How to choose a German Shepherd puppy

The German Shepherd is a very popular breed. There is a great demand and a corresponding offer for puppies of this breed. Therefore, to find an appropriate nursery, professionally engaged in breeding German Shepherd dogs is easy in any country. But before you buy a pet in it, you need to know a few rules - how to choose a German Shepherd puppy.

Choice of nursery or breeder

Before choosing a puppy, you need to decide where you are going to take a puppy. Today on the Internet there are a huge number of ads for the sale of puppies. They are offered by lovers who have received litter from their beloved dog and eminent kennels. Accordingly, prices are different.

On Avito you can buy a puppy from 2000 rubles. up to 25,000 rubles. Prices in the nursery start from 300 to 10,000 dollars. That price can tip the scales in favor of the private owner. This does not mean that his puppies will be worse, but if you are going to buy a pet with a pedigree, a purebred and with a guarantee of future victories at exhibitions, then you can make a profitable purchase only in the nursery.

A puppy from the nursery is not only a future exhibition winner or a thoroughbred producer. Even if you decide to get a faithful companion, the dog from the nursery will be healthy, socially, without hereditary diseases. But in order for the puppy to meet all the requirements, it is necessary:

1. Make sure that the kennel in which you acquire it has a good reputation, and knowledgeable specialists are breeding dogs.
2. To get acquainted with the conditions in which the dogs are kept - whether they have the possibility of a free range.
3. Meet the breeder to personally look at the puppy's parents, to see his pedigree, the “relatives” medical record.
4. A good breeder will honestly and competently answer all your questions and familiarize you with the necessary documents.
5. It should be asked - what criteria guided the breeder, choosing a pair for always. According to the breeder's response, one can judge his serious attitude and professional competence.
6. It would not be amiss to ask about the achievements of pets (prizes, medals, etc.).
7. It is necessary to look at the rest of the dogs, if there are dogs in the kennel with exterior anomalies and deviations in working qualities, this will signal that they are unprofessional in breeding, and there is no guarantee that the puppy you choose is a descendant of the pair shown.

Today, large kennels specializing in a particular breed and individual breeders are engaged in breeding dogs. Important conditions in which dogs are kept, especially large breeds. An experienced owner will ask about the state of health of the bitch:

• at what age did the first mating occur;
• how many times she gave birth;
• how many puppies are in the litter, from which a small shepherd is chosen.

According to the received answers, one can indirectly judge how strong the puppy is, whether the bitch is exhausted. Only after you are convinced that a lot of money will be spent for good reason, and the breeder is worthy of trust, you can proceed to the immediate selection of the puppy.

Definition of puppy selection purpose

The next mandatory item when choosing a German Shepherd puppy is to define a long-term goal. Why did you decide to have a puppy? There are various criteria and goals when choosing. For example, a pet is purchased as:

• future champion;
• manufacturer;
• the guard;
• companion;
• the guide;
• nannies for children;
• service dog.

Much depends on the education and training. However, the working qualities of the dog are inherited and it is necessary to become familiar with them when choosing a puppy. If you choose an elite representative, then you should ask about the pedigree, the purity of the breed and the achievements of the offspring of this particular pair.

But even such careful selection does not guarantee for 100% that a champion will grow from a puppy. A show class puppy is 3 times more expensive than an ordinary dog, and must have full compliance with the breed qualities described in the standard. It is raised and grown, immediately emphasizing the development of high exterior qualities.

Breed-class puppies or breeding should not have deviations from the standard, must have good health and be suitable for breeding. Pets, companions or puppies of a pet-class may have minor variations in the exterior, which will not allow their use in breeding, but will not affect their character, health and devotion.

It is also important to determine the sex of a puppy. After all, males and bitches of the German shepherd differ not only in size and weight, but also in working qualities:

Males		Bitches
pros	Minuses	pros	Minuses
More stable nervous system	Harder to achieve submission	Easier to train, more learnable	Lose performance during estrus
Physically much stronger and stronger	Have a tendency to dominate	Less aggressive and less prone to social dominance	Not suitable for service in the period of carrying puppies and caring for babies
Unpretentious content	Difficult to control in the presence of bitches during heat	Easier managed	Less strong physically and hardy
Workable all year round	Require more stringent and continuous monitoring	Easier to adapt

When choosing a puppy German shepherd should take into account their own experience in raising representatives of this breed. A less experienced dog breeder should take a bitch with whom it is easier to find a common language. Experienced dog breeders say that emotionally bitch is more attached to the house and the owners, her reaction is thinner and richer, which is captivating, especially when acquiring a pet or companion.

The female is less aggressive, gets along better with children, more savvy. German zoopsychologist Konrad Lawrence argued that the bitch from all representatives of four-legged is closest in terms of subtlety of perception, emotionality and the ability for true friendship to a person.

In males the owner can be attracted by their natural autonomy, ability to serve, intelligence, loyalty, tirelessness, dedication. But the dog needs more physical activity, it takes even longer to walk with him because of the desire to mark the territory.

