German Shepherd Dog - Raising & Training German Shepherd Puppies, German Shepherds Info

Facts About White German shepherd

2011-12-26T08:52:00.001-08:00

German Shepherd Dog is probably one of the few dog breeds that have most varied range of coat colors and patterns. White German Shepherds unfortunately got exposed to some misconceptions that have restricted the popularity of these pure breed beautiful German Shepherds. Here are some of the misconceptions about the white German Shepherd Dogs and the specific gene that is responsible for expressing this particular coat color.

White color in German Shepherd Dog is a result of gene dilution or partial albinism. comparative analysis of the dog genome, findings from the most contemporary research on genetics of White German Shepherds and specific breed DNA sequences have shown that this is pure gene. There's nothing to consider White German Shepherds as result of color dilution or paling for the whole GSD breed. It is only when the recessive allele is genetically transmitted from each of the breeding pair parent, the e/e genotype offspring of white German shepherd parents, always have cream or white colored coat.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2011-12-24T07:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too all German Shepherd Dog Lovers around the world. We are highly honored to have such nice people like you as our readers.We shall deem it to be ever grateful to have this beautiful relation maintained all through. Our heartfelt wish too all of you and your loved ones and your beloved German Shepherds.

Our little Rusty stopped his tip-toed journey with us and has gone to Lord's home the day after the Gangtok quake. We couldn't take him to the vet, as the roadways were all blocked & things had all gone out of gear due to the quake. Please pray lest his little soul may rest in peace. Thank you

What will your German Shepherd get this Christmas?

2011-11-10T09:05:00.000-08:00

What will your German Shepherd get this Christmas? Christmas dog cookies? Christmas dog costumes or any other doggy toy?

With Christmas right around the corner, people have gone gaga over the costumes, cookies and gifts - all in red, white and green. Decorations are about to strung across the Christmas trees, mistletoe and mantles. I am sure that your dogs too will be showered with the Christmas spirit! But the holiday spirit is not going to swing to the fullest extent if Rusty doesn't get something as a Christmas gift. So what's there waiting for him this Christmas? While you cannot resist having the cakes, gingerbread cookies and minty candy canes on Christmas, Rusty cannot resist the fun of playing with a chew toy. If you have already planned to buy a chew toy he will be more than happy! But what's so special about it? You have bought him the chew toys many times before. Have you ever spared a thought about what may be swirling in his mind?

What about home made Christmas ham for your German Shepherd. Its the for fun; why not getting your German Shepherd involved in the Christmas fun? A few piece of hams with the fat removed out will be savored by Rusty. A piece of ham each day during the holiday time won't do any harm for sure. It is only when your German Shepherd is habitually fed ham in large amounts that his health will be jeopardized. So that's a great way you can strike your beloved German Shepherd with shrieking surprises this Christmas.

Anything more special for him?

I am sure you have planned to buy him a bed or a toy or a Christmas dog costume. That's not really enough. You can give him something more precious than these. Yes... your time. Spend more time with him. Its the holiday season and you will be away from your work. Take him on a long stroll, play fetch with him unleashed in a fenced area. Let him jump around; Let him chase the ball; Let him run unleashed. There's no better way than this that you can make this Christmas really special for Rusty. He misses you year long. He hates your work and your office. He wants to be with you and play around. Make this Christmas a memorable episode in Rusty's life. Give him your special touch, and he will be more than happy.

Let your German Shepherd Unwrap His Christmas Gift

2011-11-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

Let your German Shepherd Unwrap His Christmas Gift! See how he reacts...

So, with Christmas approaching fast, aren't you wondering how to strike your beloved German Shepherd Dog with delightful Christmas surprise? If you are thinking Rover is not going to understand the real value for Christmas gift, you may not be wrong, but why not sprinkle the red, white and green grains of Christmas fun onto his life too? Make him feel that its a special day that's different from the other days of the year. Its the day for love, fun and cookies!

The best Christmas gift that you can give your beloved German Shepherd Dog is the Christmas cookies for dogs! Another thing that I really liked this year is the Jingle Bell Collar for Dogs. For dog lover like you and me its been always a pleasure to see our dogs springing with fun. Taking him on a special walk can be a great fun for both of you. You can make this Christmas stroll more special. Yes... get a Santa Claus Dog Costumes for your German Shepherd, and he is surely going to look more handsome in that red and white Christmas dog costume.

How to Stack Your German Shepherd Dog

2011-10-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

You have dropped by this blog because you have been looking form information about German Shepherd Dog. This post is about stacking a German Shepherd - making a GSD stand in a pose that you often find in dog shows. German Shepherd Dog has a unique stack position that features one rear leg under the body and the other stretched backward, exactly contrary to the conventional "square stack", featuring parallel front and rear legs or "extended stacks". The question is how to correctly stack a German Shepherd Dog.

Stacking a German Shepherd Dog

First off, I will suggest you not to try stacking your GSD on sleek or slippery floor. Rough floor is appreciable; grassy lawn is highly appreciable. My next suggestion in this regard is not to stack your GSD on over grown grassy field, because the grass will hide the dogs feet. A freshly trimmed ground is the best option that any German Shepherd guys would look for.Remember, a freshly trimmed ground works best for trotting German Shepherds as well.

Stacking German Shepherds is probably a bit more technical than other dog breeds that have conventional "square stacks". Start of with slightly tiring the dog by trotting him for a few moments. How much to trot him before making him stand in stacked position? That's really an appreciable question that any new GSD owner would like to know. Trot for a few minutes until his tongue hangs out. Please note that over tiring the dog will not yield you desired result. After the trot,walk him a bit to bring him to a normal stance.

The next step is making him stand in the desired pose - staking. Place your palm under his chest, lift him a few inches from the ground and gently release him, trying to place his front legs down vertically straight. Viewing right down the shoulder to make sure the front legs are perfectly straight and feet are not twisted outward, which is why I suggested freshly trimmed lawn that won't hide his feet.

Don't remove your hand from under his chest; reach around the hind part of the dog and place your foot just under the dogs belly, in order to mark the position where his inside hind paw will be placed. Place the inner leg, i.e. the leg which is on your side, by gently pulling it to the mark - your foot-point.

Next step is to place the outer leg stretched backward. Gently stretch the outside legs backward and place it such that the hock is positioned exactly at right angle to the ground. It is not advisable to pull the leg back too far, as doing that the hock cannot be positioned straight, and that will be a faulty stack.

The whole process is quite tricky and you need to be immensely patient as the dog may repeatedly remove its hind leg that is placed inside - under the belly. Without being patient you cannot make a dog stack properly. Once your German Shepherd gets used to with the process, things will turn out to be a lot easier for both - you and your dog. A poorly stacked GSD will display a faulty anatomical view, even though he may have a very good structure. This is where the knowledge of staking German Shepherds properly comes to play a very vital role.

Skin Problems in German Shepherd Dogs

2011-10-16T03:56:00.000-07:00

What are the chief causes for skin problems in German Shepherd Dogs?

Most German Shepherd Dog owners, both newbies and even some of the old owners, arise this question. What are the major causes for skin problems in German Shepherd Dogs. Vets are oftens called for skin problems in German Shepherd Dogs and even re-occurrences of the skin problems in their GSD. German Shepherds are prone to skin problems more than some of the other dog breeds. So here's why?

First cause includes heavy infestation of internal and/or external parasites.
Second cause includes bacterial, yeast or fungal infections, causing severe hair fall and develop patches, redness, swelling and sores.
Third cause includes fly bites and gnats that eventually cause hot spots on your German Shepherd's skin.
Fourth cause includes extended time pass in water and/or in dirt
Fifth cause includes thyroid
Sixth cause includes allergies in certain foods, plants, grass or weeds
Seventh cause insufficient nutrition. Nutritional deficiency cause dry skin and dermal ailments such as eczema, dry hair etc.
Eighth cause Improper grooming, which is the most common cause of skin problems in most German Shepherd Dogs
Ninth... Yes, nervous problems caused by insufficient stimulation can also be responsible for skin problems in many dog breeds including German Shepherds

Alike improper grooming and insufficient nutrition, allergy is amongst the commonest causes of skin problems in GSD breed. Dust mites, dirt, grass or grass seeds, pollen, weeds, fleas and parasites are the common allergens, that make the skin red and inflamed, with fur coming out in lumps. Certain common foods known to have allergic reactions on dogs are beef, raw eggs, cheese, milk, corn, soy, uncooked meat, spices, etc. Turmeric is good for skin. Adding little amount of vegetable oils in the dogs food while cooking may be a good option to prevent dry skin in German shepherds and other breeds.

Intensive Hydrotherapy Session helped German Shepherd Puppy to Recover from Hip Displasia

2011-10-16T02:57:00.000-07:00

A German Shepherd puppy "Fred", that has been suffering from severe joint pain and couldn't walk effortlessly has been put to intensive hydrotherapy session. Good news is that after having undergone a tenure of well planned hydrotherapy session, Fred is almost fit to join the training session to serve as a police dog.

Fred had been diagnosed with displastic hip at the age of 6 months. Vets and canine experts planned to to put poor little Fred in a course of swimming sessions. Fred has successfully passed his assessment test to start off with the training program with Devon and Cornwall Police in January, 2012.

"Fred's police dog career looked like it was over before it had begun but, following his hard work in the pool, he is now one of eight puppies about to begin their training as police dogs. Fred was literally thrown in at the deep end and has worked hard to ease his stiff joints and build up the muscles in his legs. There is now no reason why he won't go on to become a successful police dog, able to assist tracking missing people, locate stolen property, chase and detain suspects, and keep order in crowd control situations", said Sergeant Paul Glennon. So the future now looks really bright for Fred!

Fred, who is going to be a smart police German Shepherd Dog had initially joined the force through the Devon and Cornwall Police puppy schemes. He was taken care of by volunteer canine experts until he reached 12 months of age. A series of 13-weeks training course is awaiting ahead for Fred. The scheme has been highly successful, which literally created a demand for the willingness of puppy walkers, who are given practical dog training and special classes on "Dog Socialization" by the Dog Training School. All puppy walkers have to have a settled family background, a well secured garden and most importantly willingness to undertake daily exercise, grooming and care of the dogs.

Sergeant Glennon said: “In order to find the best people to look after our dogs we are looking for homes in Devon, Cornwall and even Somerset... What is most important is that we find the right people who have the time, patience and determination to give our dogs the best start in life... To help us give these dogs to get the best start to their training we need more walkers to come forward... Ideal applicants will have previous experience caring for dogs but what is most important to us is that they share our aim to produce a well-balanced, confident and social dog at the end of the year.”

German Shepherd Dog Movements Best Explained: GSD Video Clips

2011-08-27T03:20:00.000-07:00

Hey....
If you have dropped by this German Shepherd blog to gather some information about German Shepherd DOg breed, you need to know many things about it. You will probably find your desired info here. Take a tour throughout this blog, but beforw that you can watch out a coulpe of videos that has been shot to educate on GSD movements. Click on German Shepherd and you will be redirected to "About German Shepherd Dog" - the largest online resource for information on German Shepherd DOg breed. You can get in touch with a few top GSD Twitters and follow them on the Twitter to know what they are up to and how they maintain their dogs... Click Here!

Obi - The POlice German Shepherd Injured in UK Riot

2011-08-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

The three-year-old German shepherd Dog Obi was on his duty with his handler Constable Phil Wells on the front line in Tottenham. Obi and his handler experienced a real life threatening phase amidst the mob where people were throwing bricks and bottles aimlessly. One of such items struck Obi in his head, badly cracking his skull right above the left eye. PC Wells said, "I have never experienced stuff coming at us from all sides like that before."

PC Phil Wells said, "Obi is trained in public order, and that may be dispersing a crowd or pushing them back. We were on a stationary point when we came under heavy bombardment. There were lots of missiles coming at us, bottles, bricks, petrol bombs, street furniture, too many to count and one hit Obi on the top of the head. Initially he was a bit shocked but I gave him a checkover and tried to avoid any further injuries and after the initial shock he seemed fine so we carried on for another couple of hours. Afterwards he was assessed and and was showing signs he needed veterinary help. He was lethargic and was bleeding from the left nostril which could be a sign of head trauma so he was taken to the vets and assessed and the vet was not happy about the impact he had had so he was transferred to the Royal Veterinary School in Cambridge for a CT scan."

Obi may take several months to recover completely and become fit to be on the duty again.

Categorization for Dog Breeds

2011-06-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

When it comes to choosing a dog breed... German Shepherd Dog is not always the right choice for you. If you do not space to provide to your dog, if you live in an apartment and if you allergic to dead follicles, this GSD would probably be the wrong pick.

Dog Breeds can be categorized in several ways:

1) Categorization for Dog breeds according to size...

Toy dog breeds
Small dog breeds
Medium dog breeds
Large dog breeds
Giant dog breeds

2) Categorization for dog breeds according to popularity (as per the number of registrations per year)...

Highly popular dog breeds
Moderately popular dog breeds
Less popular dog breeds

3) Categorization for dog breeds according to group...

Gun Dog Group
Hound Dogs
Pastoral Group
Terrier Group
Working Group
Utility Group

4) Categorization for allergenic dog breeds...

Low shedding dog breeds
Hypoallergenic dog breeds
High Shedding dog breeds

5) Categorization for dog breeds according to working ability...

Guard dog breeds
Watchdog breeds
Protection dogs

And so on...

Following the above categorization rules, German Shepherds can be classifieds in multiple ways. GSD falls under Medium dog breeds, and is a heavy shedder. The medium-length coat of the GSD essentially require almost daily brushing. to remove the dead hairs. German Shepherds require immense attention and maintenance.

German Shepherd has been classified under the pastoral group. Highly intelligent this is one of the most easily trainable dog breeds that can master wide range of tricks within a short spell of time. This is one of the most important factor to make the German Shepherd Dog one of the most popular dog breeds in the world.

During the World War I an incredibly huge numbers of 48,000 German Shepherds had been enlisted with the German army.

Environmentally Engineered Aggression in German Shepherd Dogs

2011-06-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

Frustration-Elicited Aggression in German Shepherd Dog

If you are a German Shepherd Dog enthusiast, chances are that you have always liked to meet new German Shepherd owners and mingle with new GSDs around. It is quite normal for a real lover of GSD breed to look for more information on GSD, which makes him or her develop a tendency to stay in close relation with the GSD breeders, and experienced owners. I am pretty sure that if you have been meeting new German Shepherds, you have, at least once in your lifetime, come across a German Shepherd Dog strange behavior - either too submissive or too aggressive. Large breed like German Shepherd Dog sometimes turn out to be really difficult for novice owners to keep, especially in apartments, or with a family where nobody has time to take him on walk or to play in the yard. German Shepherd Dog is a working breed and can hardly stay

calm without doing something. Frustrated dogs - especially for a breed like GSD sometimes become hyper aggressive under such situations. Gene has got nothing to do here. Even a dog descending from the coolest bloodline can exhibit strangest behavior out of frustration.

Hyper aggressiveness or overly aggression in many breeds, including German Shepherds may be the result of many factors and frustration can be one of them. Apart from aggression due to frustration some other types of aggressions in GSD are genetically engineered aggression, territorial aggression, social aggression, defensive aggression, fear-elicited aggression, protective aggression, sex related aggression, redirected aggression. Like redirected aggression, fear-elicited aggression and social aggression, the frustration elicited aggression is also an environmentally engineered aggression, i.e. the type of aggression influenced by environmental condition or situation.

Frustration-elicited aggression is too common in German Shepherd Dogs, especially if they are kept confined, without any work been assigned. GSD is a working breed, They are basically farm dogs and loves to be on any outdoor projects. Evidences are there that some friendly dogs suddenly become aggressive when put in a closed room or leashed. This kind of aggression can be controlled through heavy exercise. A tired dog is a content dog. Dogs with this problem usually exhibit aggression on things they are frustrated with. For instance, many German Shepherds get frustrated on their leash. Resolving this problem is hard but not impossible. Lots of patience and time are the keys to the success story. Alongside enough exercise, not creating the situation too frequently that frustrates him is a way. For instance if he becomes frustrated with confinement, do not confine him too frequently or for long hours. If you realize that your dog is starting to create problem in a given situation, you can turn his attention off. Provide him with a bone to chew, for example.

What is worth worrying about this is that in many cases the frustration-elicited aggression in dogs (irrespective of breed) can lead to redirected aggression, which can be more devastating. This means, since the dog is not able to get to what actually he is looking for and consequently gets frustrated, he will try to show his aggression on some other thing. For instance if he is frustrated of being leashed or confined for hours, he may show his aggression on the bed and pillow. Things turn out to be more dangerous when such frustration elicited aggression is redirected to his pack members or family members.

Reach out to a professional canine behaviorist or trainer. It is essentially necessary to teach your German Shepherd to calm down in stressful situations. German Shepherds, if well bred, usually have higher "stress threshold" compared to many other dog breeds. Still many good dogs are seen with lower "stress threshold", and they easily get frustrated.

Top 10 Dog Lovers and Canine Organizations to Follow on Twitter

2011-04-09T04:56:00.000-07:00

If you are a German Shepherd Dogaddict, you can follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/aringsburg) and get to know more about these canineinsteins...

And here goes the list of top 10 dog lovers and canine organizations to Follow on Twitter

10) About German Shepherd Dog dot Com

9) Jeff's GSD Info

8) American Kennel Club

7) Canadian Kennel Club

6) Animal Planet

5) LIFE+DOG Magazine

4) ASPCA

3) Tails Pet Magazines

2) GSD Adventures

1) Missing Pet Register

Your Behavior Can Contribute to The Aggression of Your German Shepherd Dog

2011-03-21T22:00:00.000-07:00

Is your German Shepherd Dog aggressive? Aggression, to the desirable extent, is a part of the breed's natural character, although these dogs usually make great companions for your family and can prove to be quite good with kids. Too docile nature of German Shepherd will compromise his guarding and protective instincts, and would make him undesirably friendly with strangers, which is a serious fault in his character. While, on the other hand, too aggressive nature can be a way to get over you... that is to become the alpha member of the pack. His over aggression can be a challenge thrown towards you to acquire the alpha position. Do not surrender your position to your dog. Successful and technical dog ownership demands you to be the leader of the pack. It is only if you are the alpha of your pack, that you can be successful in your attempts controlling your dogs. Retaining the alpha position of the pack doesn't mean you will yell at him. Remember... Yelling, punishing and hurting him doesn't work. Beating him or punishing him will cause fear-based aggression. Aggressive dog training, be it with German Shepherds or for any other breed, involves correcting measures without punishing him. Yelling and punishing your aggressive German Shepherd Dog will simply stimulate your dog's fear and increase his aggression.

Many people have been mailing me asking for suggestions about their aggressive GSD. Most of them have more than one dogs and they fight when they get to meet together. Sam's problem iss that his GSD tends to attack fearlessly his Labrador when they are given food at the same time. His trainer asked him to feed them separately. He said, now he has to pay double the charge paid to the one who walks his dogs, because he has to walk them separately. But this is not permanent solution! I am sure most people cannot afford to keep their dogs closed separately.

My suggestion to people like Sam would be simple...

Find out why your dogs are aggressive towards each other. Did you not socialize them during their puppy hood? Or do both of them need dominance? If you did not have socialized them properly, it was your fault. If they both are fighting your dominance, it's again your fault. Dogs are quite intelligent,. and can learn things throughout their life. take them to the external world. Allow them meet situations, and experience strangeness of the nature. I would suggest you take both your dogs together - and take them in an entirely new area, where they have never been to before. Strangeness of new places will mitigate their aggression towards each other. In a new area they won't be claiming their territory and position, because they know they are new there. Each of your dogs will need one another to form a team there. Well, by this I mean to say their sense of lack of confidence in a new place will make them look for each other's company. Make them play... let them be dead tired.

Next step is simple for experienced, but may be a bit tough for new owners.

Bring them home and now do not lock them in separate places. Take them along with you in your hall. They are tired, and need rest now. Make them lie in the same hall at two different corners. Provide them water in separate bowl. Be there yourself; keep an eye on both and try to maintain your position as an alpha of the pack of three - you and your two dogs. Do not too soft will giving them command. Say "NO" firmly, whenever required. Don't allow them to get on you.

My third very important suggestion...

Love them - but do not demonstrate preference - neither Rover over Rolley nor Rolley over Rover. The slightest demonstration of preference one over the other will make the other jealous, which will stimulate his aggression. Both of them should exercise together until they are tired. They should get the equal share of you love and touch. The aim is be at diminishing their jealousy towards each other.

Check out my post on handling aggressive German Shepherds
Know more about German Shepherd Dog - Ultimate Destination for Resources About German Shepherd Dog

Pituitary Dwarfism in German Shepherd Dogs

2011-03-18T22:44:00.000-07:00

Pituitary dwarfism in German shepherd dogs is a rare kind of autosomal, recessive inherited disorder. This condition is irrepairable and is characterized by the lack of growth hormone, thyrotropin, prolactin, the gonadotropins and undeveloped pituitary gland. Although these hormones are not secreted properly, yet corticotropin secretion remains unaffected, which leads to dwarfism in GSD. Researches have been carried out throughout the world, on Pituitary Dwarfism in German Shepherds.

Studies have shown that mutation of a gene encoding a transcription factor which is responsible for precluding the expansion of pituitary stem cells after differentiation of corticotropic cells may be the probable cause of Pituitary dwarfism in German shepherd dog. Treating this condition is almost impossible, but identification of the specific mutation will help in a DNA test for potential breeding dogs. Selective breeding may erradicate the problem.

Pituitary dwarfism recessive inherited abnormality. Some of the highly scientific genealogical investigations have been carried out that indicated that the origin of the recessive gene is a mutation which had occurred at about 1940 or may be even before 1940s. Researches have indicated that many winning dog have been reciognised to be the carriers of this genetic condition.

The genetic defect causing congenital GH deficiency in German Shepherd Dogs may be the probable cause of Dwarfism in other breeds like Carelian Bear Dogs and Saarloos Wolfhounds. Well this may sound a bit unrealistic, but as a matter of fact the pituitary dwarfism in Carelian Bear Dogs and Saarloos Wolfhoundshad been recognized for the first time after the German shepherd dogs had been used in breeding the later breeds.

Selective bearding is recommended in order to steer clear of undesirable traits and genetic issues in the breed.

