German Shepherd Grooming And Care Tips For Owners
German Shepherd Grooming And Care Tips For Owners: GSDs have a double-layered coat that sheds excessively & needs moderate brushing & bathing.
GSD or German Shepherd is a breed of dog which is very energetic and loves to play beside their behavior, German shepherd is just like many other long-haired dog breeds that shed a lot, so regular care and Grooming is necessary for them, Grooming your German shepherd is not a difficult job because German Shepherd is not so high-maintenance dogs but they require little maintenance because to keep your home clean during shedding seasons. An owner should choose a good quality brush or best brush for a long-haired German shepherd, a shedding rake for a German shepherd, and buy a German shepherd Grooming kit.
Many German shepherd’s owners are concerned about how to groom a German shepherd dog, how to cut a German shepherd’s hair, and often ask for German shepherd bathing tips. German Shepherds have a double-layered coat which consists of an Undercoat and an Outer coat. The coat is of medium size and dense and this dense coat sheds a lot so it requires to be groomed after 4 to 8 weeks and during shedding seasons of fall, springs, and summers it requires more frequent grooming, an owner should choose a de-shedding tool and best hair clippers for German shepherd during shedding seasons.
Regular care is required to make these loyal and lovely dogs healthy and happy. We should take care of their Eyes, Coat, Teeth, Ears and etc and an owner should follow some tips and tricks. In order to keep your dog healthy regular grooming is not enough German shepherds are very energetic dogs and there are some exercise requirements to keep them calm and a good owner should take his dog to the vet for a regular health checkup to avoid health-related issues.
Here we will discuss Caring and Grooming of a German shepherd dog and We will know about:
- Grooming
- Vaccination
- Diet
- Exercise
Grooming of German Shepherd
German shepherds are famous for their intelligence and strength but it’s not their abilities that make them popular, it’s their look which increases their popularity. Grooming GSDs have a dense double coat of medium length consisting of the topcoat and undercoat, although they have a dense coat they didn’t require much maintenance some grooming and care are required because German shepherds shed a lot. Their Undercoat shed all the year and their topcoat shed twice a year. German shepherds usually shed heavily during spring and fall and usually shed all year long. Grooming is necessary to maintain the hygiene level of your dog.
Bathing a German shepherd
Bathing is one of the most important steps in Grooming your GSD. It will not only make him hygienic as well as healthy as it helps in getting rid of various germs from the body of your dog. Bathing will add additional beauty to the coat of your dog, it will help in cleansing the coat of your dog and makes the fur look more silky and shiny. Your German shepherd would love to bathe in summers as it makes their body temperature low and removes the dead hair from their body and eventually makes them feel cool & comfortable during hot summer days.
Some GSD’s owners make their dog bath too much will cause the loss of natural oils from their coat and makes their skin dry and flaky. You can bathe your dog once in a couple of months.
If your dog has fleas in its coat you can make him a bath more to get rid of fleas, in such a situation you should use an anti-flea spray or a good shampoo by asking a Vet to remove fleas from your dog’s coat.
Brushing a German shepherd or combing
German shepherds shed too much, so brushing is necessary to keep your dog and home clean and make him feel comfortable. The German shepherd has a dense and double coat which shed all year and they shed heavily during spring and fall. During summers daily brushing is important because it removes extra hair from their body and makes them feel cool and comfortable. On normal days you should brush your German shepherd at least twice a week.
Best brush for German shepherds
The German shepherd has a dense and heavy coat so any good rake brush should be good for the dog or you should use any good de-shedder comb suggested by Vet.
Teeth cleaning for German shepherd
Brushing or Teeth cleaning is very important for your GSD’s health, it prevents gum diseases, removes tartar, and avoids bad breath. Dogs have a natural antibiotic in their saliva but brushing is too important for them. You should brush your German shepherd’s teeth about once a week by using dog-friendly toothpaste to keep its teeth healthy. You should try brushing their teeth slowly and in a circular motion to prevent bleeding.
Trimming toenails of German shepherds
Trimming of Toenails is also important you should check your GSD’s nails that they are not too long and whenever you found them long you can trim them carefully because it can also hurt your dog’s toe if it is done carelessly, nail clipping is done to prevent injuries to you and your dog by grown-up long nails. You can use any good dog nail clipper or you can go to a Vet.
Cleaning of German shepherd’s ear
Cleaning of the ear is done carefully because if it is done carelessly it can harm its ear. Whenever you notice that your GSD is building up wax in his ear you should clean it or take him to a Vet for the same. A cotton swab should never be used for cleaning, you can use a cotton ball to clean wax. Apply a wax cleansing solution to your dog’s ear (recommended by your Vet) then start massaging the base of your dog’s ear, your German shepherd will start shaking his head, and don’t stop him from doing it and after it, you can wipe the wax or waste from your dog’s ear gently.
