Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Hi Everyone.
Today I going to tell how to train your German Shepherd Dog, puppy or adult to jump up on a grooming table or to load into the car, etc.
First cut a piece of 3/4-inch plywood into a 2-foot by 4-foot table size platform. Lay this on the ground so that you and your German Shepherd Dog, puppy or adult can walk on the table. Heel onto the table top and give the command to sit on the table. Reward your German shepherd Dog with a treat and praise. Do this exercise 3 or 4 times. Now take 4 concrete cylinder blocks and place them under the table so that the table is sturdy.
Now repeat the above exercise by both you and your German Shepherd Dog stepping up on the platform and give the command Jump in a fun sounding voice as your German shepherd Dog steps up onto the platform. Once on top give the command to sit. Repeat this exercise 4 to 6 times and provide plenty of treats and praise.
Now raise the platform again. This time it may be too high for you to step up on the platform, therefore, you will heel your German Shepherd Dog straight into the platform and give the command to jump while you step to the side. Once your German Shepherd Dog is on top of the Platform give the command to sit. Provide lots of treats and praise, if they accomplish this part of the exercise. If they refuse to jump then repeat step two of this exercise by lowering the platform to where you can step onto it with your German Shepherd Dog. Do this several times and then try raising the platform. With a little practice your German Shepherd Dog puppy or adult will readily be jumping up on the platform. From here it is easy to transfer this exercise to a grooming table or the family car.
Heidelberg’s Prime v Brandic
Heidelberg’s Preston v Brandic
Heidelberg’s Intrepid Darcyu
For those German Shepherd Dogs that refuse to jump up on the higher platform, you can try to climb up on the platform and while on top encourage your German shepherd Dog to join you on the platform, This is usually all it takes to encourage those German Shepherd Dogs that are hesitant about jumping.
H’s Preston and his little girl
Know the limitations of your German Shepherd Dog, puppy and adult and never ask them jump a height that they cannot readily make. For example, into the back of high clearance pick-ups may be too high or if they miss the jump they may seriously injure themselves.
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Hi Everyone,
Today I will discuss roundworms and hookworms. Do not worry if your German Shepherd Dog puppy or adult does not have these parasites, they will.
Hookworms live as larvae in the ground and once a yard or property has been infested with hookworms, you may never be rid of them. When your German Shepherd Dog comes into contact with the larvae, the larvae burrow into the dog’s skin usually through the paws and infect your dog. Serious infestations can result in anemia and death. There is a small to no human risk with hookworms from your dog.
Roundworms survive in the soil as eggs until ingested. Like hookworms once your yard has been infested, you may never be rid of roundworms. Your German Shepherd Dog can become infected with roundworms from several different vectors. Unborn puppies are infected when larvae travel from the mother through the uterus to the puppies. Almost all puppies are infected in this manner before birth because the roundworm can live encysted larvae in the mothers muscle tissue where it cannot be treated. Once the mother starts releasing hormones due to her pregnancy, the encysted larvae become active roundworms and are transmitted to the puppies in utero. Once born, the German Shepherd Dog puppies can be infected from the mothers milk and likewise the puppies reinfect the mother as she cleans up after them. German Shepherd Dog puppies and adults can become infected by ingesting eggs in the soil when their sticks or toys are soiled by infected soil. In addition, your German Shepherd dog can become infected by ingesting an infected animal such as a rodent or rabbit. There is a moderate human health risk for roundworms, but with proper hygiene and washing your hands before eating the risk is miniscule.
Now that it is clear that at some point your German Shepherd Dog may become infected with these parasites it is good idea to worm your German Shepherd dog on a regular basis to ensure their health, as well as, your family’s health. Parents of small children should oversee the use of proper hygiene and wash their hands after handling puppies.
We at keystone German Shepherds use nonprescription but prescription strength Pyrantel Pamoate at a dosing rate of 1cc per every ten pounds. We worm our German Shepherd Dogs at a minimum of every 5 months. We worm our German Shepherd Dog puppies and moms every ten days until their first shot. After their first shot, we worm them every three weeks. By the time our German Shepherd Dog puppies receive their first shots, they have been weaned and the vicious cycle of reinfecting from mom to puppy has been broken. Therefore, it is not longer appropriate to worm the puppies as often.
Worming your German Shepherd Dog puppy or adult is a way to take control of your dogs care and to ensure a happy healthy companion that will be around for years to come.
As always consult your veterinarian before using any medicines on your German Shepherd Dog.
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Hi Everyone,
Today, I thought I would discuss heartworm medicines. There are a lot of different types of monthly heartworm medicines available for your German Shepherd Dog. Some treat only heartworms and others treat all worms, while others kill fleas, as well as heartworms. The common theme to all these medicines is that they are way overpriced.
If you live in certain areas of the country, you must treat your German Shepherd Dog with a heartworm preventative or they will be infected with heartworms. Heartworms can and will eventually kill your German Shepherd Dog. Even the treatment for heartworms, while very expensive, can and sometimes does result in the death of the dog being treated. Therefore, use a heartworm preventative.
