German Shepherd 

THE MOST VERSATILE working dogs of them all, the German Shepherd Dog, owes its existence to the efforts of a German cavalry office, Captain Max von Stephanitz who, in the 1890's envisioned a super-herding dog that would be intelligent, sound in mind and body, and noble and elegant in appearance. At that time Germany's farm dogs were a mixed lot, valued more for their working ability than their good looks. The best of them, although they varied greatly in appearance, shared two things in common: their body structure was compatible with long hours of hard outdoor work and they had an instinct to guard and herd. 
Selecting quality specimens, Stephanitz commenced breeding towards his ideal. His work attracted others and in 1899 a group of eleven men founded the Verin fur Deutsche Schaterhund (Society for German Shepherd Dogs) commonly referred to as SV. This society has grown to be the largest and most influential breed club in the world. The society draughted a breed standard for the Shepherd, set up a system of registration and established strict breeding regulations. In that same year it sponsored the first Sieger Show, an event which is held annually at which the best male and female German Shepherd Dog are named the sieger and sigerin for the year, titles which compare to the North American "victor" and "victrix". This prestigious show draws a huge entry and is attended by Shepherd fanciers from all parts of the world who pay enormous prices for top German breeding stock. 
The German Shepherd was first imported to this continent early in the 1900's but did not achieve much popularity until after the First World War. Returning servicemen were high in their praise of the intelligent German breed that served so valiantly as army dogs. Imports increased, and between the years 1918-1926 the breed's popularity peaked. Dog actors such as Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart brought fame to the breed . 

THE FIRST DAY 
If possible try to pick up your new German Shepherd puppy at the breeders in the morning. A German Shepherd puppy bonds very quickly to it's new home and it will make for a better experience the first few nights without the littermates if your puppy recognizes your voice as that of a friend. 
It is important not to over stress your new puppy. The first couple of weeks should be a pleasant, calm experience. Puppies, like all babies, need their quiet time. They need a place and opportunity to take short naps during the day.· As children, tired or over- excited puppies tend to be bad, grumpy puppies. 
Prepare your home for your new puppy. Food and water dishes, a secure pen outdoors, and a sleeping quarters. You will also need a leash, a collar, toenail clippers, and a brush. It is also nice to provide several chew toys for teething your puppy. 
You will also need to sit down with your family and decide who will feed, groom and exercise the puppy. Now is the time to implement the rules your puppy will be taught. 
IE: 
Is the puppy limited to certain rooms in the home? Is the puppy permitted on the furniture? 
What method of discipline will be used to correct the puppy? 
Whatever your house rules may be, consistency will be the most useful and important key to your puppy and your own happiness. 
FEEDING 
All dogs should be fed twice daily. The amount will vary for age and sex of puppy. The following is general, but will give you a basis to start. 
German Shepherds are fast growing dogs; you will not want them too fat or too skinny. As a rule, you want to be able to almost see a shadow of rib cage. 
German Shepherds do not need a high protein food, they do very well on 22-24% Protein. 
If you feed higher than that level, you may run into problems. Too much excitement and stress can cause diarrhea with a new puppy. Also, do not feed a lot of canned dog food, use just a little to taste, too much not only spoils your puppy, but also may cause diarrhea. We have found they do extremely well with a little unflavored yogurt being added to their food. 
FEEDING SCHEDULE FOR YOUNG PUPPIES 

8-9 9-10 10-12 12-16 

wks of age: wks of age: wks of age: wks of age: 

½ - .\ ~ 1
 1 Y2 2 

cup kibble fed twice daily. cups kibble fed twice daily. cups kibble fed twice daily. cups kibble fed twice daily. 

I also put in a heaping tablespoon of canned dog food, and a heaping tablespoon of unflavored yogurt, I then mix with warm water to soften the kibble. 
MEDICAL RECORDS 
Your new puppy has had some or all of its vaccinations, depending on its age. I have included this information, in your puppy's medical record. It is important that you take this record with you when you take your puppy to your Veterinarian. Your puppy will need 1 series of shots before the age of 16 weeks. He or she will also need a booster when you get the rabies vaccination at 6 months of age. 
Worming your puppy is also very important. I worm all my dogs every three month, but your Veterinarian will give you a schedule that will fit your puppy's needs. Do not use over-the counter worming preparations, these are not only ineffective, but can cause bowel irritations in puppies. It is important that your Veterinarian diagnose what type of worm your puppy may have, as there are several types, they will then be able to offer your puppy the appropriate medications for the specific problem. 
Your veterinarian will also be an aid in finding the correct method of dealing with fleas. Several preparations that you will find available are not for use on puppies. It is important that you be aware of which are more effective and safe for your puppy. 

