Hello German shepherd puppies lovers:

I just feel drawn to list a number of very irresponsible things some people do with their German shepherd puppies and older dogs.  I hope the list just might caution someone against doing something they may have done had they not read it.  I think I will make it a list so that it can stand out:

1.  Don’t overfeed your dogs:  No, it is not cute that Klaus is grossly overweight.  Shepherds have a breed standard.  Unless you have an unusually large dog, the standard is a good guide.   American buy dogs by the pound and believe bigger is better.  Also, for some reason we fear underfeeding our dog.   We are an obese culture and our animal reflect our own obesity, as we feed them into oblivion.  With a shepherd, lean is good and how they should be.  It is alright to see some ribs.  They are not dying.  If they have energy, do not excessively shed, don’t have a strange odor, don’t have overly flaky skin, and are just lean, that is good.  Their hips joints are finite in terms of use, and overweight reduces the longevity of joints.

Sorry I took so long on overfeeding.  But there are just so many other related health concerns regarding obese dogs.  You can look at a picture bird’s-eye view of a representative healthy weight and overweight at our K-9 college at “GSD K9 U“.

2.  Don’t leave dogs with things near them they can injest:  Like tennis balls.  By the way, the glue on normal tennis balls erodes the enamel on dogs’ teeth.  When they have bitten a bone in pieces, take it away right away.   My dog destroyed a kong and then vomited up the pieces.  I should have been watching.  I know a dog who swallowed a tennis ball whole.  Watch out for those plastic packing peanuts.  They are toxic.  Antifreeze is sweet but deadly.

3.  Don’t leave your dog tied to a tree or post with a choker on the live link:  They can easily wrap themselves around the post and strangle themselves.

4.  Dont feed only one big meal a day:  Although I have read that bloat (too much air and fluid in the stomach) can be caused by other things (older age, stress, acidic foods), one cause attributed to bloat is eating one large dry dog food meal a day.  Instead give your dog two medium sized meals.

5.  Don’t use the “knee” correction for jumping up: Some people, and I have also, use the knee correction for dogs which jump up.  They just throw their knee into the dogs chest as they jump up.   But this can lead to broken bones, and painful bruises.  Better is to “block” the nose, cupping your hands and letting them run into it.  Or have someone hold their leash and yank back as the jump up.

I will give you some more on another blog.  But those are just a couple of things to think about.