Check out the breeder's Responsibilities while Breeding GSD
Learn more about Dwarfism in German Shepherd Dogs.

About German Shepherd Dog Changed its Server

2011-03-15T06:04:00.000-07:00

Howdy buddies??? How's it going? Here is an announcement about my website www.aboutgermanshepherddog.com.

I have been awfully busy in resolving certain very serious problems related to my website About German Shepherd Dog. I have a dream with this website and that is too make it one of the world's largest online GSD resources. With this in mind I created this website that is run by a team of genuine GSD people, including vets, trainers, highly experienced owners, GSD breeders and pet writers and editors. I have been working too hard and have been researching more on the breed with my team so that I (We) can share our knowledge, discoveries & findings and news regarding the breed.

I hosted this site with a hosting company (Featured Host - a fake branch of Websys) in India, after purchasing the domain through this company owner (Arindra) from Hostgator. After running this site for over a year or so, I was surprisingly shocked to discover that About German Shepherd Dog has been allotted a hosting space that is way less than what this man was being paid for.

Jeff - my friend - one of my team members (a GSD enthusiast and researcher for around 15 years now and a pet writer, who writes about the breed) had repeatedly asked me in the past two general meetings to get the domain control from that man - the owner of the hosting company. I asked for it, but he denied to give me that. He refused to increase the hosting space, and told me that the money which he was being paid was agreed upon at the beginning verbally. I realized that he was a fraud.

My site was attacked by dangerous malware that was in his server, and was off for around a month - flashing out a message that "Your Account Has Been Suspended". During the renewal of the domain (in the year 2010) I had paid him in advanced, yet he did not renewed it on time and the site went off again for around a month. All these made us gripped into pronged pressure, because About German Shepherd Dog had already marked its name across the web. I found no other alternative, but to drop down to the court of law. I told him what was I going to do if he refused to provide with desirable services, and the next morning I found 65 most important pages were missing leaving behind only as few as 42 pages. He could track my admin details from cpanel.

Finally, I took serious measures and have saved About German Shepherd Dog. We have changed our host and transferred the domain. Even after going through a series of such awful phase, About German Shepherd Dog is still on the first page on Google for the major keywords. Its a re-birth for the site. Everybody in the About German Shepherd dog team can now enjoy a peaceful sleeps in nights.

Beware of fake companies like these!

Happy New Year Dog Lovers

2010-12-31T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hello German Shepherd Dog Lovers...

This post is dedicated to all animal lovers - irrespective species and breed...
Let me wish you a very very Happy and Prosperous New Year. Now guess what the amazing fact about this year is?

Date of 1st Jan = 1-1-11 (d-m-y)
Date of 11th Jan = 11-1-11 (d-m-y)
Date of 1st Nov = 1-11-11 (d-m-y)
Date of 11th Nov = 11-11-11 (d-m-y)

Let's celebrate the start in a great way by resolving to be better and more responsible owners for our pets. Take time this first week of the year to ring in the Year 2011 with some new and precious habits that can benefit you and your pets.

1) Let's stop misusing check chains.
2) Let's stop abusive training methods
3) Let's make it a habit to talk to our dogs and cats and birds and any other pets every day at least once.
4) Let's hug them at least once a day
5) Let's Update our owner information!
6) Let's raise voice against animal cruelty

This New Start is a great time to indulge ourselves in becoming more valuable partners for our pets. I wish you all a very very Happy and Prosperous New Year - 2011

I wish you all the millions of reasons to be happy in the New Year. When you're lonely, I pray my Lord for one more pet for you. When the world seems empty, I wish you can hug your dog tight and you will get EVERYTHING back!

Have a Happy New Year and a marvelous time ahead!

GSD information | German Shepherds | GSD facts | German Shepherd standard

Opportunity opens for German Shepherd Dog Clubs and Organizations

2010-12-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

About German Shepherd Dog reveals an opportunity for all German Shepherd Dog Non-Profit Organizations and Clubs to have a FREE listing of their organizations. About German Shepherd Dog team aims at eventually enlist all the Non-Profit organizations and clubs related to the German Shepherd Dog breed in the website. All they need to know are the perfect address contact details and name of the concerned persons related to a specific club or org. They expect the clubs and the organizations to provide the About German Shepherd Dog team to provide all necessary information in regard to any alteration in their concerned person and/or contact details.

GSD News: GSD Breed Standard Amendment

2010-11-25T21:46:00.000-08:00

Good News German Shepherd Dog Lovers!

Good news is that the breed standard for German Shepherd Dog breed has been amended in terms of their coat types. Yes, GSD owners who are enthisiasts of the long coat variety of German Shepherds will be happy now to learn that the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) has approved adopting the long coat type as a distinctictive breed variety with effect from January 1, 2011. In the resolution of 2008 -2009 Federal Assembly, the SV had filed a motion with the FCI for adopting the coat type “Long Straight Topcoat with Undercoat” as a distinctive variety in the GSD breed. I feel really glad to inform you that the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) has approved the motion filed by the SV with effect from January 1, 2011.

What does this mean?

By approving this motion of the SV, the FCI allows the specific variety of German Shepherd Dog breed with “Long Straight Topcoat with Undercoat” hair type:

1) To participate in the breed surveys
2) To participate in the breed specialty shows across the globe.
3) To get entitled in the breeding program officially, subject to certain principles to be maintained.

Check out in details information on the approval of “Long Straight Topcoat with Undercoat” hair type by FCI. Click on GSD breed Standard Amendement.

World Seiger Results 2010

2010-10-04T05:27:00.000-07:00

As usual the German Shepherd Dog Club of West Germany (e.i. SV) had just sponsored the world's largest German Shepherd conformation specialty show this year... 2010! It was a real blast like every year. This year (2010) the German Seiger Show or The World Seiger Show was held in Nürnberg (Easy Credit Stadion) between September 3rd to September 5th, 2010 and there were around 1500 German Shepherds and an incredible number of 30,000 spectators bustled up the show arena. In 2009 is also a remarkable year! In the year 2009 at Ulm, Germany the Sieger Show had been held for the first time.

Are you looking for the show results? Check out the detailed show results for German seiger show 2010 and results for German seiger show 2009. Don't miss out checking the entire report for the world seiger 2010. You can find Links to Other Titles too! You can also find the detailed results of GSD breed at Cruft Show this year at Cruft show 2010 or here.

Congratulations to all the winners at world seiger 2010!

What more you need to know about GSD

2010-09-16T22:25:00.000-07:00

Did you know... a white German Shepherd dog named Daz has been crowned to be the world's loudest dog?
Did you know that there are tons of technical words which can be found in German Shepherd Dog dictionary?
Did you know you can learn a lot about the GSD breed from German Shepherd Dog FAQ?

Starting from German Shepherd Dog standard to anything about German Shepherds, you can get to know more about the breed. If you want to be a better owner for your dog you need to know your shepherd better. We have just stepped out of the alfa phase and entered the beta version with our GSD portal - About German Shepherd Dog.

About German Shepherd Dog is my dream child for which I have been gathering information from rare of the rarest sources. You can find any information on the breed on this website, which is run by me and my team - a group of GSD people who have been studying on the breed for years now. This makes me feel that we can make this GSD portal the largest online resource for information on German Shepherd Dog.

We have come up with an opportunity for owners, breeders, trainers and any person related to the breed to promote their profile or kennel or name through this German Shepherd Dog website. If you are willing promote yourself and your bloodline you can write on this website about the breed where you can have your own article page where you can put the link of your blog or website in your Author Bio. You articles will be featured under the section "Featured Articles". Check out our FAQ page to know more about this feature.

We are in the beta stage and we are developing gradually. GSD people are cordially invited to our website. Thank you...

About German Shepherd Dog - A Website Dedicated to GSD Lovers and Their Dream Breed

2010-07-20T02:23:00.000-07:00

Howdy friends! I have not posted anything for long - I admit. Well, let me tell you that I have a good news for all German Shepherd Dog lovers. I am honored that my blog "German Shepherd Dog Information" has been highly acclaimed and I have got waves of praises from you guys.

I have received emails from many of you, and many of you have sent me multiple emails praising me for my highly researched work that I have done with this blog. This motivated me in purchasing my own domain name and hiring a host. Friends I have created my own website About German Shepherd Dog.

The design of this website has been done by my friend's web solution firm - "Aribiss". Since the website is a dynamic website and involves tremendous volume of coding, it is taking him a little time to complete. Although it is apparently completed, still there are certain designing issues which requires to be done. The work is in process.

About the official website of "About German Shepherd Dog"
About German Shepherd Dog is an online portal dedicated to German Shepherd lovers across the globe. I have been constantly working on this website and aiming to make it the largest online resource for information on German Shepherd Dog breed. I am sure I can do it... your encouragements and fountains of praises have always been the most effective catalyst for me.

Please email me or post your comments and give me your feedback about the newly launched website, especially dedicated to you and your dream breed. I know you will find a few programmatic errors in this website. Everything will be fixed eventually.

STAY - Allie Larkin's First Novel

2010-06-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

This is a press release about a novel "STAY", written by Allie Larkin, one of my dog lover friends who lives in Rochester, New York, with her husband, Jeremy. The novel features two German Shepherds, ARGO and STELLA, and a three-legged cat. You can find the pic of majestic ARGO in the cover of STAY itself. This book is a must-have collection in the library of all GSD lovers. The novel delineates the life of a young woman whose friendship with lovely black German Shepherd helps her recover from a broken heart. Using her own camera, Allie snapped a few shots of her beautiful dog, ARGO, and as soon as we saw his trusting eyes, we realized that ARGO was our star.

I wish all the very best to my friend Allie for her first novel STAY that has been published June, 2010.

***********************************************************************

“Smart and with emotional depth, this is a cut above the romantic comedies that flood the market every summer.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Larkin debuts with a funny and touching story about love, loss, and dog ownership.” —Publishers Weekly

STAY - a novel
By Allie Larkin

Your browser may not support display of this image. There are many ways to get over heartbreak—Ben & Jerry’s and marathon episodes of reality TV are common survival tools—but buying a hundred-pound dog over the Internet surely isn’t one of them. In her debut novel STAY (On sale: June 10, 2010), Allie Larkin proves that sometimes life needs to get more complicated before it can get better.

Savannah “Van” Leone has been in love with Peter Clarke ever since she literally fell head over heels in front of him on the first day of class. Now, six years later, instead of standing across from him at the altar, she’s standing behind her best friend Janie, as Maid of Honor, trying to mask her heartache and guilt as Janie marries the man of Van’s dreams. Before her mother passed away from cancer, she told Van never to let Peter go, but as Van watches the couple exchange vows, she knows that her fairy tale ending was never meant to be. After the wedding, Van drowns her sorrows in Kool-Aid–vodka cocktails and reruns of Rin Tin Tin and does what to many seems absurd: She buys a German Shepherd over the Internet.

Together, Van and her new companion, Joe—a clumsy, slobbering hundred-pound beast that only responds to commands in Slovak—begin to mend the pieces of her shattered heart and get her life back on track. And it doesn’t hurt that Joe’s vet is a rugged sweetheart with floppy blond hair and a winning smile, who brings soup when she’s sick and always holds the door open for her. But, when Peter gets back from his honeymoon, Van is forced to come to terms with her new and old feelings in a decision that affects all the people she’s ever loved.

Warm and witty, poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, STAY is a big-hearted, unforgettable debut about friendship, love, and a German Shepherd named Joe.

# # #

Your browser may not support display of this image. About the Author

Allie Larkin lives in Rochester, New York, with her husband, Jeremy, their two German Shepherds, Argo (featured on the cover of STAY) and Stella, and a three-legged cat. She is the cofounder of TheGreenists.com, a site dedicated to helping readers take simple steps toward going green. STAY is her first novel.

STAY
By Allie Larkin
Dutton

* $25.95 * ISBN: 978-0-525-95171-1

www.allielarkinwrites.com

DFS Crufts 2010 Breed and Class Results For German Shepherd Dogs - Pastoral Group

2010-03-12T21:24:00.001-08:00

Friends....The Cruft Dog Show is on! The world's most prestigious dog show the most visited one that witnesses lacs of spectators and thousands of contestants is the Cruft Dog show. The Cruft Show 2010 is the 120th annual event which started on Thursday, March 11 and will be on till Sunday, March 14. The first day of the Cruft Dog Show was the for working and pastoral breeds. Held at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre, UK, the Cruft Dog Show 2010 is featuring 180 dog breeds composed of 28,000 distinctive specimens. Here are the results of Breed and Class for the German Shepherd Dog (Pastoral group), judged by Mr. R W Kinsey. Check out the results below...

Breed Results

BEST OF BREED

CLOKELLYS LAGOS (Dog)
Owner: MRS C KEEN

BEST PUPPY

VENEZE ERIK (Dog)
Owner: MR & MRS J & P CULLEN

DOG CHALLENGE CERTIFICATE

CLOKELLYS LAGOS (Dog)
Owner: MRS C KEEN

BITCH CHALLENGE CERTIFICATE

HAZROH QUAXIE (Bitch)
Owner: MS D, MR R B, MRS JJ & MISS HJ NELSON, WATSON & DO

RESERVE DOG CHALLENGE CERTIFICATE

CH OLGAYANS HOTEI (Dog)
Owner: MR B E & MRS O BARLOW

RESERVE BITCH CHALLENGE CERTIFICATE

CH MASCANI ODESSA (Bitch) Owner: MS M LAKIN

Class Results

Veteran - Dog
Entries: 4 Abs: 0

1st - CH MIRRWOOD SCHIFO AT REYANHEATH (MR & MRS REYNOLDS)
2nd - JOTANN ADONIS (MR L & MRS J ASKHAM)
3rd - MARLISH CADEAU CDEX (MRS R PRICE)
Res - AMAZING WARRIOR OF ASTRADINE (MRS A G SHAW)

Special Puppy - Dog
Entries: 5 Abs: 0

1st - VENEZE ERIK (MR & MRS J & P CULLEN)
2nd - SILKENWOOD MIKAEL (MRS H A & MISS S Y BIBBY & GUNNER)
3rd - SUZDANS ERASURE BLUE (MR A J & MRS S P FORMAN)
Res - ANCHAZ BRAX (MRS M HUMBERSTON)
VHC - CHALKSVILLE SPIRIT CATCHER (MR S P THOMAS)

Special Junior - Dog
Entries: 10 Abs: 2

1st - MASCANI IKON (MRS S HUTCHINSON)
2nd - SILVERLEIGH VERMER (MR R & MRS M DAVIES)
3rd - KIPLYN ATLAS (MESDAMES & MR J MCCOWLIFF, EASTWOOD, REILLEY & HAY)
Res - CHALKSVILLE DARK LORD AT PADAWAN (MR G P HAINE)
VHC - ZAKASIA FENNOR (MISS D & MR R SLADE & BALL)

Yearling - Dog
Entries: 15 Abs: 0

1st - CLYNALWIN'S GIOVANNI (MISS C DENNETT)
2nd - IOLANDA QUIDO (MRS I JERMEY)
3rd - RAZERALICH BLAZE (MRS M MCCOUBREY)
Res - PARHILEON VOM ICE (MISS D S FINNIGAN)
VHC - LORLEACH LEON (MRS ALLERTON)

Post Graduate - Dog
Entries: 20 Abs: 2

1st - IOLANDA INZZAGHI IROK (MRS E SCOTT)
2nd - SHERNAA VODKA (MR & MISS PRINCE & AYLING)
3rd - NIKONIS ARTHUR (MRS R I & MR M J ANDREWS & REES)
Res - AIEKO FROM PETERWELL (J, C, G K & L ADAMSON, JACKSON & MUNKLEY)
VHC - TIRGRAM TIM VOM HAUS DEXEL (MRS M DAVIES)

Limit - Dog
Entries: 12 Abs: 0

1st - ROBUNAS VARGAS (MR R MCPHEE)
2nd - ROMAINVILLE MONTEIRO (MRS K GEORGE)
3rd - IOLANDA BUGATTI AT SAROCAL (MRS T, MRS I & MISS S JERNEY & SMITH)
Res - FAYRELANDER WALTZ IN NELLINKA (MR M & MR C & MRS K PUCKNELL & AUSTEN)
VHC - BLACKTORS BULAN AT PENNYBECK (MR & MRS G S JONES)

Open - Dog
Entries: 15 Abs: 4

1st - CLOKELLYS LAGOS (MRS C KEEN)
2nd - CH OLGAYANS HOTEI (MR B E & MRS O BARLOW)
3rd - BALKO VOM GLEISENAUER SCHLOSS (MRS T J HILL)
Res - VENEZE CONNER (MR & MRS J & P CULLEN)
VHC - CH NIKONIS COLIN (MRS N G FARLEY)

Working Trial - Dog
Entries: 1 Abs: 0

1st - JAKE AT JOTUNHEIM SCHH3 CDEX UDEX WDEX (MRS A E TOHME)

Good Citizen Dog Scheme - Dog
Entries: 15 Abs: 0

1st - IOLANDA BUGATTI AT SAROCAL (MRS T, MRS I & MISS S JERNEY & SMITH)
2nd - CLYNALWIN'S GIOVANNI (MISS C DENNETT)
3rd - IOLANDA MASERATI (MRS T, MRS I & MISS S JERNEY & SMITH)
Res - FOURANFASS LE DAUPHIN (MR P G & MRS H C H CORKIN)
VHC - TRACELYN RUSSELL WATSON (MS M J CRISPIN)

Veteran - Bitch
Entries: 12 Abs: 4

1st - DELNAT RUMOURS (MRS E LOWE)
2nd - MILLJOHN WHO'S THAT GIRL AT JOTANN (MRS J WILLIAMS)
3rd - STARKSTROM ISOLETTA (MRS P J EDGINGTON)
Res - RHEINMEISTER CHI-KI-MI (MR E W & MRS C A SPELMAN)
VHC - MILLJOHN BEWITCHED (MRS J S JEFFORD)

Special Puppy - Bitch
Entries: 4 Abs: 2

1st - CHALKSVILLE SPIRIT OF KINTARO (MR T& MRS S MULLARD & BARNES)
2nd - ANCHAZ BARETTA (MRS A & MR M WALDEN)

Special Junior - Bitch
Entries: 12 Abs: 1

1st - DRAYCORE CHILLI (MR R & MRS J KIRBY)
2nd - KORZWIN MALTA (MISS H GIBSON)
3rd - NORWULF ZONDA (MISS K JONES)
Res - SIMONITE CHYNA SILK (MRS C THOMAS)
VHC - KYMARA'S CHIARO DI RIKARDA (MISS S MURRAY)

Yearling - Bitch
Entries: 17 Abs: 3

1st - JASUETER GOLDEN GRACE (MR P J, MRS S J & MISS J S BINDEN)
2nd - IOLANDA QUINA (MRS I JERMEY)
3rd - ALL ONE SUIT (MRS L E HAMILTON)
Res - MERJUKE'S HOPE (MISS S & MR A WIDDOP & EASBY)
VHC - SAMSTAG JANA (MRS S E WORLEY)

Post Graduate - Bitch
Entries: 16 Abs: 6

1st - CERYSTAR LOTTI (MISS D S FINNIGAN)
2nd - NIKONIS YERA (MRS N G FARLEY)
3rd - OLGAYANS LORELEI (MR B E & MRS O BARLOW)
Res - SILVERLEIGH QSHELLEY AT KOMODO (MR & MRS A F ROBERTS)

Limit - Bitch
Entries: 14 Abs: 2

1st - HAZROH QUAXIE (MS D, MR R B, MRS JJ & MISS HJ NELSON, WATSON & DO)
2nd - WILLOWDALE KEIFA (MRS G SHEFFIELD)
3rd - IOLANDA ESPRIT VON NORVISTEG (MR H WRIGHT)
Res - AVANTI STARR (MR M ROBINSON)
VHC - VONMEISTER FANTA (MR R & MRS P POWDRILL)

Open - Bitch
Entries: 13 Abs: 4

1st - CH MASCANI ODESSA (MS M LAKIN)
2nd - BINE VOM GLEISENAUER SCHLOSS (IMP DEU) (MRS S E WORLEY)
3rd - CH LARARTH SASSY (MR D C, MRS S L & MR B BOWEN & WADLOW)
Res - KORZWIN JILLI JW (MRS L & MR K BARCLAY & WILLIAMSON)
VHC - CH LINSDOWN GEORGIA SHCM (MR T& MRS S MULLARD & BARNES)

Working Trial - Bitch
Entries: 1 Abs: 0

1st - TYGUARD CHILLI AT MANPOL CDEX UDEX WDEX ( GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE)

Good Citizen Dog Scheme - Bitch
Entries: 7 Abs: 0

1st - MERJUKE'S HOPE ( MISS S & MR A WIDDOP & EASBY)
2nd - STARKSTROM ISOLETTA (MRS P J EDGINGTON)
3rd - CHANNBELLE CHINA GIRL (MR D W & MRS L BALL)
Res - NETSRIK IMAGINATION (MISS K TAYLOR)

Note: All owners of the above mentioned dogs are requested to provide us with the pictures of their dogs qualified in DFS Cruft, 2010. we will be happy to incorporate the pictures with their show results. Many many congratulations to all owners and dogs above qualified in the ring of DFS Cruft 2010.

Check out what have happened in all the four days of Cruft Dog show, 2010

How to handle an Overly Aggressive German Shepherd Dog

2010-02-12T05:56:00.000-08:00

If you are a lover of German Shepherd Dog breed, chances are that you have always liked to meet new German Shepherd owners and mingle with new dogs. By doing so, I am sure that you have, at least once in your life time, met shepherds with strange behavior. Overly aggressive German Shepherd Dogs are menace to not only the owners but also the other animals and friends of their owners they meet. The fact is it’s due to the lack of knowledge of the owners that many shepherds become aggressive. Well, aggression is a genetic trait that stimulates the protective drive of the breed. Over aggression in German Shepherd Dogs is a psychological imbalance and a serious fault in the breed, being a deviation from the standard of GSD behavior.

