How to Buy a German Shepherd Puppy

You're making a significant commitment when you purchase a German Shepherd pup. You'll be accountable for the health, training, deutscher schäferhund kaufen österreich and mental stability of your dog for many years.

Pet stores and online sources offer puppies, which are typically from puppy mills, which focus on profit over the welfare of animals. Choose a reputable breeder instead.

How to Choose a Reputable Breeder

It's essential to be aware of your breeder before you purchase a German Shepherd puppy. Responsible breeders will be willing to discuss their dogs and their practices with you. They'll be willing to discuss genetic and health testing early socialization, as well as the environment where their puppies are raised.

Your local German Shepherd club or organization is the best place to start. Most breed clubs have a secretary or puppy officer who can point you to reliable breeders in your area. You can also contact the animal control department of your state to get a list of licensed breeding companies.

Once you've identified a breeder with good breeding standards, make sure you take the time to meet them in person. Look for a clean facility in which the mother and her puppies are comfortably confined. Ask about the puppy's fathers and siblings. You'll would like to verify that they were examined for hereditary conditions such as hip dysplasia eye problems, heart disease and Degenerative Myelopathy.

A responsible breeder will be able to provide you with copies of your puppy's medical records and a current shot schedule. They should have a strong relationship with a vet who can carry out all the necessary tests and vaccinations. They will be able provide the name of the veterinarian and his contact number and will provide you with records of your consultation.

Ask the breeder about any concerns they might have about your lifestyle or living situation. This could prevent the breeder from selling puppies to you. If they know that you have young children they might not want to sell you a German Shepherd puppy because they can be aggressive towards children.

You should also expect a reputable breeder to require you to sign a contract for the purchase of your German Shepherd puppy. The contract should contain information about the parents as well as their AKC registration number and a clause allowing them to return the puppy to the breeder. This is an excellent method for responsible breeders to track their dogs and ensure they go to good homes.

Health Tests

Breeders who are trustworthy will test the health of the dogs they plan to breed. This is to ensure that they don't breed pups that have an inherited illness. These tests include hip and elbow dysplasia, myelopathy degenerative and GDV (also known as bloat).

Breeders who are trustworthy are determined to understand the temperaments and health issues of every dog they own. They also share this information completely and belgischer schäferhund welpen kaufen österreich openly with other breeders as well as prospective buyers.

The Kennel Club's Assured Breeder Scheme requires members to perform certain tests on their dogs. Breed clubs for German Shepherds also suggest that breeders conduct additional tests.

These tests are designed to detect genetic diseases that affect all German Shepherd Dogs. They also permit breeders to make more informed mating decisions that will lower the incidence of hereditary disease in the future.

Typical genetic tests include:

Hip Dysplasia

German Shepherds are susceptible to elbow and hip dysplasia, deutscher schäferhund Welpen kaufen especially in the front limbs. These joint disorders that cause degeneration cause pain and discomfort but can be controlled with the control of weight, exercise restrictions as well as supplements and medications. The X-rays are made under sedation, to get precise results, and then sent to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA).

The OFA test looks for the presence of hemivertebras, butterfly vertebras, block vertebra, lumbar sacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV) as well as spondylosis, hemivertebra and belgischer schäferhund welpen kaufen österreich spina bifida. This test is not 100% reliable, however, and cannot determine if a dog will develop degenerative myelopathy or other spinal conditions later in life.

Socialization

GSDs require a lot of physical activity in addition to training and mental stimulation to keep them engaged. They can easily become bored and their lack of activity can result in destructive behavior such as excessive digging or chewing on shoes. These behaviors are usually caused by a lack of emotional needs. This is why early socialization is so important for German Shepherd puppies. Proper socialization allows the pup to build confidence with new people and different environments. It also decreases the chance that the puppy will be scared or aggressive when in unfamiliar situations.

The mother and her littermates play together and deutscher schäFerhund kaufen österreich interact with each other. This teaches the puppies appropriate social cues and how to deal with their boisterous, sometimes rough siblings. The puppies are also exposed to various sights, sounds and deutsche schäferhundwelpen; http://www.ecv360.com/, smells. The puppies are taught to behave in the group. This is vital to their success as adults.

Introduce the puppy to a variety of household sounds, like vacuum cleaners, kitchen appliances, and doorbells. The puppy should be exposed sounds outside, including traffic, sirens and belgischer schäferhund welpen kaufen österreich construction. This is important to ensure that the puppy does not develop afraid or anxious of these sounds. The puppy should be exposed to all of this at a calming pace and positive reinforcements will be used throughout the process.

It is also important for a puppy to get to know many different people over this time, as well as other pets. This can help reduce separation anxiety while the owner is away. A good example of this is when the dog is taken to puppy classes and dog parks or play dates with other dogs.

The puppy should be allowed to interact in a controlled, secure way with other dogs. At beginning, interactions should be restricted so that the dog isn't overwhelmed. The puppy should also be allowed to interact with older, calmer and friendly dogs. This will help the puppy understand that not all older, larger dogs are fearsome and will help them to develop a good temperament.

Training

German Shepherds require strict, consistent obedience training. It is crucial to enroll them in classes early particularly when they are still young. This will help them become confident and well-mannered dogs. It is also a good time to get them familiar with the basic commands like sit, down, stay and come. The earlier a dog is taught these basic commands, the easier it is for them to follow your commands as they grow older.

Territorial aggression is a frequent issue for many German Shepherd owners. They may be extremely cautious of their property and homes which could lead to their barking at strangers or animals who enter their area. Territorial behavior is averted through exercising, training, and socialization.

Obedience training will also help to prevent other issues with behavior in German Shepherds. Dogs who aren't properly trained could cause annoyance to their neighbors and family members. They are easily distracted by other pets toys or children, and ignore basic commands such as "sit" or "down."

In the early years of puppyhood It is essential to socialize your German Shepherds to new people, places and sounds. This is particularly important when the puppy reaches 16 weeks and their brains are in a critical phase of development. If your German Shepherd is a protected pup until then they'll likely encounter new experiences to be more difficult as they grow older and become more prone to anxiety-based aggression and fear.

Many dog owners don't realize that a German Shepherd requires mental and physical exercise in order to be content and peaceful. German Shepherds are herding breeds by nature, and einen deutschen schäferhund Kaufen they are driven to please their owners and work. If they don't get enough exercise, they may become bored or destructive. Regular exercise can tone muscles, reduces "cabin fever," improves circulation and helps with weight loss. It's an excellent way to be a part of your German Shepherd also!