How Tall Does A German Shepherd Puppy Get
German Shepherd Weight Range And Growth Chart Age Gender Weight Range Average Weight % Adult Weight And Height 8 months Female 53 57 lbs 55.5 lbs 85 9 months Male 64 71 lbs 68 lbs 90 9 months Female 55 60 lbs 57.5 lbs 90 10 months Male 66 73 lbs 70.5 lbs 92
Leading Causes Of Death In German Shepherds
Leading causes of death in dogs mainly vary by age and breed. While most young dogs die from trauma or infectious diseases, about 50% of all dogs over the age of 10 years die from cancer.
A huge Swedish study with over 400,000 German Shepherds analyzed insurance data for morbidity and mortality rates.
They came to the conclusion that GSDs most commonly died from locomotor disorders like hip dysplasia or myelopathy.
This would confirm the results from the aforementioned study that large dogs are more prone to musculoskeletal diseases.
They also found that German Shepherds were strikingly overrepresented for immunological diseases.
How Do You Know If Your German Shepherd Is Dying
- Loss of Interest. As a dog draws closer to death, they may begin to lose interest in things and people around them.
- Extreme Fatigue or Loss of Energy. One of the most common signs that a dog may be dying is a severe loss of energy.
- Loss of Bladder and Bowel Control.
- Appetite Change or Loss of Appetite.
- Odd Breathing.
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How Long Do German Shepherds Live Closing Thoughts
Awareness is growing regarding the detrimental effects careless breeding and exaggerations of specific physical traits are having on purebred dogs.
More experts are moving towards different approaches to registry standards, and changing the publics perception regarding canine health versus pet appearance.
Crossbreeding to revitalize purebred lines and creating designer dogs to moderate exaggerated features like flat faces, short legs, and elongated backs, is taking hold among critics of current breeding trends.
People simply want their dogs to live longer and healthier lives.
Even the AKC has acknowledged the value of outcrossing. One huge accomplishment was the successful eradication of cystine urinary stones in Dalmatians with the introduction of English Pointer bloodlines.
The UFAW is optimistic that similar careful and patient selective breeding can eliminate hereditary problems such as degenerative myelopathy in the GSD over time.
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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.
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Signs That Your German Shepherds Life Is Ending
It can be difficult for any dog owner to dwell on the thought of losing a beloved friend, but eventually, that day will come, and you need to be prepared. If youve spent plenty of time with your dog, youll easily notice drastic changes with its behavior, yet some signs can be uncertain. So without further ado, we will be discussing 5 of the most prominent signs that your GSDs life is ending. Lets begin.;
Understanding The German Shepherd Life Span And How To Prolong It
Understanding the German Shepherd life span is important when caring for these dogs.
The tougher question to ask, however, is how long do German Shepherds live?
These dogs cant stay with us forever, so it is important that we understand the perils of GSD old age and their average life expectancy.
The aim of this guide on the German Shepherd average life span is to look at the general life expectancy of this breed, the different stages of their life cycle and some factors that may influence a longer life or premature death.
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Regular Gsd Grooming Is Required
Most dogs need grooming, and a German Shepherd is unquestionably one of them. Grooming is a vital and often overlooked part of pet care. First, of course, its important to brush your dog regularly to prevent their coat from becoming matted.
It also helps keep them healthy by keeping their skin in good condition and allows you to check for any lumps or bumps that may be developing on their body. Early detection can lead to better treatments that prolong life expectancy significantly.
Potentially Lethal Health Concerns
Everyone inevitably reaches an age where their health begins to decline. Some disorders in German Shepherds are hereditary and presumably preventable, while others arent.
- Hemangiosarcoma A cancerous growth in the spleen that causes bleeding and fatigue.
- Bone cancer Causes microfractures which leads to catastrophic failure of the affected bones.
- Gastric dilatation and volvulus The stomach bloats and twists in this condition, causing life-threatening electrolyte and fluid imbalances, toxicity from organ death, and heart irregularities. GDV appears in deep-chested, usually large dogs. Small dogscan become affected too if theyre deep-chested, like the Dachshund.
- Dilated Cardiomyopathy The heart becomes enlarged and the cardiac muscle walls thin, leading to congestive heart failure or sudden death.
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Origins Of The German Shepherd
German Shepherds were born in the late nineteenth century in Germany.;Its;origin;comes from the crossing of several shepherd dogs, always seeking to maintain the qualities of resistance, intelligence and working capacity of their predecessors.
