How Big Is A 6
Puppies undergo massive growth spurts before five months. By the time they reach six months, their growth has slowed down considerably. The average male will weigh about 53 pounds, while females weigh 46 pounds. They have not reached their full adult weight yet, but they are very close. Because their growth has slowed down so much, though, they will continue to grow for a long time to come. It just wont be as fast as it has been.;
At this point, your dogs body is mostly focusing on the looming sexual maturity, which can hit anywhere between 6 months to 16 months. Because they arent growing quite as quickly, you may find that they put on more muscle and fat in the coming months. This is normal. It is also normal if your dog retains their somewhat skinny appearance for a few more months to come.;
Start With The Dog Breed Standard
According to the German Shepherd Dog Club of America, the German Shepherd as a breed typically stands between 22 and 24 inches tall for female adult dogs and 24 to 26 inches tall for male adult dogs.
No weight range is given for the official dog breed standard. However, the standard does say the dog typically measures between 8.5 and 10 inches from the dogs breastbone to pelvis .
So these can give you some good starting measurements.
The American Kennel Club gives a weight range of 50 to 90 pounds, with about 10 pounds difference between adult females and adult males.
Pretend Youre In Pain
If your german shepherd is biting a lot when theyre jumping up then this is definitely the method youre going to want to use. In fact, this is a great method to use any time your german shepherd is biting in a playful way.
- The first thing youre going to need to do is to get your dog to jump up at you again. If they do this on their own great, if not use the same method as before.
- However, this time when your german shepherd jumps up and bites you, let out a yelp or cry of pain before turning away and not facing them.
- Its important that you dont give them any attention until theyve calmed down completely.
- If your german shepherd tries to follow you, keep turning until theyve stopped and calmed down completely.
- Once theyve calmed down completely, you can then reward them with your attention and treats.
This method works so well as its similar to what their litter would do if they were bitten too hard and they dont want to play anymore. Its a great way for teaching your german shepherd bite inhibition as well.
Remember, to do this every time your german shepherd jumps up and bites to show them that the game will stop being played any time they do that.
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Never Discipline By Pushing Your Dogs Nose In Their Accidents
Never discipline a German Shepherd puppy for having accidents during potty training.
Whether your German Shepherd is potty trained or not, never push their faces into their potty accidents.
Even if you think your dog soiled in your house on purpose, punishing them for having an accident indoors wont necessarily prevent it from happening again.;
This also isnt discipline for a German Shepherd, its abuse, both physically and mentally.
Your dog is counting on your leadership to show them the rules in a positive manner. Work on setting a consistent schedule with feeding and walks to avoid potty accidents indoors.
German Shepherds are easy to train given the right attention.
And they need to understand their schedule by having you teach them using consistent patterns, rather than receiving punishment or discipline.
Keep a potty schedule posted nearby so all your family can see it and help prevent your puppy from having an accident.
How Often Does A German Shepherd Come In Heat
A Female German Shepherd comes in heat every 6 months. But sometimes dogs can have irregular cycles.;
It can take up to 2 years to the cycles to become regular. During the heating cycle, many hormonal changes are going on inside a dogs body.
Its behavior can change, and it can act differently than usual. When a female is in heat, she will desperately look for another dog to mate.
During this time, a German shepherd will bleed, and if you do not know how to care for her, you can get in trouble.
Here is an article on;how to take care of a german shepherd in heat
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Aging Across Different Dog Breeds
There are numerous dog breeds, and they all grow and age at different rates. However, you can group the various breeds by their size.
Small-sized breeds grow slowly; therefore, they age slowly too.
On the other hand, large-sized breeds tend to grow faster, making them age more quickly.
To get a more explicit description, a 10-year-old small-sized dog is equivalent to 56 human years, while a 10-year-old large-sized dog is equivalent to 66 human years.
The intense growth that larger breeds undergo directly affects how quickly they age.
Thats because their metabolism is a lot faster, making their bodies produce and expend more energy as well as free radicals. Free radicals are leading contributors to aging.
Besides, certain variables pertain to particular dog breeds. Variables such as orthopedic issues and arthritis affect the overall aging process.
Such conditions limit a dogs mobility, which in turn creates a decline in their cognitive function.