Now this topic is all about tips and tricks to handle an overly aggressive German Shepherd Dog. The piece includes some points that may help you make your German Shepherd Dog learn good habits. The process of teaching should start at the very young age, but since most dogs start displaying aggressive behavior in the later age you need to be well equipped with the technical know-how of teaching good things that can be applied at any point of time in his/ her life. Remember German Shepherd Dog is a very intelligent breed and has the tendency to please their master. This is a very important thing to understand. Make your dog please you and show that you are pleased when he shows desirable behavior. Most GSD owners, I have come across, cannot understand how to get their overly aggressive shepherds to learn good habits. Dogs are not humans and understand things in a very different ways. So often, when an untrained trainer is training your German Shepherd Dog he is actually contributing to the behavioral problem, thereby making them worse! My first tip to solving this problem is to find the right trainer, who knows how to communicate with and train a German Shepherd Dog with all full proved techniques.

Here are four German Shepherd Dog training tips to give a try before making the decision to have them put down.

1. Most important problem area: Unscientific breeding is the most important problem area that needs to be spared a serious thought over. Overly aggressive German Shepherd Dog all through his life shows warning signs that it is not like the other friendly canine companions. Choosing the right German Shepherd Dog breeder is very important. Both the fear based aggression and dominant aggression are due to poor breeding, while territorial aggression and predatorial aggression in German Shepherds are normal and desirable to a certain degree.

2. Training sessions: To start off with you need to boost up the confidence and make your dog feel the sense of security while setting the training session. Overly aggressive German Shepherd Dogs usually have some kind of fear psychologically week with low degree of hardness trait in their character. With lack of confidence and psychological resiliency to unpleasant and strange situations you cannot solve such behavioral problems. I would suggest you to create a perfect environment around the training zone. You can invite a few friends of yours whom your dog knows well. With the gradual passage of time you can invite a stranger along with your friends and go on for stroll in the park with them and your dog. Gradually increase the number of friends and stranger. This is a very important socialization technique and should be a slow process. By making slightest haste in this you may unknowingly contribute to your shepherd’s behavioral problem instead of solving it. This will pull down his stress level and make him feel comfortable.

3. Mingling with other dogs: Most aggressive dogs cannot tolerate other animals within their vicinity, which makes them show aggressive behavior towards them. This problem in the German Shepherd Dog personality can be solved, though not a very easy task. Mingling session has to be at as soon as possible. Keep your dog on the leash in a region having a few other more confident and calm dogs. Hold the leash tight and as soon as he shows signs of aggression, just give him a jolt with a sharp “NO”. Repeat it whenever he shows signs of anger. Keep a constant eye on him and you can predict how he will be behaving on a specific situation a few seconds prior to he actually shows the aggression signs. As soon as you can predict his behavior, give him a jolt with a sharp “NO”. It will take a lot of time to socialize your German Shepherd Dog with other dogs. You need to be patient and consistent and handle him correctly.

4. Keep your dog away from other aggressive adult dogs: Remember dogs are pack animals and they live a pack life. Their specific behaviors are usually the resultant products of staying together within the pack, which is very natural. If they do not consider their owner as the pack leader they will take it upon themselves to become the leader of the pack which tourn out to be quite detrimental. If you have a new addition to your kennel, keep the new dog or puppy away from the other aggressive members of your kennel. Studies have shown that dogs and puppies that are in contact with the other aggressive mates usually become aggressive as times pass by. Get the new dog surround with cool tempered, confident, well mannered, playful dogs with positive behavioral traits.

To conclude with I would like to say that your aggression towards the dog will never solve the problem of aggression your dogs. So don’t lose your cool on your dogs. You have to be patient and tactical enough to handle a overly aggressive German Shepherd Dog. A German Shepherd Dog who have been battered can turn out to be overly aggressive at to humans. Here's how to help battered German Shepherd Dogs regain confidence.

Looking for more German Shepherd Dog information?

Wishing you Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T23:17:00.000-08:00

Some relationships grow stronger with time! And this has what happened with me and my readers of this blog. With passage of time Aringsburg’s German Shepherd Dog has grown to mark its name in the web. I’m blessed to have dog lover pals like you, who have loved my blog. I have always cherished your thoughtful comments placed for many of my posts on my dream breed – the German Shepherd Dog.

Let me take the opportunity of this Christmas time to wishing you and your dogs and other members of your family and friends all the millions of reasons to be happy. May my Lord bestow His blessings upon you all and upon all animal lovers on the planet. Let us pray for peace for the homeless animals around us who are devoid of love and food.

Wishing you Merry Christmas and good life ahead! "May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!"

Purely Genetic Traits in German Shepherd Dog: German Shepherd Dog Character

2009-09-25T05:20:00.000-07:00

Genetic Traits in German Shepherd Dog

Some of the character traits in German Shepherd Dogs are purely genetic. Just like the components like pigments, anatomy etc. are engineered into the dog genetically, so are these traits. Well bred GSDs have all positive traits in common. This post on character traits in German Shepherd Dogs is going to talk about the purely genetic traits in the breed - starting from the physical endurance to agility, distractibility and a few more!
Physical Endurance: Physical endurance describes the overall physique of the dog including sturdiness, muscular tone and general physical condition. This is a genetic trait and breeders must keep this in mind while breeding. A well bred dog usually has a good physical endurance. A dog with an excellent physical endurance spends less energy while working. This ensures both quantity and quality of work within a specified amount of time.

Agility: Agility is another remarkable feature in German Shepherd Dog breed. Agility describes the total coordination of the dog, including its natural fastness. Reputed breeders keep the Agility trait in mind while breeding, so that the dogs natural tendency to pursue things with fastness and surefootedness is not spoiled.

Sharpness: Alike these traits, Sharpness is transferred genetically! This is why not all German Shepherds are equally sharp. Degree of Sharpness is how intensely he reacts to a stressful situation. It is also a by-product of his intelligence. For instance, if your Shepherd bites you for no apparent reason, and if he is sharp enough, he will immediately realize his fault. This will make him cool down to his normal status.

Feral Tendency: Feral tendency is a purely genetic trait, which is a tendency to revert to a animal in the wild. A well bred dog has a higher feral tendency and will act more intelligently than the other dogs. A dog with high degree of feral tendency can be more easily trained and acts more obediently during the period of stress and pain. Dogs with low feral tendency will mis-behave in stressful situation.

Distractibility: Distractibility is environmentally influenced genetic trait that describes the tendency of the dog to get distracted from its allotted work. High degree of distractibility trait means the dog is highly influenced by the environmental factors, which is not a desirable trait as it hampers the working ability of the dog. Remember, GSD is a working breed. Most well bred dog are have amore or less high degree of distractibility, but that doesn’t mean that dog is genetically weak. Most well bred dogs have the ability to maintain the competency, but hidden. All you need is to carry on a rigorously typical training session to make use of the competency and attentiveness hidden within them.

Dogfight Tendency: This is purely a genetic trait in German Shepherd Dog and other dog breeds also, but many canine behaviorists have defined it as a Genetic trait, based on environmental influences like distractibility. Most people seem to get confused with Dogfight trait, as this trait typically resembles closely with what we call “Fighting Drive”. Specialists have drawn a thin line to set Dogfight Trait apart from Fighting Drive. Dogfight trait is a genetic trait that describes a typical aggression towards other dogs, irrespective of breed, gender and age of the counterpart. I have seen dogs that are cool with strangers and even kids, but shows harsh aggression towards other dogs/ mongrels. The most important point of difference between the Fighting drive and Dogfight trait is that Fighting Drive mainly aims towards victory, where the looser, on showing submissive behavior, is released to escape. Dogs with the high degree of Dogfight trait aims at the victory, usually ending up with severe injury or even death in worst case. List of character traits in German Shepherd Dogs also includes Dogfight trait.

Sensory Threshold: Sensory threshold is a purely genetic trait in German Shepherd Dogs. This trait describes the level of stimulus that a given amount agitation can make the dog to respond. The dog may whine, scream or bark in response to agitation. This describes the amount of stimulus that makes the respond to agitation. Dogs with higher sensory threshold take longer time to respond to agitation; they handle such situation more intelligently. They usually have stronger character with higher feral tendency. Dogs with lower sensory threshold gets agitated easily, which in turn means they have lower Feral tendency.

Well, I have posted all the character traits in GSD in the three posts including this. The first two were respectively on Psychological + Physiological traits and psychological, but genetically based. Stay tuned… up next more interesting information about German Shepherd Dogs.

Natural Traits in German Shepherd Dogs: Psychological traits in GSD - Physiologically Based

2009-09-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

Psychological traits in GSD physiologically based

Hello friends... hope you have liked post psychological and genetic character traits in German shepherd Dogs. Check out the last post on NATURAL TRAITS IN GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG. As I said before, I intend to write about some other character traits in German Shepherd Dog breed that are psychological, but physiologically based. That means these traits are purely psychological. While identifying the character and personality traits in German Shepherd Dogs, you can clearly notice that these animals have high degree of self confidence, and shows typical behavior of aloofness at times, which will make a stranger think twice to make friends with them immediately. Alike some of the other dog breeds, the heavy-weight personality of German Shepherd Dogs blends well physique of the breed. Physiological traits in German Shepherd Dogs are the traits backed by the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions in the dog.

Here are the details of the German Shepherd Dog character traits that are psychological, but physiologically based:

The character traits of any dog breed depend on many factors. German Shepherd Dogs are sometimes quite hard by nature (both mentally and physically) and pain tolerating capacity is high, while soft at some other times. Both hardness and softness in the characters are the psychological traits in GSD that are physiologically based.

Hardness: Hardness is the trait that is both psychological and physiological. It is a mental resiliency (backed the physical and biochemical soundness) to not-so-pleasant experiences. Hardness is judged by putting the dog into situations where the pain threshold can be determined. Pain threshold is the point at which the dog starts reacting to pain. The intensity at which the stimulus (physical and mental pressure and stress) starts evoking pain the threshold stimulus. To be a bit more simple, the pain threshold is the point at which the starts not to tolerate the pain any longer. Since the threshold stimulus varies from breed to breed for a given stressful situation, the pain threshold level differs too. A well bred German Shepherd Dog has comparatively high level of pain threshold than most other dog breeds. By saying this I mean to say that the capacity of tolerating pain has been genetically engineered into the breed. Hence “hardness” is not 100% psychological and physiologically trait in GSD and other dog breeds, although, as a matter fact the level of hardness also varies form dog to dog within the breed itself. GSD has higher “Hardness” trait, means they can tolerate tremendous stress with little negative attitude. That in turn means that the GSD needs to handle strongly and requires strong corrections when they are disobedient.

Now what does it mean when I say that “Hardness” in GSD is a psychological trait, being physiologically based? From physiological view point, the hardness in GSD means that the dog is strong by nerve. It relates to the thick sheathing around the nerve fibers in the body of the dog which makes its pain threshold higher than other breeds. Sometimes the hardness is so high that corrections to disobedient behaviors sometimes become quite tough for les- experienced trainers. This is why an experienced specialized dog behaviorist/ trainer will always suggest not to hit him while training. This will make the training process harder and ineffective.

Softness: Softness in the character traits in German Shepherds is just the opposite of the hardness. Wild dogs in the nature are comparatively softer than the pets. In fact the softness is a natural trait that helps the dog to save himself from natural dangers. Softness breeds a bit of fear in them which acts as the natural measure for protection themselves form real danger – as I said in my last post. Softness in German Shepherd Dogs is another psychological trait that is associated to the fear from stressful experience. Excessive softness is a behavioral fault in the GSD breed. This is because these dogs are bred to work under a wide range of stressful situations. If a German Shepherds fail to do that, it means it doesn’t satisfy the breed’s actual purpose.

You will probably like to read about BREED EVOLUTION TEST IN GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG (Schutzhund) that has been designed to separate German shepherds with correct physical and character traits from the ones that have undesirable traits.

Up next purely genetic traits in German Shepherds! Stay tuned...

Character traits in German Shepherd Dogs - Psychological and Genetic Traits

2009-09-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

Psychological and Genetic Traits traits in German Shepherd Dogs

Just as all breeds have their own respective characters German Shepherd Dog has its very unique character traits too. A German Shepherd lover would always describe the breed as royal, assertive, courageous, adaptable, intelligent and powerful and last but not the lest the most talked about dog breed in the world. Well, now it’s important to discus the character traits that have made German Shepherds the most popular of all dog breeds. Picking the right breed is of utmost importance for you if you are a first time owner. If you are in love with this breed, you need to know his character traits in advance so that you can handle him correctly as he grows.

Here are the details of the character traits of German Shepherd Dog breed:

Since the character traits of the dog depend of more than factors, they are grouped under heads such as Purely Psychological traits, Psychological + Genetic traits, Psychological + Physiological traits and Purely Genetic traits. This post is all about the character traits in German Shepherd Dogs that are purely Psychological and Psychological, but genetically based. My next post will talk about the Psychological + Physiological traits, followed by a post on Purely Genetic Traits in GSD.

Purely Psychological Traits in German Shepherd Dogs:

Trainability: GSD, by nature, is one of the most intelligent dog breeds that can be easily trained to work on a wide range of projects. This is a multi purpose dog breed that have been trained for war, guarding, guiding blinds, as companion dogs, working in movies, working in police and detective departments, working in drug detection departments, working as PAT (Pro Dogs Active Therapy) and shepherd dogs to herd cattle. His inquisitive to learn things helps him learn new tricks in short span of time, and this is what helps the trainers to train him easily.

Confidence: German Shepherd Dog, by nature, is highly confident. This psychological trait has been environmentally engineered into the breed. This is a by-product of the ability of the dog to bear more stress than many other dog breeds. German Shepherds have been bred to tolerate comparatively more stress than others. This means the break even level of bearing stress is higher than many other dog breeds. This makes the dog enhance his ability to struggle and win more stressful situations, which in turn makes him more confident as compared to many other dog breeds. Remember, as soon as he reaches the optimum stress point – that is the break even point he cannot accept more stress and in such situation he will normally respond back adversely due to lack of confidence like any other dog breed.

Psychological + Genetic Traits in German Shepherd Dogs:

Courage: Courage is a psychological trait that is defined as the absence of fear. German Shepherd Dogs are courageous, which means he doesn’t fear the danger. This trait can be viewed as a by-product of confidence trait. Courage this can also be viewed as one of the genetic traits, because this has been bred into the dogs by breeding out the fear, through selective breeding programs. Dogs in natural state are usually soft and not so courageous.

Fear: Fear is both psychological and genetic trait. Rather more of the Psychological trait than genetic. Many well breed German Shepherd Dogs that have been bred to discard out fear have still shown fearful behavior. Fearlessness is a natural psychological trait in German Shepherd Dog, but Fear, on the other hand also acts as the natural measure for protection form real danger. Excessive fear in German Shepherd Dogs is a serious fault. Proper socializing to sounds, strangers, and different situations is a must to nurture the dog’s natural fearless trait, although in few cases socializing doesn’t help to regain or nurture the fearless trait in German Shepherd Dogs. This happens due to incorrect breeding when fearfulness becomes a genetic trait.

Moodiness: Moodiness is also psychological trait, but also genetically inherited. Moodiness is a typical behavior, which should be viewed as the inclination or tendency for inconsistency in behavior. Moodiness leads the dog to work great one day and worst just the next day. This inconsistency does not imply that the dog is a worst working dog or suffering from under nutrition. Moodiness is just a psychological or sometimes genetic fault, which cannot be noticed until it reaches the extreme level.

Viciousness: Viciousness is again another psychological trait, but genetically based. It is an inclination to outburst with an unwarranted vicious aggression which deviates from the GSD standard as a behavioral fault. Though noticed not too often, such aggression is observed under unpredictable situations. When exhibited, such behavior may be quite detrimental to the pack members and owners.

Temperament: Temperament is a psychological trait, which can be significantly influenced by the environment, but at the same time can be observed as genetic trait too. Temperament is determined by three distinctive categories… full, moderate and poor. A GSD with full temperament will be full of zest and zeal, while moderate temperate means the dog has a moderate level of zesty attitude and a poor temperament is used to describe a sluggish dog that is lethargic.

Stay tuned for the up coming post on Psychological + Physiological Character traits in German Shepherds.

Meanwhile check out my post on basic instincts of German Shepherd Dog

Brindle German Shepherd Dog - The Lost Pattern

2009-08-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

The Lost Pattern in German Shepherd Dog Breed - Brindle GSD

Colors and patterns in German Shepherd Dogs have always allured the breed’s lovers. Sadly some colors and patterns are no longer existing in the German Shepherd Dog breed, as far as my knowledge goes. Blue is one of the rarest colors in the breed, while merle and brindle German Shepherd Dogs are almost out of existence. This post is about the brindle German Shepherds and is dedicated to those readers of my blog who really spare thoughts about colors and patterns in German Shepherd Dog breed. Irresponsible breeding program and negligence have thrown many patterns and colors into extinction; and brindle is just one of those extinct patterns in German Shepherd Dogs. I think it’s just because of the illogical decisions of some Kennel Clubs that many breeders and owners do not prefer keeping and breeding certain colors and patterns. I want to show my heart felt gratitude to those organizations that are working to prevent certain pigmentations and patterns from going extinct. Remember, there are NO problems related to health, genes, behavior and more specifically the working ability of the breed just because of its color. If a dog has a sound health and temperament and sound working ability, he is a good dogs, and Max Von Stephanitz – the breed founder said, “No good dog is a bad color.” So what ever color gene we have today, we need to deploy them to correct breeding program in order to prevent them from extinction like brindles and merles. These are all simply variations in color genes and do not affect the character of the dog.

Brindle German Shepherd Dogs or Brindle Black Tan had been one of the founding patterns of the breed, and we have lost it, quite unfortunately. This particular gene actually affected the tan marked ground. This, in turn, made bi-colors and black tans show marble marks or dark stripes over the tan grounds, just like the brindle boxers. Candidly speaking, I have never seen a brindle dog, but I can guess who beautiful a brindle German Shepherd Dog would look like owing to the contemporary anatomical structure! We could develop the anatomy of the breed – beyond doubt! We have developed the structural aspects such as angulations and top line, but sadly lost certain genes like Brindle. Hopefully, if the brindle pattern re-appears, today’s German Shepherd breeders and owners will embrace it with love, and with a mission to protect it from further extinction. The brindle German Shepherd Dog was last surveyed in the year 1922, and unfortunately no GSD with brindle gene has been recorded in the books of any kennel club.

Eye pigmentation has always remained un-related to that of coat. Brindle coats appeared in both dark and faded versions. Many dark brindle black tan German shepherd Dogs were in the possession of faded eye color, while some dogs that had brindle markings on faded tan grounds had rich eye pigmentation.

This picture of the brindle Alsatian dog has been taken from the book on German Shepherd Dogs, authored by Brian H. Wootton. I would earnestly request my readers to help me out by providing more information about the brindle German Shepherd Dog. Also please provide me with pictures of brindle Alsatian dog, if someone has any. I promise to give you a credit for the picture in my blog.

Thanks a bunch in advance.

Check out White German Shepherd Dogs FAQs

German Shepherd Dog Coat Color: Dilute German Shepherd Dogs

2009-07-26T07:14:00.000-07:00

I am really lucky to have some good dog lover pals around me. Yes, most of my peeps are dog lovers and some of them are specifically German Shepherd lovers. Rizia Robertson is one such friend of mine who seems to have given her heart to German Shepherds. During my last conversation with her, I told her I can talk about dogs for centuries without even getting tired. She said, “well you have a friend here who loves talking about dog – especially GSD”. Are you wondering why I’m talking about Rizia? Well guys, I just want to let you know that she has been the first one to inspire me to write about gene dilution in German Shepherd Dogs. My last post on Gene Dilution in German Shepherd Dogs was written being inspired by Rizia. Truth be told here… I had written the article on GSD gene dilution for blue and liver pigments some times back in 2007, but never published it until I felt the urge post it after having days of discussion with Rizia. I would like to thank her because of this. Rizia, let your love for German Shepherd Dog never stop!

This is again another piece of information about German Shepherd Dog gene dilution. Regarding German Shepherd Dog coat color the SV breed standard said, “the color of the GSD is in itself not important and has no effect on the character of the dog or on its fitness for work and should be a secondary consideration for that reason. The final color of a young dog can only be ascertained when the outer coat has developed.” It is hence, beyond all controversy, that amongst all undesirable factors in the GSD breed, the coat color is the one that should be included as the last point in the list. My personal view is that if the coat color doesn’t affect the working ability of the breed (which the breed is actually meant for), it should be excluded from the list right way so that the two mutations of black gene in the GSD: blue and liver are not considered to be faults in the show rings. GSDs have two pigment genes: melanin/ eumelanin (brown/black) and phaeomelanin (yellow/red). Melanin is normally black, which has two distinctive mutations in GSDs – blue and liver.

As per the standard the blues and the livers are genetic faults, and no reputable German Shepherd Dog breeder will breed these so-called faulty genes. The GSD breeders, who breed these genes, with both parents as carriers, end up with a shallow genetic pool. In most cases the liver and blue puppies usually come by accident. Frankly speaking, I haven’t yet come across a breeder who breeds to produce liver and blue pups deliberately. But here, again the same thing, I would like to say. If the color genes don’t affect the working ability, character and behavior of the breed, what’s harm in livers and blues? This is a very debatable question and I won’t go in for arguments and debates, nor would I like to criticize any bloodlines. I would rather say that diluted dogs may descends from high quality specimens from top bloodlines that have proved even in the Schutzhnd trial fields.

Just a gist about Blue and Liver genes in German Shepherd Dogs

Blue Gene in German Shepherd Dogs

Double recessive color gene
Rare color
Dilute gene, which means it dilutes the black pigment in the dog.
Considered a disqualifying fault by the AKC.

Liver Gene in German Shepherd Dogs

Double recessive color gene
Rare color
Dilute gene that blocks the black pigment in the dog.
Considered a disqualifying fault by the AKC

You can also check out:

GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG COLORS AND PATTERNS
and
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG STANDARD

Gene Dilution in German Shepherd Dog – Blue and Liver Dilution

2009-07-19T09:37:00.000-07:00

Blue German Shepherd Dogs and Liver German Shepherd Dogs

The blue and liver GSDs had been the rarest genes once upon a time that have always captured breeders’ attention. Fortunately these genes are not as rare as it used to be some years back. The search volumes for the blue and liver GSDs in the Internet have been on a rising, which is gives an indication that people are looking for these genes more these days, either for puppies or to get information about the blue and liver German Shepherd Dogs. There are actually two possible dilutions for the black color in German Shepherd Dogs - “Blue Dilution” and “Liver Dilution”. Here’s just some information about these rare German Shepherd genes – the recessive blue and liver gene.