The captain of the German army at the time named Maximilian von Stephanitz , discovered a lobuno-looking dog called Hektor Linksrhein, who fulfilled;his ideals of strong, noble, and intelligent dog.;He bought it and had its name changed to Horand von Grafrath. This is eventually identified as the first German Shepherd ever to be registered.
From then on, and through careful;selective cross breeding, the German shepherd we know today was created. In addition to its use as a grazing;dog, it began working in cities as a police dog.
During the first World;War, the participation of German Shepherds as patrol dogs led to the mass purchase of them. This is also when German Shepherds started arriving in England. It was called Alsatian, as at the time it did not seem appropriate to use the word German.
In 1971 the English Kennel Club agreed to call it German Shepherd.
What Diseases Can A German Shepherd Have
German Shepherds are strong and resistant, but there;are several specific health;problems regarding this breed, in addition of the most common diseases of;dogs.
German Shepherds tend to suffer;arthritis at;advanced ages, especially in;the hip.;This degenerative disease is a common ailment that produces varying degrees of limping, stiffness, and joint pain.
It can involve irritability and cold, and humid environments increase problems arising from this condition. Arthritis is incurable, but treatment relieves symptoms and improves the quality of life of the dog considerably.
Treatment;includes;physical therapy and weight management, use of painkillers and chondroprotective agents to repair cartilage.
Moderate exercise is beneficial because it maintains muscle mass, but excessive exercise is counterproductive. It is not advisable to have the dog rise on the hind legs or jump from a certain height or to elevated places.
Other inherited diseases range from:
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How The German Shepherds Lifespan Compares To Other Breeds
They arent the dogs with the shortest lifespans. Dogs in their size group can be as short-lived as the Bernese Mountain Dog or Rottweiler, neither exceeding 9 years for their life expectancy.;
This places the German Shepherd lifespan as longer than some. They share the same life expectancy as Golden Retrievers, but they arent as prone to cancer.;
Origin And History Of Gsd
As the name of the breed suggests, German shepherds hail from Germany. German shepherds were not standardized until the late 19th century. In simpler words, they didnt appear until the World War. The GSDs that you see today are way too different from the ones found in the late 19th century.;
The German shepherds found now are bought for their friendly nature, intelligence and to get a good companion but in the initial days after their discovery, they were bought as servants, show dogs, and for athletic purposes. Researchers say that they were once used to protect the flock of sheep from dangerous predators.;
German shepherds were first exhibited in 1899 and then became a well-established dog. They started getting famous, that too within a short span of time. The German shepherds were first exported to the USA in 1906.;
It gained popularity there too, and earned the title called one of the best pedigree breeds as a pet as well as a working breed. German shepherds are purebred dogs. A famous dog breeder named Max Emil Friedrich von Stephanitz was the first person to develop this breed and set guidelines for the breed.
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German Shepherd Lifespan: Interesting Facts About Our Best Friend
German shepherds are known and often sought after for their tranquil behavior and warm temperament. They are affectionate towards people and are agile in nature. German Shepherds are the first breed of dogs to be used to aid the blind. They are also used in certain sports.
Through this article, you will come to know certain facts about the German shepherd lifespan, its food habits, behavior, and so on.;
Maintain Your German Shepherds Weight
More than half of all pet dogs are overweight or obese, and dogs face many of the same obesity-related diseases as people. Additionally, any unnecessary weight can add more strain to already aching joints in dogs prone to hip dysplasia or arthritis.
How can you tell if your German Shepherd is overweight? When viewed from the side or above while standing, they should have a tucked in waistline. You should also be able to feel your German Shepherds ribs.
Making sure your dog has a complete and balanced diet can be trickier than you expect when reducing their food intake, so if your GSD is overweight, talk to your vet about the best way to help them lose weight safely.
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Quiet And Quickly Tired
When a German Shepherd reaches its senior years, youll notice how theyll gradually lose their energy and even show disinterest in toys or walks they used to be so excited about. When your dogs life is nearing the end, youll often find it lying around in quiet places that would exclude itself from other pets or people. It wont also move as much as it would try to limit itself from feeling even more uncomfortably frail than it already is.;
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Do Female German Shepherds Live Longer Than Males
The average life span for the breed is about 11 years old, but some data shows that females live a year longer. This is mainly due to their stronger immune system and being less aggressive than males, which reduces injury risk in fights or traffic accidents.
This has been shown by studies done with German Shepherds a while back, where they found female dogs lived nearly 16 months more than male counterparts.
