German Shepherds - Secrets You Should Know About Your Pet

Originally, German Shepherds were used by farmers to help keep watch over their large herds of sheep - they would keep them from straying and help the shepherds move the large groups of animals from pasture to pasture for feeding purposes.

In the late 1800's there were several attemps in Europe to standardize popular breeds of dog which were unsuccessful - that is until Max von Stephanitz, an ex cavalry captain and recent graduate of the Berlin Veterinary College came across an exquisite Shepherd named Hektor Linksrhein whose lineage had been selectively bred for generations making him the embodiment of the perfect species of work dog according to Von Stephanitz. He was very taken by the dog's strength, loyalty and intelligence and purchased the dog immediately and began breeding him and subsequently inbreeding many of his offspring for generation upon generation ultimately creating the Society for the German Shepherd Dog. It is said that this is the beginning of what we know as the modern German Shepherd and all the purebreds today are genetically linked to these original dogs.

This breed of dog can be the perfect match for a family for a number of reasons. Firstly, their protective and loyal personalities can aid in the protection of members of the family as well as being a great watch dog, warning the family of approaching guests or even intruders. Since they are natural protectors, an aggressive dog is not recommended for families. Personality traits are handed down genetically, so aggressive parents will most likely produce aggressive dogs.

German shepherds have a long puppy stage, so a strict, but patient family is a great match for this breed. These larger animals need lots of space for exercise and exploration as well. They are a natural breed and should need minimal to no clipping but frequent bathing and brushing will help contain the hair as they are heavy shedders. A German Shepherd's outer coat is highly water resistant and course, where their inner coat is thicker and more woolly, softer and heavier for warmth.

German Shepherd training is one of the most important parts of caring for your new pet! They have lots of energy and need help learning to channel it toward good behavior rather than picking up on bad habits. They are such smart animals and are constantly learning, so even when you think you are not teaching, they are picking up on everything and acquiring bad habits. A firm, yet gentle hand is essential in training your German Shepherd to his/her fullest potential for either your work or family. Many training programs are affective - including our own favorite, Dog Training Secrets. You must establish yourself (the dog owner) as "leader of the pack" upfront and remain consistent. You must remain in the Alpha position no matter how often your German Shepherd tries to "test" you hoping to move up in rank. Positive reinforcement is also important to show your dog what you expect and what behaviors are acceptable.

You might be surprised to hear this, but the best food you can feed your pets is the same fresh food that you would feed your families! The majority of what we know as "pet food" is extremely unhealthy and often is made from spoiled and rejected food that could not legally be sold as "human" food. German Shepherds have lived on what we call "people food" for centuries - only in the 1930's when the FDA got more strict on its requirements for "human" consumption did cereal and meat companies band together to create the need for their rejected stock. If you do choose to feed your pets commercial pet food, be diligent and read the labels and do your research - these Dog Food Secrets could save your dog's life and at the very least lengthen it substantially!

The single most expensive aspect of owning a German Shepherd is costly trips to the veterinarian. Keeping your dog as healthy as possible can minimize the amount of appointments that are required. Things like clipping their nails at home, grooming, bathing them and keeping them parasite free - these all can save you hundreds of dollars throughout your dog's life. By learning a few Secrets that your Veterinarian doesn't want you to know - owning a German Shepherd can be affordable and fun.

As a child you probably remember instances where you did something good and were rewarded for the action - good behavior, good grades, etc. The basics for training your dog really is not that much different. Although a bit different than a child, the positives that your dog will appreciate are attention and praise as well as food. You will use these things to encourage your pet to repeat the positive actions that you approve of and can be one of the most powerful tools that you have when training your dog for good behavior.

Here is some basic information that will help you successfully use positive enforcement training. Firstly, timing is so important! You want to immediately reward your dog for the positive behavior - they have very short memories and attention spans. Secondly, consider using a clicker to mark these behaviors that you want to encourage - this is helpful for the dog to make the connection between the positive behavior and the resulting treat.

Keep your commands as short and simple as possible. If you have not ever owned a dog and have observed others and their dog training commands you may have wondered why the commands are so short and simple..... well, you are talking about a dog and no matter how smart they are there are limitations to what an average dog can learn. The typical sit, stay, down, leave it - they are used so often because they work and dogs can easily be trained to know their meanings.

Lastly you need to remember that consistency is the key to successful dog training. When the dog does something good, make sure you reward, make sure everyone in the family does this too as well as having everyone use the same commands. Also, make sure you are not inadvertently rewarding for bad behavior, for example. Your dog barks and barks, louder and louder so you let him out. This is a perfect example of rewarding bad behavior; instead require him to perform a good behavior for you before opening the door. If you try to think like a dog now and then, you just might end up with the best behaved dog on the block.