Colors of these German Shepherds are different from the regular ones that we usually see in the dog shows. They are real striking in appearance, if bred correctly. If not bred well, these dilutions usually come with blues and brown nose, while the standard requires the nose, nails, eye rims and lips to be black strictly.

Patterns of Blue Dilution in GSD

The blue gene in German Shepherd Dogs actually turns the pigmentation of both skin and coat into bluish or steel grey, which is usually very dark. The tan area, on the other level, remains almost the same tan markings as we see in regular shepherds. Sometimes the tan ground may take a faint silvery tint. In the German Shepherd Dog breed, there are great chances of the blue gene to occur in any pattern and type of coat. This finally dilutes the black pigment.

Patterns of Liver Dilution in GSD

The liver gene affects the dog’s pigmentation in almost the same way. The liver gene in German Shepherd Dogs dilutes the black pigment, thereby turning both the coat and skin into liver brown color. Like the blue genes this also dilutes the eye pigmentation by giving the eyes a wrong tint – silvery-yellowish-brown color. The liver gene can come in any pattern alike the blue one. The tan markings seem almost the same as in the regular GSD.

In either of the two dilutions the dog looses it black pigmentation, which is replaced by either blue or liver pigments. Remember the gene that gives color and the gene that gives pattern are two distinctive genes. This ensures a good chance that either dilution can come with three different patterns, viz. solid color, two-toned pattern and agouti. Both these dilutes in German Shepherd Dogs are seen with two-toned pattern and agouti, more commonly than with solid colors. Solid blue and solid liver German Shepherd Dogs are rare of the rarest genes in the world. In most cases the liver and blue German Shepherd Dogs comes with liver-brown and blue noses respectively. Both these gene dilutions in German Shepherd Dogs affect the eye pigmentation too!

German Shepherd Dog Show – What Does a Judge Look For in a perfect GSD?

2009-07-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

German Shepherd Dog Show

Candidly speaking, I don’t show my dogs like the many other dog breeders and owners around me. I try to attend as many dog shows as possible – especially the German Shepherd Dog specialty ones. If you want to learn about the German Shepherd Dog breed, it’s not enough to just read books. You need to visit shows and should try to evaluate why certain dogs win and others don’t. Reading books and gathering information about German Shepherd Dogs is like the home work that you used to do back in your school days. Try to apply your knowledge in the dog show; be a judge yourself. Remember, judging a dog – especially a complicated breed like German Shepherds is just next to impossible unless you know the breed well. At the same time you must know what actually a judge looks for in a dog in the ring. Well, he looks for mainly working ability, for which the German Shepherds were originally developed. Keeping this in mind, judges compare every single dog exhibited in the ring to his image of a perfect specimen of the breed (as per SV standard)... not only anatomically, but mentally too.

Here’s a synopsis of the major criterion based on which the dogs are judged in the show rings:

Proportions of body: By this I mean to say specially the ratio of height : length. The H : L ratio of a perfect German Shepherd Dog should be 8.5 : 10, which gives a harmonious blend of length to height.

Strength of the rear portion: An ideal GSD must have a strong back, with tight ligaments of the hind legs. This is checked during standing and while on move too!

Angulations: This is of utmost importance. The judge checks the angles between the bones of shoulder and hind quarters. Over angulated specimens are rejected.

Development of chest: The judge checks if there is enough room for the lungs. The dog should have good depth of chest, which is around 50% of the total height of dog at wither.

Gait and extension: This is checked when the dog in on trot. The dog should effortlessly reach forward with powerful propulsion, thereby covering the maximum amount of ground. The trot should not be suspended.

Masculinity and Femininity: This is all about expressions! Dog like bitches and bitch like dogs are undesirable.

Temperament: The dog must calmly accept the examination – especially on touch. Irrespective of gender, the subject should not react fearfully or with shyness to the gunshots. The dog should remain lively through out the session.

Endurance and Condition: The dog should have sound physical condition. It shouldn’t tire out after a few trots round the ring.

Dental Configuration and Jaws: Ideal GSD has scissor bite. Undershot lower jaws are undesirable. Jaws must be prominent and strong enough with a full set of dentition.

Monorchidsm: The dog should have both the testicles descended.

This is not just the end of the story. GSD is a shepherd dog and hence expected to bear all the most desirable shepherding traits. The judge merges the above qualities with the correct shepherding traits that a perfect specimen of the breed should possess.

Correct shepherding traits of a perfect German Shepherd Dog

Correct shepherding traits include his most important aspects of nature that he should possess to carry out his work as a shepherd dog successfully. A perfect specimen of the breed must have a strong personality, with keenness to work, alertness in his job and aloofness towards the external factors, apart from his job. Let me try to describe these traits distinctively.

Keenness: Keenness is the degree of interest to work as a shepherd dog with the livestock. Without having this trait in his dog, the sheepherder cannot expect him to manage the large herd of sheep grazing around. With high degree of interest to work the German Shepherd Dog breed can be put to any kind of work, apart from just herding.

Alertness: A perfect example of the most appropriate specimen of the breed must show alertness while on work. A good shepherd usually reacts to the slightest alteration in the situation. He would be attentive enough and would tend to keep eyes on the surroundings of his working area.

Aloofness: Often misunderstood as unfriendliness, this typical trait of the German Shepherd Dog is worth mentioning when it comes to his working ability. The dog owners (the sheep herders) will never expect his dog to leave his work and run behind some other things and animals while on duty. He may show a brief interest on the external factors (strangers, other animals, or other distracting factors), but should not show high degree of excitement. As soon as he determines that the external factors (strangers and other animals) are not menace to the herd of sheep, he would turn back to his job.

With all these physical and mental traits in appropriate degree, a dog can be a perfect GSD, and a perfect German Shepherd Dog can work under any condition. All these factors merge in perfect blend to make German Shepherds the world’s most versatile breed. Being put to any kind of job these dogs have shown stand out results. Starting from herding sheep to war, rescue, guiding blind, guarding properties, sniffing out narcotics and land mines, acting in the movies, acting as therapy dogs, police dogs etc, the German Shepherd Dog breed earned a great deal of fame across the globe.

How to Help a Battered German Shepherd Dog Regain Confidence

2009-06-26T08:26:00.000-07:00

Helping a Battered German Shepherd Dog gain Confidence

My Experiment with Rani

Rani was a German Shepherd Dog whom I had purchased from an owner who used to torture her. Rani (3 years old female) hailed from a good bloodline, as her pigmentation and structure said, but did not have the essential mental trait of a pure bred German Shepherd. She was a bit too difficult to be handled. Shy was shy and sometimes too aggressive to human. She used to bark continuously when kept alone, while couldn’t tolerate other dogs when kept together. She was highly unpredictable. This was due to the fact that she had lost trust in human beings, which is too common in most abused dogs.

Most German Shepherd Dogs that have been abused often becomes too difficult to be handled. Read out an article: How to Deal with Difficult Dogs. Remember, once they have lost trust in you, you cannot treat them in the way you treat other pets. And that had what exactly happened to Rani. She even couldn’t stand other dogs and puppies. I adopted certain tricks to win back her trust on us humans and good news was that I succeeded in the test. Those were just my experimentation and I want to share those tricks.

Regaining Confidence While on Play

In my program of helping her gain confidence there were certain simple steps. First off, I allowed her to succeed. I released her with other dogs, Rex and Reva and threw a ball that was instantly chased by Rex and Reva. Rani attempted to run, but didn’t go far and stopped at a short length with a submissive action. She was scared of running, which implies that she used to have good slashes while trying to run. I ran with along her. When she ran I patted her, loved her and made her feel that it was a game and I would love to see her chasing the ball. She was intelligent and could grab things faster – as all German Shepherds do. Soon she learned that play was a part of her life. It took me not more than just a weak to regain her confidence while on play.

Regaining Confidence While on Work

Whenever I called her, she always came to me with submissive action setting her tail between the legs, bowing and ears carried backwards. She refused to come too close to me. This implies she had been battered whenever she refused to carry out the owner’s “COME” command. I decided to call her softly, not by standing before her… rather by crouching down in front of her. I did this because I knew that shy dogs will never readily come with confidence near standing humans before him/her. My actions confused her at first as she had never come across such actions of human beings. Soon she identified my actions to be safe one and started gaining confidence on me. She came on calling but stood a couple of feet away from me. For the first couple of days I stepped towards her and praised her lavishly. Gradually she started closing the distance! She was then taught to “SIT”. While teaching things to dogs – especially German Shepherd Dogs, physical force doesn’t actually work. Physical tortures are the root to all submissive behaviors in dogs. Yelling at them and forcing them to do something by physically torture will always interfere effective learning.

Regaining Confidence outside the home

I found this to be really crucial for Rani, but that doesn’t mean you’ll also find this hard with your subject. Certain things vary from dog to dog. This is actually socializing. When I took Rani out for strolls, her movement showed that she wasn’t confident while dealing with the external world. She was scared of sounds and couldn’t stay aloof from many external things that happened around her. This proved that her previous owner never socialized her. I used to take her on stroll almost every evening and used to talk softly with her constantly. She was allowed to sense and smell things and experience different actions of nature such as falling leaves, hooting vehicles, running buffaloes, rushing bikes, falling dried branches and even rain.

After some days she started pulling me, and that was a good sign. She was allowed to take me wherever she wanted. She took me to different corners of our locality and I used to go there with her. After reaching her desired place, I used to play with her for some while – not off leash though!

Regaining Confidence While on Bath

Bathing was something that Rani was not happy with. She never used to come eagerly while bathing. The first day I remember I forced her but didn’t batter her physically. From the next day onwards she was rubbed softly, rinsed softly and I started playing with her with water. I used to start wetting her from legs, and not directly by pouring water on her body. Soon she learned that bathing was just like fun, and not something painful.

Gaining Confidence in Swimming

I took her to the pond for the first day and she was loath to give a dive. I don’t know swimming so I couldn’t take her deep. I released Reva before her as she is a great swimmer. Then I threw the ball, as she had already learned to chase the ball. Excited Rani gave her first dive the water.

Rani gave me an opportunity to learn a lot about the breed. Sad part of the story is yet to be revealed. One of my friend asked Rani from me. Rani was then like other GSDs; she could eat well, run to fetch things, pull like other show dogs, and could walk with full confidence. I gave Rani to my friend for free as he promised me to take care of her. Bad news was waiting for me the following week. The guy rang up to me and said that Rani fell down from the 35 ft high terrace while casing a cat. God saved her, although she had broken her right front limb. I went there to see her and found her plastered. She crawled towards me and laid her head on my lap and slept. I found tears floating her eyes. That was the last day I met with her years back. After that whenever I called that man he was never reachable. Now his number doesn’t exist. I went to his house, but neither could I find that guy, nor Rani. I don’t know where she is these days and how’s she doing. I miss her a lot!

Read out:
GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG TAIL POSITIONING
and
BASIC INSTINCTS OF GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG BREED

White German Shepherd Dogs - Should Not be a Separate Dog Breed

2009-06-25T03:38:00.000-07:00

White German Shepherd Dog Information

I have been receiving so many emails from my readers, looking for White German Shepherd dog information. Although I own the regular black-and-tan German Shepherds, and not the white one, yet I can share my little bit of knowledge on white German Shepherd Dogs that I have gathered by studying about them all these years.

Greif - the grandsire of the first registered Shephe rd – Horand von Grafrath was a white dog. Hence the gene for the white coats has always been a part of the German Shepherd Dog breed since it’s very inception around 1898. Strong efforts had been made by Germany and other countries of the world to eliminate the white German Shepherds, but an increasing popularity have been noticed with passage of days. Around hundreds of whites German Shepherd Dogs are being registered in Canada, and thousands in the United States each year.

The white color was made disqualification in GSD Breed Standard by the German Shepherd Dog Club of America sometimes around 1960s. Up until that time, the White German Shepherd Dogs were allowed to compete in conformation show rings. Since white GSD has been disqualified from the AKC and CKC show rings, most GSD breeders do not breed white dogs. Fortunately the White Shepherd clubs in North America has been pursuing the target of breed separation for the white GSD for years now, in the hopes of getting the proper recognitions that the beautiful White German Shepherds actually deserve.

Extensive studies have been carried out with the White GSD breed and has been finally determined that there exists a significant gene pool that make it a separate breed… naming it as White German Shepherd Dog!

1999 – The UKC officially recognized White German Shepherd Dog as a separate breed from April 14, effective from May 1, 1999.
2002 – The FCI officially recognized White German Shepherd Dog as a separate breed, naming it as "Berger Blanc Suisse".

My view about White German Shepherd Dogs

My view is that, this is just a misconception that white coated German Shepherd Dog will be best treated by separating it as a distinctive breed altogether. Why should the beautiful White GSDs be outcast, just because of their natural white recessive gene? Just the white color of the coat (by natural recessive gene) cannot be the basis for breed separation. Good news is that the White German Shepherd Dog Club of America (WGSDCA) does not support breed separation.
Just like any other pure bred GSD, the white coated German Shepherd Dogs are quite a lot versatile and can be found working with police forces, in drug interdiction units, bomb detection squads, tracking, community activities, attack work, rescue departments, herding flocks, guiding the blind, assisting the handicapped, working as therapy dogs, guarding the home and what not???

Stay tuned… up next the White German Shepherd Dog FAQs!

How to Establish Your Alpha Position in The Pack

2009-04-25T23:45:00.000-07:00

Hey... here's something that every German Shepherd dog owner should know. I call these the rule of thumb that you should follow to ensure that your dog know his position in the family - the human pack. If your GSD gets aggressive when you touch his food or growls at anyone in the family, these rules should be followed strictly. Remember, our dogs are the most lovable member of the family, but they should have a clear rank in the pack and they should know that perfectly. Dogs - especially the dogs like German Shepherds, Rottweillers, Dobermann Pinschers etc. that lack in this clear order are the most unhappy member of the pack and might even become nightmare for you. You need to understand your German Shepherd Dogs and it can be done by seeing the way way he carries himself!

Sometimes, your German Shepherd Dog might not be showing signs of aggression, however the dog might suddenly start showing signs of separation anxiety, such as destructive behaviors when you get out of your house. If your German Shepherd Dog steals food from your hand or from your friend's, this gives an indication that your dog has no respect for the human, and doesn't see them as the leader of the pack. Unquestionably, your GSD shouldn't be the alpha member of the household pack. Such dogs (irrespective of breeds), who questions his place in the household pack are sure to become destructive, because he is confused and tend to take his anxiety out on you or whoever comes in his way. Just on the contrary, if your GSD knows his place in the household pack is a happy companion and would never exhibit undesirable behavior.

If you are a responsible GSD owner you should follow the rules mentioned below to ensure that your German Shepherd Dog knows his place in your human pack.

Teach your GSD to Heel: One most effective way to make him understand that you are the Alpha member of your pack is to take him for a walk... not the type of walk that you mostly come across. Make him heel not to lead you, but to be led! Don't allow him to pull you and to sniff or eliminate where ever he wants, but where you allow. Sometimes trainers will prefer your dog to pull hard. Don't allow this until he is for show.
Feeding: Eat before feeding your dogs. If you have to feed your Shepherd before you, you can do so, but do not forget to keep him away from you when you eat. Do not allow any member of your family to feed your dog any table scraps during your meal time. Feedings must be at a scheduled time.
Rushing through doorways: Do not let your GSD go through any doorways first. Or up or down the stairs first. Your Shepherd must always go through the doorways or up and down the stairs following you or other human member of your pack.
Act of Ignorance: If you were away for a long span of time your dog will be anxious to see you back. This is the power of love. But still when come back in the room, ignore your beloved boy for a minute or two.
Obedience Command: Simple obedience commands such as “Sit” and "Stay" must be taught well. Commands should be given to obey before any pleasurable interaction with your German Shepherd Dog. Before all play sessions, feeding, walking, petting your German Shepherd Dog should be know to be quite. Your dog should take the treat from your hands gently.
Higher Pack Position: During the time you are establishing your higher pack position (Alpha Membership), don't hug your dog, nor pat your dog.
Eye Contact: Make sure your dog should avert his gaze first when you establish an eye-to-eye contact with him. If you avert your eye contact first this reinforces the dogs higher power position. Do not allow your kids to participate in the staring contest with your dog. If your children avert or blink first, it will make your dog think "He" is the Boss.
Fetching Games: Games of fetch, pull or play with toys should be started anf ended by you and not your dog.
No tug-of-war: Tug of war is the game of power. In case you lose the war, it may reinforce your German Shepherd to come to the conclusion that he is more powerful than you and if this happens consistently, your dog may develop a dominating tendency.
Teach him "Release Command": It is mandatory to teach your German Shephersd Dog to release things. Just teach him the one word command - "DROP" to release things. Any objects your dog has in his possession should be able to be taken away safely by you and othet members of your family.
Don't Leave Your Kid and Dog Unsupervised: Kids should never be left unsupervised with dogs. This doesn't hold good only for your children but for anyone who cannot maintain leadership over your dog, especially if he is a dominating dog.
Don't be scares and Avoid anxiety: There's actually no reason to fear your dog, but fear sometimes come if your dog has a highly dominating nature. When you are around your dominating dog avoid emotions like fear and anxiety... also do not be harsh and rude to him. German Shepherds Dogs are highly sensitive and can sense these emotions more effectively than many other dog breeds. If he senses these emotions he might consider you as a weaker member of the pack, which will escalate your problem.
Physical and Mental Exercise: Most of the people tend to confuse happiness with excitement in your German Shepherd Dog. The most successful way to maintain your Alpha position in the pack is to humanize your dog's behavior, although it's not everyone's cup of tea. Putting him to training session is essentially important! If your German Shepherd Dog runs around insanely excited, then he is lacking in physical and mental exercise. Take him to regular exercise - play session. But make sure you should make him practice the "Sit" and "Stay" activities in the middle of the play. This way you can ascertain your leadership by giving him "Sit" and "Stay" command.

These are the rules that are not confined with German Shepherd Dog breed, but most of the other powerful, stubborn and intelligent breeds of dogs. By incorporating behaviors your dog will consider you to be the leader of the pack - Alpha over him! Obedience exercises simply works like magic while maintaining your Alpha position. Click here to know how to deal with difficult dogs and also find some Frequently Asked Questions about German Shepherd Dogs!

German Shepherd Dogs at Work

2009-03-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

German Shepherd Dog has truly earned a great deal of admiration throughout the world. Although he wasn’t bred for the many purposes that he is serving these days, but he has proved to be the most able candidate of all dog breeds. This is probably because of his effectiveness and multi-tasking ability that German Shepherd Dog breed has marked his name as one most versatile dog breed in the world. Quite a lot courageous than most dog breeds, German Shepherd Dog has an impressive protective instinct that is one most fruitful component of a true working dog.

“Utility is the true criterion of the breed,” was the watch words of Captain Max Von Stephanitz, who created the breed not just to create a gorgeous looking dog, but to create a true working dog breed that would assist the shepherds to herd sheep. Keeping the work of herding sheep intact, German Shepherd Dog has proved to be really priceless in departments like police, drug detection, sentry, guarding and even medical too! Although some other dog breeds like Dobermann Pinschers, Weimeraners, Bouviers des Flandres, Labrador Retrievers and Rottweilers are also used as police dogs, yet GSDs have always topped the list, with their high degree of adaptability and SOUNDNESS OF TEMPERAMENT. Be it on a mob control duty at a tournament or challenging a criminal with weapons or on duty of searching for a lost kid. German Shepherd’s working ability has been tested on wide range of operations – as diverse as objectives

German Shepherds as Service Dogs

German Shepherds are wonderful service dogs… beyond doubts. In many countries theses days German Shepherd dogs have been in extensive use in patrolling defense organizations. As service dog the tasks include search and rescue (SAR), military, sniffing etc. GSD is trained to "work the furrow", meaning that they will patrol a boundary all day and restrain the animals being herded from entering into or leaving a specific territory.

German Shepherds in Movies

German Shepherd Dog is the first canine breed to step into the world of movies. How can we forget Rin-Tin-Tin, who revolutionized the movie world, by challenging great actors like Charlie Chaplin. Movies by Rin-Tin-Tin are:

The Man from Hell's River (1922)
My Dad (1922)
Where the North Begins (1923)
Shadows of the North (1923)
Hello Frisco (1924)(a 10 minute short)
Find your Man(1924)
The Lighthouse by the Sea" (1925)
Clash of the Wolves (1925)
Tracked in the Snow Country (1925)
Below the Line (1925)
The Night Cry (1926)
A Hero of the Big Snow (1926)
While London Sleeps (1926)
Hills of Kentucky (1927)
Jaws of Steel (1927)
Tracked by the Police (1927)
A Dog of the Regiment (1927)
A Race for Life (1928)
Rinty of the Desert (1928)
Land of the Silver Fox (1928)
The Famous Warner Brothers Dog Star (1928)
The Million Dollar Collar (1929)
Frozen River (1929)
The Show of Shows (1929)
Tiger Rose (1929)
The Man Hunter (1930)
On the Border (1930)
Rough Waters (1930)
The Lone Defender (1930)
The Lightning Warrior (1931)

More movies was made featuring the progenitors of Rin Tin Tin: Rin Tin Tin Jr, Rin Tin Tin II, Rin Tin Tin III, Rin Tin Tin IV, Rin Tin Tin VI, Rin Tin Tin VII, Rin Tin Tin VIII

German Shepherds as Drug Detection Dogs

German Shepherd Dogs have also been used to detect hidden, smuggled drugs that are prohibited. They are smart enough to detect smuggled items from noisy engine cabins of a ship, aircraft hangers, cars etc. GSDs play tremendously active role to fight drug smuggling all over the world.

German Shepherds as Guide Dogs – Seeing Dogs

Alsatian dogs were the first canine breed to be trained as “Seeing Eye” dogs or guide dogs for the blinds. Although many other dog breeds like Labrador Retrievers and mixed breed are performing the task of Seeing Eye dogs, yet GSDs comprise over one-third of the total Seeing Eye dog population across the globe.
German Shepherds as Companion Dogs

A hugely incredible number of German Shepherds are kept as family pets and have earned a great deal of admiration as a versatile companion dog. His popularity as a companion dog led him to reserve his position as the most popular dog breed registered by authorized Kennel Clubs all over the world.

