Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Hi Everyone,

Today I’m going to provide a very simple but extremely important health tip for your German Shepherd Dog. Simply, keep your German Shepherd Dog lean.

Everyone wants a fat healthy German Shepherd Dog puppy.  A plump puppy indicates good health.  However, German Shepherd Dogs, as do all large breed dogs, grow rapidly and even a few extra pounds can place undo stress on vulnerable and growing joints.  Puppies play hard and often can come up lame, and the difference between limping for a few days and having a lifetime of lameness resulting from injuries can be a few extra pounds in a growing German Shepherd Dog puppy.

Lean Puppies Playing

Many owners cannot wait for their German Shepherd Dogs to bulk up once they turn two and have slowed in growth.  Therefore, they often overfeed and unknowingly make their German Shepherd Dogs fat.  Unfortunately the look they really want is not the rolly-polly dog that they have created, but rather that of a muscular mature German Shepherd Dog. German Shepherd Dogs are not stocky breeds by design, such as Rottweilers, St. Bernard, or Bernese Mountain dogs.

Usually by the time your German Shepherd Dog turns five they will have started to develop a mature well muscular look.  This lean well muscled German Shepherd Dog will come naturally with proper nutrition and exercise.  Be patient, with good genetics, diet, and exercise it will happen.

A Four-Year-Old Champion Heidelberg’s Bismark Naturally Bulking Up

Having your German Shepherd Dog adult overweight is more detrimental to their overall health than having them too heavy as puppies.  While joints are still a concern, your German Shepherd Dog is now predisposed to diabetes, autoimmune disease, heart attack, stroke, and increased risk of cancer.

Keep your German Shepherd Dogs lean, and they will perform, feel, and look better.

Ask me a question and I will provide my opinion.

Sincerely,

KeystoneGermanShepherds