Vaccination for German Shepherd
Vaccination is one of the most important parts of raising a dog, A German shepherd comes in contact with many dangerous diseases and health problems in his lifetime and some of them can even kill your GSD and can cause a loss of money as well but many of them can be avoided by vaccination. In simple words, vaccination is the protection of a dog or any other pet from various diseases. Puppy Vaccinations for German shepherd puppy should be start given from the age of 6 weeks and then repeated at 12, and 16 weeks for vaccinations like Leptospirosis (Lepto), Distemper, Infectious Canine Hepatitis (ICH), Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, and DHLPPC. Rabies Vaccination should be given at the age of six months and it should be repeated after one year.
An owner should get his Puppy to a vet and make sure that your German shepherd puppy has had all necessary immunization according to his age.
Diet for German shepherd
German Shepherd is a large-sized dog breed and due to their large size and high energy level, GSDs require a high-quality diet that should be perfectly packed with carbohydrates, Protein, Energy, and vitamins to maintain and increase their strength level and this is a basic requirement to make your dog healthy. A dog will not be healthy if its diet is not perfect. Many German shepherd owners are feeding the wrong diet to their dogs, the reason is that many dog owners didn’t know what is the nutritional requirements of German shepherds.
Some of the dog owners choose vitamins supplements but they didn’t know the side effects of those supplements, some of them can harm blood vessels and many of them can damage bones and harm joints of the dog. So dog owners should avoid these vitamins supplements.
Diet and Nutritional requirements of German shepherds depend upon the growth stages of the dog.
We will now discuss the Diet and Nutritional needs for a German shepherd Puppy
Diet for a Small German shepherd (Puppy)
It is a little tough to choose a good diet for a German shepherd puppy because their immunity is not so strong and any bad quality food can affect their health negatively. Good quality of diet is required for puppy because for proper growth and development of the puppy’s body.
During the Weaning Process, a puppy should be given a Wet food that should be easily digested, make sure to feed it about 3 to 4 times a day but don’t feed them too much that they start vomiting.
when a German shepherd puppy is 3 to 4 weeks old it puppy should be given a little-little amount of Porridge or other wet food about 3 to 4 times a day and when a puppy becomes 6 to 8 weeks old the puppy should be given moistened dry food.
Diet for a Grown-up German shepherd (Adult Dog)
German shepherds are very energetic dogs and they need a healthy and nutritious diet to maintain their health. The Diet of a grown-up GSD requires at least 22% of the protein in his diet and the fat content should be about 5 to 8% in his diet. Many dog owners feed their dogs with Raw meat which is not good for dogs’ health as it can cause stomach infection and indigestion in German shepherds. Wheat and Bread should be avoided. You can feed your German shepherd a good dog food of good brand by asking a Vet, besides dog food Rice, Porridge, Ragi, Milk and Cooked Meat to your German shepherd.
Exercise for German shepherd
German shepherds were herding dogs in their past and breeds which are in hunting, herding, and working groups are very energetic and this means they require daily exercise. GSDs Exercise needs or requirements are not so high. A German shepherd dog requires about 30 minutes to 2 hours of exercising daily and at least two times walks in a day as they shouldn’t get bored and become lazy. It will make your dog physically active and help in making the energy level constant and burning extra fat from his body. Exercising and walking will also help in strengthening the bond between you and the German shepherd as you will spend more time with your dog.
How much Exercising is good for German shepherds?
Although they are very energetic and powerful, they also get tired and if they get too tired in a single day they will start resisting exercising the next time only. So you should be aware that your dog shouldn’t be too tired and give him time to rest whenever he needs. Whenever you take him out for Exercising or walk you should also check that the weather isn’t too hot because exercising in hot weather can cause heatstroke to your dog. Dogs get overheated easily and quicker than humans so it should be good to take them outside for exercising only in Morning and Evening. Always keep your dog hydrated by providing him with fresh water to drink.
Some signs of Heatstroke in German shepherds
- Bruising
- Difficulty in breathing
- Vomit
- Increased Heart rate
Your German shepherd will not do Exercising on its own, there are many ways you can exercise your dog:
Morning walk and running
It is the most common way of exercising your German Shepherd, It is the easiest and convenient way of exercising for the dog as well as humans. You should take your GSD to walk at least twice a day. The perfect time to go jogging with your dog is morning time. You can go to any park or often go for long walks with your dog which is good for both pets and owners. You should try choosing a different path after some days so that your dog didn’t get bored of the same path.
Swimming
If you love Swimming your German Shepherd can act as a good companion to you because GSDs love to swim. Swimming is very beneficial for your dog as it uses almost all the muscles and it doesn’t put any strain on joints. Your dog will not get easily bored of it, so it is both entertaining and beneficial for your dog as it burns energy and is good for the front leg and shoulder muscles.
Frisbee toss
Frisbee toss is different from fetch because catching a ball is easier than catching a frisbee. It requires agility and timing to catch a frisbee. Frisbee toss is a fun way of exercising your German shepherd. Initially, you will see that your dog will fail to catch frisbee but after some try, you will be amazed to observe the acrobatic skills of your dog. It will be really beneficial for your dog as it is a great energy burner and it will increase the agility of the body of your dog.
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