German Shepherd Training Information in an easy, no-nonsense approach.

Well, let me start off right now with this disclaimer: I’m not a professional trainer! I’m just a dog owner who happens to find training dogs to be both very interesting as well as beneficial to the dog.

What you’ll find here is my experiences “Training a Working Dog for Dummies”. I’m going to chronicle my German Shepherd Training Information of both of my GSD’s, Sable and Zero – and so I invite you to come on in and join the ride.

If you’re looking for information on the different colors of GSDs, check out the latest page on that. Or how about checking out our great articles on dog health and diet issues, as well as training your puppy and older dog. And by the way, does your dog jump from high place like beds? If so, then look into steps for dogs at HelpYourPets.com. And if you’d like to leave a comment for us, simply click on the Comment >> link below all the pages and posts.

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I have been told that my father doesn’t have long to live. My aunt has informed us that we need to go see him asap, before it’s too late. And to make matters worse I will need to get a passport, as he lives in Mexico, and it is now required to have one before coming back to The States. The whole process takes 4 to 6 weeks to get one, but I can expedite it to just 2 to 3 weeks for an additional $65.

Anyway, I just wanted to vent a little bit, so sorry to all you dog lovers who read this blog for my dog training tips, and found this post. But if you are a praying person, please pray for my two sisters and the rest of my family. And while I’m asking for prayer, please pray for my finances so I can purchase my passport & pay the expedite fee – and not loose my house or have my lights turned off.

My Dad

My father is 84 years old. He is an awesome man, who came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1938, at 16 years old – by himself! He lived the rest of his life in California, married a beautiful women, and had us beautiful kids (I laughed at that one). He retired in 1989 and moved back to Mexico with my mother (My mom passed away years ago).

I know that as a teenager I was not respectful to him, for which I am so regretful for. As an adult with my own family (well, families because I’ve been married more than once) I do believe that I have had a much better relationship with him. From the many things I have learned from my dad, the many things he has taught me, the one thing I have most learned, been taught, have in common with him is…our mistakes. Yup. For all the “crazy, messed up, ridiculously bad” decisions/mistakes he has made in his life – I cannot judge him. I’ve made my share of those too.

So dad, for all the bad crap you have accomplished in your life that affected my mother, my sisters and I – I honestly forgive you. And for all the bad crap you’ve done that I don’t even know about – I totally and honestly forgive you for those things too. I really, really love you dad! And I can’t wait to tell you that in person in a few weeks. Damn wait for the passport!

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photo credit: terriHOOOHello All,

Our raw diet article tentatively titled, “BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food)”, will be out today this week this month very soon. And in that theme, I recently received this question about the amount of feeding goes into a raw diet for a 16 month old German Shepherd, owned by John. Here’s John’s question (permission given to reprint):

QUESTION

I have a 16 month old GSD. He is on a raw meat diet. He currently weighs 80 pounds. I’m not sure how much I should feed him. Any recommendations? He has been having problems going poop. He seems to be constipated.

MY ANSWER

Hello John,

Your boy, at 80 lbs, should be eating 2.4 lbs of raw food to maintain that weight. I get that because typically, you want to feed 2-3% of their optimal body weight. So I took his weight and multiplied that by 16 to get his total weight in ounces, then multiply how much he weighs in ounces by .03 (for 3%). That is the total amount of raw in ounces to feed him per day, but then I multiplied THAT by 16 to get pounds.

But I do have a few questions for you One question is, how are you feeding a raw diet without knowing amounts per day to feed? And, what exactly is being fed? Are you incorporating a good percentage of bones (the good ones, not “recreational” bones), along with muscle meat? Are you feeding chicken or beef, or both?

photo credit: Scott Hammond
You are giving your boy the best diet in the world for a dog, so I don’t want to seem like I’m asking these questions arrogantly. But, once you a raw diet “down” – your dogs gonna (going to) be extremely healthy.

As far as being constipated, it could result in exactly what is being fed, so please reply asap.

