Basic Care Tips for Your German Shepherd Dog

Basic Care Tips for Your German Shepherd Dog

Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:107%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

Hi Everyone,

There are some basic care for your German Shepherd Dog that every owner should be aware of and that is what I am going to discuss today.  While German shepherd Dogs are relative low maintenance compared to other breeds you will need to trim their nails at least once a month and while doing so you can check the dog’s body for other problems.  After doing the nails comb the coat thoroughly with a straight steel pin brush to remove dead hair.  Check the skin for abrasions, ticks, or other problems.  We sell top quality steel rakes and grooming brushes at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels.  Often our prices are better than the big chain pet stores and we can ship.

A Happy Well Maintained and Healthy Heidelberg German Shepherd Dog

A Happy Well Maintained and Healthy Heidelberg German Shepherd Dog

If your dog is not eating well (it might be wormy) or if it appears to in ill health or not feeling well, take their temperature rectally for two minutes.  The normal temperature for a dog will be 101.5 – 102°.  If it is high or low you should consider contacting your veterinarian.

A Happy Heidelberg Puppy Litter Resting After Having Their Monthly Health Check

A Happy Heidelberg Puppy Litter Resting After Having Their Monthly Health Check

Heartworm preventive is a must for your puppy/dog or they can die of heartworms caused by mosquitoes. We use IVOMEC beginning at twelve weeks for puppies and of course continue their monthly dose for the rest of their life. Therefore it is a good idea to give them their heart worm preventative while clipping their nails and grooming every month.

It is a good idea to check for ear mites and ear infections every month.  If you see signs of ear mites then treat your German shepherd Dog immediately.  Although since we have started using Advantix and Frontline to treat our shepherds for pests such as fleas and ticks we have not seen a case of ear mites.  Whereas, ear mite infections used to be quite common.  Also, note if your shepherd seems to be holding one ear lower than the other, shaking its head, or pawing at its ear and you have ruled out ear mites as the cause, you may want to make an appointment with your vet immediately because ear infections in German shepherd Dogs are serious and can become life threatening. 

It's Time For My First Heartworm Treatment

It’s Time For My First Heartworm Treatment

The most common symptoms of ear mites: ears appear inflamed/red, ears refusing to stand, scratching on or behind the ear, shaking of head or holding head to one side, and/or visible dark dirt or wax in inner ear (actually ear mite poop).

Fleas and ticks: Nothing causes your dog more misery and disease than fleas and ticks!  The life cycle of the flea is as short as six days in an ideal growing condition.  In other words, a flea goes from egg through larval and mature state in only six days.  To put this in the proper perspective, only ten fleas can become TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY TOUSAND fleas in only thirty days!

While fleas carry less diseases than ticks, they do carry tape worm eggs that can cause your dog’s health to suffer.  Ticks carry several diseases that German Shepherd Dogs are susceptible to, and if not removed from your dog’s environment most assuredly will cause the death of your beloved shepherd.  We at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels used to struggle and spend small fortunes fighting ticks and fleas until they came out with Advantix several years ago.  Now we have no fleas or ticks on our dogs.

We treat monthly with Advantix and switch out the next month with Frontline and have successfully eliminated fleas and ticks from our property.  Even our wild rabbits and squirrels are tick free because they use the treated – shed fur from our dogs as nesting material.  

I Am Tick and Flea Free

I Am Tick and Flea Free

Please continue to check out our web page as we post updates on available litters: https://kgsd.inventivehorizons.com/PuppiesForSale.htm.   We have several wonderful puppies that that are ready to go home.

Ask me a Question and I will provide my opinion.   Also, please see our web page: KeystoneGermanShepherds

Sincerely,

KeystoneGermanShepherds

Basic Care Tips for Your German Shepherd Dog

German Shepherd Dogs and Winter Weather

Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Normal
0

false
false
false

EN-US
X-NONE
X-NONE

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}

 Hi Everyone,

It is the end of November in Northeastern Oklahoma, and it is time again to pull our dog houses out of storage and place them in the kennels.  After the 15th of November, we often get cold snaps in Oklahoma, which can include several days of freezing rain or even snow.   Our Heidelberg shepherds are well equipped to deal with the cold with their correct plush double-coats.  Likewise if your shepherd has a correct coat and no health problems, you will probably notice that when you crank up the heater they well probably ask to go outside more often than normal.  This is because they have their winter coats on and cannot remove them as we remove our jackets upon entering the house.  Fortunately for our shepherds that are inside, my wife and I run a little hot and we keep our thermostat down during winter months.

Heidelberg German Shepherds Enjoying a March Blizzard

Heidelberg German Shepherds Enjoying a March Blizzard

We place straw in our dog houses in our kennels to provide warm insulation for our shepherds. In addition, their runs are covered to protect against rain and snow.  We have found unless our shepherds are wet that they will not use their dog houses even in subzero temperatures.  We often have observed that our shepherds prefer to sleep on the snow rather than their well-insulated dog houses.

Heidelberg German Shepherds Playing in a Winter Storm

Heidelberg German Shepherds Playing in a Winter Storm

Therefore, if they can stay dry and out of the wind and your German shepherd is healthy and correctly coated, they comfortably can withstand subfreezing temperatures .  Actually you may find that they prefer and are much more comfortable outside during the winter months than they are  inside your cozy warm house.  Remember to always provide fresh unfrozen water for your shepherd during the winter months because they will get dehydrated almost as quickly as they would in the summer.

Heidelberg Puppies Are Well Equipped to Be Comfortable in the Winter

Heidelberg Puppies Are Well Equipped to Be Comfortable in the Winter

If you are considering getting a German shepherd puppy consider getting one of our older puppies and save a little money on some very high quality shepherds.

Please continue to check out our web page as we post updates on available litters: https://kgsd.inventivehorizons.com/PuppiesForSale.htm.   We have several wonderful puppies that that are ready to go home.

Ask me a Question and I will provide my opinion.   Also, please see our web page: KeystoneGermanShepherds

Sincerely,

KeystoneGermanShepherds