German Shepherd Dogs get heartworms from being bit by infected mosquitoes. Every time an infected mosquito bites your German Shepherd Dog, the mosquito will leave one microfilaria at the bite site. This microfilaria migrates through the bite into your German Shepherd Dog’s circulatory system where it develops into a heartworm. Eventually the heartworm attaches itself to the inside of your German Shepherd Dog’s heart. Most all heartworm preventatives kill the microfilaria before they can become heartworms and attach themselves to the German Shepherd Dog’s heart
We at Keystone German Shepherds use injectable Ivermectin. Note: Noromectin is generic for Ivermectin.
Ivermectin is the active ingredient in Heartgard manufactured by Merial and distributed through your veterinarian or online pet supply store at an average cost of $50.00 to $60.00 for a six month supply for a German Shepherd Dog. The other active ingredient is pyrantel, which is for round and hookworms (stomach worms). I will discuss stomach worms in tomorrows blog.
We purchase the Ivermectin at our feed store and can treat 30 German shepherd Dogs for 12 months at a cost of $33.00.
We cut the Ivermectin with glycol propylene at the ratio of 1:2 Ivermectin to glycol propylene. We then orally dose our German Shepherd Dogs based on weight at a dose of 0.10 cc/20 pounds, using a 1 cc syringe with the needle removed.
Keystone German Shepherds as well as most all kennels have been using Ivermectin in this manner for over 25 years with no occurrence of heartworms.
We also treat our German Shepherd Dogs every month out of the year because even in January in Oklahoma, we can have a bout of warm weather and have mosquitoes become active for a few days.
Certain breeds of dogs cannot tolerate Ivermectin or its generics, therefore, always consult your veterinarian before using any medicine on your German Shepherd Dog.
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Hi Everyone,
I decided that every Wednesday would be a blog about German Shepherd Dog heroes. Please send me your Heidelberg German Shepherd Dog hero story so that I can post a story about your hero. Also, please send your pictures of your hero.
This incident took place several years ago, and is a True Story:
Nancy was 27 married with children, a boy and girl age 3 and 2, and her husband traveled a lot for his job. They had purchased their Heidelberg shortly after they were married to protect Nancy while her husband was out-of-town. Up to now Heidelberg’s Chance had shown no signs of protectiveness and seemed to love everyone. In this neighborhood the mail boxes were on the front porches. Therefore, Chance’s daily routine included waiting for the mail delivery, which developed into a friendship to the point that the postman would ring the doorbell to say hi to Chance.
One night while alone with her two small children Nancy was awakened to the sound of a deep guttural growl, that she had never heard before. The growl caused the hair of her neck to stand. She got out of bed and followed Chance downstairs where he jumped up on the back window barking loudly.
Nancy still hazy from her deep sleep thought the best thing to do was to open the back door and let Chance out. Chance shot out the door and while Nancy couldn’t see clearly it was obvious that Chance had chased a large object over the chain link fence.
Nancy called the police, and the police found that the screen was removed from the back window and that the window had been pried open. The intruder, they said, was only moments from coming in the house.
A week later in the same neighborhood an intruder broke into a house and brutally raped a women. They never did catch this predator, but what is known is that Chance saved Nancy and her two children from a brutal attack.
Heidelberg’s Chance Back at Keystone Kennels for a Visit
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Hi Everyone,
Today I am going to discuss the proper way to clean your German Shepherd Dog’s ears. First unless your German Shepherd Dog puppy or adult is highly trained and completely under control you will need an assistant.
Place your German Shepherd Dog on a grooming table. Have the assistant hold your German Shepherd Dog in place on the grooming table.
German Shepherd Dog Grooming Table
Using a high quality ear cleaner, liberally squirt the cleaner in an ear. Have the assistant hold the head and ear that you have just treated while you squirt the cleaner in the other ear. Once the cleaner is in both ears gently cup the back bases of both ears and massage the ears. You will be able to hear the cleaning solution slosh around in the ear if you applied enough solution into the ears. After massaging the ears for thirty seconds, release the ears and stand back as your German Shepherd Dog shakes the cleaner out of their ears.
A Good Quality Ear Cleaner
This process is well tolerated by most German Shepherd Dogs and will remove all the wax and debris from the ears in most cases. If the next day, the ears are still dirty, you can repeat the cleaning process.
If the ears have small amounts of debris on the inner surface of the outer pinna (outer standing ears), then lightly saturate a cloth with rubbing alcohol or ear cleaning solution and gently rub the inner pinnas to clean the outer ears.
If your German Shepherd Dog has ear mites, you will need to clean their ears as described above by using the cleaning solution first. After, you have cleaned your German Shepherd Dog’s ears, then apply a good quality ear mite solution. It is necessary to clean the ears first to allow the miticide to reach the ear mites that live on the eardrums of your German Shepherd Dog. You may need to treat for three days in a row to completely rid your German Shepherd Dog of ear mites. I also find it necessary to liberally apply the miticide in the ears rather than a few drops. After applying the miticide, gently massage the bases of your German Shepherd Dog’s ears for thirty seconds. If you can hear the miticide slosh around while massaging you have applied the correct amount of miticide.
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