On this page, we have compiled information about dog ownership specific to German Shepherds that we have learned over the years for you to read. Any specific questions, feel free to ask! We are constantly searching for new information about dog training and health care and will update this page often! (This page is currently a "work in progress"!)

Vaccinations

Vaccinations are important to keep your puppy healthy from diseases that can cause them to be sick or even die if they contract them. There are mild risks associated with vaccinations (pain at injection site, mild immune response), but the risk of death from a preventable disease far outweighs these risks. At birth, the puppy has immunity from its mother, but after 6-8 weeks this inherited immunity no longer protects the puppy. This is the time vaccinations need to be started. AKC recommends a vaccination schedule as follows: DHPP at 6-8 weeks, 10-12 weeks, 14-16 weeks, and then annually. Bordetella twice between 6-12 weeks, then annually. Rabies 12-24 weeks and then every 1-3 years as required by law. Leptospirosis and Lyme disease are both optional vaccinations. These should be discussed with your vet and risk/benefit determined before giving. Until your puppy has had the full series of puppy vaccines, do not take them where other dogs have been (like dirt parks) or allow them to touch noses with animals not part of their home. Although rare, puppies can contract diseases such as Parvo before they have completed their full round of puppy vaccines although they have already received a few vaccines. Link to more information here

Flea/Tick/Heartworm preventative

Puppies are started on preventative for flea/tick and heartworm at 8-9 weeks of age. They should continue monthly prevention FOR LIFE. Do not think that just because your dog does not go outside often that fleas and ticks cannot appear in the yard and jump on your dog. Once you have a flea or tick problem, it can take MONTHS to get rid of them. In Texas, we often do not have a true winter, so I continue treatment even in the winter months. Prevention is key to keep infestations from happening. Heartworm medication is prescription only, so you will need to get heartworm testing and prescriptions from your vet. Sometimes vets have good prices, but shop around and see if you can find cheaper prices online with a Rx from your vet. I do not recommend any of the "latest, greatest" products as they are often found to have problems after being on the market for a few years. The old, tried and proven products still work, so stick with them for your dog's safety. Bravecto, Nexgard,  Credelio and Simparica have been shown to cause seizures so DO NOT use these products- link to info on them here. I use Frontline Plus and Heartgard Plus and have never had an issue with these products. They work well, are inexpensive, and no health issues from them. Revolution is also a good product, but is not quite as good on tick prevention as Frontline Plus if you live in a wooded area. 

Socialization

German Shepherds are wonderful family pets, but early socialization is very, very important. Puppies need to see many different people and animals when they are young to learn how to interact properly. The AKC Standard says the German Shepherd "has a distinct personality marked by direct and fearless, but not hostile, expression, self-confidence, and a certain aloofness that does not lend itself to immediate and indiscriminate friendships." Go to the park, to as many dog-friendly stores as possible, take your dog on errands with you, go on car rides together, etc. The goal is to have lots of positive interactions with strange people, dogs, and other items. Protect your puppy from aggressive dogs by avoiding them. If you are at the park and see someone walking towards you with an out of control dog, chose that as a good time to step off the trail and give your puppy some treats. NO DOG PARKS- see info on Dog parks for more on this. Your puppy needs to walk on many different surfaces- concrete, metal grates, grass, dirt. Parks to walk your dog are great where they can see bicycles, skateboards, and children. The more places you take you puppy to and expose them to when the are young, the more balanced your dog will be the rest of it's life!

