Your German Shepherd
Congratulations on your decision to own a German Shepherd dog! You have made a wise decision in choosing this noble breed and many memorable moments are in store for you and the new addition to your family. I would like to thank you also for placing your trust in me, as a breeder. I am only interested in breeding when there are responsible, stable, suitable homes in which to place the puppies. This animal has decades of competitiveness bred into it and needs a function to perform. Whether as a family pet, show dog, agility dog, Schutzhund participant or tracker, this dog needs obedience and discipline.
My first acquisition of a German Shepherd(American bloodline) was as a young child and Princess was a great pet and friend. At the time I had no idea of what a quality German Shepherd consisted of and knew nothing of temperament problems, hip dysplasia, and the like. While stationed in West Germany during the early to mid 1980s, I was given an eight week old puppy by a friend that knew I loved German Shepherds, as a Christmas present. I was put in touch with the breeders, Elli and Lothar Finke and through the breeder’s tutelage I joined the local Verein fur Deutche Schaferhunde(SV)(German Shepherd Dog Club) and started training my dog there three times a week. The dogs, people, and training were phenomenal and I fell in love with the sport of Schutzhund and deeper in love with the German Shepherd breed.
My German Shepherd mentors and I have maintained our friendship for over twenty-six years and to date I have imported eight dogs from Germany for my personal pleasure. They have all been superb companions, free of temperament problems and hip dysplasia. All but one(who died of an apparent stroke at the age of six{not out of my mentor’s kennel}), have lived to ripe old ages. My mentors in Germany have been actively breeding German Shepherds for over 35 years. There are many guidelines in Germany regarding breeding and our animals meet those SV requirements. The dog you have just received is a unique, biological wonder and the result of many years of assiduous, discriminate, planning and breeding programs. It is another one of God’s great creations. Anita and I pray that you will appreciate this magnificent animal for what it is(and what it will become) and that you both are truly happy together. As you will come to know, this animal will live each day of it’s life for one purpose. That purpose is to please you and receive praise from you, for pleasing you. This dog will eventually as an adult, lay down his life for you and your family, if that is ever required of him or her.
The well bred German Shepherd is a noble, highly intelligent dog with loyalty second to none. As a puppy he is willing to learn and eager to please. As a companion dog he is a great mimic and will blend into the family unit without fuss or favor. In bringing a German Shepherd into your home, you are making an addition to your family and he will quickly feel a part of it. He needs your love, but he needs also correct attention to his grooming, exercise, food and general welfare. Chairs and beds are for humans and the floor is for your German Shepherd. Ground rules must be established early on in life, or the roles will be reversed and the German Shepherd will impose his ground rules on you. The other side of that coin is if you are a highly dogmatic individual whose will is imposed on all under your purview, you will find the dog unable to reason for itself and will become withdrawn. To bring out the most your new friend has to offer, you must find a striking balance. Attending a regular obedience class, if you are not experienced with training dogs will help you find that medium. Your family will not be happy, nor will your new family member, if this dog is left out in the backyard, neglected.
The original breed club for the German Shepherd is the Verein Fur Deutsche Schaferhunde, known throughout the world as the SV. The SV was founded in 1899(which was also the year in which the first Breed Standard was produced), with Calvary Officer Captain Max von Stephanitz as the President. The first dog to be registered with the SV was Horan Von Grafrath, owned by Von Stephanitz. The SV is headquartered in Augsburg, Germany. At that time(1899) it had 31 members, but it grew at an astounding rate; after 10 years there were approximately 10,000 members and another 10 years later some 40,000-50,000 members. Today the membership has passed the 100,000 mark, many of them being overseas. I first joined the SV in 1982, while stationed in Stuttgart Germany and I am a member today. The Verein fur Deutsche Schaferhunde is the largest purebred dog club in the world.