Pay Attention To Your Dog’s Needs
It is important not to neglect your older dog, simply because they start to seem more and more content just to lay on their dog bed and sleep. Especially if you have other dogs that seem like they need more attention and have more energy, you might start to neglect your older German Shepherds. Do not do this!
Even if your dog is over ten years old, they still need and want your attention and approval. Make sure they are given just as much love and respect when they are growing older and coming to the end of their life as they did when they were brand new puppies, full of energy.
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Average Adult German Shepherd Weight
While the vast majority of German Shepherds will fall in this range, there are exceptions. Your veterinarian or else an experienced Shepherd breeder can tell you if your dog is the right weight for their age and height.
The average weight of adult German Shepherds by gender as mentioned in the first paragraph:
- Males: 66 88 pounds
- Females: 48 70 pounds
They Raise Their Eyebrows At You
According to;a study;led by researchers from Japans Azabu University Department of Animal Science and Biotechnology, dogs raise their eyebrows when theyre happy to see you. It is most common for them to raise one eyebrow, especially the left one.
Additionally, the researchers found that the happier they are to see you, the higher the eyebrow is raised. So, when you see your GSD raising an eyebrow at you, theyre not questioning you but showing affection.
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Socialization Period: 3 Weeks 12 Weeks
Now that puppies can interact with the world and creatures around them, they begin to do so. Its vital to begin socializing puppies at this point to become accustomed to humans.
Puppies should remain with their mother during this entire period even if theyre already weaned. There are dog social skills that the mother teaches her puppies during this stage. If they are taken from their mother too early, they may have trouble interacting with other dogs later in life.
Here are some of the milestones of this period:
- Walking well
- Begin playing with littermates and humans
- Have most if not all of their teeth
- Demonstrate adult behaviors including mounting and greeting by sniffing tails
- Fear response
- Can begin housebreaking
- Ears begin to stand upright
Dog Age Chart: How Old Is Your Dog In Human Years
Randa is a writer & former assoc. digital content editor at the American Kennel Club. She’s also mom to 1 Corgi & 2 orange cats.
- Randa Kriss
- Best Dog Breeds For Kids
Its common knowledge that one year of a dogs life is equal to seven human yearsor is it? If this is the way youve been calculating your dogs age, dont worry youre not alone. However, the truth is that this method isnt entirely accurate.;
Historically, its very likely that the one dog year equals seven human years method was created to simply show that dogs age faster than humans. Today, scientists and researchers have developed a more precise method of calculating a dogs age to human years.
Lets dig in
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Is My Female Gsd In Heat How Can I Tell
Is my female GSD in heat? How will I know? What do I do? Intact female dogs , and that are sexually mature are said to be in estrus, “in heat”, or “in season”, during their occasional “cycle” in preparation to breed and reproduce.
On average, the complete canine reproductive heat cycle takes about 6 months in length which results in about 2 heat cycles each year for most female Alsatian dogs. Be aware of all aspects of your dogs health and behavioral life, prepare accordingly and you should both have a long and healthy life together.
Female German Shepherds, also called bitches, generally have their first heat cycle at around 6 to 12 months of age. Sometimes, a female GSD in heat may not have their first seasonal estrus cycle until they are 12 months of age or older, depending on that particular dog. Remember, however, that this information is very general and not all female dogs will follow these exact patterns.
Overall, each individual female dogs heat cycle pattern tends to be relatively close to the basic average, length wise, however lengths of heat cycles may differ from female to female when the female German Shepherd goes into heat.
Remember these important points concerning your female GSD in heat and her yearly heat cycles and prepare accordingly.
First, assume your dog to be “in season” for at least 21 days, possibly longer, which will vary due to your own individual females heat cycle.
Learn About The Measurements Of Your Puppys Parents
The next step to take in guesstimating your German Shepherd puppys adult height, weight, and size is to learn as much as you can about the mother and father dog.
Find out from your breeder what the exact height, weight, and length measurements are for each parent dog. You can also ask the breeder about how long it took each parent dog to complete its growth.
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Training Goal #1: 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.
Keep On Leash The German Shepherd While Out Walking
When a dog is in heat, keep her close to you. Do not allow her to go far from you.
If you are taking your dog outside, always keep her on a leash.
Do not make the mistake of thinking that you have trained your dog to walk off-leash.
When a German Shepherd is in heat, its behavior can change a lot, and it may not respond to your commands.
Your dog can run away to find a dog male. So it is always recommended to use caution and attention.