The next criterion when choosing a German Shepherd puppy is its psychological health, socialization and behavior in the litter.

Puppy character and behavior

Many character traits are transmitted to offspring from their parents. It is worth seeing how the parents of the puppy behave, whether they have excessive aggressiveness, cowardice, hysteria. German Shepherd puppies are distinguished by curiosity, craving for research and everything new, if these traits are absent, the dog will not adapt well, will grow passive and lacking initiative.

Some dog owners do not advise choosing a puppy if it looks depressed and shy in its litter. But shepherds often in the midst of their peers form groups that are hostile with each other, winning the lead. It is worth picking up such a puppy from its brute brothers, and it will become cheerful and active, and with good upbringing it will be bold, loyal and faithful, as a German shepherd is supposed to be.

Cowardly puppies are afraid of people, noise, new surroundings. You should not entertain the hope that such a puppy will grow up brave. Weak psyche is difficult to adjust education.

The puppy should be socialized, which will facilitate its adaptation to a new house, its inhabitants, children. It is worth avoiding too aggressive, gloomy, timid puppies. This testifies not only to poor heredity and improper upbringing, but also to the isolation of the puppy.

Foreign dog experts advise taking a puppy from a mother at the age of 50-65 days, which positively affects their character, psyche and socialization. In Russian kennels, puppies are taken away earlier, which may have long-term consequences.

To acquire a companion, you should immediately pay attention to a balanced, non-aggressive, learnable and intelligent dog. The German Shepherd is one of the few "multifunctional" dogs that can be raised for almost any purpose. But in order to properly and easily do this, it is necessary to take into account the nature of the animal.

Shepherd puppy is the most inquisitive and lively, which indicates its mental development. But for a non-professional, and even more so for a person who first decided to have a puppy, it is difficult to properly assess the psycho-emotional characteristics of a baby.

To determine the nature and mental abilities of a puppy, use a simple and accessible test developed by the American zoopsychologist William Kemble. It consists of 5 parts and helps to determine:

• contact or desire to communicate a puppy;
• the ability of the baby to follow the person;
• desire for resistance or test for obedience;
• desire for social domination;
• self-esteem (test for elevation).

It is recommended to conduct these tests with puppies of 6-8 weeks of age. The duration of each stage or test does not exceed 30 seconds, due to the psychology of the dog. Before you choose a puppy you like, you should spend a few minutes to determine the nature of the future pupil, his ability to learn, the need for professional and strict training.

After this stage has been passed, the exterior, breed properties, as well as the puppy's health should be carefully assessed.

Evaluation of the appearance of a puppy

Particular care should be taken to assess the exterior of show dogs and dogs-producers. By the appearance of the future pet you can not quibble so strictly. But often anomalies of the exterior indicate pathologies. A German Shepherd puppy should look like this:

1. Clear, clean almond-shaped eyes of dark color. Discharge from the eyes and bulge are unacceptable. If the puppy is less than 30-40 days, then his eyes may have a bluish tint, which disappears over time.
2. Head with a narrow forehead. The muzzle is not sharp. Well visible transition from the forehead to the nose.
3. Hanging ears, set high, clean. Standing tips in puppies younger than 3 months may indicate a calcium imbalance in the body. From the ears should not smell unpleasant - this is a sign of the inflammatory process.
4. The jaws have a scissor bite - the upper jaw goes beyond the lower. Incomplete dentition, accrete teeth, bite anomalies will not only prevent the breed from continuing, but also affect the health of the digestive system.
5. The backbone of the puppy should be strong, smooth legs. Twisted paws - a sign of rickets. Large joints are a characteristic feature of a sheepdog puppy. With age, it is aligned.
6. Taurus should be sufficiently well-fed, which indicates good nutrition. Ribs should not be visible. Big belly may indicate helminthiasis.
7. It is important to pay attention to the slope of the croup. In a puppy, he should subside to the tail. Insufficiently sloping croup with age will lead to the fact that the shepherd will throw up its legs when moving.
8. The tail should not have breaks, knots, defects. When a puppy is moving, it should not fall back too much or curl into a ring.
9. Wool should be smooth, shiny, pleasant to smell. There should be no haircuts. With age, the coat will become even longer, which will spoil the appearance of the dog.
10. The skin on the abdomen should not be damaged and rash.
11. The mucous membranes should be pink and clean.
12. Spout - wet.

It is important to assess the gait of a puppy. You should see how he moves freely, without a leash. If the puppy throws its hind legs to the side, the straightness of the gait is broken, which is a defect.

After the puppy is selected, it is worth consulting with the breeder about his nutrition. Some well-known breeders give a puppy to a new owner if the dog willingly goes to him, choosing his friend for life.

Choosing a puppy is a responsible and important action that requires knowledge, time and some effort on your part. Do not rush - taken a puppy dishonestly and brutally return or hand over. After all, it was not for nothing that the great R. Kipling said: “Buy a puppy, and you will gain the most devoted love in the world.”