In discussing the breed standard, the German Shepherd is of medium size, moderately elongated, powerful and well-muscled. The ideal height at the withers for a dog is 25 inches and for a bitch 23 inches. The proportion of height to length and the position and placement of limbs(angulation) are so inter-related as to ensure a far-reaching tireless trotting gait. He possesses a weatherproof coat. The sex characteristics must be well defined, which means that masculinity in the male and femininity in the female must be unmistakable. The manner in which German Shepherd carries and behaves himself must make it perfectly clear that the healthy body also incorporates a sound frame of mind, providing the physical and mental attributes that make him a great working dog with great endurance.
The German Shepherd is a trotter. With correct proportion of height to length and corresponding length of limbs, it will produce a ground-covering stride which travels close to the ground, giving the impression of an effortless forward propulsion. The SV requires stability of nerves, alertness, confidence, manageability, loyalty, combative instinct and courage in it’s dogs.
The head should correspond to the size of the body without being coarse, too fine or overstretched, in general appearance. The forehead when viewed from front or side is only slightly domed, and the cheeks taper off laterally in a gentle curve without forward protuberance. The width of the skull should be approximately the same as the length of the skull, whereby in the male slightly more width and in the female slightly less width would not be objected to. The muzzle is strong, the lips are tight, dry and well closed, The straight bridge of the nose runs almost parallel with an extended line of the forehead.
The teeth must be healthy, strong and complete(42 in all, 20 in the upper and 22 in the lower jaw). The teeth of the German Shepherd act like scissors, the incisors must grip scissor-like into each other, those of the lower cutting those of the upper jaw. An under or over-shot bite is faulty, also large gaps between the teeth are faulty. Faulty is also a level bite when incisors meet in a straight line. The jaws must be strongly developed for the teeth to be deeply embedded.
Ears are of medium size, broad at the base and set fairly high. They are carried erect, parallel to each other. Puppies and young dogs sometimes have their ears down during the teething period up to six to eight months or even longer. In movement and in lying-down resting position, most dogs tip their ears back.
Eyes are of medium size and almond-shaped, set slightly oblique and not protruding. The color should compare well with that of the coat of the dog, rather dark. The eyes should project a lively, intelligent and self-confident expression. Light golden colored eyes are faulty.
The neck should be strong with well developed muscle and without loose and pendulous skin under chin or throat. It is carried at an angle of roughly 45 degrees to the horizontal, and carried more erect in excitement and lowered when the dog is trotting.
The length of the body should exceed the measurement of the height, it should be approximately 110 to 117 percent of the height at the withers. Short, square or high legged dogs are undesirable. The chest is deep(45-48 percent of the height at withers) but not too broad, brisket rather long and pronounced. The ribs are well developed and long, neither barreled nor too flat, reaching down to the sternum which reaches to the elbows. A correctly formed chest allows the elbows free movement while the dog is trotting. A too rounded chest causes hindrance and an outward turn of the elbows, while a chest too flat causes the elbows to be turned in. The belly is moderately tucked up. The loins are broad, strong and well muscled. The croup is long and gently sloped(23 degrees). A short and steep or level croup(as in the American bloodlines) is not desirable.
The breed standard for color is black with regular brown to red, gold to lightish-gray markings, also with a black saddle, dark sable(black overlay on gray or light tan ground with lighter markings to match). Small white markings on the chest or very light hair on the inside of the legs are permissible, but not desirable. Your puppy will display these white markings on the chest, but remember this dog will continually change colors until the permanent color comes to fruition at 18 months of age. The tip of the nose must be black on all dogs of any variety of color. The ground hair or undercoat is always light gray except on black dogs. The final color of a puppy can only be determined after the proper top coat has grown(about 18 months of age).
German Shepherds of the German bloodline come in three coat types; the stock-haired, the long stock-haired and the long-haired varieties. The stock-haired(both of the parents of your dog fit this description) dog’s outer coatis as thick as possible, individual hairs are straight, harsh and close-lying. On the head, including inner parts of the ears, front parts of the legs, paws and toes, their hair is short. On the neck the hair is longer and thicker-coated. On the back of the fore and hind legs the hair is longer down to the hock joints.
