Owning a GSD is a Pleasure

by Manny
(AL, US)

I have owned 7 different breeds at different times of my life. We had a Rottweiler, Basset Hound, Boxer, Labrador, Pomeranian, English Cocker Spaniel & two German shepherds. Out of all these breeds, none could even hold a candle to the smartness and sweetness of my German shepherds.

When we bought our first German Shepherd Sheeba, she was 90 days old. She looked nothing like a fully grown German shepherd. Since we did have a lot of experience in bringing up Dogs, we started her feeding and training regimen like any other Dog we had earlier. Little did we know that it was completely wrong.

German shepherds are voracious eaters was our very first finding. Where other Pups tend to leave off food once their bellies are full, Sheeba didn’t stop gorging till we removed the food. She tended to vomit off the extra undigested food. So it is very important to follow these steps when they are Pups & even when they grow up.

• Never overfeed your GSDs
• Always ensure that their chew toys are not made out of rubber as they rip them to shreds
• They are exceptionally intelligent and require a high energy level activity to keep them occupied
• Training should start early and a firm understanding of common commands should be established at a young age
• Toilet training is easy for GSDs
• Don’t let them climb up and down steps as it aggravates their genetic weakness of Arthritis at a later stage
• Calcium intake should be monitored
• Even our Basset hound didn’t have any ear infection. But our GSD tended to develop ear infections quite often. So it is best to clean their ears twice a week, minimum
• Contrary to the opinion, GSD coats don’t require extensive maintenance. A brushing twice a week is enough except when they shed and a bath is recommended twice a month.
• A spoon of sunflower refined oil mixed in their food daily will make their coats shine and keep it healthy

When our GSD grew up, we noticed her behavior change drastically towards our other Dogs. She never got along with any other Dog that was smaller than her in size and will pick a fight with other Dogs if we were not around the house. Also GSD owners should ensure that you don’t bring up a Rottweiler or any other attack dog together with the GSD as it will make life, very miserable for them.

Owning a GSD is a pleasure that can never be totally translated into words. You need to own one and enjoy the experience of your lifetime.