puppy tips...

When you have bought a German Shepherd Dog puppy you can not wait till the day you can pick up your new little friend. When it is your first (German Shepherd) Dog, there might raise several questions: what are the do´s and don´ts, how can I handle the house breaking thing. Good preperation is always crucial.

health

The general health of the Jabora puppy is guaranteed for two weeks after the date it has been shipped. The puppy will have a thorough examination by our veterinarian before being shipped. When the pup is shipped it comes with detailed kennel health records for worming and shots. We advise the new owner to have the puppy examined by his vet within the first two weeks. The puppy can also be registered as a patient at the same time. When the puppy is twelve weeks old it needs its next shots. The puppy has been wormed at least four times before it leaves our kennel. Your puppy has to be wormed again when it is fourteen weeks old. This has to be repeated when the puppy is six and ten months old. After this the dog has to be wormed every six month. Never underestimate proper worming! It's important to humans and animals. Worms and their larva can cause severe damage in the entire body. They can cause growing problems, blindness, brain damage, etc.
When your dog is 16 to 18 months old, you can have it checked for the possible presence of hyp- and elbowdisplasia. Ask your vet for more details and the usual procedure in your country.

the first days

The young puppy experiences a lot of chances. It's brothers and sisters are gone. The mother is not around anymore. The familiar smells cannot be found anymore. It seems that the poor puppy is all on its own. Therefore we bring to following to your attention:

1. Give your puppy the opportunity to discover its new environment like your home, the garden, etc. and to get familiar with the smells of this new environment and its inhabitants.
2. Your puppy is not housebroken. So, do not punish your puppy when it does its duties somewhere in your home. It will not understand at all why you are angry. Be patient and do not expect the pup to be housebroken within a few days. A lot of people use a crate. This crate is a perfect, natural bed for the dog and a safe, natural spot to place the pet whenever necessary for the dog's safety or your peace of mind. The mother has learned the puppy that it has to keep its bed clean under all circumstances. So the puppy will keep up its duties as long as it is in the crate. When your puppy leaves its crate or you let him leave the crate bring him outside to relieve itself out of doors.
3. The correct use of a crate merely satisfies the dog's basic need to feel safe, protected, snug and secure. Do not disturb your puppy when it is in the crate. When it is sleeping do not wake it up. Educate your kids to leave the puppy at rest when it is in its crate. When thinking of the size of crate needed for your dog, think small. The use of too large a crate for a puppy will encourage the pet to use a small portion of it for a bed and the remainder as a relief station!
4. Start crate training while you remain in the same room with the crated dog, frequently praising him and letting him know clearly it is pleasing to you that he remains in the crate, quietly. Frequent trips out of the room with quick returns condition the dog to your comings and goings. Gradually extend your absent periods, and in a short time, you can be gone several hours. While in the crate, the dog should not be scolded except for chewing on the wires or noisy, unruly behavior. Crate confinement works so well that most dogs soon choose the crate for naps and, in general, consider it their own private domain. As long as a puppy is in the crate it can not destroy anything in your home. So it makes sense to keep it in the crate until it has changed its teeth.
5. Prepare yourself when you have kids. Spread your attention. Very young kids get jealous when they think that the puppy gets to much of your attention. Teach your kids how to pick up the puppy and how to play with it. A puppy is an animal and not a toy! Teach your kids to leave the puppy alone when it is in its crate.
6. All puppies are different. Some are very shy, some are very exploring, noisy or curious, etc. Respect and use these characteristics when your are educating your puppy.

We love all our dogs and puppies and we always take good care of them. We do expect and demand the same attitude from the new owners!

walking on a leash

Use a ±50 cm long and light choke collar. Attach a keyring in the middle of it to make it fit correctly in a not choking way. Get your puppy used to this collar from the first day. Just make very short walks. Your eight week old puppy is in a important phase of its life. All its experiences (the exciting ones, the nice ones, the interesting ones, but also the negative ones) are stored in its brains. Explore the world with your puppy. Take it to the mall, your GSD club, your relatives, the park, etc. Be the leader when it gets afraid or insecure. You are your puppies role model. You are its leader. When you are nervous or insecure your puppy will feel that and also get insecure or nervous. When your puppy gets frightened of something, show him that you are not afraid, that you master the situation and that there is no reason what so ever to be afraid. Do not reward or punish your puppy when it is afraid. Rewarding is a conformation of its behavior. Punishing makes it more afraid. It is getting afraid of being afraid... Don't take your puppy in your arms when it feels threatened. That's just a conformation of its judgment of the situation. Show him that there is nothing the matter.
Prevent your puppy making a habit of pulling at the leash. Reward it when its walking on your heel. Carry a delicious snack or its favorite toy in your right hand to draw its fully attention. After some time your puppy will understand that walking on your heel is rewarding and exciting. When the pup starts pulling at leash despite you having a snack or a toy in your hand, try to give short pulls at the leash and talk to the puppy in a lower voice. Teach your puppy to come to you on your command. When it comes to you on your command reward it with a delicious snack. Coming to you on your command must always be fun! Never punish your dog when it comes to you on your command, even when it has been naughty or disobedient. When the puppy starts to be obedient replace the snack by rewarding with your voice step by step.

exersize

Your puppy grows very fast the first six month. This costs a lot of energy. You have already gone to far when your puppy shows that it is tired or exhausted during a walk. A few walks of 10 to 15 minutes are better then one or two long walks. There are different stories about walking the stairs. One thing for sure: do not overdo. It is no problem if the puppy walks the stairs by it self. It is no good when you have to push your puppy. Never force your puppy walking the stairs. Jumping in and out the car is the same issue: it is no problem when your puppy jumps in the car by itself. Always be careful with jumping out of the car and assist your puppy in the first six month.
Do not start to fast with running along the bike. After six month you can start with that very carefully. Start in the seventh month with short 5 minute tours once or twice a week. In the eighth month a 10 minutes tour once or twice a week, in the ninth month a 15 minutes tour once or twice a week and so on. When your dog is about 15 or 16 month old you can start make biking tours every other day. When this is going well you can go for daily rides. Before the sixth month you can try to get the puppy used to the bike by taking your bike with you when you go for a walk. By the way, swimming is also a very good exercise for your dog.

food

Give your puppy about 50 gram food thrice a day. Follow the instructions as printed on the bag or box of the dog food. Divide the quantity of food over two feedings after 5 to 6 month. Do not use any salt or herbs If you decide to give your dog cooked vegetables. A cold boiled egg once or twice a week is very good. Take care that there is always fresh water available for your dog. Pay good attention to your dog, because it shows you if you are feeding to much or to less. When you can not see and feel its ribs, you are feeding to much. If you can see its ribs, you are feeding to less or you are using food that is to poor for your dog. Puppies love food. When it does not eat all its food at once you are overfeeding. When your puppy is still very hungry after a meal, you can give it some more.
Do not overfeed your puppy in the first nine month. It is very bad fore the bone structure of your dog when it is getting to fat. Sometimes puppies grow to fast. This might be very painful. Switch to food for adult dogs when your puppy is growing to fast between the third and sixth month.
Use food from well known brands like Eukanuba, Royal Canin, Nutro Choice, etc. Do not change your brand to often. Go to your vet for an advise when you think that your dog shows problems with are probably caused by the food you are using. Never give your dog any vitamins, chalk, etc. Seaweed and sunflower oil are good for the dog's coat. A bone is very good and a perfect toothbrush and it keeps your dog busy for a while. Never give your dog chicken bones or bones of a pig. They can cause a lot of damage to the inner parts of your dog. Pork is also very unhealthy for your dog.