience, daily handling, and attention, your German Shepherd puppy will be a canine ambassador. Your friends, neighbors, and even total strangers will appreciate you for taking the time and responsibility to train your dog well.
Also Check: 3 Month German Shepherd Weight
New German Shepherd Puppy Checklist And Things To Buy
It is important that your new puppy feels welcomed into their new home.; It is also important to know what to put in a puppys crate at night.; Some items are ok to be left with your puppy, and other items are more dangerous or will be destroyed.
This checklist will help you to know what to buy when getting a puppy.;;
Harness Fitting For A German Shepherd Puppy
The days for going on walks arent that far away! To prepare for the big day, getting used to wearing a harness will make your puppys transition to the outdoors much smoother.;;
Heres how to prepare:
- Pick a comfortable harness for them. A padded one that doesnt squeeze them tight will be brilliant.
- Adjust the harness roughly to the size of your puppy. If youre hesitating, its generally better that it fits too big rather than too tight.
How to do it
PRO TIP: Dont adjust the harness while theyre wearing itit will probably make them feel like its a dodgy piece of armoury. It if needs adjusting, take it off and resize before trying it on again.
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Can A German Shepherd Dog Be Put Down
German Shepherds, like any large breed, are prone to canine hip dysplasia, a crippling and potentially fatal disease. (Although costly hip replacement surgeries have become more commonplace for dogs with severe CHD, the expense and possible complications lead many people to the decision of having the dog humanely put down.
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.
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How Do I Get My German Shepherd To Bond With Me
3 Great Ways To Strengthen Your Bond With Your German Shepherd Dog
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Your Dog Is Not A Person Your Dog Is A Reflection Of You
Your Dog is a Reflection of You!
As humans, we personify everything we love including our beloved dogs. ;And in my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with that.
As long as we remember that our dogs operate on instincts. ;And our emotions affect those instincts.
For example
There’s this Staffie names Apollo that has hydrotherapy on the same day as Charley.
Now, Apollo and Charley hate each other. ;None of us are sure why though!
So, a few weeks ago Charley was at her weekly hydrotherapy session when Apollo strolled past her massage mat.
The moment I saw him I tensed up. ;And within a split second Charley, who has just had hip surgery, jumped up on all fours and started barking madly.
She’s never had a problem with any of;the other dogs around there. ;Even the owners 2 Jack Russell’s hang around her with no problems.
Both myself and the therapist never saw it coming. ;But looking back now, I should have known
Charley was reacting to her instincts.
But
My emotions played a big role in her final reaction. ;Charley was responding to me, but the results were not positive. Because I was tense and worried.
You may be wondering what you can do to encourage your GSD to respond to you in a positive way.
This brings us to the next golden rule
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Testing The Dna Of The Dog
When Do German Shepherds Stop Growing
Like many large breeds, a German Shepherd dog is not considered fully grown until they are about 18 months old. Female German Shepherds continue to fill out until they are around two years old, while the male German Shepherd growth rate continues until they reach two and a half years of age. Males are larger are require more time to fill out their chest and abdomen.
As you can see by the German Shepherd weight chart, these dogs can continue to grow until they are three years old, but the majority of growth occurs within 24 months. If your GSD is older than 36 months and continues to put on weight, contact your veterinarian to ensure weight gain does not lead to obesity.
Also Check: When To Neuter A German Shepherd
Where To Get A German Shepherd 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.
What Does This Have To Do With How I Train My German Shepherd
Its a fair question actually. A dog is a dog is a dog right? But knowing the context and breed characteristics might help you train your German Shepherd puppy better and understand why they do certain things the way they do.
Here are a couple things to keep in mind:
PRO TIP: If your German Shepherd puppy switches off or starts acting silly they may resort to doing what they know best nipping or barking. Shift to some play, let them have some downtime and revisit training later we want training to be associated with fun, and not something they begin to dread.;
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German Shepherds Need Training And Exercise
German Shepherds arent the sort of dog breed that loves lying on the couch all the time. They are large in both size and activity. If they get bored then they are known to become loud and destructive.
Training is a great activity to do with your German Shepherd. It not only helps to ensure they behave correctly but also keeps them entertained and can provide good exercise. Especially if you do training such as agility training.
When thinking about training your German Shepherd to remember that police forces throughout the world use German Shepherds for a wide variety of tasks, which helps to show their flexibility to training.
Wherever possible try to choose training that also exercises them. Similarly to humans exercise not only helps keep them physically well but also mentally well.
If you havent trained a dog previously then it is worth looking into local dog training facilities. Most dog training facility provide classes that you can sign up for, where a qualified trainer will walk a class of dogs and fur parents through training of your dog. A great added benefit of these classes is that you will meet like other local fur parents who have a love for dogs.
Classes also provide a great way for you to socialize your German Shepherd. By introducing them to new dogs and different environments you will be able to train them on how you expect them to behave in that situation and also to help them understand that they dont need to be afraid of other dogs.
Recall Outside Using A Lead
Ooh, time to practice outside.;;
Let us give you a disclaimer: The outside will bring huge distractions to your training especially for an inquisitive puppy!
But its nothing you cant handle. Were sure youre even turning into a pro now.
How to do it
TIPS
· ; Your puppy may find it very distracting with all of the smells, so try to make your voice sound extra cheerful and happy to get their attention.
· ; Use your come cue when your puppy is actually looking at you. That way you can make sure theyre actually starting to learn what the word means.;
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Let Your German Shepherd Know You Are In Charge
Older German Shepherds that bite will often do it to try to exert dominance over their owner. They can also bite due to jealousy, or when you tell them to do something like get off your chair or bed.
Handy Hint: Ive written an in-depth explanation to why dogs like to steal your seat when you get up.
You need to train your German Shepherd to realize you are the pack leader and the dominant one. Alphas like us owners, should not be bitten by pack members lower down the chain.
Being assertive will help, but often simply rewarding good behavior is enough to get a dog to bend to your will.
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