Cold weather care for your German Shepherd is something to plan for. Even in southern locals cold weather is possible.
You need to plan ahead for the cold weather months. Your German Shepherd will need extra effort on your part. This may include some special purchases.
When your German Shepherd has been in the snow and ice carefully inspect his paws. Ice can cut the paws and snow stuck in between the pads can be detrimental.
At your local pet store you will find essentials in caring for your German Shepherd dog in severe cold.

I saw an interesting television program today that spoke of an unusual health problem that German Shepherd dogs sometimes suffer from. It is known as cold tail, but may also be called limber tail or wash tail.
During a bout of cold tail, the tail on the dog goes limp and the dog begins to bite at the tail as if trying to rip it off.
The condition is not serious and will go away on its own within 23 days. The condition is known as cold tail because it seems to be associated with swimming in cold water
The current hypothesis is that cold tail is the result of a muscle contraction or spasm.

Clipping my German Shepherds claws always makes me nervous. I take great care not to cut too much away from the nail so that I dont cut into the vein or quick and cause painful bleeding.
While some dogs claws have a clear whiteness to them, my German Shepherd has dark claws, which makes it harder to see the quick.
I use small clippers and take a little bit off the end at a time, until I see the vein coming through.
I always keep an antiseptic bandage nearby, in case of an accident. Between trimmings, I also let my German Shepherd run around on concrete to help dull the ends of his nails.

I had used the clicker to train my last dog and found that it worked wonders so, when I got my German Shepherd, I started clicker training with him.
I couldnt find a clicker so I ran down to the pet supply store and bought one for fewer than five dollars. Then I prepared a mix of cheddar cheese and bacon bits to help in keeping my German Shepherds attention on the training.

Anytime my German Shepherd hears the click sound, he knows that he performed something that I esteem to be correct. Every click is followed or reinforced by a treat, this rewards my German Shepherd and keeps his attention on methe food provider.
For instance, if I wanted my German Shepherd puppy to learn to sit, I would lure him into position, click as his bottom hit the floor and reinforce the behavior with a food incentive. I would add a verbal command only after he was used to being lured into the position.

My little German Shepherd baby has truly made his crate his own little den; a place where he can hide from the world (and the little brat next door!). Today after a long morning of running around the yard with Corey, the puppy suddenly decided he had had enough. He came back to the door, waited for me to let him in and went straight to his crate, to lay down and have a nap.
I have made it a habit now to leave the crate door open when we are home, and the puppty seems to have recognized it, because in he went to lay down and take a nap. It was so cute. It truly is his sleeping space now.
Crating was something I wasnt very gungho about when Mike suggested we try it with the puppy, but that little sweetie seems to have really taken to it. He knows that he has a space that I dont really mess with (other than washing the bedding) and no one else is allowed to interrupt him when he is in the crate either. It is his quiet time and his space and the puppy really seems to appreciate that.

Of course, Corey tried to get near the crate to get the puppy back out to play some more, but I didnt let him near it. I told him that the dog was resting and we wouldnt want to interrupt his nap. Then, as if magic, Corey decided to take a nap too! It was a great solution all the way around.

It didnt take me long to discover that my German Shepherds bad behaviors were ruining relationship. I started hunting for a good, reliable dog trainer to help me put things in perspective.
The best way to know what a trainer has to offer is to take in one of their classes and see for yourself. When I attended theses Openhouse classes, I also talked with other dog owners and found out what they thought about the trainers techniques.
The other dog owners were candid and told me about which trainers to stay away from and which ones they heard were the best. After hearing some of the horror stories, I knew whom not to let train my German Shepherd.
Eventually, I settled on taking him to a class that used food incentives, instead of force and we had a great time learning in that environment.

It is very important to care for my German Shepherds teeth and gums just as I would my own. I make sure he has adequate chew toys and bones to help remove plaque and tartar build up and I have found several yummy busy bones at the local supermarket that act as both a nutritious treat and dental help.
However, brushing my German Shepherds teeth is by far the best protection for his mouth I can give.
When first starting to brush your German Shepherds teeth, use specially formulated dog toothpaste and begin slowly. It is helpful to use a child size toothbrush or even one that can slide onto your finger. Brush for only a few seconds and gradually increase the duration over several weeks.
Not only does proper canine dental hygiene improve the quality of life for your German Shepherd, it also reinforces the bond of trust you share as dog and owner.

Make sure you care for your German Shepherd as he ages. He has been there for you his entire life. He wants nothing more than to be with you every waking moment.
Taking the time to rub his shoulder joints or his stomach will make your dog feel better and it works well for yourself.
Caring for your German Shepherd as he ages means making changes so that your dog can still go for rides.
There can be a lot of fulfillment in helping your old friend as he ages. What is better than his best friend helping him?

When you plan to take a road trip, finding your routes and calculating fuel costs are some of the basic things to plan, but when you car travel with your German Shepherd you have a lot more to consider.
While traveling with your German Shepherd can be a lot of fun, remember that while you might be able to make it till you need gas, your German Shepherd probably cant.
Plan ahead for your car travel with your German Shepherd. You may need to get a second set of keys so that he is safe while you use the bathroom.
Car travel with your German Shepherd means that you need to decide beforehand if you will kennel him in the car or if you let him lay wherever he wants.

I wanted to keep my darlings coat in the best possible shape at all time, but I wasnt sure how. I realized that I needed to figure out exactly what you need to groom your German Shepherd. What I found was that for daily and basic maintenance grooming all I needed was a good quality bristle brush.
It is now part of our daily routine to give the baby a full body brushing. I like being able to spend the oneonone time with him and I know exactly when we need to consider bathing or treating for fleas or other parasites.
Lucky for me, he seems to enjoy the massaging affects of the brushing too. He gets very excited when I reach for the brush.
There are times we get a big pile of dead hair, and times we dont get much at all, but Im sure it all feels good to get off of him.