The long stock-haired German Shepherd’s hair is longer, not always straight and most of all not close-lying on the body. The long stock-haired coat, not being weather-proof as the normal stock-hair, is not desirable; however if sufficient undercoat is present, it is still permissible for breeding if acceptable by the breed regulations of the particular country concerned.
The hair on the long-haired German Shepherds is considerably longer than that of the long stock-haired dog. It is mostly very soft and usually parted along the back. The undercoat is not present at all or only in the loin area. Among long-haired German Shepherds there are frequently narrow-chested ones and narrow, elongated forms of muzzle. In the long-haired German Shepherd dog, this weather-proofing and the proficiency as a working dog are essentially lessened. For this reason the long-haired German Shepherd should not be bred.
As it relates to faults, anything that detracts from the usefulness, endurance and working ability of the dog, In particular, characteristics not corresponding to the sex or otherwise, a nature contrary to a German Shepherd, such as apathy, nervous debility, excitability and shyness, insufficient vitality, and eagerness to work is considered a fault. Dogs exceeding the maximum or not reaching the minimum height, stunted growth, dogs too short in general appearance and dogs overbuilt in the front are also considered a fault and should not be bred. Other faults include golden colored eyes, a muzzle too short, a dog weak and lacking strength, under or over-shot bite, hanging ear carriage, and a tail that is ringed , docked or a congenital bob-tail.
In addition to the above mentioned breed standards, the SV have what is known as breed wardens. The breed wardens enforce these above standards by visits to breeder’s kennels, inspecting the kennel conditions and insuring that rules and bylaws of the SV are being complied with. The sport of Schutzhund was initially formulated as a legitimacy test for breeding. Trials were held and only the dogs that past these trial tests were allowed to breed, thus ensuring the breed standard and this has led to the competitive, spirited drive that the German Shepherd is known and admired for. That tradition continues today, in Germany. Before any dog can be bred, under the SV system, it must have obtained at least, the title of “Schutzhund I”. There are three Schutzhund titles(SchHI, SchHII, and SchHIII), that a dog can obtain. The Schutzhund field trials consists of competition obedience and retrieval exercises, tracking exercises and personal protection exercises, that vary in degree of demand and difficulty based on the level of the Schutzhund title that one is trying to obtain. Before any dog in the SV system can even begin to pursue a SchI title, it must first obtain a “Companion Dog B” title, which is in essence a temperament test to qualify it to move on into the rigors of Schutzhund titling. Again the breed wardens are there, ensuring compliance to the breed standard. Now you can begin to appreciate the decades of discriminate breeding that the Germans have put into their German Shepherds. I am including another document with your Puppy Package entitled, “100 years of the German Shepherd Dog”, that explores the difference in the American bred German Shepherd and the superior animal that you have just acquired.
The Sire of your newly acquired puppy is VA2 (DK) Arko vom Butjenter Land. He has been titled; Companion Dog B, SchHI, SchHII, SchHIII, is V Rated(SV Conformation Rating), designated Korklasse 1 and has also passed an endurance exam(AD), which consisted of a 20 kilometer(12.7 miles) run. He was bred, born, trained and titled in Germany. The Dam of your new family member has be titled; Companion Dog B, and SchHII , is V-Rated, and has also passed an endurance exam(AD), which consisted of a 20 kilometer run. She was bred, born, trained and titled in Bavaria. The mating that produced this litter is a classic Ursus von Batu line breeding. The pedigree of your puppy is unique and rare. I would venture to say, that not many people have a German Shepherd with a pedigree more impressive than your new family member. Again, congratulations!