HOUSEBREAKING 
When you get your new puppy home, walk it around the yard so it will have a chance to explore, relieve itself, and interact with the family. 
It is important to immediately start housebreaking your puppy so as to not start any bad habits. Determine the entrance to your home you want your puppy to go to when he/she wants out. During that first day allow the puppy to go in an out that entrance 20-30 times. The puppy will thereafter, go to that door when wanting out. 
After each meal take your puppy out to the area you want it to relieve itself. Praise your puppy when it goes. If the puppy is inside and needs to relieve itself, he/she may get fidgety and possibly begin sniffing the floor. If you see your puppy moving in a circle and/or sniffing the floor, quickly pick up puppy and take it outside! 
It is a good idea, if you plan to have your puppy sleep inside, not to give them food or water for several hours before bedtime. We have found a dog crate to be a good way to instill good habits in a puppy, and they come to regard it as their personal little bed. It is most important to use crates as a positive method of training, if the puppy is confined for more than a few hours, remember to let them back outside to use their bathroom area. 
If you do not allow your puppy to be unsupervised in your home, you will have him house broken within days. 

LEASH TRAINING YOUR PUPPY 

This is usually the first training session you will give to your puppy. Most communities today have leash laws, and for your puppy's safety you will want to leash train immediately. Make the first experiences pleasant ones, because puppies do not forget bad ones for a long time. Start with a soft nylon collar that fits your puppy well and your leash. The puppy will struggle at first, DO NOT pull the puppy around; move with it for the first few minutes. Pulling will only cause the puppy to fight the leash more, and possibly injure itself in the process. I find the food treats a real aid here' also, give an easy tug and call your puppy, and when he/she comes, I give the food treat and plenty of praise. As the puppy relaxes, he/she will begin moving easy for you, remember to praise every time that puppy moves easy beside you. The added bonus here is that you are also teaching the COME command. 

Please remember, young puppies (2-4 months) will tire quickly and have short attention spans; short walks will keep you and your puppy happy, and soon you will both be enjoying going many new places. 

GROOMING YOUR PUPPY 

German Shepherds are quite easy-care dogs, but as with all breeds they require proper grooming. German Shepherds have two coat layers: the coarse longer outer coat & the thick wooly undercoat. They "blow coat" (shed their hair) usually twice yearly. While human' . hair grows continually, the dogs hair grows in cycles, dies, falls out and then new hair is grown. It is  especially important to brush your dog daily during the shedding process. This dead fur immediately and help stop the matting, which tends to bold water that can irritations. German Shepherds do not need baths often, but a good rule of thumb to brush (groom) them weekly. As dogs do not sweat through their skin, the weekly grooming not only give you the opportunity of checking the skin for any irritations etc., but also will help bring the natural oils from the skin down to the coat to aid in keeping the fur clean, healthy and water-resistant. 

CLEANING YOUR PUPPIES EARS 

This should be done weekly during your grooming time; gently clean them with a cotton ball and alcohoL 

CHECKING YOUR PUPPIES TEETH 

This is done during the grooming session also. During the teething period you will want to know when they have a tooth coming in or swollen gums. This will aid you in providing the chew toys or to make certain their kibble is extra soft. 

TRIMMING YOUR PUPPIES Nails 

You will want to trim your puppies nails every two weeks, weekly if you have hardwood floors. If you can hear the nails click on the floor, the nails are too long. 

All in all you will find if the grooming experience is kept pleasant, both your puppy and yourself will come to enjoy the ritual. 

CRATE TRAINING 
Dr. Don McKeown, Dr. Andrew Luescher, and Dr. Mary Machum - copyright 
Although many people do not like the idea of crate training, most dogs look on their crate as a den, which provides privacy, comfort and security. Crate training can be extremely useful in a variety of circumstances: 
it prevents vocalization at night because the crate can be placed in your bedroom it prevents investigative activity (chewing or destructive behavior) 
it is the best method for house training 
a crate trained dog will travel calmly and will not need to be tranquillized crate trained dogs are happier when boarded (if their crate goes with them) 
The only disadvantage of crate training is that it cannot be used if the pup is isolated for long periods. The dog should never be left in the cage for more than 4 hours during the day, although it is fme to leave him in all night. 
STEPS IN CRATE TRAINING 
1.	The crate, for a puppy, should be large enough for the adult dog to stand up and turn around in. One should reduce the crate size for puppies during house training. 
2.	The crate should be kept in the kitchen or bedroom. You may wish to move it in your bedroom at night. It should not be left in an isolated area. 
3.	To start with, put treats, meals water and toys in the crate so the pup can go into it on its own. Try to associate the crate with pleasant experiences. DO NOT USE THE CRATE AS PUNISHMENT. 
4.	Put the pup in the crate for a few minutes with the door closed. lfthe pup misbehaves, discipline it with a loud noise. Try for 10 minutes (if the pup is quiet), and then let him out.. After one hour, try again for 30 minutes. If the pup is happy for this length of time, he is conditioned to be left alone. Never let the pup out of the cage, or pay attention to it, if it is barking, whining, howling, or doing anything you don't want. Make a loud noise, and if he is quiet for 5 seconds, let him out. This makes him learn that he cannot get out by making a fuss, and that you reward quiet behavior with attention. 
5.	You may want to put a blanket over a wire cage to make it seem more like a den. Give the pup a chew toy, but something to lie on is optional. 
6.	Do not put food, water, or a chew toy in the crate while house training the pup. 