German Shepherds as PAT dogs – Pro Dog Active Therapy Dogs

Along side some of the other breeds, German Shepherd Dog breed have been registered as Pro Active Therapy Dog or simply therapy Dogs. GSDs with steady temperament are taken to old age homes, nursing homes and hospitals by their owners.
German Shepherds as Seizure Alert Dogs

German Shepherd Dogs have also shown stand out dexterity as Seizure Alert Dog. He tops the list of the most able dog breeds that have been trained and tested to warn an impending seizure in an epileptic person. A Seizure Alert German Shepherd Dog goes through a series of actions, which are entirely different from the activities of GSDs in other departments. Actions of Seizure Alert Shepherd includes pawing, running to encompass the victim, rushing close and sitting by the victim, or even barking if necessary.

German Shepherd Dog is a dog for all purposes and for all reasons.

Schutzhund – The Breed Evaluation Test: Developed For German Shepherd Dogs

2009-03-16T01:50:00.002-07:00

Developed around the turn of the century, 'Schutzhund' is the German term of “Protection Dog”, while it actually refers to a test in the form of sports by which some essential traits in dogs, which makes the dog more useful to the owner, are evaluated in a highly systematic way. This test helps to determine the most desirable characteristics of the German Shepherd Dogs. A German Shepherd with all the desirable characteristics is an excellent and the most reliable companion of its owner. The Schutzhund test has been formulated to separate the breeding stock (a high quality dogs with all the desirable characteristics) from the stock with the undesirable characteristics. The “characteristics” here refers not only to the psychological characteristics but PHYSICAL/ STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG as well.

Schutzhund was actually started with a view to put the German Shepherd Dog breed to test. When the SV started off with their operations, decision was taken make an attempt to find a place for the shepherd dogs in two branches of the military services that was existed then. Keeping in mind the small number of service dogs needed for those couple of departments in Military service, the SV advised the shepherd dog keepers to secure a scope of regular training for them as protection dogs. And this was how the Schutzhund was originated.

Schutzhund qualified dogs are obvious to get good, secured jobs in the police and rescue departments. This is because the test focuses in developing the necessary traits like Intelligence, Courage, Willingness Capability to work, Ability to scent, and physical and mental soundness. All these are the most essential traits for these two departments.

The Schutzhund test is an elimination process through which the GSDs incorrect drives and temperament are straight way eliminated from the German Shepherd Dogs with correct traits. Naturally, the puppies of a Schutzhund trained Dam and Sire is expected to be of high quality — having most of the desirable characteristics of the breed.

Now-a-days, the dogs of the other breeds are actively taking part in the Schutzhund test, but the sports of Schutzhund was specifically developed solely for the Deutscher Scaferhund i.e. German Shepherd Dogs. Read more about GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG INSTINCTS AND BEHAVIOR.

This breed evaluation process has come to a great help to the modern breeders. It has become easier for the breeders to select an apt bitch for an apt dog and vice versa to produce good quality puppies with desirable characteristics and balanced physical structure.

Tid Bits of German Shepherd Dog Training Tips

2009-03-15T01:04:00.000-07:00

I am not a professional dog trainer, nor a canine behaviorist. I am just a regular person like you guys, who love dogs - any breed, but especially GSD is what I have always dreamed of! Having stayed in close relation with this amazing breed, I got to know more about the breed. It's out of my undying hunger to know more about German Shepherd Dogs that I have mingled with professional dog trainers, German Shepherd breeders, and canine experts since when I started falling in love with shepherds. I have heard people saying that German Shepherds are one of the toughest breed, while many says that he's quite intelligent and easy to handle. Both these school of thoughts are correct! German Shepherd Dogs are really tough for novice dog owners, but can be the most loved companion for those who knows how to make the most of their intelligence. You should not even think of adopting a German Shepherd, if you don't have that urge to upgrade your knowledge every day. If you are a German Shepherd owner you should know tid bits of some German Shepherd Dog training tricks. Here are some German Shepherd Dog training tips - I better say 'tricks' that you may find really valuable.

#1 Never yell when you are training German Shepherd: Remember, punishing, scolding and yelling at your German Shepherd puppy will end up with making him even more harder to teach things. Scolding and yelling at him will make him lose his confidence on you. This in turn will make him more confused and chances are that punishing and shouting at them may backfire with this breed!

#2. German Shepherd Dog is the third most intelligent canine breed: They have special intellect that is much above most of the other dog breeds in the world. This helps them to grab new lessons faster. Use their own intelligence during the training session.

#3. German Shepherd Dogs have unique instincts: Read out the BASIC INSTINCTS OF GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS. Remember, most successful trainers use the basic German Shepherd Dog instincts while training. The key to the success story is to master the art of using the dog's own instinct for training him.

#4. Don't confuse him with too many words: Use one symbol word - either "YES" or "GOOD" for all his desirable actions and "NO" or "BAD" for all undesirable actions. Don't forget to reward him with pat or a treat for any desirable action without a symbol word.

#5. 4 training sessions per day: Wondering? That's really possible! Well, you know that you need to start off with training your dog at an age as early as 8 weeks. That means this is a stage when you need to feed him at least four times a day and teaching by treating is an excellent way to train your German Shepherd Puppy. So you will have four opportunities a day to teach him newer lessons or make him practice pre-taught lessons. More the practices the better.

There is actually no thumb rule technique for training dogs. A specific technique that works like gangbusters with your Rover may turn out to be a flop with my Rex. Just one method that works well with all the German Shepherd Dogs in the world is to avoid harsh methods. All you need is to think of a way that suits the best with the personality of your dog. There's nothing wrong in treating him for each of his desirable actions. Let me be very candid, I've always expected a cup of coffee after the successful accomplishment of each assignment in my work place. If you are serious about it, I am sure you'll find training your German Shepherd puppy really addictive and fun. But be careful... with wrong techniques you can unknowingly spoil your child. This is where a professional dog trainer finds his real worth. So there's no way you can deny the value of a professional dog trainer, even though you are following the above tips on training German Shepherd Dogs.

Reichi - Daughter of Rex and Reva

2009-03-01T05:10:00.000-08:00

Reichi is one of the daughters of Rex and Reva.

Reichi - 30 days old

Reichi - 33 days old

Reichi with her father Rex - 33 days old

Reichi - Just over 4 months old

Reichi having a nap in her Kennel after lunch - around 4 months 10 days old

Physical Structure of German Shepherd Dog: GSD Standard

2009-01-25T09:07:00.000-08:00

I’m sure I don’t need to define how a well-bred German Shepherd Dog looks like. Known for its unswerving intelligence, working ability and royal personality, German Shepherd Dog has always been one of the most preferred and most liked dog breeds in the world. Beauty is in his within! The way he looks at me, the way he moves, his gesture and everything he does, he does it in style. This might be another big reason for GSD to become the most popular breed world wide. The strikingly beautiful German Shepherd Dog is quite a lot powerful, with strong bones, courageous and self-assured, loyal and protective and can make an amazing companion.

Here are a bit about the standard of German Shepherd Dog. When I talk about the German Shepherd Dog standard, I talk about a specimen that’s well-bred, keeping in view the grammar of breeding. Thorough understanding of the physical structure is necessary to identify a well-bred German Shepherd Dog.

Head: The Size of the head must be in perfect proportion to the size of the body. Technically the length of the head should be approximately 39% to 40% of the dog’s height at wither. Head should neither be too large and/or overlong, nor should it look smaller as compared to the body size. Head should be clear, fairly broad between the ears, and should have a slightly doomed forehead with very little or no trace of centre furrow. Deep centre furrow in a GSD forehead is undesirable.

Skull: The broad skull, that starts from the base of the ears and extends up to the nose bridge, should be at least 50% of the total head part as per the GSD standard. This means the skull ends right where the bridge of the nose starts and tapers slightly downwards with a gentle slope and extends further into a powerful Wedge-Shaped muzzle.

Stop: Remain 50% of the head is Stop, which is strong and well built.

Muzzle: The GSD muzzle should be wedge-shaped, strong, firm and powerful and must be parallel to the forehead. Too short or blunt or not-so-strong or over long and pointed muzzle are not only desirable in a well-bred GSD. Loose flap of skin in the muzzle is not desirable.

Ears: Ears shouldn’t be too long or too short and should be broad at the base. Right proportion to the head is necessary. GSD ears must be firm textured and should be erect with proper curve at the tips. Ears with pointed tips or narrow curves are treated faulty. Ears shouldn’t be pulled inward or pushed outward. Gap between the ears at the base must be in right proportion to the size of the head.

GSD ears usually starts standing at the age of 8 to 10 weeks, but may sometimes be delayed to upto even 6 to 7 months in puppies with comparatively larger and heavier ears.

Faulty Ears: Faulty ears in GSD require a broader explanation. Certain genetic traits are responsible for serious faults in ears.

Soft Ears: Ears that never stand, which is typically a genetic trait. Not only undesirable, but this is a serious fault and disqualification.
Friendly Ears: Ears that erect but not with firm texture. They wiggle at the tips as the dog trots or gallop, which is though not a disqualification, but undesirable.
Floppy Ears: Ears that stand but are dropped down at the tips.

Note: Ears, though erect, of some German Shepherd Dogs are folded back while trotting. This is neither a fault, nor disqualification, nor again undesirable.

Eyes: GSDs have ‘almond eyes’… meaning the shape of the eyes is like an almond. The medium-sized should not be protruding and should have dark brown pigmentation at the maturity, although lighter pigmentations are also found, which is not desirable. Too faint eye color is a serious fault. The general harmony of the eyes should be in right proportion to the head to give right facial expression. Eyes should give an expression of intelligence, curiosity, inquisitiveness, attentive, lively and self confidence.

Dentition: Jaws should be quite strong, healthy and firmly developed, with healthy teeth. Upper jaw has 20 teeth, including 6 incisors, 2 canines, 8 premolars, and 4 molars. Lower jaw has 22 teeth, including 6 incisors, 2 canines, 8 premolars, and 6 molars. Normal dentition makes a combination of 42 teeth all together.

Incisors Set: 6 incisors of the lower jaw are set just behind the 6 incisors of the upper jaw.

Dentition Rating: “V” Rating for correct and complete dental configuration
“SG” Rating for a missing P1 or one incisor
“G” Rating for a missing P2 or two incisors
Missing incisors are rarely seen.

GSD Bite: Due to the incisors settings, the dogs holds a bitten article in a scissor grip. The bite of German Shepherd Dog is a called “Scissor Bite”.

Neck: German Shepherd Dog neck should be fairly long and strongly built, with well developed muscles. Short neck is undesirable and treated faulty. Throat should be free from throatiness (dewlap) – excessive folds of skin at the throat region. Very slight dewlap may be present.

The neck should be held at an angle of 45 degree, which may be raised further when excited and lowered a bit when trotting.

Forequarters: Forequarter includes the shoulder blade, front pair of legs, upper arms, elbow and pastern.

Shoulder Blade – As per the German Shepherd Dog standard, the Shoulder Blade should lay flat to the body. The Shoulder Blade sets obliquely at an angle of 45 degree.

Upper Arm – Upper arm is attached to the shoulder blade at 90 degree. Upper arm should be strongly built, with well developed muscles to give an impression of massive innate strength and power.

Forelegs – Forelegs, from the elbow to the region of pastern, should look straight, when viewed from any angle. The bones should be strong, oval and never round. According to German Shepherd Dog standard the length of the foreleg should exceed the depth of chest at a ratio of 55% to 45%.

Pastern – German Shepherd Dog standard puts special attention on the pastern. The pastern should be firm and supple. As per the standard, the pastern should be angulated at an angle of 20 degree to 23 degree and should be approximately 1/3 rd of the length of the forearm. Too steep or soft pasterns are undesirable. More close to this standard ensures more balanced gait of German SHepherd Dog.

Elbow – Elbow should neither turn inward nor twist outward. The length of the foreleg must extend at least beyond the lowest point of the brisket by 55% approximately.

Feet: Feet should be well built, compact and well arched. Toes should be set closed tight to each and must form a well arch. The well developed, heavy-duty pads should be durable and cushioned and not brittle. The nails should be dark, strong and hard. Dew claw may present in hind legs too, although not commonly found.

Body: Well muscular body should give an impression of power. The Length should exceed the Height so as to give a slightly longer look. According to German Shepherd Dog standard, the Length : Height = 10 : 9 or 10 : 8.5.

Height as per the GSD Breed Standard: GSD is a bit longer than higher. A fully matured GSD male should reach a height up to 62.5 cm i.e. 25 inches. Females should be 57.5 cm i.e. 23 inches high. 2.5 cm deviation (under and over) from the standard is allowed

Chest: GSD is a deep-chested breed. The Standard of German Shepherd Dog breed requires the depth of chest of a well bred specimen to be around 45% to 48% of the height. The chest should be broad enough with well developed and fairly long brisket. However, too broad chest distracts the endurance of gait, which has an adverse effect on the working ability of the dog and is hence a disqualification.

Ribs: The rib cage should be broad and wide enough, long and well formed. It should neither be too flat, nor barrel shaped. A bit too wide rib cage will make the elbow turned out, which will disturb the movement of the elbow while on move. Too narrow rib cages will make the elbow turn in, which again distracts the gait. Hence both these extremities are undesirable.

Abdomen: Abdomen should be firm and slightly concave – not bulging out, rather slightly tucked in.

Loin: Broad and powerful loin should be well built and quite muscular to give an impression of great innate strength.

Topline: One of the most important parts to put special emphasize on, while judging the breed quality is topline. Topline – the region between wither and croup –

The GSD withers are higher than the back and slopes towards the rear. The German Shepherd Dog back is straight and strongly developed without any droop or roach. The higher wither give it an appearence of slightly slopping from front to back. Many breeders prefer a very slightly gentle curve (almost straight and not perfectly straight), which reflects their lack of knowledge about the German Shepherd anatomy. Too long topline is both undesirable and disqualification. The overall length is not derived from a long back, but is achieved by the correct angle of the shoulder, correct croup length and right hindquarters. Topline is well judged when the dog is stacked properly. Arch back, roach back, banana back are disqualifications as they disrupt the structure, thereby disrupting the gait. Week and soft back are disqualified.

Wither: Well built wither should have a good height. German Shepherd Dogs must be high at the wither, which is desirable. Wither should join the back of the dog in a smooth line instead of any abrupt change in the structure and without disrupting the smooth flow in the topline from wither to where the croup starts.

Croup: Croup should be moderately long, broad and gently downward slopping towards the tail at an angle of approximately 23 degree. The slight downward slope should not disrupt the flow of the topline. Short, flat, steep and narrow croups are disqualifications; too long croup are not desirable either and hence rejected.

Hindquarters: Hindquarter of German Shepherd Dog includes thigh, upper thigh bone (femur), lower thigh bone, Hock and the rear legs. Thigh should be well developed, muscular and broad so as to give an impression of power. While having a side wise look, the upper thigh bone (femur) of a German Shepherd Dog should slope gently to the slightly longer hock. The angulations of the hindquarter should correspond to the front angulations in perfect proportions (without being over-angulated or under-angulated). Dogs that display over-angulated structure when stacked may look good in some eyes, but are undesirable. Powerful hindquarters should be strong enough to give powerful forward propulsion, to make the dog move forward in high pace effortlessly.

Upper Thigh: Broad with well developed muscles. When viewed side ways, the upper thighs are almost diagonal to the lower thighs and are connected to each other at an angle of 120 degree approximately, provided that the forequarter is neither over angulated nor heavily under angulated.

Hock Bones: Hock bone should be strong, moderately long with the well curved stifle. Hock joints should be powerful and strong. Hock joints should not be tucking in (cow hock) or twisted out. These are undesirable as well as disqualification. Cow hock in German Shepherd are very commonly seen and should be excluded out of the breed program. Due to the deviation from the alignment of hock joint, the dog cannot deliver right degree of propulsion and the gait won’t effortless.

Gait of German Shepherd Dog: German Shepherd Dog with right structure and mental soundness, should exemplify a royal movement. GSD is a trotting dog and is the most outstanding trotter. His stepping sequence follows a “Diagonal Movement”. He always moves his foreleg and the opposite hind leg in opposite direction. Without a highly balanced structure a GSD cannot be a good trotter with Diagonal Movement. Strong and well balanced limbs enables him to deliver right degree of propulsion so as to get an extensive reach. A well balanced gait requires the dog to make the maximum coverage of ground by giving hard thrust with his hind foot that takes him well forward to reach exactly middle point of his body, simultaneously the opposite front foot well extended forward, without and noticeable change in the topline that remains still sloping from front to back. While in brisk trotting the head is taken slightly forward, neck lowered, tail slightly raised upward (not sickle tail or gay tail) and ears may sometimes slightly folded back but must be of tough textured and firm.

The overall idea is, while in trotting the gait should be perfectly free from bounciness smooth, supple, and long reaching.

Tail: Tail should be at least as long so as to reach the hock joint but not to extend beyond the mid point of the hock. It should be bushy without any kinks, curls, twists, or any other interruptions, and shouldn’t be carried upward. Although undesirable, yet slightly sideward-bent tails with hook at the end, are seen and is not a disqualification. Sickle tail and gay tail are serious faults and hence disqualifications. Tail raised beyond the horizontal is faulty and is disqualified. A very strong willed and a dominant dog will carry his tail up, especially seen in males. Moreover, dogs bred for working often have high tails. A high set and a high carriage are different of course. Desirable is that a correct tail set of a strong dog can be carried up at approximately 45 degrees from the level.

German Shepherd Dog Coat: German Shepherd Dogs comes in three distinctive categories of coat.
a) Normal Coated GSD – Stock Coat/ Stockhaarige
b) Long Coated GSD – Long Stock Coat/ Long Stockhaarige
c) Open Coated GSD

Normal Coated GSD carries think under coat and closely lying, dense, hard, and straight guard coat. We do not have a standard regarding the length of the coat, but too short hair is faulty and is disqualification. The guard coat should be waterproof and seasoned for all season, weather and environment.

Long Coated GSD comes with fairly longer hairs, which are not always straight and do not lie flat and are not closely compact. Hairs inside and the back of the ears, back part of the front les, loin area and the throat are very longer. This type of coat is usually not waterproof and hence is not desirable, especially for working line German Shepherd Dogs.

Open Coated GSDs are long haired GSDs, whose hairs are longer than the Long Stock Coat/ Long Stockhaarige version. The hair usually part on the back, forming a parting line along the back bone. The texture is slightly silky and not water resistant. Sometimes, such GSDs are found with a bit longer muzzle, with narrow appearance. The degree of protection and working ability are seriously diminished because of the low degree of body heat radiation, which makes the dog easily exhausted.

Color Pattern: The German Shepherd Dog Standard has a say about the color patter and pigmentation too! Read on about the color pattern in GSD.

Behavior: The German Shepherd Dog standard ahs some to say about the behavior and temperament of the dog. Click here to know more about the GSD behavior.

Understanding German Shepherd Dog - German Shepherd Dog Tail Positioning

2009-01-20T23:05:00.000-08:00

Here's a tale of the tail! Let us now talk about the German Shepherd tail carriage. It's all about the language of tail that you can judge many things regarding the mental state of the time. Deviations can't be denied in this regard, because it largely depends on how your GSD carries its tail usually. If your German Shepherd Dog carries his tail higher in normal circumstances, this is a deviation from the normal and hence it might be a bit tougher for a stranger to understand your shepherd's mental state properly. Here are ten most significant German Shepherd Dog tail carriage positions that can help you understand what actually a Shepherd is feeling or thinking. It's all about the understanding the signals.

Tail carried Horizontal: If your GSD is carrying his tail almost horizontally, apart from his hind legs, without stiffing it, he is having a more attentive and closer watch to his surroundings and the elements therein. The elements, here, denotes everything that are going on in the surrounding, including the flight of a bird, approaching of a strange person, wafting off of leaves, playing of the squirrels, a running sheep etc.

Tail carried apart from the hind legs Stiffly: If the GSD carries his tail stiffly apart from his body, this is an indication that the dog is getting mentally prepared to accept an initial challenge. This usually happens when he finds an intruder getting into his territory. This action is followed by "deep grumbling bark", displaying "Social Aggression".

Tail Carried Upward: If the GSD is carrying his tail upward (in a gentle curved way... not upright or vertical), this is an indication that the dog has gathered enough confidence in himself and wants to assert dominance or show his bossiness. If the German Shepherd carries his tail high with sharp upward bend, he tends to show his dominance with aggression.

Tail Carried Lower than Horizontal: If a GSD carries his tail but with a distance from his hind legs, he displays a relaxed attitude. He is waiting for you to come near; he is friendly.

Tail Carried a Bit More Downward: If the GSD carries his tail a bit too downward, closer (but not tucked) to the hind legs, his is giving any of the several signals. He may want to show that he is disturbed or depressed or or insecure or is just not liking to mingle.

Tail Tucked to Hind Legs: Tail tucked to the hind legs, with usually the ears laid flat at back are submissive signals. This indicates that he's scared, but can also challenge you directly.

Tail Wagged Slowly: Slow tail wagging indicates that the GSD is confused.

Tail Wagged Broad: When the GSD is wagging his tail broad, it is an indication that he wants your touch. This not necessarily happen with the person or dog he already knows, but the action can also be displayed when he finds someone new and wants befriend him or her.

There are many such subtle things to be noticed in your German Shepherd Dog and a responsible German Shepherd owner usually does this. Understanding the the body language of a German Shepherd dog is the best way to understand what's going on in his mind. Eyes speak a lot too! All you need to have a bit of patience and eagerness to learn more about German Shepherd Dogs.

Choosing German Shepherd Puppy - How To Choose German Shepherd Dog

2009-01-03T10:29:00.000-08:00

“How to choose German shepherd dog” is one of the most common questions that I have been facing since years. Choosing German Shepherd Dog can be as easy as A B C for someone, who has been keeping, breeding and rearing the German Shepherd Dog breed for years now. I mean to say, experience is the key! While choosing German Shepherd puppy, you need to look for certain things that many people usually miss out, and the result can be a real nightmare!