Female German Shepherd Dogs lived on average 1.4 years longer than male German Shepherd Dogs . While there is no guarantee on the lifespan of any individual dog, this does suggest that a female German Shepherd Dog may be a better option for owners for whom a longer-lived pet is a priority.
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How Can You Extend German Shepherds Life Span
As more health issues cotinue to pop up, so are countermeasures. Its important to understand that you can prolong your German shepherds life span in many ways.
- Brushing the Teeth: For one, you can regularly brush the teeth of your German shepherd, since it may become a threat to the dogs internal organs if not taken care of.
- Healthy Weight: Another way to extend a German shepherds life span is to keep their weight healthy. This is because obesity can lead to many problems.
- Regular Exercise: One way to avoid obesity is having regular exercise. It will also increase the stamina of your German shepherd, which may prepare them for any unpreventable health conditions in the future.
- Veterinary Care: Its important to see the vet regularly since you might be missing out on obscure health conditions of your German shepherd. Give them vaccinations, checkups, and so on.
- Relax Time: They might be energetic and active, but they also need some time off.
These ways can help prolong a German shepherds life span, female or male. Just make sure you dont go overboard since it might do the opposite of what you intended.
Whether German shepherds have health issues or not, they are still lovable dogs. So theres no reason for you to not prolong their life.
After knowing the result of shorter German shepherd life span, you should now understand that you need to make some changes in their lifestyle.
Why Do German Shepherds Have A Short Lifespan
In general, small breeds tend to live significantly longer than large breeds. As an example: a Chihuahua may become 20 years old while a Great Dane would die more than 10 years earlier.
Paradoxically, large animal species tend to live longer than small species. An elephant can easily live to be 80 years old while mice only have 2 short years.
So why does this rule change within the same species? Researches actually dont know 100%.
But a huge study with over 80,000 dogs has found that small and large dog breeds are differentially susceptible to certain diseases with large dogs being more prone to musculoskeletal diseases .
The lifespan of a dog also seems to drastically decrease when body mass increases, especially in giant breeds like the aforementioned Great Dane.
We will talk more about breed-related health issues of the German Shepherd below, but there is one problem that drastically shortens their lifespan: joint issues.
You may have noticed that I have given you a fairly large lifespan estimation above. The AKC states the longevity from 7-10 years while other sites lean more to 10-13 years.
This discrepancy may be due to the different breeding styles of the show lines and working lines.
The AKC breed standard defines their backs appearance as follows The withers are higher than and sloping into the level back. The back is straight, very strongly developed without sag or roach, and relatively short.
Their position statement is the following:
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German Shepherd Health Issues
Like every breed, GSDs can be affected by a variety of health issues that are frequently seen and spread within the breed. Inbreeding and line breeding greatly promote the inheritance of recessive diseases.
You have probably heard of inbreeding before where close relatives are being bred together to produce offspring.
Diseases that would normally be recessive are now transmitted from both parents and as the gene pool becomes smaller and smaller the risk for inherited health issues becomes significantly larger.
Linebreeding is a bit more complicated. Assuming you have two dogs that are siblings and you take one of them and pair him with a dam that is not related to the bloodline.
You would get an x amount of puppies. Now you take one of those puppies and breed her with her fathers brother. In conclusion, this example would be for the breeding of an uncle to his niece.
This is called line breeding as you are breeding back in line to the original sire. As a form of inbreeding, it still has a high risk of genetic defects.
History Of The German Shepherd
German Shepherds originated in Germany in the 1800s. The hardworking and intelligent dog was designed as a herding breed. Technically, the German Shepherd b comes from farm and sheep herding breeds.
The German Shepherd was developed in the late 19th century by Captain Max von Stephanitz. His goal was to create the perfect dog breed based on his needs. After searching for a medium to large intelligent dog, the captain discovered a passion for the herding breeds.
He found and purchased one such dog at a dog show in 1899 and it became registered as the first German Shepherd. Today, the German Shepherd is one of Americas most popular breed.
They are often trained to be guide dogs for the blind. In addition, their strength and agility make them idea to work as military and police dogs.
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Summing Up The German Shepherd Life Expectancy
Since conformation dogs are often riddled with health problems, working dogs should be more long-lived. Dont take their coloring for granted though, sable dogs can also be bred for the show ring!
Do your due diligence and research carefully when looking for your buddy. With luck and determination, youll have him for the next decade or more.;
Have an old German Shepherd? Tell us all about him in the comments!