German Shepherd Dog Short-haired

The German Shepherd is a medium-sized dog with a slightly elongated but compact body, well-muscled. The German Shepherd Dog Short-haired is one of the most popular breeds in the world, including Poland. This is no surpise because this dog has many great features. It is distrustful of strangers and treats them with slight detachment, although it does not show aggression unprovoked. We can feel completely safe with it. It will alert us to any threat, and if necessary, it is ready to defend the family. However, it tends to bark.

During training, we must be consistent and cool-headed. It is an intelligent and independent animal. After careful and fruitful guidance our dog will obey us but still think independently, it will always be self-confident. Training should be carried out with other family members so that it can also adapt to their instructions. When it comes to children, the Shepherd Dog will be a great friend for theirs, although you should be careful with little kids. It is a large dog and, for the sake of children, the time spent with it should be supervised. The Shepherd Dog will adapt to all housing conditions, let it only be close to its guardian. It can live both in a block of flats and in a house with a garden.

It should be noted that German Shepherd Dogs need human presence. They do not like being alone for a long time, then they can become nervous. When it comes to other pets, we have nothing to worry about. They are very tolerant, although the male may sometimes show superiority over other dogs.

The German Shepherd Dog is a balanced and self-confident dog, gentle and alert. If we combine its courage, strenuousness and strengh, we will get a companion dog, as well as a protector, a guardian, a police dog and a shepherd dog.

• Coat

The short-haired variation requires brushing every few days. However, this should be done as often as possible during shedding. It's good to know that dogs kept outside tend to have a much denser coat than those kept inside. Baths are only recommended when necessary. The coat of the show dog should be looked after much more carefully.

• Eyes

The dog's eyes should only be cleaned of secretions using a cotton swab and a dedicated fluid, and checked from time to time to make sure that there is nothing abnormal with them. This breed is susceptible to conjunctivitis.

• Ears

It is quite easy for a GermanShepherd Dog Short-haired to contract otitis so you need to check your dog's ears regularly and keep them clean.

• Claws

German Shepherd's claws are worn down relatively easily but it's worth keeping an eye on them and trimming them if necessary.

• black with tan: reddish, fawn, yellow or light grey

A small white spot on the chest and a lighter colour on the inside of the legs are acceptable but undesirable. The nose must always be black, whatever the colour of the coat. Lack of mask or very pale eyes, light or white markings on the chest and inside of the legs, light nails or a red tip of the tail should be assessed as pigmentation deficiencies. The undercoat is light grey. White color of coat is not allowed.

The coat is very dense, harsh and close-lying. The head, ears and paws are short-haired. Hair is slightly longer around the neck.

The German Shepherd Dog Short-haired needs a good food that will provide it with all the necessary nutrients for its proper development. However, before a puppy of this breed comes to our home, it is worth considering what kind of feeding is best for it.

Dry food is convenient to serve, properly balanced and intended for a given age of the dog. For a puppy, we choose food dedicated to puppies of large breeds. They have larger amounts of vitamins in their composition. Store shelves are full of various types of dry food. It should be remembered that the composition of a given food should not contain cereals, and that the first items in the composition should be, for example, fresh lamb meat or dried rabbit meat. For puppies, the food should contain between 27% and 30% protein. Too much of it in the food can significantly accelerate the growth and development of the dog, which in turn may adversely affect the proper development of joints and cartilage. We should avoid foods that contain bone meal or animal by-products.
The Barf diet is also a very good solution. This method of nutrition is based on giving the dog raw meat, offal, eggs, meat bones and fish. These products provide the body of our four-legged friend with amino acids, vitamins, fatty acids and minerals.

The Barf diet means variety, the more different types of meat and giblets, the better for our dog. The bowl can also contain vegetables and fruit, which are responsible for supplying the body with fiber and small amounts of carbohydrates. This diet does not include rice, pasta or groats. Unprocessed meat free from dyes and artificial preservatives, provided that it is purchased from a legal and proven source, provides the right amount of bacteria and enzymes, which has a positive effect on the functioning of the dog's body. This method of nutrition has a great influence on the appearance and condition of the dog, so it is worth getting acquainted with it in detail.
Choosing the right diet is very important, especially during periods of intense growth.

If we decide to feed the dog with dry food or Barf, please remember that the meal should be well-balanced so that it provides the necessary nutrients responsible for the proper development of the young organism. When establishing a diet, we must also take into account the dog's lifestyle.

This breed is resistant to weather conditions but there are many diseases that can affect it, including:

• hip and elbow dysplasia
• osteochondrosis
• conjunctivitis
• otitis
• rectal furuncle
• muscle tiredness
• pancreatic insufficiency
• juvenile osteitis
• zinc-dependent dermatosis