Make no haste! Sit back at home, and look for a good German Shepherd Dog breeder. Now, who is a good breeder? How can you find him? All I can say is that a good German Shepherd Dog breeder is the one who doesn’t breed for money. Secondly, a good breeder breeds for quality and is known for the quality of puppies he breeds. Once you get a good German Shepherd Dog breeder, you need to look for the other criterion while choosing German Shepherd puppies. Remember, a breeder isn’t anyone who owns a female dog who has litter! A breeder is the one who has a grip in the science of breeding… rather the art of it.

Temperament is something very important. This is the one most important thing that makes a puppy fit or unfit for your family. It’s only after a thorough evaluation of the litter as a whole that you can pick the right puppy. Don’t let the cute playful faces choose you. Most of the first-time dog owners make mistakes by letting the puppies choose them, instead of the reverse. Mentally good puppies are friendly, trusting and curious. They won’t stiff themselves when picked. They should approach you without hesitation, crawl into your lap and start chewing your fingers. A German Shepherd Dog with a sound temperament can make a sound companion.

See the parents of the litter. Evaluate the way they interact with each other when kept together. See how both of them interact with you as a stranger. Look the signs of the unwarranted aggression towards you. Remember adult German Shepherd Dogs have their own unique valor and should have the right degree of aggression. If they are over aggressive, it’s a bad sign altogether. Over aggression and Shyness are both behavioral faults, which are genetically transferred on to the litter.

Structure and bones are next very important things to look for while choosing German Shepherd puppy. Notice your prospective puppy moving around carefully before paying for it. He should have the right German Shepherd topline, proper curve of stifle, and bones should be strong enough. The pics that I collected from the net, show the proper bones structure and pigmentation of a good German Shepherd puppy.

Puppy’s lineage is another vital thing to look for, although its hard to determine it unless you’re experienced in choosing German Shepherd Dogs. Remember a good litter is jus a result of a right combination of genes. If the breeder has good bloodlines, it doesn’t mean he will produce a goods litter, because the best beach can produce the worst puppies, if not mated to the right kind of male. If you are not good at determining blood lines, you need to bank on an experienced person.

General Criterion like other health issues are to be considered before picking up the puppy. Make sure, the puppies do not have skin rashes, ears free from matter, and they are energetic. The eyes should be clear. Avoid the puppy that has a running eyes or ears.

See the movement, while choosing German Shepherd puppy. Movement of a healthy German Shepherd puppy should be effortless and the puppies should be playful. Avoid picking the one who stays away from other litter mates.

A German Shepherd Shepherd Dog Looks like this when stacked:

New Year Wish For Dog Lovers

2008-12-31T02:50:00.001-08:00

May all the dreams in your eyes,
All the desires in your heart and
All the hopes in your life blend together,
To give you the most spectacular New Year ever
Happy New Year 2009

Dog Lovers Christmas Photos

2008-12-24T04:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks a million to "istockphoto" for this lovely German shepherd Dog Christmas card.

Merry Christmas Dog Lovers - Christmas Dog

2008-12-24T03:31:00.001-08:00

Here's a little smile, some words of cheer, a bit of love for dog lovers around the world and their beloved dogs. Here's my Christmas dog lover wishes and best wishes for the coming year.

Let this Christmas wave a magic wand over your world and let the Lord's blessings on you turn all things golden for you.

Cheers
Arindam
Aringsburg

How to Train Your GSD 5 Basic Commands

2008-12-18T05:08:00.000-08:00

One most real German Shepherd Dog description found by my very personal experiences is that, he is a dog with intense sense of bondage with his own ones. He is a dog that can be called “caninestein” instead of just “canine”. Yes, the degree of intelligence that he possesses, has made him the most talked about breed all over the world. I'm really a happy owner of German Shepherd Dogs, but I can't deny the fact that his intelligence level have fooled me a number of times. Often I've seen him capable of thinking too deeply; even logically of a number of ways to get whatever he wants or to attract my attention. If not trained properly, intelligence of German Shepherds can be nightmare for his owners. Certain funny behaviors that seem to be cute in your GSD puppy today, can throw your life out of gear tomorrow, when he would grow to be a mighty wolf! Here's the importance of proper training. Find a few tips on training GSDs. Read on....

Teach Basic Commands to your German Shepherd

If you're envying to see your friend's well mannered king-size Shepherd, its YOU who's responsible for such discontentment of yourself. It's just a magic of 5 most common words! A well-behaved German shepherd knows to follow the 5 most important basic commands: Come, Sit, Down, Stay and Heal. Teaching these 5 basic actions will make your German Shepherd your most loved companion. This basic training can make life easier for both you and your shepherd. Most importantly, you can keep him and yourself cool and safe in any situation.

Train Your German Shepherd to act on the command “Come”

Step 1- Start off indoor. One full proved technique is to show him a treat and call him by his name. Repeat calling him by the name until he looks up at you.
Step 2 - As soon as he looks up at you, just say “Come”, showing him his treat with your hand a bit extended towards him.
Step 3 - Continue calling him by his name with the command word “Come”, showing him the treat.
Step 4 - Repeat the exercise the same way for the next couple of days.
Step 5 - Take him out on the third day – preferably early in the morning and in a quite place. Repeat the exercise for the next couple of days.
Step 6 - Gradually increase the distance between you and your puppy and repeat the same exercise.
Step 7 – Now it's time to encourage him to come running when called by his name , showing the treats.
Step 8 – Once you know that he has learned to respond correctly on the command “Come”, seeing the treat, slowly teach him to come on command without treat. This can be done by not giving the treat every time he comes. Instead of the treat, praise him lavishly for every right action on right command.

Train Your German Shepherd to act on the command “Sit”

Step 1- Start off outdoor. Choose a quite time (preferably early morning) and a quite place, where his concentration will not be broken by rushing vehicles and strolling guys. Begin with a little bit of strolling together so that he can enjoy being with you.
Step 2 - Make him stand right before you, so that you both stand face to face.
Step 3 - Hold a treat between your index finger and thumb. Hold it right over his nose and then move the treat straight back towards his croup slowly.
Step 4 - He should follow your finger and the treat. As you move your hand back towards his rear part, his rear part should move down to a sit; deliver the command “Sit”. If he doesn't, gently press his croup down in the process with the command “Sit”. As soon as he sits give him his treat.
Step 5 - If he doesn't sit even on pressing gently, don't treat him. Press the croup a bit harder and with love, deliver the command “Sit”.
Step 6 - The puppy will eventually sit, when the croup is pressed. As he tends to sit, deliver the command “Sit” and when he is completely seated say “Yes!” and treat him.
Step 7 – Once he completely learns to associate the command with the action, make him repeat the action on command over and over again followed by a brief walk each time.

Train Your German Shepherd to act on the command “Down”

Step 1 - Start off with your shepherd in sit position. Hold a treat between your index finger and thumb. Allow him to sniff it.
Step 2 - Move the treat down towards the floor.Gently slide the treat a bit away from his mouth. Don't allow him to get up to get it. If he does that, put him back to the sit position and repeat the exercise again.
Step 3 - As he prepares to lie down following the treat, give the command “Down”.
Step 4 - Once he lies down properly, pat him gently to make him feel that you are pleased with him; offer him his treat.
Step 5 - Repeat the exercise over and over again following a brief heal and then “Sit” exercise each time.
Step 6 - Once he completely learns to lie down on command after sit, start training him to go to the “Down Position” straight from the “Standing Position”.

Train Your German Shepherd to act on the command “ Stay”

Step 1 - Keep your dog in the “Down Position”, then step in front of him; place your palm on his head.
Step 2 - Keep an eye-to-eye contact, which is necessary and Deliver the command “Stay”, in a bit firm but calm voice.
Step 3 - Let stay motionless for a few seconds. Lean down and say “YES”.
Step 4 - Repeat it if he tries to move and raise up his head. Keep him motionless for another few seconds and say “YES”.
Step 5 - After few seconds release him from motionlessness by saying “OKAY”. Treat him on success.
Step 6 - Repeat the practice and gradually increase the time of STAY. Don't treat him until your desired time of Stay is successfully accomplished. Step 7 - Once he learns to be in “Stay Position”. Repeat the exercise with various time span in mix and match basis.

Train Your German Shepherd to act on the command “ Heal” (Healing on leash)

Step 1 - Start off with the flat buckle collar – not choke/check chain. Put him on the collar and take him out.
Step 2 - He will try to pull. Check him tight to halt and wait a moment until he relaxes. Loosen up the leash a bit once he's calm. Once he comes to a halt and stops pulling, say “GOOD DOG” and treat him
Step 3 - Deliver the command “Let's Heal” and start healing.
Step 4 - Repeat the exercise until he learns that pulling is not appreciated. Treat him only after a relaxed healing.
Step 5 - Slowly he will learn not to pull. But he can continue to pull if sees any other dog, cat or a goat. In such a situation make him turn straight to other direction and continue healing following the command “Let's Heal”. Treat him thereafter.

How to Train German Shepherd Dogs

2008-12-15T04:58:00.000-08:00

Almost a dozen times in a month I get phone calls from people around my locality and even from far and wide, inquiring about the ways to train up their German Shepherds. Interestingly most of them have already put their German Shepherd on training sessions, but the sadly many of them turn up with loads of complains. Let me tell you that stubbornness and aggression are not typical characteristics of German Shepherd Dogs. These are the consequence of improper training. Believe me, there's no word like “Bad Dog”, the owners, handlers and trainers may be bad and compel their dogs to behave in the way they should not! If your shepherd have are developing bad habits, you are responsible for that – don't blame him! It's due to the lack of socialization and bad training that a dog become what they shouldn't be.

As for my first German Shepherd Dog training tips, Stop Muzzle your GSD Immediately! If a trainer suggests you to muzzle your dog, just move on... look for another good trainer. No point wasting time talking to him regarding dog training. Remember, no reputable dog trainer or canine behaviorist will ask you to muzzle your dog. There are other good ways to control your dog if he is aggressive to other dogs.

Training German Shepherd Dogs is an art, to be mastered properly before actually you start training a GSD. Here's how to train German Shepherd Dogs.

Be Gentle While Training a GSD

German Shepherd dog training can be perfectly accomplished by starting at an early age. If you lose your patience and temperament you are an utter flop in this field. Undesirable behaviors have to be dealt with in the most consistent manner. Loving lavishly during the training session won't work; being too harsh to him would be a bad idea either! Things must be dealt with in a gentle manner. Hitting and yelling at him will make your work tougher.

Use His Intelligence

German Shepherd Dog is the world's most intelligent breed after Border Collie and Poodle. He can learn things faster than many of the other dog breeds. This reveals a great opportunity for you, if you are a dog trainer; encash this opportunity! Don't forget to reward him for all positive behaviors with treats and lavish praises. Be consistent in this. You will get to know how smart your German Shepherd puppy is! Remember that German Shepherd Dogs have the inherent quality to distinguish goods from the bads! Your GSD's behavior may be modified at any point of time almost throughout his life.

Early Start Off

Start off training your German Shepherd Dog at an age as early as around 6 months. This will make life easier for both – you and your dog. Letting the problems go unaddressed may be nightmare for you as a GSD owner.

House Training Your German Shepherd Dog

House training German Shepherd Dog is unquestionably a great idea. Once a dog properly housebroken he would never uses the house for his toilet. House breaking your German shepherd puppy can be an easy process or difficult as well depending on the method you follow. Remember it starts on the you bring your GSD puppy home. Right after you bring your puppy home, take him out on a leash to the potty spot as per his choice. Don't carry him to it's potty spot. As soon he reaches the spot, just deliver the command – one single word you would use for him for potty. Be consistent. German Shepherds are very smart to learn things quickly. You have to be a patient and keep an eye on your shepherd all the day. When you see the toilet or potty signs take your GSD puppy out to his potty area. Common signs are circling, floor scratching, ground sniffing and running here and there looking for an apt place for potty.

Chewing Things

All German Shepherd puppies chew on things – sometimes his own body parts. It's a normal behavior – as normal as heartbeats! Just don't be worried. All you need to do is to divert his attention by putting him to play with other puppies and stuff. If he chews you finger... don't let him do that. A single approach to say one word of dissatisfaction (for instance “Uffff or ouch”) in response to the behavior with moderately strict voice can be a good method. But don't forget to get out of the room, leaving him alone for a while. Repeat things as many time as he tries to chew your thumb.
Socializing GSD

Early age socialization is of utmost importance. While an unsocialized German Shepherd may be a nightmare for you, a properly socialized GSD puppy can make the most precious companion. Start of the Socialization session before he is 3 months old. Just try out these few full proved approaches.

Call over your friends and let your German Shepherd Puppy mingle with them.
Let your friends come with their pets. Don't allow aggressive pets.
Take your puppy to your friends' places.
Take him out nearby where he can see mobs and can experience strange sounds like screeching car, blowing horns, and sounds of heavy vehicles.
Take your GSD puppy for short car rides.
Make him acquainted with the process of bathing, brushing ear cleaning, nail clipping etc.

Positive Reinforcement

Since GSD is one of the most intelligent dog breeds, it takes comparatively less time to train a German Shepherd Dog, provided you follow the most effective training method – Positive Reinforcement. This is a method to condition your Shepherd's most desirable behaviors. This involves two simple approaches:

Rewarding for your Shepherd's every single desirable behavior
Not rewarding accompanied by showing expression of dissatisfactions for every single undesirable behavior.

He would soon understand when he would get a reward and when he wouldn't.

Be The Alfa member of The Pack

Make your German Shepherd understand the fact that you are the Alfa member and he must listen to you. This will make your training session go smooth. This should not take too long – especially for a GSD puppy , because as puppies can learn things faster then you think. He can grab a number of things at the same time. So along side the basic obedience training and housebreaking your GSD puppy , you can train him not to jump on people and to sit and stay quite whenever you want.

Tips For Grooming German Shepherd Dogs - Bathing German Shepherd Dogs

2008-11-28T21:03:00.000-08:00

One most frequent question that I usually come across is: “How often should I bath my German Shepherd?” Most of the dog sites state that dog doesn't need so frequent bath. True indeed! They do not need frequent bath. But I am sure you don't find this answer quite satisfactory. Well, a lot of things are to be considered to decide how often if you should bath your German Shepherd. Frequent bathing washes off the natural oil of their skin, making it dry and produces dandruffs, which can be one of the major reasons of seborrheic scurf and other dermal infection. Over-bathing your German Shepherd Dog should be avoided to avoid drying out of his skin.

The first thing to be considered is how well you maintain him.
Secondly, the country you live and it's climatic condition are of the next prime imporant points to be considered.
Thirdly, season
Fourthly, regular brushing keeps your dog clean.
Fifthly, the place you keep your dog is the last point... but not the least!

A well maintained dog usually doesn't require frequent bath. Maintenance includes everything, starting from feeding right kind of foods to regular cleaning. In fact, to avoid over-bathing proper maintenance is of prime importance. It keeps the most beloved member(s) of your family live a happy and healthy life.

Next most important point is the country you live in. Most people, I have seen, overlook the point. If you are living in tropical country, most likely you may need to bathe your dog more frequently than if you live in colder region. Summers in topical region are really the most dangerous time of the year for breeds like Alsatian dogs. Frequently bathing – sometimes as often as once a week may be required during summer in tropical countries. Summer is the killer season for breeds like German Shepherds in tropical countries. During the flea season, you may need to bathe your German Shepherd Dog more often as a part of a the flea control program.

Routine and regular brushing keeps your shepherd's coat free from mats and tangles, which naturally keeps him clean. Not so frequent washing is required.

Lastly you must keep your kennel clean. It's part of your daily routine.

Make sure you use the soap and shampoo specially made for dogs. Why? Because, the body "pH" of a dog is much different from that of human beings. Also remember GSDs' skin "pH" are comparatively higher than most of the other breeds. Picking the right kind of soap and shampoo finds its importance here, when it comes to bathing your shepherd. Make sure water should enter the ears... if this happens, it may end up with serious ear infection in future.

Make sure you rinse him well. Left over shampoo and residual of soap leather will cause skin irritation and infection in future.

Wet coat gets easily tangled. Make sure to dry him well after the bath.

Here's another important tips, you might not have heard before! Between two consecutive baths you can easily manage the odor that can come during this long span of time! All you need to do is to massage some baking soda into the shepherd's coat properly and brush it off well. This will remove the odor. You can repeat this at an interval of 10 – 15 days. This is a temporary deodorizing technique for your dog.

How to use baking soda?
Interestingly, it's quite easy! And you don't need to call a professional groomer for that.

Just make him lie of the floor.
Sprinkle small amount of baking soda powder on his body part that can be massaged.
Massage him properly.
Make him roll the other side and repeat the process.... it's as simple as this!

Tips For Grooming German Shepherd Dogs - Coat

2008-11-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

People easily fall in love with German Shepherds without knowing or considering the some of the negetive things about the breed that might turn out to be the owner's nightmare in future. Grooming is something that should be taken into consideration very seriously. And for breeds like German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers and Collies etc. the habbit of not grooming the dog properly can be your major reason worries in future. Well, candidly speaking I'm a bit biased about German Shepherds and find nothing negetive in the breed. It's the owner's irresponsible nature that brings him worries... not the dog. My friends.. take it quite seriously; pick your grooming kit right this moment and be at it! Grooming German Shepherds can be fun, if you love him. And it's not all that a big deal.

German Shepherds... rather call him German Shedders! Yes, this is amongst those breed that shed a lot... and shed all though the year. Why grooming is more essential for a GSD as compared to most of the other breeds? Well, German Sheherd Dogs is a double coated breed, like most of the other dog breeds we know. His coat consists of a wooly type “Under Coat” and longer, straight type, all-season “Guard Coat”. The Guard Coat is the one that guards the “Under Coat”. The Guard Coat in GSDs shed through out the year (normal shedding), while the Under Coat only twice a year (seasonal molting – shedding of dead follicles during winter or summer). If not brushed regularly, your most loved GSD may run a risk of developing mat, which are usually not apperant until they creat clumps of fur, causing dermal infections like rashes, bald spots, hot spots and become stinky. I would suggest to brush your GSD daily at the end of the day, or at least once every alternative day. Let his skin breath properly.

Here's few tips for grooming German Shepherds that I have learned from some of my fellow German Shepherd Dog breeders and have been practicing myself since years:

German Shepherds shed a lot... so gentle brushing is required almost everyday – I repeat. At least one every alternative day is essential. This checks heavy shedding.
I prefer brushing my dogs at night. Why? A technically designed metal brushing comb (should be pure stainless steel) that has round heads (not sharp) should be used for brushing. Proper brushing with such a comb ensures proper blood circulation though out the body, which makes them feel more comfortable and ensures proper digestion and good sleep.
Don't make haste. All you need to invest is only 15 minutes a day for one dog under normal condition. Believe me... 15 minutes is enough for grooming a shepherd's coat properly.
Shedding blade proves to be one of the most helpful grooming tool during the shadding season. But you should know how to use it. Shadding blade should be used in a gentle manner and with enough care.
Groom your dog, starting from his head. Brush the entire coat from the head to the tail tip with a slicker brush first. Then use a rubber grooming gloves to rub through his coat through out his entire body. Then comb through the coat with the special metal comb. This will remove all the dead hair.
Pay extra attention while combing the throat, neck and loin region, because coat is dense in these area and requires extra time combing.
GSDs have bushy tails. You may need to invest some extra couple of minutes to comb the tail properly.
Once you are done. Try out combing through the coat with the metal comb once or twice more.

Rub the coat with the rubber grooming gloves in the direction of the coat once more at the end of the process. You can get an extra shine in his coat. Check out these precious clips brought to you by YouTube to get to know a bit about the Grooming technique and training.

Know How.. Grooming German Shepherds

Teach Your Dog to be Obedient First

The Most Interesting German Shepherd Dog Facts

2008-11-08T23:45:00.000-08:00

Hey folks... I know I've been a bit too slow and not been posting so frequently. I'm an IT professional and usually remain busy chasing my targets and meetings deadlines, like all my other colleagues and all other peeps in the industry. I hardly get a chance to scoop time out of my busy schedule for maintaining my sites regularly.

Here's something about the Alsatian breed, that you would like to read... I am sure. This would probably be the only post in this site that would have every chance to be always in process. You can waves of interesting facts about German Shepherd Dog breed that any GSD lover would ever want to know.

Have you ever wondered....

1) Which is the world’s first German Shepherd Dog Club and when was it founded?
2) Which was the first GSD to be registered in the stud book of the first GSD Club?
3) How is a Shiloh Shepherd different from a German Shepherd?
4) What was the name of John Kennedy's beloved German Shepherd Dog?
5) what was the name of the first German Shepherd Dog to return back home from the Vietnam War?
6) What rank does this breed acquire in the list of world's 10 most intelligent dog breeds?

Get the answers to all these questions at the official website of About German Shepherd Dog - German Shepherd Dog facts

Common Genetic Disorders in German Shepherd Dog

2008-10-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Highly praised worldwide for its stunning elegance, intelligence, verstility, and working abilities, the German Shepherd Dogs have earned a great deal of popularity these days. Most of the first time dog owners, I have seen, tend to go for a German Shepherd puppies, without knowing the shady nook of tne breed - the health issue. The astounding glory of a well bred German Shepherd Dog has made many novice dog lovers make wrong decision while choosing the right breed. German Shepherd Dog is not for all... especially not for the first time dog owners and for those who simple don't take canine health issue seriously. German Shepherd dog is a very different breed altogether! He can work hard and play even through a lot of physical pain. German Shepherd Dog sometimes doesn't easily show any underlying health problems until the condition gets matured. It takes a really an observant owner to know if his or her dog is suffering from any pain or health condition. Understanding that owning a truely healthy and well bred GSD unfolds loads of pleasure to the owner, here's my honest trial to come up with a comprehensive guideline regarding health and behavioral problems in German Shepherd Dogs. These are mostly the genetic ailments that are commonly found in the breed, although many of these conditions are not very common these days due to selective breeding programs undertaken by the responsible breeders. Thanks a million to them.

Key:

D = Dominant
R = Recessive
P = Polygenic
N = Not necessarily be genetic always
S = Suspected genetic
U = Unknown

Achalasia (R) : Dilated esophagus. Characterized by difficulty in swallowing, Achalasia shows symptoms like chest pain and voluntary or involuntary return of partly digested food from the stomach by vomiting. This is relatively uncommon these days.