Rules for Training Dogs 
Dr. Don McKeown, Dr. Andrew Luescher, and Dr. Mary Machum - Copyright - 
MAKE LEARNING FUN FOR BOTH YOU AND YOUR DOG 
Spend 10 minutes 2 or 3 times daily. The training sessions should be separated by 4 hours for maximum efficiency of learning. Normal dogs of any age can learn if you use patience, praise, and rewards. 
Train the dog to come, sit, stay, down, and down-stay off the leash, and to heel on the leash, in this order. Be progressively more demanding. If the dog fails at any level stop, don't reward, and start again at a simpler command. You will find that your dog's motivation to perform decreases as the complexity of the task increases. Make learning fun! 
Use one word commands. Do not combine them with the dog's name, which should only' be used to get the dog's attention. It is easy to talk too much to your dog. If you do, the command you are trying to teach gets lost in all the verbiage. This is a common mistake made by beginner dog trainers. 
Train the dog in a quiet environment with few distractions. Once the response is learned there, move the training location to progressively more complex and stimulating environments. The dog will have to be trained in each environment that you wish him to respond in. You may start in the basement, move on to the kitchen, backyard, street, plaza, train station, etc. If the dog fails at any level, go back to the previous level 
Appropriate responses should be rewarded within ~ second of the command. If you tell the dog to come, and he walks across the yard, give the command "come" again, just before you reward him. This will ensure that the dog associates the command with the reward. 
The dog will learn most rapidly if every desired response is rewarded. Once the behavior is established, reward it intermittently. This will make the response more permanent, and less likely to be forgotten. 
Use valued rewards. Find out which your dog likes most (food, touch, voice, praise) and use that reward most frequently in the beginning. As the training progresses, mix up the types of reward given. 
Once the dog knows the commands, you can start giving them in a quieter voice. Gradually decrease the loudness of your commands, rewarding the dog for the appropriate response. 

CANINE HOUSE SOILING 

Dr. Don McKeown, Dr. Andrew Luescher, and Dr. Mary Machum - copyright 

Elimination problems represent 10-20% of all behavior problems in dogs. House soiling may be caused by one, or a combination of the following: 

ineffective house training methods territorial marking 
separation anxiety 
fear, excitement, or super submission 

too much food, an inappropriate diet, or compulsive eating and drinking diseases like urinary tract infection, incontinence, and gastroenteritis 
early experience puppies kept in a cage until 3-5 months of age and not allowed to defecate outside are difficult or impossible to house train 
attention-getting behavior in older dogs 

	
	
When dealing with house soiling, it is essential to establish a proper location for the dog to eliminate, and to 
Totally  prevent the dog from using any unwanted location. This means that you will have to keep the dog
Under close surveillance and observe his behaviour, so that he has no opportunity to eliminate in any location
Other than the one you have chosen for him. 

Before training, you must ensure that the dog has no disease (a common cause of urination in the house in older, previously well trained dogs), that the dog has normal stool, and that the dog is not over eating (which may cause soft stool). Dogs with soft stool or diarrhea cannot be house trained until their bowel  movements are firmed.

	
Puppies can be house trained at a very young age. The length of' time, in hours, that they have control is equal to their age in months + 1. for example; a 2 month old pup has control for 3 hours. Most normal dogs can be house trained as adults. 

TREATMENT OF HOUSE SOILING 

1. PREVENT ALL URINATION & DEFECATION IN THE HOUSE 

The dog must not be allowed loose in the house unless it is directly supervised The dog may start to circle, sniff the ground, or simply appear restless before he eliminates. You should expect the dog to eliminate after resting or napping, 10 minutes after eating, after exercise or play, and when he smells a previously soiled area. You will have to be especially vigilant-at these times. If the dog has the opportunity to mess in the house, you have not been supervising him carefully enough. 

