Moorland German Shepherds

A stuffed Kong is a great treat to have on hand for when pups are teething, going through adolescence, deserving of a reward, or in need of staying occupied while you are away! Having a rotation kept in the freezer is never a bad idea! https://www.puppyleaks.com/healthy-foods-you-can-stuff-in-/

Want to know how to create an anti-social dog - one that reacts each and every time they see a new person or dog - then continue to allow her to have random, mi...sguided, unpredictable interactions with everything that catches her fancy. As cute and fun as it may seem to allow your puppy to greet new dogs while on leash during your walks, it is one of the most ill-advised forms of socialization out there. We all know it’s extremely important for your new pup to be exposed to as many new things as possible, but we don’t want the overly excited greetings from new people or dogs to become triggers for arousal that encourage jumping, barking, or pulling on leash, or breaking a command. When a dog owner allows her puppy to pull her to a stranger to pet their dog, not only are you elevating her state of mind, but you are also inevitably reinforcing two things - even more excitement the next time she sees someone new, and complete, and utter disconnect from the human holding the end of the leash. When we allow high value distractions to allure our dogs (strangers soliciting pets or on leash greetings with other dogs), the distractions become your dog's priority over you. Your calm, relaxing walks begin to unravel, and your dog is now hyper-reactive to each and every passerby on the street. A dog that fancies his handler over its environment IS the well-socialized dog... not the dog that pulls his owner to greet every passerby.

Did you know that neutering/spaying your dog prior to maturity (around 18 months for a GSD) can increase the risk of orthopaedic disorders, bone cancer, hypothyroidism as well as many other health issues? Some great information can be found below on neutering/spaying, suggestions on when to have the procedure done, and risks of having it done too early:

One of the First questions I ask clients who come to me for advice on behavior or training for obedience is, Why did you Choose this breed? So many times the... answer is, Because they are really cool dogs! This, of course, is not a valid reason for choosing one breed over another. When you see a dog doing what he was bred to do, harkening back to his ancestors whispering into their ears, telling them exactly how they should perform the task....well, it can make you weep. EVERY dog needs a job, a purpose to validate them. A job that makes them stand proud and causes his tail to wag and his heart to smile. Dogs were bred to work alongside humans, and they consider that a high calling.....along with educating us..... And if one does not have sheep for a Collie or rabbits for a Beagle, or rats for a Terrier, there are still other functions for them to perform within their households. Our job is to find that activity, introduce it to the dog, and enjoy the companionship. There's a woman that jogs with her GSD every day by the Indiana K9 Learning Center. She puts a prong collar on her huge working dog and off they go. We had a nice visit over the fence the other day. I complimented her on her dog's manners. I stood about six feet from her when we initially met and he was relaxed and unconcerned. (And no, I didn't ask if I could pet him). That's when I find out what a mean owner she is. Her large GSD carries a doggy style backpack with water in it and she's been told that's mean. She stopped at a yard sale, bought some books, put them in the backpack and she was told that's mean. She's been chastised for running her dog with her because running a dog is mean. I'm not sure why someone would feel that a 100 pound working breed isn't capable of carrying 10 pounds of books but someone did. I'd say that person has never looked up what a GSD was bred for. It's bred for work! I know a Canadian that has huge herds of sheep free ranging on hundreds of acres. He has two border collies that he sends out as a team to round them up and bring them in to be counted. They'd go out before the sun was up and by mid afternoon they'd have them gathered in a large pen for him. He'd do a head count, open the gate and off they'd go. Imagine the intelligence and duration those dogs have to do that seven days a week! Now take those dogs and put them in an apartment. Yowza! How about the frustrated woman who brought her German Short Haired Pointer in for classes...AKC's website said the breed is "easy to train" so she got one. She's a white collar wife with a young son who lives in a suburban neighborhood. That breed may be easy to train for a hunter or someone that is experienced with independent, strong willed breeds but she was really struggling with him. His energy level, strong personality and tenacity is a requirement for the job he was bred to do but a typical owner will really struggle with this breed. Can we all agree on something right here, right now? Every dog that is in a home, in a shelter, in the show ring, or anywhere else comes from someone that was breeding dogs for a purpose. It may be way back in the dog's pedigree but it's there. Hunting, fighting, chasing, pulling, retrieving, protecting, patrolling, killing...your dog laying at your feet right now has ancestors that did at least one of those tasks very, very well. Those instincts don't disappear when they walk through your front door and become your family pet. There's a reason terriers are tough! Because you have to be a tenacious little shit to go down a hole after a rodent bigger than you knowing you're likely to get bitten. There's a reason you can't get your beagle's nose off the ground during agility classes. Watch a youtube video of beagles in the field! There's a reason your whippet wants to chase every squirrel in the yard. Watch a youtube video of sighthounds lure coursing! There's a reason that cattle dogs go in low and nip anything moving. Watch a youtube video of them working cattle! Here's the kicker...a cattle dog that goes in low and nips is probably the result of someone's responsible breeding. Same with the beagle, the whippet and the border collie. Those are desirable behaviors in each breed. Understanding the propensity of certain behaviors in breeds and mixes will help owners understand where the behavior is coming from. It doesn't mean the dog gets a free pass for the behavior, but someone looking for an agility dog may not want to go with a bloodhound "because I just love their ears" or a herding breed "because I want a dog to lay around all weekend with." All of us in the dog industry, including shelters and rescues, have a responsibility to the dogs we're in charge of and the people that want to add them to their family. We're responsible to educate the uneducated. - Michelle Steigmeyer, Indiana K9 Learning Center Book reference: Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds by Caroline Coile, PHD. #SupportResponsibleBreeders #ResponsibleOwners #PurposeBred #Purebred #Dogs

Great graphic from Dave Kroyer

Happy Mother’s Day!