After now realizing your recent investment and imagining the pride you have for your new friend, caring for and maintaining your dog’s health is what I would like to address next. When I am out in public with my dogs, invariably someone will come up to me and compliment their appearance and or behavior, THEN immediately go into a diatribe about a German Shepherd they once had that was much bigger than my dogs, even that their dog weighed 135-160 pounds. Some boast a German Shepherd wolf mix, that was enormous. While realizing most of these stories are assuredly embellished, probably out of envy, the German Shepherd was never bred to weigh 135 pounds and more. A German Shepherd that weighs that much is grossly obese. A typical adult female German Shepherd will weigh between 65-80 pounds and a typical male will weigh between 85-110 pounds, keeping in mind that is proportioned to the height and length of the dog. The breed standard is what dictates the size and look of a dog, and while things may always be bigger in Texas, when it comes to dogs, the breed standard is the official mandate and is the only thing that counts. You will hear many of these embellished stories, as you are out and about in public with your handsome companion, grin and graciously bear it, knowing you own the very best the breed has to offer.
Obesity must be avoided during puppyhood, as so-called “juvenile obesity” will increase the number of fat cells in the body, and so predispose the animal to obesity for the rest of it’s life. Limiting food intake in growing German Shepherd puppies has also been associated with fewer signs of hip dysplasia. This is of extreme importance in this breed. Weight control is in the hands of the puppy owner and it cannot be stressed too strongly that preventing overweight puppies can reduce problems with hip dysplasia and diabetes later in life. It is important to prevent the development of obesity in juvenile German Shepherds puppies. This is often made difficult by the public image of the roly-poly puppy encouraged by the media. These overweight puppies are more prone to the development of skeletal problems such as hip dysplasia. Your puppy has been bred free of congenital hip dysplasia, but you can induce dysplastic conditions by creating an obese adolescent. I can not stress enough that your puppy, until it is 18 months of age(the hips are fully developed, by then) remains slim and slender. You should be able to barely see it’s ribs, with the naked eye, and running your hand down it’s back, be able to feel the ridges in the backbone. Do not try and feed this dog to make is something, it genetically, is not. You will only ruin a great animal if you do not heed this advice. Don’t listen to your friends or neighbors or even your VET on this one folks. Listen to me. Keep this animal lean for the first 12 months, then let it gradually come into it’s own. By the time he is two years old, you will have your picture perfect German Shepherd Dog, that all will envy. If you try and rush the process, YOU WILL FAIL YOUR PUPPY, for the balance of it’s life. I recommend going to a pet store(Petco or Petsmart) and buying “Royal Canin” German Shepherd Formula 24” or Eagle Pack Adult Original Formula. I would discourage buying the popular brands out of your grocery store and Wal-Mart, and encourage going to a pet store and buying one of the more scientific formulas. I would also discourage you from feeding the Hill’s Science Diet formulas, that your veterinarian will insist that you use. The beauty of a coat, vitality and the muscle tone of a dog, comes from the inside out, starting with the diet. If your dog’s coat becomes dull and lifeless, and the black in his coat becomes a burnt reddish color, it is an indication of a poor(cheap) dog formula. German Shepherds genetically are predisposed to skin allergies if the proper PH balance is not in their feed. This is my primary reason for suggesting “Royal Canin”. Your annual cost for a good formula dog food will come to about $500 dollars, per dog. Your vet may recommend other diets, but it behooves you to listen to this piece of advice. Royal Canin or Eagle Pack Adult Original are the feeds we recommend. I cannot speak too highly of Royal Canin! I will caution you against large breed puppy formulas and puppy formulas recommended by your vet. These feeds are too rich for your German Shepherd and will result in asymmetrical bone growth, which can lead to hip/elbow dysplasia. Feeding these cautioned feeds, as well as feeding a raw, BARF diet, will void the warranty(contract) of your puppy as it relates to dysplasia.
German Shepherds have relatively easy coats to maintain but they do require daily grooming, especially at times when they are shedding. Knots in the coat are easier to remove when they have only been present for a short time rather than having been left for weeks or more. Grooming your dog is an ideal time to inspect the body closely, to look for unexpected abnormalities, ticks and assess the general condition of the dog. Your puppy should be groomed from the earliest age so that the puppy will learn to consider such handling to be a pleasurable experience. When your puppy started walking, I started going over it with a brush, so this concept is not foreign to your puppy. My grooming technique entails first using a coat rake, then a slicker brush, followed by a metal comb. By the time you are finished with the comb, the dogs looks spectacular.