Choosing a vet

If you don't already have a relationship with a vet, you will need to chose one right away to take your puppy to for initial exams and vaccines after you bring him/her home. All vets are equally good because they all have the same degree, right? NO!! Remember, someone graduates at the top of the class and someone at the bottom. Also, unfortunately there are vets that got into the profession and later learned that they don't really like being a vet. But after all that schooling they are not going to quit, so they go on, but do you want to bring your dog to that vet? So, who do you chose? Hopefully, you can get a referral from someone you know that has a good vet. If not, you will need to do your research on reviews and meet the vet for yourself. I like to watch the vet interact with my dog. Is my dog scared of the vet? Does the vet take time to introduce themselves to my dog? Do they handle my dog the way I would, or are they rough/tentative? I don't personally like it when my dog is taken to the back to have shots/exam done. I think it is best to allow the dog to stay with the owner to help it feel more comfortable. But this is just the niceties of a vet. A caring vet that knows how to interact with your dog and respects the comfort of the dog is very important. Even more important is a knowledgeable vet. If you vet says something that doesn't sound right to you, do your own research. Vets can be wrong. 

When to neuter/spay your dog?

​Neutering or spaying your dog is always a good idea if you do not intend to breed them. Males can stay intact their entire lives and never have any problems, but there are a few risks involved. The draw of the scent of a female in heat can cause even the best trained dogs to forget everything and try to get to where the female is. Dogs can smell a female in heat up to a mile away! Intact males are also more likely to mark their territory and be aggressive towards other male dogs. Females that are not spayed can bleed for up to 4 weeks per heat. This can make a lot of mess, especially during a time that it is not safe to leave your dog unattended in the backyard. A normally safe fence becomes unsafe as a male dog that smells your girl in heat will dig under or climb over any fence to get to her. She will  need to be crated in the house when you are not home and outside in the fenced yard only under close supervision. Walks around the neighborhood are to the park are not a good idea as any intact male dogs will be trying to get to your girl! So, it is a good idea to get your female dog spayed to prevent these problems. However, there have been research studies done over the last few years that have found that dogs that are neutered or spayed less than 1 year of age triples the risk of joint disorders-read more here. Removing their hormones before they are done growing does not allow them to grow properly. So, if at all possible, delay "fixing" your dog until after 1 year old. 

What to feed your dog, and how much?

I strongly advocate a raw diet as this is the healthiest and cleanest diet for your dog. I feed Blue Ridge Beef, which is a high quality raw that is reasonably priced. There are cheaper raw foods, but these are "4D" meats and I'm just not comfortable feeding "Dead, diseased, down, and dying" meat to my dogs. My dogs get raw in the mornings and dry in the evenings. GSD's should be fed twice daily to prevent the risk of bloat. I also keep my dogs inside for at least 30 minutes after eating before letting them run in the yard to allow their food to "settle". If you decide not to feed raw, make sure that you chose one that has real meat as the first ingredient. It should say "chicken" or "beef" or "turkey", for example, not "chicken by product meal". Anything that lists corn or wheat as the first ingredient is junk. Can they live on it, yes, but that is like a person living on donuts and hotdogs. Not exactly "good" for you and your health will not be optimal. So why is diet so important for your dog? A dog that eats food that fills all their nutritional needs will live a longer, healthier, happier life. Their immune systems are stronger and their body does not have to work as hard to maintain itself. There are MANY good dog food on the market and the prices vary widely by how well they are marketed. If you want to look up a dog food, Dogfoodadvisor.com is a great resource. They have done nutritional breakdowns on almost every dog food on the market and can tell you what is "good" and what is "bad". 

Proper weight is very important as well. Just like humans, the healthier the weight, the better for the joints and overall health of the animal. To determine if your dog is a healthy weight, you should be able to see a "tuck" between the ribs and the hips when you look at the dog from the top, but should not be able to see each rib. The amount fed to the dog will vary by the caloric content of the food, the activity level of the dog, the metabolism of the dog, and what stage of development the dog is at. Puppies of course will eat more per body weight as they are growing and need the extra nutrition. A dog that is not very active will need to eat less than a dog that runs and burns off more calories. 