When you are not directly observing the dog, he should be confined in a small space. A cage is ideal for this, because it becomes the dog's den and therefore provides a sense of privacy, 
comfort, and security. Purchase a cage for your puppy that is large enough to accommodate the dog when it is fully grown. One should then block off the cage so that the puppy cannot urinate or defecate in one end of the cage and sleep in the other. A very large dog may be confined in a small bathroom. Confine the dog if you are talking on the phone; answer the door, or any other time when your attention may be distracted from the dog. The dog can be kept in the cage all night, and for a maximum of 4 hours during the day while he is house trained. Do NOT use confinement as punishment. While house-training, do not give water while confined. 
·2. REWARD THE DOG FOR ELIMINATING IN THE PROPER LOCATION 
This means that you will have to take the dog outside, on a leash, to convenient location whenever he needs to eliminate. Place a small piece of stool in the selected area, as the smell will stimulate elimination. Praise the dog lavishly, within ~ second, of the urination or defecation. If you think he needs to eliminate and he doesn't, watch him very carefully in the house or confine him for 15 minutes and try again. 
3. TAKE OUT AFTER EATING, DRINKING, AND EXERCISE 
Take the dog out first thing in the morning and last thing at night. Feed the dog 2 or 3 times a day and take him out 10 minutes after eating. If your dog is used to being fed free choice, you should start giving him meals so that you know when to expect him to eliminate. 
4. PUNISHMENT 
DO NOT punish the dog for house soiling, but ignore the mistake, and then take the dog outside and praise him for eliminating in the proper location. Any type of punishment (rubbing the dogs nose in it, hitting with a newspaper, etc) will not work. 
PUNISHMENT WOULD HAVE TO BE ADMINISTERED WITHIN1/2 SECOND OF THE EVENT TO BE EFFECTIVE. This is rarely, if ever possible. Dogs that look "guilty" have ,learned that when you are present, and a mess exists, they are in trouble. They do not associate urinating or defecating with being punished for it at a later time. They also cannot reason that if they don't make a mess in the future, they won't be punished. If someone who had never scolded your dog went into your home, and a mess was present, the dog would not look guilty. The 
"guilty" look only occurs when you and the mess is present. 

GROWING PAINS OF THE GERMAN SHEPHERD puppy 
The following is some information to help you through the occasional problems with growing puppies. As the breeder of your puppy, I want you to feel free to contact me if you run into problems, or have any questions. 
EARS With a few exceptions, German Shepherds should have their ears up strong by 6 months of age. Ears do have a tendency however to go up and down during teething, if however your puppies ear bases are not up by 12 -14 weeks, or are flat to the sides of it's head, it is important that you contact me. I will make arrangements to tape the ears, which will aid the puppy in learning to hold them up. 
TEETHING 
Puppies begin teething at around 14 -16 weeks, and are close to having most of the adult teeth by 6 - 7 months of age. Their gums will get very sore and swollen. During teething you may occasionally see a little bit of blood. Remember to provide the chew toys during this time, because puppies in general, are notorious for chewing anything available to them. 
PANO 
Pano is an inflammation of the marrow of the 10rig bones in the legs. The marrow in the leg bones 
grows faster than the bones causing inflammation and discomfort to the puppy. This condition affects many large breeds; it normally onsets between6 - 15 months, during large growth spurts. The Pano itself is not treatable, it can be diagnosed by a leg X -Ray taken by your Veterinarian. Your puppy may exhibit signs of lameness or limping, they will outgrow it. We have found short term use of an aspirin given twice daily will help alleviate the condition,  however the best solution is to let the puppy grow up, and not overdue the exercise or walks during this time . 
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EXTREME MOVEMENT - The German shepherd is a dog for movement. We attempt to breed for an animal that trots as smoothly as a thoroughbred horse. Though we don't want an extreme adult, we do want an animal that will move freely. To get the free, easy motion as an adult, fast growing puppies will sometimes get very leggy and uncoordinated. The ligaments in the legs can be very loose. This  phase usually will be between 3 - 6 months of age and the puppy will grow out of it as everything else catches up to the legs. It is important that they get exercised, but not a lot of running on hard surfaces. 
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PASTERNS & HOCKS IN PUPPIES- 
Though it has not happened in my breeding program. Occasionally a puppy will go down in PASTERNS and/or the hock. If this does happen call a vet as soon as possible. There are currently several ways which will help bring them back up, but we need to start immediately . 

	ELBOWS 	 
Your puppy has elbows quite like you and I on the front legs. There is a small bone that does not fuse until 4-5 months of age. You need to make certain your puppy does not jump off or out of  things until the elbows are fused. The German Shepherd puppy is really quite tough but does not realize its own limitations. A good rule of thumb: If what they are jumping off of is as high as they are tall, that is the maximum.