Inspect the eyes first for matter or discharges in the corner. There should be no excessive watering and the white of the eye should be briefly looked at to see that it is not red or discolored. The surface of the eye should be clear and bright and the expression one of alertness.
A painful ear can be a very irritating ordeal for your dog, so the prevention of ear problems is important. If there is a noticeable build-up of wax in the ear canal, this can be easily removed by first softening the wax with an ear-cleaning fluid and then wiping gently with a cotton face cloth. I use “Bio-Groom Ear-Care”, which is a non oily, non sticky ear cleaner and it produces nice clean ears. I try to remember to clean my dogs ears every other week with this ear cleaner. Q-Tip are discouraged and usually precede a costly veterinarian visit. If there is an excessive amount of wax in the canal, or if the ear is hot, reddened or swollen, this is an indication of infection or inflammation and veterinary attention should be gotten immediately.
If your dog is regularly walked on hard surfaces such as concrete, paved roads or stones and rocks, the nails will wear down naturally. If the nails are left to become too long they are difficult for the dog to wear down and the heel takes more of the weight of the leg and the nails may split. Clipping nails is a delicate task, If you cut too short, into the “quick”, blood will flow and the dog will find it painful. The dog may then become very wary of anyone who tries to get near it’s feet with nail clippers held in the hand.
When you take your dog to the veterinarian for it’s seventy-two(72) hour checkup(your annual physical exam, shots and dog license will run around $150) per the puppy purchase contract, discuss with him and get a firm grasp on; distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, kennel cough, rabies, and internal parasites such as roundworms, heartworms(I can not stress enough, the importance of getting your dog checked for heartworms, and then KEEPING it on a regular heartworm prevention program. Heartworms are not to be take lightly), tapeworms, fleas, ticks, ringworm and mange mites(“Panolog” is an excellent medicine for mange mites). These are the basic battles you be waging war against to keep your German Shepherd Healthy. I use “Sentinel” to fight internal parasites(heartworms and intestinal parasites) and “Frontline Plus” for ticks and fleas, and the annual cost of these for one dog will run around $300. At the eight week checkup, when the final temporary shots were given, along with the 4th fecal exam(which was negative), and tattooing, your puppy was put on heartworm preventative medicine. This heartworm application if you bought your puppy at 8 weeks of age, insures coverage for the first 3 weeks that you own the dog agains hearworms. CONTINUE THIS HEARTWORM PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE! Your dog’s life depends upon it!
When you and your puppy arrive home, remember that your puppy is just a baby, although he may look strong and healthy and want to run about, you must build up the exercise process at a slow pace. Do not throw objects 20 or 30 yards away and then let your puppy gallop after them, until he can hardly stand. Just roll a ball a few yards and let him bring it back to you, and never forget to give him plenty of praise and pats on the back, after each roll or throw of the ball. If you are going to be serious about training your dog, the tennis ball is a great reward and motivator. Your puppy was socialized at our home to pursue the tennis ball, and I would suggest you maintain it’s “ball drive”. In the months to come, everything you teach it can be rewarded with brief periods of play with the ball.
When you first begin house-training your puppy, should you decide to do so, do not expect results immediately. We all want our pups to be house-trained as soon as possible for obvious reasons but with consistency, you should soon have your puppy fairly reliable. Do not look at house breaking a puppy, like potty training a child. The most usual times when a puppy will want to relieve itself is on first waking up and 15-30 minutes after meals. Time the puppy from when he drinks or eats, and goes in the house, and take it out when you think that time is near. Praise the puppy and make a big fuss patting it on the back when he goes outside and he will soon get the idea of what is required of him. If the weather is fine, as soon as you puppy has finished his meal, take him outside. It is important to stay with the puppy until he has finished his business, so you know he has relieved himself and secondly to give him praise for doing a good job, and being a good puppy. Never punish a puppy for relieving himself in the house unless you actually catch him in the act. One bit of advice is to limit the run of the house to one room, such as the kitchen, until the dog is housebroken. Physical abuse and screaming your head off will not get the point across to the dog, and will only frighten it into using the bathroom in the house out of fear. Do not make the dog neurotic with threats, anger and abuse, this process is going to take time and patience. If this dog is going to be a house dog, while it is a pup expect it to chew on couch legs, shoes, and album covers. After you start to bond and the dogs really loves you, expect your house to be chewed to shambles when your leave, because he misses you terribly, and this is the only way this puppy knows how to relieve that frustration and loneliness, while you are away. This will subside with time and as the dog ages, but it will try your patience, in the interim.