Some breeders recommend to lock up the dog in the house when in heat to avoid any problem.
In my opinion, if you use some caution and stay careful, there is no problem to outwalk your dog while in heat.
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How To Make A German Shepherd Sit
Its quite easy to make your dog listen to you if you have the patience you need. German Shepherds are known for their intelligence so it would be really easy to make your pet know what you want. In a matter of a few weeks, you would find your German Shepherd knowing just when you want it to sit.
Start with finding suitable treats. Dog biscuits or even a meal of bowl can be used. You can the dog tied or someone else holding the leash.
If you have time you should cook your own dog treats. In so many ways, cooking your own dog treats is a lot healthier than buying. You know exactly what kind of ingredients that you put into.
But sometimes, we are too busy to cook our own dog treats. In that case, you can buy ready-made dog treats. As a general rule, when you are looking to buy dog treats, you should always check the ingredients contained. If you are unsure about specific ingredients, open your browser and Google the ingredients.
Offer Your Puppy Another Option When They Begin Jumping On You For Attention
Jumping on other dogs might be fine for play, but its not safe when a large, powerful German Shepherd jumps on people!
When your dog tries to get your attention by jumping on you, its best to either ignore them or better give them another option that you DO want.
Think about what your puppy is trying to get when engaging in jumping and bad behavior to determine when to ignore them.
When your pup jumps on you when you come home, they probably want your attention. Withholding your attention when they are acting out shows them they need to act differently to get your approval .
Instead, offer them pets and praise when they have all 4 paws on the floor. You can also place them behind a puppy gate until they learn not to jump in order to avoid them scratching or nipping house guests when they arrive.
After you teach them their basic obedience, ask them for a competing behavior like a sit or down when they begin to jump. Always remember to reward the behavior you want to see again!
Ultimately, your puppy learns that good behavior earns your affection and attention more quickly. Your dog soon understands that they get nothing from you when they act badly.
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Do German Shepherds Grow Fast
Generally, German Shepherds grow rather fast in their first six months of life. They will double their weight many times in this period and undergo many growth spurts. However, after five to six months, it will begin to slow down substantially. While they will almost reach their full size at about six months, it will take them until they are about two to finally gain those last few dozen pounds.;
Some owners become concerned when their dogs growth slows down so much, or they may believe that the dog is full-grown before it actually is. However, their slow growth doesnt mean they arent growing and isnt any cause for alarm.;
When Is The Right Time To Neuter Or Spay A Gsd Puppy
This is a question that is best discussed with your dogs veterinarian.
Many German Shepherd breeders recommend waiting until at least the age of one when the dog has completed the majority of growth and the growth plates in the long leg bones have closed for good.
The key is to wait until those growth plates have closed, which may mean waiting longer than 12 months to do the spay/neuter surgery and having to endure a restless, sexually mature dog for a few months.
But this can prevent potentially disastrous and financially devastating veterinary care later in life, so it is worth talking this over with your dogs veterinarian.
In some cases, a dogs growth plates may close before 12 months of age.
In this case, youll want to talk about how the timing of the spay/neuter procedure can affect the incidence of other known GSD health issues such as cancer and incontinence.
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Common German Shepherd Behavioral Problems And Personality Traits
Over the years working as a dog trainer, Ive probably worked with as many German shepherd dogs as any other breed.
Most often, they are an incredibly loyal breed, are devoted to their owners, and have really sweet and fun personalities. And so, to those of you who love the breed and wouldnt consider anything but a German shepherd in the future, I understand!
Yet, some people are terrified of them and feel they are dangerous dogs to own.
To those of you that are wary of German shepherds, I understand where you are coming from, too! First off, they are very large dogs and can come off very intimidating.
Second, their instinct to protect their family or property is strong and can lead untrained German shepherds to becoming very protective, aggressive, and scary dogs.
The keyword here is untrained, as any untrained dogregardless of breedcan have the same problems.
Over the last decade I really feel like Ive come to understand German shepherds and have personally fallen in love with this breed. Ive also realized that theyre so misunderstood due to poorly trained German shepherds often ending up in the news and how they are portrayed on TV and in the media.
For this reason, I wanted to write todays post in hopes that, if you are someone who fears this breed, are looking for help and direction with your dog, or you know someone who is wary of German shepherds, then this honest truth about this lovely breed might change your mind.