Ankylosis (U) : Also spelled as 'Anchylosis'. Inflammation of the joint-ends of the bones - especially in vertebrae in tail or spinal cord - to be fused together, which reduces movement.

Bilateral Cataract (D) : Opacification of lens form in both eyes. Bilateral cataract is usually diagnosed after 18 months to 24 months of age.

Calcium Gout (S) : Medically known as Calcinosis Circumscripta, Calcium gout are lumps in the skin caused by calcium deposits due to improper absorption of calcium.

Cerebellar hHypoplasia (S) : Cerebellum doesn't mature completely at the birth, which leads to abnormal gait and lack in control. Symptoms usually starts at two months of age or so but sometimes may take 10 to 12 weeks to become apperant. The condition doesn't get worse or better with age.

Chronic Pancreatitis (S) : Inflammation of pancreas accompanied by lack of enzymes secretion, which alters the normal functionality of the digestive system. This gradually leads to weight loss, weakness and ill health, thereby making the dog easily susceptible to diseases.

Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate (N) : Nonclosure of bones of upper jaw and roof of mouth, which is a genetic trait, but not always the fact. This usually occurs if the tissues of the lip and/or palate of a fetus do not grow together early in pregnancy. Oral clefting are not commonly found these days.

Corneal Dermoid Cyst (S) : Congenital cyst on eye surface. Corneal dermoid is a congenital Choristoma, which is characterized by heterotopic cutaneous tissue on the surface of the eye, affectting the nictitating membrane, and cornea. Besides GSD, breeds like St. Barnard, Golden Retreiver and some short-legged breeds like Dachshund, Welsh Corgis and Basset Hounds are also afflicted to Corneal dermoid cyst.

Cryptorchidism (S) : Undescended testicle(s). Common in GSD. This is a condition present at the birth. The undescended testicle doesn't developed and becomes non-functional, and sometimes turns out to be the major source of problems - especially Cancer, during the matured age.

Cystinuria (R) : It is the metabolic disorder that is characterized by the formation of cystine stones in the kidneys, ureter and bladder. This condition is seen only in males.

Degenerative Myelopathy (Chronic Degenerative Radiculomyleopathy - CDRM) (U) : It is an autoimmune disease in which the dog’s own immune system attacks its CNS, leading to loss of myelin (insulation around nerve fibers) and axons (nerve fibers). This degenerative neurologic disease is spinal degeneration or spinal ataxia in older GSDs and some other breeds.

Diabetes Mellitus (R) : Insulin deficiency... low level of blood sugar, which may be noticed at an age as early as 2-6 months. Older animals are more prone to this condition.

Distichiasis (S) : Extra row of eyelashes that grows on the eyelid of the dog and irritates the eye. These eyelashes usually come out from the duct of the meibomian gland that is located at the margin of eyelid. The eyelashes sometimes arises more than one from a duct.

Ectasia (R) : Not very much found in GSDs, the condition is called Collie Eye Anomaly or Scleral Ectasia Syndrome or Collie Ectasia Syndrome, this is an optic nerve/retina abnormality in which certain in which certain occular tissues of the fetus doesn't get properly matured. Its called Collie Eye Anomaly because it was first discovered in Collie breed. the condition also affects some other breeds like Border Collies, Australian Sheepdogs and Shetland Sheepdogs. In Shetland Sheepdogs Ectasia is called 'Sheltie Eye.'

Elbow Dysplasia (D) : Progressive developmental deformity of elbow joints, which is an inherrited disease that primarily affects the larger and medium breeds. Other than GSDs the high incedences of occurences of ED has been noticed in the Golden Retrievers, Rottweilers, Newfoundlands, Mastiff, Australian Shepherd, Chow Chow, Saint Bernard, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Springer Spaniel, Shar-Pei, Shetland Sheepdog. Although a Dominant trait Displactic Elbow MAY BE POLYGEINC too.

Eosinophilic Colitis (S) : Related to the probles in gastrointestinal tract, this is an inflammation of the colon, or large intestine resulting Chronic bouts of diarrhea.

Eosinophilic Myositis (Masticatory Myositis) (U) : Eosinophilic myositis is a bit too complicated ailment the dog seems to be in pain when trying to open his mouth or chew something. This may be bnoticed one day all on a sudden or occur gradually. some of the possible reason may be:

Polymyositis (a general muscle inflammation)
Muscular dystrophy
Craniomandibular osteopathy (jaw bone growth abnormality)

Epilepsy (R) : Recurrent seizures. The incidence of occurrences starts between 1-3 years old.

Hemophelia A (R) : Blood Clottig disorder, when the blod doesn't clot faster. This happens due to the mutation of factor VIII gene, which leads to deficiency in Factor VIII. Hemophilia increases the risk of severe bleeding from injuries in joints, muscles, digestive tract, brain and other common injuries.

Hip Dysplasia (P) : Although selective breed programs have managed to controll the population of the dogs with displastic hip, yet it is a polygenic disease - progressive developmental deformity of the hip joints. This can slowly cause crippling and lameness.

Intervertebral Disc Disease (S) : The intervertebral discs are the cushion that presents in the space between adjacent spinal vertebrae. These discs are subject to certain degenerative conditions which predispose the vertebral column of the animal to rupture over time. Although suspected to be a genetic disorder, but excessive strain exerted against the spinal cord over time may also result to Intervertebral Disc Disease, leading to gradual worsening of neurologic function, causing pain, weakness and paralysis of limbs.

Malabsorption Syndrome (S) : Problem of absorption of one or more nutrients in the food, which causes diarrhoea, abdominal distension, leading to starvation and resulting weight loss.

Monorchism (S) : Monorchism is a condition of having only one testicle descended.

Nodular Dermatofibrosis (D) : Inherited Skin Disorder. Dogs afflicted to Nodular Dermatofibrosis will develop lumps on the skin, which can grow from 0.1 to 2 inches in the feet. In severe cases these lumps can ulcerate causing foot deformities and lameness. Nodular Dermatofibrosis is associated with underlying renal cancer or uterine cancer if the female is unspayed.

Osteochondritis Dessecans (OCD) (S) : Osteochondritis Dessecans is a disorder of immature long bones.Also spelled as "Dessicans", butI chose to spell "Dissecans" because this is it has been mentioned in Dorland's Medical Dictionary. Suspected to be a genetic ailment it is a growth disorder of long bones. Especially found in the oversized and fast growing progenitors, the growing long bones develops hairline cracks in the in the cartilage of the weight bearing surface, such as shoulder cartilage. P The condition worsens to pain and finally lameness.

Pannus (S) : This is a chronic inflammation of the cornea, characterized by the invasion of the superficial vessels and pigmented cellsinva into the transperant cornea, leading to opacity... worsening to blindness. Although most affected animals are the ones that are middle-aged, but the disease can develop in young adults too.

Panosteitis (Pano) (S) : Usually seen in oversized and fast growing progenitors,panostitis is Acute Shifting Lameness disease of growing dogs. The afflicted animal suffers from deep bone pain... the reason is unknown. Also called "long bone disease" and "wandering lameness".

Patent ductus arteriosus (P) : This is a polygenic condition, which is aortal development defect in the fetus. The heart murmur will be loud and the animal will be exercise intolerant.

Perianal Fistula (S) : Open draining tracts around or near anus

Peri: all around, near, enclosing, surrounding
Anal: of, relating to, or situated near the anus
Fistula: abnormal passage that develops from an abscess or hollow organ into the body surface, or from one hollow organ to another that allows passage of secretions or fluids.

Peripheral Vestibular Disease (R) : Congenital deafness which is permanent. Defect in the inner ear causing puppies to show unusual behaviors like head tilt, circling behaviour, or a tendency to roll over or fall. The sysmptoms are noticed by 2 to 4 months of age.

Pituitary Dwarfism (R) : Pituitary Dwarfism is a condition, when the animal becomes abnormally smaller in stature. Although mostly found in almost perfectly proportioned body structure, the condition is sometimes characterized by altered body proportions. While some researchers describe PD to be an autosomal recessive trait, a few believe that it is a polygenic trait.

Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) (R) : Progressive Retinal atrophy retina problem causing gradual but total blindness.

Renal Cortical Hypoplasia (S) : Also called Renal Dysplasia, this is a condition when the kidnies are not properly developed (usually undersized)that are not adequately capable of filtering the blood and conserving water and doen't allow proper flashing off of body toxin.

Scleral Ectasia Syndrome (R) : Not very much found in GSDs, the condition is called Collie Eye Anomaly or Scleral Ectasia Syndrome or Collie Ectasia Syndrome, this is an optic nerve/retina abnormality in which certain in which certain occular tissues of the fetus doesn't get properly matured. It’s called Collie Eye Anomaly because it was first discovered in Collie breed. The condition also affects some other breeds like Border Collies, Australian Sheepdogs and Shetland Sheepdogs. In Shetland Sheepdogs Ectasia is called 'Sheltie Eye.'

Soft Ears (R) : The ears gets erected properly but with Weak ear musculature. This cause the ears flip as the dog trots or gallop.

Spondylosis Deformans (S) : Spondylosis Deformans is a condition in which bridges are formed along the ventral (bottom) parts of the vertebrae, leading to severe pain. American lines of GSDs have mostyl been diagnosed with the condition, however some of te German line GSDs have also found to be afflicted to the disease.

Subaortic Stenosis (U) : Narrowness in the outflow tract of the left ventricle due to an obstruction little below the aortic valve, which causes an obsturction in blood flow from the left ventricle results in left ventricular hypertrophy. This in turn breeds a good chance of developing severe arrythmia leading to sudden death.

Third Eyelid Eversion (Nictitating membrane eversion) (R) : Also called "Cherry Eye", the Third Eyelid Eversion is an opthalmic condition where an extra growth is developed in the eye lid of the dog and that rolls back to cover the eye. The uderside of the growth is a small gland. SUrgery is the only resort.

Von Willebrand's Disease (vWD) (D) : This is a blood coagulation abnormality predominantly found in GSDs and other breeds like Dobermann, Scottish Terriers etc. It is a type of canine hemophilia which may turn out to be really lethal.

A Bit About Colors and Patterns in German Shepherd Dogs

2008-09-10T01:22:00.001-07:00

Well, don't be scared... this is one of the toughest chapter. I have been consulting a varried sources since years. Today I just felt like I should write on the colors and patterns in GSDs. Many a times I've been hit by querries, as to whether there is only these colors in GSDs that we usually find in localities and dog shows. Nah.... a lot more are there that are not seen in general dog shows, nor in our localities. Some of the pigments have been declared to be conformation fault; some are really rare genes. But, hey... I'm not a scientist, nor do I understand the magic of gene to the fullest extent. Nor again have I come across all these colors. But I can show you some pics of really awesome pigments and patterns that I've collected while exploring the web randomly. I started gathering info about the colours and patterns in GSDs and related pictures in the year 2003 or so, when my CIZAR (pronounced as 'Scissor') was just a li'l boy.

When we think of GSDs, the image that reflects in our mind is a robust dog with errect ears, bushy tail, brown almond eyes and royal gesture and kingly gait, with saddle-black or black-tan markings. However, German Shepherd Dogs come in a wide range of colors... saddle-black or black-tan are the ones that are most commonly found. GSDs can be one solid colour – either solid white or solid black. Besides, there are colors like sable with black mask. The patterns include a varried combinations like black & tan, black & red, black & cream, solid black, solid white (conformation disqualification, although a pure gene - not albino), sable (various colorations). GSDs als come in black & silver, liver (rare - conformation fault) and even blue (rare - conformation fault). This topic of colors and patterns in German Shepherd Dogs should should not be taken for granted. It is one of the most serious point to be kept in the forefront of mind, especially if you are an aspiring breeder or have already started breeding German Shepherd Dogs. Dr Malcolm B Willis wrote two books "The German Shepherd Dog: A Genetic History" and "Practical Genetics for Dog Breeders", which are still a couple of unparallel books about German Shepherd Dog breed and the genetic configuration thereby. Based on the information in these books here is a brief summary of the patterns and color inheritance in GSDs. Colors in German Shepherd Dogs, as in many other breed as well, are actually controlled by some series of genes.

AGOUTI SERIES

Golden sable
Grey sable
Saddle marked black and tan
Bicolor - black and tan (bicolor is where the dog has tan only on the legs and face, not on the body)
Black

BLACK SERIES (gene controls the black pigment formation)

Black pigment includes nose, eyerims and pads
Liver color
Liver color - brown black colors, brown nose, eye rims and pads.

WHITE SERIES (The gene that controls 'White' is recessive to all other colors. In order get a white coat color, both parents must carry the white gene - either be white themselves or be carriers of white gene)

Melanin is produced (Standard GSD's colors have this)
Partial albinism - chinchilla (not seen)
White coat with dark eyes and nose (not albino)
Yellowish coat collar (proposed)

COLOR SERIES (This gene controls the intensity of non-black pigments)

Cream - Lightest tan
Tan - Intermediate tan
Red - Darkest tan

DILUTION SERIES (The gene controls how intense the black pigment will be)

Dense pigment
Blue dilution
Black pigment-blue dilution together begets a blue coat which looks as though it has a dusty or flour sheen.

MASK SERIES

A prominent black mask on the face
Entirely dark coat without the mask on the face
Brindle (Brindle striping on the legs - The rarest of the rare gene – Almost extinct)
Clear tan

Now here's just a note of mine. I have friends and acquaintances who believe that Black (Solid Black) is a separate gene altogether. They mean to say that Solid Black is altogether a distinctive marking pattern that is controlled by an entirely a separate gene. Researchers view it in a bit different way. They say that Solid Black is only the darkest version of the Agouti Series - Agouti marking pattern. Another very common thing that I have noticed is the small white marking in the chest region. I used to think that that was by any chance associated to white gene.

Just the last time, I came up with a beautiful litter of REVA and REX. That was a small litter of three, one of which, I remember, had a small white patch on the chest. I sat back with the pedigree chart again and spent a lot of time over the web and with some of my books and study materials. There wasn't a trace of white gene in the parental lineage of both the Dam and Sire. I was amazed with the magic game of gene! It may be a recessive trait that expresses itself in the absence of a dominant one or may be something really still obscure to the mankind! Stay tuned... I will be talking more about colors and patterns of GSDs and the Brindle one - the one that we do not find these days.

Frequently Asked Questions - German Shepherd Dog Breed

2008-08-30T01:26:00.000-07:00

I know I have not been posting much here. I am not actually getting enough time to update my personal site. Well, I think I put some really good stuff in Welcome Dog Lovers. Hope, you will be helped. I have been getting mails for not maintaining proper pace here. Okay... here's something that the German Shepherd lovers will really love to read. I think this post is going to help you in ways!

Many a times I get calls from unknown people looking for a good companion, but confused as to whether they should go for a German Shepherd Dog or not. A lot time I came across people with wrong notions about the breed. Weekends, for me, are like "Attend a Dog Lovers' Call Day". At times I tend to have pity on my cell phone and cordless. Well, I don't mind receiving such calls... I can spend centuries talking about dogs.

We have moved to About German Shepherd Dog. Please visit the frequently asked questions on German Shepherd Dog. You can get a powerhouse of questions and answers on the breed.

People often says "mine is a German Shepherd Dog, not an Alsatian dog". At time they ask is there any difference between GSD and an Alsatian dog? Check out this

Horand Von Grafrath - The Foundation Dog of German Shepherd Dog Breed

2008-08-19T22:35:00.000-07:00

Of all existing canine breed in the world today, German Shepherd Dog breed possesses myriad qualities, making it the finest canine specimen in the world. Starting from its intellect and physical appearance to its inherent protective instinct and courageous nature, everything makes the breed a complete canine companion. But the GSDs that we find today are very much different from those of the pasts.

If you are looking for more on how actually German Shepherd Dogs that we see today evaluated, Check out my works on History of German Shepherd Dog Vol I, Vol II, Vol III and Vol IV; and here's a bit more details on History of the breed. Read on...

On April 3rd, 1899 - the same year when Captain Stephanitz formed the Verein für deutsche Schäferhunde (SV) - world's first All-Breed German Dog show was held in Karleruube Rhineland. Captain Stephanitz, and his friend, Arthur Meyer were present in the show. They were looking for a perfect dog to create a really superb herder and fall in love with a dog, strongly built, perfectly healthy, with erect ears, an outgoing and friendly nature. The dog had medium-short coat that was weatherproof. Stephanitz purchased the dog at the spot and this turned out to be the major turning point in the History of German Shepherd Dog.

Hektor Linkshrein was the name of the dog, but later he was renamed into Horand Von Grafrath - the first dog to be registered in the new stud book of the verein. Horand became the foundation dog of the German Shepherd Dog breed. Horand was a from the Thuringian origin and his recessive white genes had been one of the most enhancing factors found in him.

Check out what Captain Stephanitz said about Horand.

German Shepherd Dog Video Clips... Enjoy The Majestic Gait!

2008-06-22T00:46:00.000-07:00

Hey... check out what I just found while surfing the net. Thanks to You tube for coming up with such great clips.

Cool German Shepherd Dog Video: Highly Trained Protection Dogs

German Shepherd Dog Information

"Courage without Ferocity and Beauty without Vanity"... said perfect!

German Shepherd Dog Protection Training - Boss

German Shepherd Dog Attack

German Shepherd Dog Seiger Show

German Shepherd Puppies for Sale

2008-05-25T08:34:00.000-07:00

Attention dog lovers... German Shepherd puppies for sale! Aringsburg Kennel announces the arrival of a good litter out of highly acclaimed bloodlines at the most competitive price range.

German Shepherd puppies for sale at unbelievably competitive price.

[REX -- Son of Ch. “Kingsways Move It All Around”] X [REVA -- Daughter of Nemo Von der Pischta Trophe]

Contact Details: Click here

Evolution Of German Shepherd Dog Breed

2008-03-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

Continuous researches are being in process with the German Shepherd Dog breed! If you're not in continuous touch with what's going on worldwide with this breed, you cannot get track of the evolutionary process of the breed. If you are studying seriously about German Shepherd Dogs you are probably looking for some sort of illustration of German Shepherd Dogs from past till date. Here's something of a kind you probably want to know about German shepherd Dogs.

To
The difference is clearly noticed -- GSD of 1940s to GSD of 2000s, the breed underwent a continuous change.

Notice the German shepherd pictures carefully. You can their's a noticeable difference in the structure of the breed. Look at the 'Top Lines' of the two shepherds. The 'Banana Back', which is also called 'Roach Back' is visible in the recent dog, while the 'Top Lines' was smooth -- called 'Level Back' is noticed in the dog of 1940s.

A couple of other differences worth noticing are:

Low slung placement of hip in the shepherds that we see today
Hock angulation are more in recent shepherds

Here are some German Shepherd Dogs pictures to illustrate how the breed evolved from 1940s to present...

Development Through out 1950s

Development Through out 1960s

Development Through out 1970s

Early 1970s

Mid to Late 70s

Development Through out 1980s

Early 1980s

Mid to Late 1980s

GSD of 1990s

Aringsburg's REVA -- 18 Months Old Queen

2008-03-21T02:35:00.000-07:00

Reva is 18 months old puppy. She descends from the rich blood line, sired by the son of VA Quirin V Hochmoor (SCHH3 Kkl 1). She is really naughty and hardly sits quietly. It's hard to take her snaps,but somehow I could manage to take one. Check out this. Click on REVA's image and view it enlarged...

5 Basic Instincts of German Shepherd Dogs

2008-02-06T07:13:00.000-08:00

Versatility of Alsatians is beyond question! A well bred German Shepherd Dog is an all round canine companion of his master, although it's true that not all shepherds are equally versatile. If bred properly a German Shepherd puppy will grow up with all the desirable and mandatory instincts that would make it a real royal dog and truly a protective companion of his owner.

Captain Max Von Stephenitz emphasized more on the working ability of the breed than the look. When it comes to the working ability (Schutzhund protection work) of the breed we need to know all about the 5 Basic Instincts of well bred German Shepherd Dogs. These five instincts are genetically inherited by a puppy from it's well bred dam and sire. Selective breeding is hence essential.

Wondering why I'm using the word "Well Bred" so frequently over and over again? Because breeding is that scientific art or artistic science (whatever way you look at it) that will give you a near to perfect dog, if not hundred percent perfect. So a good shepherd is the one that has a good parental lineage and have all or most of the the desirable features -- both structural and behavioral. These German Shepherd instincts are those behavioral aspects that cast a deep impact on the dog's character and behavior, making it a more useful companion. Two of these five basic German Shepherd instincts are known as Critical Instincts.

Here are the 5 Basic Instincts of a "Well Bred" Alsatian.

1. Booty Instinct: Also know as "Prey Instinct", this is one of the two Critical Instincts of a well bred Alsatian dog. This German Shepherd instinct makes the dogs chase moving objects like flies, moths, butterflies, mosquitoes, etc. and seize them. This is one of the most vital instincts for excellent Schutzhund protection work. The Booty/Prey Instinct is mandatory part of a shepherd's character, because it acts as the motivator of striking with speed and power. This critical instinct start to develop as the puppy reaches 6 months of age and eventually becomes prominent as it grows.

2. Fighting Drive: Fighting Drive is the second Critical Instinct of Alsatians. This German Shepherd Dog instinct is also called Active Aggression or Offensive Aggression, which is another very important instinct desirable for of the breed. This instinct helps the dog to deliver "rhythmic & explosive barks" during protection. Each of such rhythmic bark helps the dog to get positively stimulated, and the dog give high degree service of protection. This is why the Fighting Drive instinct of German Shepherd Dog is important for the Schutzhund protection work.

3. Self Preservation or Defense: Also called Reactive Aggression, this GSD instinct differs a lot from Prey Instinct and Fighting Drive Instinct. This GSD instinct (Reactive Aggression) helps the dog to develop inherent protective nature related to territoriality. This German Shepherd instinct denotes the degree of Sharpness, which is one of the most significant part of a well bred German Shepherd Dog character. Reactive Aggression Instinct or Sharpness is the catalyst of the two Critical Instincts, acting as the stimulating component of Booty Instinct and Active Aggression. Reactive Aggression Instinct of a well bred GSD also stimulates the Social Aggression Instinct.