If you do want to change your puppy’s diet from the “Royal Canin” formula he is receiving, do so over several days, providing that your puppy is eating what your were initially feeing him. I would avoid raw eggs and cows milk, when changing your diet. Your puppy should be feed four times a day initially, with a quality puppy formula. Because German Shepherds have a huge amount of bone density and requirements for minerals, nutrients and calcium, I suggest “Pet-Tabs Plus” a high quality vitamin that that can be purchased where you buy your puppy formula. “Pet-Tab Plus” will cost about $26 for 180 tablets, and a puppy under 20 lbs only needs half a tablet. Since six weeks of age, your puppy has been receiving one half tablet per day. If the proper nutrients are not ingested, bone development is compromised and the puppy’s ears may have difficulty standing, initially.
You can train your puppy to do quite a lot by incorporating training into meal times. Before you give your puppy his meal, make him come and/or sit. As soon as he has done so, give him his bowl of food while praising him. Remember, you must at all times have much patience when training your puppy. Once your puppy has the basic idea and will come when you call him, you can replace the bowl of food with a small tidbit, or preferably that tennis ball, I spoke of earlier. Once you have the basic control of your puppy, do not go too far with a training program of your own, because if you discover that you want to engage in obedience or some sort of working sport or trials, you might train bad habits into your puppy which would take a lot of time/effort correcting.
When your puppy first arrives home, he is going to have to acclimate himself to his new surroundings, without his litter mates, for the first time. Let him investigate his new home at his own speed. If he approaches an unusual object, encourage him, and after he investigates the object, praise him, and make a big fuss over him, to give him confidence. His time as a puppy is probably the most important of his life as far as training is concerned, so socialization is paramount in this breed. Let him explore everything he wants and encourage him to do so. Every week, plan something different, like going to a playground where children are, going to a farm if one is available and let him have contact with other animals, or going to the state fair where there are a lot of people milling around. As your puppy gets older, go into a swimming pool with it and familiarize it with swimming. All these new things presented while it is a pup, will give it confidence as an adult and you will have a well rounded animal that is not frightened of it’s own shadow, or uncomfortable, when it is taken out of it’s usual surroundings. Use your imagination and do something new every week with your puppy. It is my desire, that you eventually find your way onto a Schutzhund training field, that is what your pup was bred for, but of course, that is your decision.
Your puppy was wormed on the system of my German mentors. At 14 days old, the worming began with “Banminth-Paste(made by Pfizer)”(bought on a recent trip to Germany) and was repeated every 8 days with amounts of worming medicine corresponding to the puppy’s body weight. You can have the best dogs(superb DNA), best pre-natal and best post-natal care, but the ultimate potential of the dog is in the worming(I was taught, “the A-Z of raising a litter is in the worming”). I have not failed you. Thirty-five years of German Shepherd breeding knowledge from my mentors, has gone into this litter, to assure you the very best this animal has to give. At five weeks old, the initial inoculations were administered by my vet(see enclosed health certificate) and again at seven weeks old your puppy received additional inoculations. It is your responsibility to get with your vet and complete the series of shots at ten and twelve weeks of age, to get it off on the proper start to a healthy life. Again, I stress your puppy also was put on heartworm preventative medication(revolution) at five weeks of age. Let your personal vet evaluate your puppy’s needs and continue this heartworm preventative program. I cannot stress enough, the importance of maintaining the proper heartworm preventative for your new family member. Trust me, if you fail in this area, your family member will suffer and possibly die, at an early age, and you will be devastated, more at your negligence, than it’s death(which will pain you greatly). You were chosen to receive this pup based on your character and integrity, so with me it is a given, and a “non-issue”, but again I stress the need for a heartworm preventative program, SUPERVISED by your veterinarian.
