Traveling Tips For Your German Shepherd Dog

Traveling Tips For Your German Shepherd Dog

by | breaks, cleaning up after your dog, pooper scooper, Puppies, puppy, traveling

Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Hi Everyone,

Traveling with your German Shepherd Dog can be easy and enjoyable when you and your dog are prepared for the trip.    German Shepherd Dog, puppies or adults can comfortably travel five to seven hours without having to get out and exercise and relieve themselves as long as they have gone to the bathroom right before leaving.  If you are traveling further than five to seven hours you need to plan for a puppy or dog stop. 

a Heidelberg German Shepherd Dog Puppy Traveling

a Heidelberg German Shepherd Dog Puppy Traveling

We personally prefer to exercise our German Shepherd Dogs of lead; therefore, we try to stop in isolated places such as behind a large church or behind large shopping centers where there are often large areas of grass and little traffic.  For those that want to exercise their German Shepherd Dogs on lead, most gas stations and truck stops along the Interstate have designated exercise areas for traveling dogs.  An expandable lead is in dispensable for exercising on lead because it allows your German Shepherd Dog to get away from the owner so they feel more comfortable going to the bathroom.   For those that are traveling with German Shepherd Dog puppies younger than 16 weeks, you should avoid public potty areas because of the risk of your potentially unprotected puppy being exposed to parvo, distemper, or other communicable diseases.  Look for isolated places such as behind Wal-Marts.  Everyone that exercises their dogs in a public place should clean up after their dogs.  Pack plastic bags with you so you can pick up the feces and throw it in the trash.

Heidelberg German Shepherd Dogs Exercising Behind a Shopping Mall

Heidelberg German Shepherd Dogs Exercising Behind a Shopping Mall

Once your German Shepherd Dog has stretched their legs for five to ten minutes and relieved themselves, they will be ready to travel another five to seven hours or until you arrive at your destination. 

While on your planned dog stop, if you know your German Shepherd Dog, puppy or adult needs to defecate and they will not go after ten minutes, you can gently insert two or three wooden kitchen matches halfway into their rectum.  This will get your dog to go to the bathroom within a few minutes.  Most German Shepherd Dogs tolerate this well as long as you are gentle.

Heidelberg German Shepherd Dog Looking for a Place to Potty After Being Matched

Heidelberg German Shepherd Dog Looking for a Place to Potty After Being Matched

Sometimes while traveling a German Shepherd Dog will get a nervous stomach resulting in diarrhea.  This is not a problem as long as you are prepared.  While traveling you should always have a collar on your dog so that they cannot slip out of it and a leash readily available.  Therefore, if you have to pull off on the side of the highway your German Shepherd Dog and you will be safe.  If your German Shepherd Dog needs to go to the bathroom while you are driving they will become anxious and let you know by either whining or barking.  Look for the closest and safest place to pull over and pull over connecting the leash to the collar before you open the door.  If it is an emergency bathroom break, your dog may surprise you by darting out the first open vehicle door running out into traffic if you do not have them on lead. 

Tomorrow I will continue this discussion with for more travel tips for you and your German Shepherd Dog.

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

Sincerely,

KeystoneGermanShepherds

Traveling Tips For Your German Shepherd Dog

German Shepherd Dog (Cleaning Up After Your Shepherd)

by | Breeders, cleaning up after your dog, health, Kennels, pooper scooper, Puppies, puppy

Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge

Hi Everyone,

Today’s discussion is anything but glamorous.  However, it is an important discussion for the health of your German Shepherd Dog and possibly your family.  German Shepherd Dogs are unusually clean and try to get as far away from their feces as possible, and often will choose one specific area in the yard to defecate.  Our Heidelberg German shepherd Dogs will actually try to bury their feces after defecating.  They do this by scratching soil and grass over their poop after they defecate.  As the owner of a German Shepherd Dog, it is your responsibility to clean up after them.  If you live in a subdivision consider your neighbors olfactory sensitivity especially in the summer. Be a good neighbor and pick up your dog’s poop daily.

German shepherd Dog Covering Up After Pooping

German shepherd Dog Covering Up After Pooping

All dogs will get stomach worms and worms such as hook, tape, and round contaminate the environment with their eggs when your German Shepherd Dog defecates.  Worms such as hook and round worms can infest your yard with their eggs for months and in some cases for years if you allow the feces to break down and spread into your soil.   The infected backyard can become a low risk health hazard to small children that could become infected if they contact the infected soil and then stick their hands in their mouth.  For hookworms a person can become infected by simply contacting the infected soil with bare skin.  Fortunately, the hookworms cannot survive in the human body and soon die upon entering the skin, and thus become a slightly annoying rash for a few days. This rash is known as “plumbers itch”. In addition, if you allow your yard to become infested with worm eggs, your dog will continue to be re-infected costing you unnecessary money to treat your German Shepherd Dog for worms.

Grand Champion Heidelberg's Kodiak v Queridad Enjoying a Clean Yard

Grand Champion Heidelberg’s Kodiak v Queridad Enjoying a Clean Yard

Feces left in your yard will also attract and breed biting flies and the common houseflies.  If flies drive you nuts in the summer then do yourself a favor and keep your yard clean and the number of flies around and in your house will decrease.

All the above can be avoided by simply picking up the poop every day.  Most German Shepherd Dogs will defecate two to four times a day.  It should take you no more than five minutes to keep your German Shepherd Dog healthy, happy and worm free, as well as keep your yard clean. 

German Shepherd Dog Pooping

German Shepherd Dog Pooping

Purchase a Pooper Scooper at your local pet store.  The average cost will be approximately twenty dollars, but is well worth it because it allows you to clean up fast and efficiently.

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

Sincerely,

KeystoneGermanShepherds