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So you went out an got yourself a new puppy! Congratulations! He’ll be the perfect addition to your home and family! He’s going to adjust perfectly fine, never to chew anything he shouldn’t. As a matter of fact, on the second day that you bring him home, he’ll already be sitting, staying, fetching, and shaking paws – all on your command! And if that were not perfect enough, he will never ever do the following:

• Chew your shoes
• Bark uncontrollably
• Pee in the house
• Dig holes in the backyard
• Use you as his own personal chew toy!

photo credit: cwgoodroe
Hum…yeah…if that were the case, I think we’d all drop dead of heart attacks! Why? Because that’s not reality! Let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that bringing a new puppy into our homes will require tons of patience, forgiveness, tons of patience, training, love, and did I mention tons of patience?

You see, puppy training is more of an art form than techniques learned from books or your nice next door neighbor. Simply reading a book on how to house train your new dog will not teach you to have patience, or even forgiveness. And that’s the key to a successful owner/canine relationship – it all comes down to love…

I brought my puppy home from her breeder 16 months ago. I began kennel training her, tethered her to my belt loop while indoors, and more – basically to show her the ropes of “life with me“. But what she showed me was so much more. She showed (and still does!) me unconditional love, forgiveness, patience, and joy.

So remember that your new puppy will not be perfect, and it’s going to take patience and love on your part to train her and make her a true part of your pack.

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So it seems 2009 is fast coming to an end. And what a friggin’ CRAZY year it’s been! My marriage fell apart, got divorced, then became BEST friends with that same ex-wife. Go figure!

Anyway, I wanted to get a bit personal and talk about what I’ve been doing – or NOT doing, with my dogs. To be honest, I have not done any Schutzhund training with any of them this whole year. Basic obedience, yes, but nothing more than that. Poor dogs! But even though life got hecka crazy – and now is finally stable – my dogs are gonna be a prime focus in 2010.
So I’m now living life like I never have before – no longer worried about the past that haunted me. No longer worried about what people think of my choices. No longer worried about judgmental but “well meaning” “friends” who couldn’t see me through my past. So I’m doing – THANK YOU JESUS – great!!!

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photo credit: blahmni
Our deepest prayers go out to our military and their families during this tragedy. Please join with us in praying for peace and strength for those who lost loved ones. Also, let’s stand strong with our military!!!

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I love my dogs. I love meeting new people. I love hanging out with my friends. So best of all these worlds is joining a dog training (Schutzhund, at least for me) club. That way you get to do all of the above, all at one time!

photo credit: SkyWideDesign
So I’d like to ask you all a few questions about your clubs, or maybe your thinking about joining a “dog club”, but have a few questions too. So please comment below, and ask away! Or comment on the following:

• What is your favorite thing about your club?
• Why do you go?
• How often do you go?

And now, for those who want to join a club, but have questions, what are they?
Ask away!

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You have decided by 79% that we should offer a German Shepherd Photo Gallery, and so we’ve done just that! And it’s not JUST for German Shepherds, if you have a high-quality photo of your canine, as my friends Marissa & Julianna have.

Please note that the photo gallery will be in beta until final testing is complete, and so use it with the understanding that your photos just may explode without due cause!

I’ll post a new article once I get the final script installed. Please stay tuned!

UPDATE:

The script is installed, but currently does not allow for user submissions, which is why I have it available in the first place. Once that bit is worked out, I’ll let you all know! For automatic  notification, please enter your email address here sign-up for our free German Shepherd Breed newsletter:

Or you can simply comment on this post for email updates.

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photo credit: cwgoodroe
When walk my German Shepherds, and people ask, “what type of dog is THAT?” and point to my “sable” GSD, I say, “hum…I’m not sure, but I think she’s part Hyena!”

Seriously thought, not many people know that there are GSDs that are NOT black and tan. Take a look at the differences in these GSDs.
So what’s your favorite GSD color?

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