In the past, people have purchased puppies and at 4-5 months have had the puppy spayed or neutered. While we cannot control this action after the puppies are sold, it is strongly encouraged not to have this procedure done before the dog is two(2) years of age, if at all. Also note that your Puppy Purchase Contract warranty becomes null and void should you spay or neuter your puppy before two years of age. Much care, consideration and preparation has gone into breeding your puppy and ensuring it has the best genes available. The growth hormones are directly connected the reproductive organs and to “fix” the puppy at such at early age, throws an imbalance into the growth process of the puppy,(i.e., possible stunted growth, immune problems, lack of muscular, and bone density, ect). Your veterinarian will tell you how safe it is, how it does not affect the growth of the dog, ect., but my experience and consultants in Germany have repeatedly advised me of spoiling the ”German Shepherd” by having this process performed too early(I have never spayed or neutered a dog in 27 years and have not had behavioral problems and did not breed them all). To have the dog “fixed” at any age compromises the breeding and years of dedicated breeding. You have a dog that resembles a German Shepherd, but is not actually a German Shepherd, anymore. To “fix” the dog at 4-5 months further compromises the DNA and the dog never even benefits from looking like a true German Shepherd because of the lack of muscular and bone density that is caused by the growth imbalance, caused by the “fix”. To discourage this practice, we have decided to void and nullify all health warranties associated with the dogs, that have the misfortune of having this procedure administered to them before their 24 month birthday. I don’t care how many “fixes” your vet has performed, and how many reasons he gives you to perform this surgery, as far as I am concerned, he is just grabbing after money if he performs this procedure before the dog reaches some level of majority. Behavioral problems are not solved with spaying and neutering, they are solved through training, and dedicated persistence. If you do not want to show or breed that is fine, but give your animal a fair shot at a healthy life, by not throwing it’s growth process an imbalance curve. Trust me, your veterinarian is most likely the best and smartest that ever graduated from school, but he is not a German Shepherd expert. If he is a German Shepherd expert, he will never encourage you to spay or neuter your German Shepherd, unless the procedure is done to save or improve the longevity of your German Shepherd. Personally, I never understood why a person would buy such an animal then “destroy” it, instead of just going to the dog pound and rescuing a dog that needs a home, the outcome is the same. I just shake my head at people that espouse that they want the best German Shepherd they can get, then run down to the vet’s office to have it spayed or neutered. Unbelievable!
In closing, I would like to ask(if I may), that as you and your German Shepherd move through life, from time to time you send or email pictures of your new friend, as I would love to track it’s progress. He’s/She’s your dog now, but I will always have a place for it in my heart, and I would love to hear from you. My heartfelt prayer is that this animal brings to you, what my German Shepherds have brought to me for over twenty-three years; joy, contentment, peace, pride, friendship, protection, fun, and exhilaration. Thank you again for your faith and confidence in our commitment to the German Shepherd breed. Feel free to call on me at anytime in the future if you have any questions concerning your dog, or just want to share an experience with me. My interest does not end with placing this puppy in your care, this is where my interest begins. May God Bless you, as you journey together.
The Book Of The German Shepherd Dog-By Anna Katherine Nicholas
The German Shepherd In Word and Picture-By Captain Max Von Stephanitz(4 volumes)MUST READ
The Ultimate German Shepherd Dog-Edited By Sheila Rankin
German Shepherds-By Francis G. Kern
Your Dog(His Health And Happiness)-By Louis L. Vine, D.V.M.
Der Schutzhund(The Protection Dog)-By Helmut Raiser Translated By Armin Winkler
Schutzhund(Theory And Training Methods-By Susan Barwig And Stewart Hillard
Training The competitive Working Dog(Schutzhund, Tracking, Obedience)-By Tom Rose & Gary Patterson