Maintenance and care for the puppies of every breed are certainly different. Here we'd like to inform you about how to care for German Shepherd puppies.
If you own or are planning to own a German Shepherd puppy, you should know the peculiarities of growing puppies of this breed, problems you may face and what is worth of your special attention.
GSD Puppies

The true German Shepherd dog is a very energetic dog, and a puppy needs opportunities to run out, so if it doesn't have such opportunities, it is almost 100% the pup will not grow into a normal well-rounded dog. So, you definitely should walk him. How often do you need to do this? Of course, the best option in terms of walking for a puppy of German Shepherd dog is living in an enclosure, where the puppy runs as much as he wants, but if the puppy lives in an apartment or a house, you need to walk him as much as possible. However, it does not mean in any case that the puppy should be given some special training exercises, for example, to run with a bicycle or something else. On the contrary, additional strains are contraindicated. Ideally, the puppy should be on a walk until he gets tired and lies down, this is the best indication that the puppy had walked long enough. If your puppy is going out with other dogs, then he'll get tired much faster. Communication with other dogs is an integral part of growing any mentally sound dog. For German Shepherd it is doubly important, so look for pet friends or girlfriends for your doggy.

   While walking with a puppy it is necessary and useful to play with him, especially using retrievable objects - a stick, a bite tug or a ball. German Shepherds are born to retrieve, and the desire to bring objects is in their blood. You only need to give this aspect a little of your time and attention, and you'll solve one of the puppy-walking problems, because, busy with retrieving, a puppy gets tired much faster. Such games are indispensable for the future training, because almost all services need special retrieving skills.
   Modern Shepherds have very long hind limbs, and, by virtue of the fact that the muscles of the puppy do not keep pace with the growth of bones, you have to be concerned. German Shepherd puppy, if it is not fed with dry food, should be given a supplemental feeding with a high content of calcium and phosphorus, and if you notice the puppy has problems with the ligaments of the hind limbs, then you need to pay a special attention to its feeding. If you suspect that your puppy have such problems, it is better to consult a person who deals with this breed, an experienced dog breeder who at present owns German Shepherds.
German Shepherd can be checked for dysplasia being one year old, and it is not proper to speak about its presence without an x-ray; as to rickets it is, in fact, a very rare phenomenon.   Due to the nature of ligaments of a Shepherd puppy, if it lives in your room, the floor should not be slippery, it can lead to unpleasant consequences, so it is better to cover it with something, at least there where the puppy spends most of his time.
Train Your Puppy

Another problematic feature of the German Shepherd is his standing ears, this process must be constantly watched. As a rule, ears of the German Shepherd puppy begin to stand at the age of 1.5-2 months, and are standing on their own at the age of three months. Then the teething starts, so all trace elements in the body are used for teeth. Consequently, during this period you need to pay special attention to puppy feeding. In case you do not feed your puppy with quality kibble and treats, include to his diet products, containing large amounts of calcium and phosphorus, primarily cheese and fish, and of course, in this case you necessarily need to use vitamin and mineral supplements. If the Shepherd pup has problem with ears standing, they are sometimes tapped. If you suspect that your puppy has such a problem with ears, consult a dog breeder or the person from whom you've taken your puppy.
Of all the above mentioned features of the breed the features of GSD feeding come. If you decide to feed your pet with good dry food, it is not recommended to buy food for puppies. The puppy food contains too much protein, fat and trace elements, because of which puppies grow too thick, and problems with ligaments and ears can only intensify. What is recommended - it is food for adult dogs, plus vitamins when necessary.
If you decide to feed your puppy with common products, it is quite difficult to make the right diet. It is necessary to take into account the fact that the dog is actually still a predator, so better leave porridge and soup for yourselves, at least during the time of intensive growth of the puppy that is up to 7-8 months. In the puppy diet the following protein products should prevail: raw meat (it can be variety meats, chicken), raw sea fish, dairy products. These cereals are well absorbed and do not cause diarrhea: wheat, oats, rice, buckwheat. Rice can be given as well, but keeping in mind its low calorie content, it is better to give it to puppies who have digestive problems or a tendency to allergies. Usually dogs do not like buckwheat, and, if there is a choice, they prefer a different cereal. Wheat and barley are virtually useless for puppies because they can cause diary and are very poorly absorbed, so instead of using these cereals, it is better to give a puppy pasta.
No need to overfeed your puppy - a fat Shepherd it is not natural and it looks cartoonish. Feed the puppy 3 times a day up to 4 months, then switch to two-time feeding and, at the age more than a year it is better to feed the dog once a day in the evening.

Besides, you can start training your puppy to wear a harness and get used to a leash. Here we suggest some high-quality products for puppies. Moreover, if you have an adult dog, you can find products for a champion dog, popular among professional dog breeders.

Here's what our customer Eileen from United Kingdom says about the leash she bought for her GSD: "Great product. Comfortable for me and her. It can be used in many variations that helps on walks. I will definitely buy more on your site."

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