4. Pack Instinct: This non-critical instinct is found in almost all the canine breed of the world. But in a well bred Alsatian Pack Instinct is noticed more prominently, compared to any other breed. The Pack Instinct is another most important German Shepherd Instinct that is highly significant for the Schutzhund trial, because this instinct increases the trainability of the dog. Right blend of Social Aggression and Pack Instinct makes the dog stay closer to his pack members. Viewing from the dog's perspective, the pack members includes all the dogs that he lives with, his handler, his trainer, his owner and all the other members of his family. This stimulates the dog's protective behavior.

5. Social Aggression: This non-critical German Shepherd Instinct also increases the degree of trainability -- especially for the Schutzhund protection services. Social Aggression Instinct makes the dog deliver "deep grumbling bark". Each of such barks stimulates the dog by generating power with him and he tends to express himself more dominantly. This is one of the most important determinants of a guard dog character.

Social Aggression is an exclusively a male instinct found in most canine breeds, but seen prominently in GSDs. Though this is a general desirable instinct for all the German Shepherd males, but this instinct remains dormant until the dog faces a threatening situation.

Apart from these 5 Basic Instincts, there are few more general instincts of Alsatians. Stay tuned to read more about the German Shepherd Instincts.

Versatility Of German Shepherd Dogs

2008-01-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

Well, we talked a lot about the origin and history of German Shepherd Dogs. Here's something very interesting about the breed. Why are German Shepherd Dogs the most versatile breed?

If you are really looking for a wonderful, smart , intelligent, protective, decent, courageous, self assertive, sturdy, powerful, royal, loyal and highly trainable working canine companion, German Shepherd Dogs are the right choice for you. The nature of a well bred Alsatian (German Shepherd Dog) is notably different from any other breed of dogs in the world. And it's because of this very different nature (not forgetting the gorgeous look) of the German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs) that the breed rightfully deserves a soft corner in the hearts of zillions of dog lovers across the world.

GSD has earned massive popularity all around the world after the World War II as a perfect working dog breed. To be very candid, no other breed of dog in the world has successfully mastered such a huge range of skills like GSD. This breed is large and powerful enough to tackle a couple of men at a time, protective and courageous enough to protect his master and property and intelligent and responsible enough to to safely control a whole herd of sheep.

True that he cannot outrun a Greyhound, but again it's beyond all controversy that he can show a stand out Turn Of Pace. Moreover a well bred Alsatian can also maintain a steady canter for longer than most of the other breeds of dogs. Besides his awesome intelligence, a well bred Alsatian is an ideal working dog, which is why this breed has really marked a name of itself in varied fields across the globe. Whether as a shepherd dog or rescue dog or a police dog or a guide dog for blind or a guard dog or an attack dog or a war dog or a messenger dog or a sniffer dog or a movie actor, Alsatian dog breed has proved to be the best among all the other dogs in the world. Originally started his career as a shepherd dog breed, Alsatians have underwent a wide range of diversifications insofar the nature of their work is concerned. An incredible number of 48,000 Alsatians took an active role in the Germen regiment during the World War II. This breed has also earned a lot of fame as sentry dog and security dog during the war time and the post war period. The most interesting fact about the breed of German Shepherd Dog is that, this breed was the first canine breed to come in the movie screen. Rin Tin Tin (Rinty) the famous GSD was the world's first canine celebrity who appeared in over 40 hit movies. Within only two years since he started his career as an actor he had been earning 400 pounds per week during 1920s. He had his own car, chauffeur and own bank account.

To begin with Rinty developed a really impressive war record. Owned and trained by Corporal Lee Duncan, Rinty started off his career taking active part in World War I, carrying out important dispatches, sentry and other significant duties for Red Cross. He first appeared as an actor in a movie called "Where The North Begins", directed by Chester Franklin. It was in this film that Rinty set Warner Brothers back on its feet along with a financial set back. The popularity of Rin-Tin-Tin almost became the nightmare of the great stars like Charlie Chaplin and the Gish Sisters. In the year 1925 Rinty was voted as the most popular star of USA.

The saddest part of Rinty's life was that he was insanely busy all through his life and could not enjoy a retirement although he had a remarkable life. Stay Tuned, More about Rin-Tin-Tin to come!

Pictures: Rin Tin Tin, nick name -- Rinty, (often written as Rin-Tin-Tin) Sep. 10th 1918 to Aug 10th 1932.

Christmas Wish For our Alsatian.

2007-12-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

Hi friends! It's been a long span of time that I last updated my blog. Christmas is right around the corner and I just wanted to know how's it going with your Christmas preparation.

All I want this Christmas is that all the German Shepherd Dogs and all the other dogs in the world my find The Earth to be a good place to live in. May their owners find them in absolutely good health and happy life.

Captain Max Von Stephanitz Speaks About Horand Von Grafrath SZ 1

2007-11-10T12:14:00.000-08:00

Here's what Mr. Stephanitz said about Horand -- the father of all GSDs.

"Horand (Picture on the right) embodied for the enthusiasts of that time the fulfillment of their fondest dreams. He was big for that period, between 24" and 24 1/2", even for the present day a good medium size, with powerful frame, beautiful lines, and a nobly formed head. Clean and sinewy in build, the entire dog was one live wire. His character was on a par with his exterior qualities; marvelous in his obedient fidelity to his master, and above all else, the straightforward nature of a gentleman with a boundless zest for living. Although untrained in puppy hood, nevertheless obedient to the slightest nod when at this master's side; but when left to himself, the maddest rascal, the wildest ruffian and incorrigible provoker of strife. Never idle, always on the go; well disposed to harmless people, but no cringer, mad about children and always in love. What could not have been the accomplishments of such a dog if we, at that time, had only had military or police service training? His faults were the failings of his upbringing, never of his stock. He suffered from a superfluity of unemployed energy, for he was in Heaven when someone was occupied with him and was then the most tractable of dog."

Max Emil Frederic von Stephanitz (December 1864 -- April 1936)

~Mr. Stephanitz (Originator of the Alsatian)

History Of German Shepherd Dogs -- Vol IV

2007-11-10T09:22:00.001-08:00

Please read out my former posts on History of German Shepherd Dogs Vol I, Vol II and Vol III. This posts is the continuation of the former ones.

Another vital phase of the breed's development starts with Horand (DOB -- January 1st, 1895)- this is beyond all controversies. After Mr. Stephanitz became the the president of the verein, he atended a dog show in the year 1899, where he found Horand, which was a Thuringian type sheep dog of medium stature. It was Horand's typical shepherd qualities that grabs captain's attention and he fell in love with Horand at the first sight. He purchased him at the spot. Although his original name was Hektor Linkshrein, he was registered in the verein's newly found stud book with the name "Horand von Grafrath". Horand was the first dog to find the first place in the new stud book of the verein. The another dog that got an entry into the stud book was Meri von Grafrath. Hektor Linkshrein (later Horand) had a brother called Luch von Sparwasser, who was also a very good specimen, if not as good as his elder brother Hektor. Luch was later registered in the stud book of verein -- SZ 155.

Hektor actully descended from the wonderful lineage. Luch's and Hektor's (later Horand) was Greif von Sparwasser, which was a white coated German herding dog with awesome shepherding quality. George Horowitz, who was a well renowned English Judge, German Shepherd Dog columnist, author and historian, wrote about the background of Hektor Linksrhein in his 1923 book, known as "The Alsatian Wolf-Dog". In his book he wrote that that the white-coated German herding dog named Greif von Sparwasser was born in 1879 and was exhbited at the 1882 and 1887 Hanover Dog Shows.

Horand was in the possesion of certain very interesting qualities apart from his shepherding ability, such as the mental soundness, boldness, protective and energetic nature. This dog was wolf grey color. He had good gait and remarkable anatomy with mind blowing bones and head profile. Horand was mated to many good bitches and produced good number of quality range of litters through out his life.

The most important progenies of this classy dog are:

VA Hektor von Schwaben, DOB: January 5th 1898, Sieger: 1900 - 1901
VA Peter von Pritschen, DOB: December 14th 1900, Sieger: 1902
VA Lux Sparwasser
Nelli Eislingen
Baron von der Krone
Thekla I von der Krone
Thekla von der Krone
Waldine von der

Horand became the father of all German Shepherd Dogs that we find today. And from then onwards the breed went on developing at a fast pace. You will just be amazed to see the the change that this breed has got during its course of development.

Top left: Horand von Grafrath SZ 1 and Marie von Grafrath SZ 2
Middle Right: Peter von Pritschen {Sieger: 1902}
Middle Left: Horand von Grafrath SZ 1
Bottom Right: Hector Schwaben {Sieger: 1900 - 1901}

Botton Left: Luch von Sparwasser {Litter brother of Hektor (later Horand) DOB: January 1st, 1895}

Mind Blowing Litter Is Coming Up Shortly

2007-11-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

Attention dog lovers. This is for those who are looking for a good quality German Shepherd Dog at the most competitive price range. Aringsburg Kennel announces the arrival of a good litter out of highly acclaimed bloodlines.

[REX -- Son of Ch. “Kingsways Move It All Around”] X [Sweety -- Daughter of Ch. “Biz Mark”]

Contact Details: Scroll Down(End of the page) or Click here

History Of German Shepherd Dogs -- Vol-II

2007-10-28T03:46:00.000-07:00

Before you start reading this please check out my last post History Of German Shepherd Dogs -- Vol-I. This is a continuation of the first part.

Both the Thuringian and Wurttemburg sheep dogs were first exhibited in a show held at Hanover in the year 1882 – the year that marked the beginning of the evolution of a dog that was having a mind blowing ability to control herd of sheep. Drastic steps were taken to synchronize these varieties of typical sheep dogs in one single breed. Intelligence and Utility were the watch words for the breeding program. Selective breeding was one of the determining factors in the project. The Swedish sheep dogs were rejected at the very first sight, since they light built body, and lighter bones.

Those dogs were selected that had the typical shepherd qualities, such as expressive heads, moderately lighter weights, good bones and good gait. The dentitions were to be quite strong. The bites were to be quite resistant and such that it would redirect the sheep to the desired direction without damaging. Dogs with erect ears were chosen to get the sound and noise and especially the shepherds’ commands from distant more accurately.

This was how the selection was actually made for the perfectly selective breeding program.

Coming up next! More great facts on how we got such a beautiful creature. Stay tuned.

History Of German Shepherd Dogs -- Vol-I

2007-10-27T11:05:00.000-07:00

Well now, I was thinking of what should I write on this time. How if I write something about the history of the German Shepherd Dogs? This is a very long story indeed. So I've planed to present it in a series of a few distinctive volumes. Just read on. And I'm sure if you are a real GSD fancier, this will be a topic of your real interest.

Germany is the birth place of the breed. The very name gives a very clear cut indication of the fact. The look and the glamour of the German Shepherds Dogs that we find today took almost a century to develop. It was not until the late 19th century that emergence of the breed was noticed. And it’s beyond all doubt that it was due to the far sighted vision of the Prusian cavalry captain Rittmeister Max Emil Frederich von Stephanitz (commonly known by Captain Stephanitz or Captain Max von Stephanitz) that we dogs lovers got such a great gift.

Shepherd dogs were truly wonderful natural working dogs that were used by the shepherds of 18th and 19th century to herd their sheep. Not being descended from a specific origin, those shepherd dogs could not be given the honor of a specific breed with a specific standard. Although they were really varied in appearance and gait but most of them had the true basic instinct to work. Captain’s attention was attracted by two such types of dogs – one that used to work in the highland of Thuringia and the other is from Wurttemburg.

Shepherds Of Thuringia: Shepherd dogs from Thuringia had erect ears, curled tail and were wolf-grey in color. They were stocky and of small stature. There were two main varieties of the Thuringian Sheep Dog: i) short-haired and ii) shaggy-haired.

Shepherds Of Wurttemburg: The Wurttemburg dogs were larger in size with heavy bones and bushy tail. They were comparatively swifter than the shepherds of Thuringia and had good gait but bad ear carriage. They were stocky and of small stature. Alike the Thuringian Sheep Dogs they were of two varieties too: i) short-haired and ii) shaggy-haired.

These two types of dogs were the base of the dfevelopment of the breed. Stay tuned ... coming up more to learn.

11 months Old REX -- Waiting For The Next Command

2007-10-14T00:50:00.000-07:00

I just want to show the apperence of a purebred GSD(while sitting) when viewed side ways. Trainer: Mr. Kanchan Kumar Ghosh (delivering command off the cam.)

Alert, Attentive, Resilient & Anxious for the next command

GSD Acclimatizes To Warfare

2007-10-09T13:18:00.000-07:00

Friends! Lend me your ears please. I’m talking about something regarding Alsatians in wars. Alsatians played a real vital role in the wars, although other breeds such as Airedale terriers, Rottweilers, Collies, Lurchers, Giant Schanuzers, Bull Terriers etc. were also trained to become used to gunfire and bangs of exploding grenades and shells. Training up the war dogs was as important as giving guidance for loading of rifles and hitting the target.

Dogs – especially GSDs used to be the invaluable assets to the European regiment in World War I. The funny thing is that the services of dogs were not appreciated during the early years of the World War I. But they started to gain high respect when it was realized that dogs can accomplish great things. With the demand rising high, the War Office had put forward an appeal before the dog shelters and dog owners to give their dogs for war training. To meet the ever rising demand for a true courageous, intelligent and powerful breed of dogs, an incredible number of 48,000 Alsatians were enlisted with the German war force. The saddest part of the story is that many GSDs(apart from these 48,000 dogs) were forcibly taken from their owners. The time was really hard for the dogs and their owners but they would have to suffer times more harsh if they hadn’t been enrolled in armies. It was becoming increasingly tough for the owners to feed their dearest companions with the progressive wars. Major (later Colonel) James Baldwin served the army by training dogs for the war. He used to teach dogs “Wind Scenting”.

Jet of Iada (Picture in the right)
Jet of Iada was a famous GSD, who became the first wartime search & rescue dog in the world. Jet marked a name of his own and became an example of a perfect Alsatian with accurate degree of smelling instinct. His mind blowing ability of scenting victims out of the rubble and debris of destroyed buildings set Jet apart from the rest.

World War 2 pioneer Search & Rescue dog awarded the Dickin Medal (the canine equivalent of the Victoria Cross) to Jet for his stand out service of saving a lady who was buried in the debris on the top floor of a blitzed building in Chelsea. Jet was also awarded the RSPCA “Medallion For Valour” after he saved a rescue team from a falling rock while searching for victims at William Pit Coal Mine disaster at Whitehaven, Cambria.

After the war Jet (picture: Right above) and his mate Thorn were given the responsibility of leading the Civil Defence section of the Victory Parade in London in June 1946.

Nemo
Alsatian dogs were also desperately used in the Vietnam War. The US soldiers used their basic smelling instincts of the pure bred GSDs to search for the tunnels and detect the smell of the guerrillas. Nemo was the first hero GSD of his kind to return from the Vietnam War. Nemo returned to US with honors, as the first sentry dog who was officially retired from his active service.

Varied Names For The Breed (German Shepherd Dogs And Alsatians)

2007-10-09T12:13:00.000-07:00

Hi folks! One most interesting thing about the breed that is worth talking about here is people’s confusion regarding the name of the breed. I am really tired of explaining people that German Shepherd Dogs and Alsatians are same. Yes my friends, German Shepherd Dogs and Alsatians are same. Learn here how a single breed got varied names. Let’s have a brief look on the history of the breed, spanning back to 18th - 19th centuries.

VARRIED NAMES FOR ONE BREED
At the end of the World War I, it was feared that the German Shepherd Dogs (GSDs) would fail to maintain its glory and would fail to flourish further if the word “GERMAN” had appeared with its name. This is because, during the World Wars, anything with a reference to Germans was not favored in UK. Hence, to avoid the word “GERMAN” in the name, it was decided to use the name “ALSATIAN WOLF DOG” (Remember -- not simply “ALSATIAN” ). Now the question is – “where did term “ALSATIAN” come from?” Why Alsatian? Why not something else?

Here’s why….

The word Alsatian was used after the border area of “ALSACE -- LORRAINE”. ALSACE (pronounced as “ALSASS” in German), which is a region of N.E. France, situated between Mountain VOSGES and River RHINE. This area was a long disputed region — disputed by France and Germany, but was annexed by France during the 17th century, by incorporating a section of Lorraine into Germany in the year 1871 as an Imperial Territory of ALSACE – LORRAINE.

Captin Max Von Stephanitz(father of the breed: full name -- Rittmeister Max Emil Frederich von Stephanitz) continued working on the development of the breed. And with the passage of time the breed went on developing and flourishing all over the world with the name "Alsatian Wolf Dog". Later it was felt that the name shouldn’t be supported by any supportive tag. Finally decision was taken to drop off the word “WOLF DOG” that had long been used as a tag along with the name. The breed was finally named simply as “ALSATIAN” (without the tag).

The esteemed breeders and GSD specialists held numerous campaigns and finally in 1977 the breed once again regained its very own name – GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG (the literal translation from the German term “Deutscher Schäferhund”)

Presently this breed is known as German Shepherd Dog in America, Australia and most of the other parts of the world. The term Alsatian is still valid, although in some parts of the world the breed is also known as ALSATIONS instead of ALSATIANS. Great Britain was the first nation to recognize the breed as Alsatian. The German term is DEUTSCHE SCHAFERHUND, which means GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG. The word “Dog” is an integrated part of the breed original name, and shouldn’t be called simply GERMAN SHEPHERD. The German term is also spelled as DEUTSCHER SCAFERHUND – a very subtle difference in the spelling is hereby noticed.

During each world war, GSD’s popularity in United States was on a desperate wane. But GSD could regain its lost glory and popularity immediately after the wars, when the courageous, royal Alsatians(German Shepherd Dog) had returned back home in their kingly jest from Europe with their soldier masters. And they became really famous as the war dogs, although they were predominantly a breed of working dogs and were recognized under the working group and herding group.

So friends! For God's sake, please don't confuse yourselves with the names of the breed.

Up next.. lets talk about German Shepherd Dogs in Wars. Keep in Touch.

Responsibilities Of A Dog Owner

2007-09-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

The responsibility of an owner or in the other way round, responsible ownership starts before purchasing a dog and never after bringing the dog home. After bringing the dog the responsibility only magnifies. The sense of responsibility starts with at least a short term study about the dogs to know the pros and cons of the story.

Ask certain questions to yourself before you bring the little pooch to your home.
1. Is the breed I am looking for really suites me?
2. Is the home I live in apt for a dog?
3. Do all the members of my family love dogs?
4. Dogs cant be left alone for a long span of time. Am I okay with this?
5. Money you may have. But the other two essential things that is really needed to upkeep a dog, are Time and Energy. Can I afford these for my dog?
6. In the knowledge that, having a pet means having my own child, which is an aspect with high degree of responsibility and demands a lot of sacrifice, can I still afford to keep a dog?
Well, YOUR LITTLE CUTE PUPPY HAS SOMETHING TO SAY :

1. PLEASE ALLOW ME TIME TO UNDERSTAND YOUR BEHAVIOUR, YOUR FAMILY AND THE PLACE.
2. YOU CAN HAVE EVERYTHING -- YOUR OFFICE, YOUR COLLEAGUES, YOUR CHESSBOARD, YOUR SWIMMING POOL --- BUT I HAVE GOT NONE BUT YOU. PLEASE LOVE ME .... IT'S ENOUGH.
4. I NEED ONLY THREE THINGS TO THRIVE WELL -- PURE LOVE, GOOD FOOD AND FRESH WATER.
3. MY LIFE SPAN IS ONLY 9 TO 12 YEARS. ANY SEPARATION FROM YOURSELF DURING MY OLDER DAYS SHALL BE DESPERATELY PAINFUL FOR ME.

REX : The Emperor

2007-08-06T01:45:00.000-07:00

My Passion Of German Shepherd Dogs

2007-08-05T23:39:00.000-07:00

A R I NG S B U R G ’S P R O F I L E

After gathering years of experience by rearing, and staying in close relation with dogs of various breeds since childhood, and keeping close association with dog-lovers, not only in India but also outside the nation, I have taken a few steps to organize the ARINGSBURG KENNEL. Being an admirer of the German Shepherd Dogs (Alsatians), I was determined to present the breed within an affordable range, maintaining the high quality. It is a real pleasure to own a well-bred GSD, and rearing and training it is undoubtedly an unforgettable episode.

With an understanding of the fact, that a proud GSD owner is someone, who adores the company of a well-bred GSD, ARINGSBURG KENNEL has taken a sequence of vital steps to bring forth the GSDs with good pedigree. With a vision to protect the quality of the breed and to restore the breed’s basic inherent instincts, we have taken steps to synchronize, the quality range of well-bred GSDs in various combinations. These dogs have proved, and have been proving themselves in the various esteemed field-trials. By this, we guarantee to bring forth the dogs with those essential traits in them, which make them more useful and reliable, to the owner. It is beyond all controversies, that a well-bred GSD will bear all the desirable characteristics – both structural and psychological. They are bound to be an outstanding, the most reliable and protective companion to their owners.

Above all, I owe millions of thanks to my family members, who are avid dog lovers, for their stretched out helping hands towards me. My cordial thanks are due to my friends who have always encouraged me and have taken the responsibilities of certain aspects – offloading much of my stress. Let me thank Mrs. Ewa Nowak, an experienced GSD fancier and researcher from Poland, who has been helping me unconditionally by imparting the technical know-how regarding the breed. I also owe very special thanks to Mr. John Clifton of United Kingdom and Dr. M.M Kumar of India who have eagerly listened, with enough patience, to my trials and tribulations for hours and have given me sufficient support in this regard.

Mr. John Clifton, is an eminent GSD lover and has been studying on the breed for last few decades. He shares his experiences with me, which comes to a great help for me. ARINGSBURG KENNEL also takes immense pleasure for being fed with requisite knowledge and certain other aid by Mr. Clifton.

We provide puppies not only to be prepared for the show rings but also for preparing it to guard and home pets. Although at the moment, ARINGSBURG is carrying out the project solely on GSD, but high line dogs of other breeds can also be provided. Whatever the breed may be, ARINGSBURG will never compromise with the quality.

ARINDAM GHOSH
Owner and organizer

ARINGSBURG KENNEL

Mob : 9836606840

Res : 033 2686 3756

Mail : aringsburg@gmail.com