Dog parks

The concept of a dog park is a great one. Dogs get to run free and make friends with new dogs. Just like kids at the playground. Unfortunately, this is not the way the dogs see it. Dogs are pack animals, which means that anyone not in their "pack" is not welcome. If you take your puppy to a park where there is an established pack of dogs, your dog is the "fresh meat" to be picked on. Dogs are not naturally welcoming of other dogs. Dogs will even fight with dogs they know to establish pecking order or fight over a toy. At any point, a fight could break out. Do you know what dogs do when there are two dogs fighting? They all join in! Then you have a bunch of dogs fighting, all with their owners not nearby and dog will get hurt. Or killed. If your dog loses, you have an injured dog both mind and body. If you dog wins, you have a lawsuit and a vet bill from the other dog's owner. To me, it's just not worth the gamble. Also, you don't know what you are exposing your dogs to. Not every dog owner is as responsible as you are and may not have vaccinated their pet. Unfortunately, vaccines are not 100% and if there is a dog that comes to the park with kennel cough, odds are anyone who sniffs noses with that dog is going to get sick too. Your dog wants to interact with you more than meet other dogs. So, take your dog for a walk at the park, or hiking in the woods, or to a friend's house to play with a dog they know and you know is safe. Dog parks are too risky for your baby! 

Crating your dog

AKC has a GREAT article on crate training do's/dont's and why crate training is so important. I don't think I can say it any better, so just going to post the link here! Most importantly, I will say that crate training your dog is vital. You may never need to crate your dog the rest of it's life, but odds are at some point they will need to go to the vet or travel and that is when learning that it is OK to be in a confined space is important for your dog. 

Fencing your yard

You HAVE to keep your dog contained when in the yard. I have heard may people say "oh, my dog never leaves my yard, they know where the boundary is!" Yet, what happens when a squirrel darts across the yard and your dog chases after it. A dog in full prey drive will not pay attention to where the "boundary" is for the yard and your dog will dart into the street. It just takes a second and your dog could get hit by a car. Put up proper fencing, for your dog's safety. This means a 6ft high solid fence. Some dogs can get away with a shorter fence, but have personally had several dogs that would hop over a 5ft fence like it was nothing! If your dog doesn't like to stay in your yard, you have to ask yourself why he/she wants to leave? Are they bored? If you are gone long hours from your dog and they are left alone in the yard, consider getting another dog. Remember, dogs are pack animals and do not like to be alone! 

Trimming nails

Keeping your dogs nails trimmed to the proper length is important is more than a cosmetic issue, it also a health issue. Long nails can cause your dog to slide on smooth surfaces and fall. Also, when dogs have long nails, their feet hit the ground differently, which can cause tendon and joint damage. Puppies start getting their nails trimmed at a young age to keep them from scratching the mother while nursing. As they are already used to this routine, continuing it and making it a pleasant activity is not difficult. Always trim your dogs nails in the same location of the house. I usually have my dogs lie down on a rug in the kitchen where there is good lighting. Gently hold up your dogs paw and move the hair out of the way to expose the end of the nail. Trim the nail at a 45 degree angle. If you are using cutters, turn them sideways so the wide part of the nail is cut. This is less painful for the dog. Be careful to only remove the tip of the nail. If you go too deep, you will hit the "quick" where the blood supply and nerve endings  are located. I always keep a container of styptic powder handy just in case there is blood. If the dog does bleed, apply the powder quickly with your finger liberally and hold pressure for at least 30 seconds. If you went very deep, you may need to do longer. The bleeding will stop, just keep applying power and holding pressure. After a while, you will learn how far is TOO far to cut and there won't be any bleeding. After you are done trimming the nails, be sure to give your dog a treat and tell them how wonderful they are! You don't want them to feel like nail cutting time is punishment time. Sometimes mine even getting a back rub after I'm done! :) Read more info from AKC here on nail trimming. This website has a good diagrams and a video on nail trimming, although depending on the dog, the line they have marked to cut may be too far up the nail. 

Exercise

Owning multiple animals

What collar to use for your dog

Deworming your dog