9 Ways to Keep Your German Shepherd Puppies Healthy

When you get a new pet, it is important that you know what you are getting yourself into. Learning how to keep your puppies happy and healthy will ensure that they live a long life. The cuteness and curiosity of German Shepherd puppies are what makes them a popular breed.

Since every dog breed has special health quirks, there is a lot that you need to learn. The fact is that knowledge is power. Besides, it is your responsibility as a pet owner to know how to properly care for your pups. Here are some useful tips that will help you look after a German Shepherd dog.

1.     Choose the Right Breeder

The first and foremost measure to ensure the health of a puppy is to buy one from a genuine and reputable breeder who health tests their dogs. This will help ensure that your puppy is healthy and free of genetic diseases.

The health, nutrition, and physical activity of pet parents matters a lot in the health of the litter. Therefore, make sure to choose a breeder that provides excellent care o pet parents before and after conception.

Finally, the right breeders will provide the proper care and nutrition to puppies when they are born. For 6 – 8 weeks, the right breeders will focus on vaccinating, deworming, and grooming puppies so they are healthy and well-adjusted when they reach your home.

You cannot expect the same from puppy mills and backyard breeders, which often leads to health issues in puppies from an early age. Therefore, choosing the right breeder is the best thing you can do. Click here to find out authentic breeders in your area.

2.     Provide the Right Nutrition

One of the best ways to keep your puppies healthy is by providing them with the right nutrition. Due to the size and intelligence of the breed, the importance of a healthy diet cannot be stressed enough.

Avoid buying low-quality dog food as they are packed with artificial ingredients and fillers and puts your pup at risk for allergies and infections. Hence, you must get top-quality food to ensure that you provide the right balance of fiber, carbs, and protein. 

Take your time when shopping for dog food for your puppies. Conduct proper research into the food brand and read the ingredient list. It is a good idea to ask your local vet for recommendations on what to feed your bundle of joy.

3.     Feed Your Puppies the Right Amount of Food

Next, you must avoid overfeeding your puppies. If they become overweight, they will experience various health problems such as mood disorders and kidney problems.

Besides, the excess weight would put stress on their bones and joints. In fact, it would increase the likelihood of painful diseases emerging, such as arthritis. Therefore, you must feed the right amount of food to your pups. It would ensure that they remain fit and healthy.

To determine how much you should feed your puppies, you should consider their age, energy level, and weight. In addition to this, it is also best that you read the feeding instructions and ask your local vet. Do not overfeed or underfeed them.

On average, a German Shepherd pup requires around 500 calories daily. Once it is over 15 months old, it would need 1,600 calories every day. Make sure that its diet has a protein intake of 18% to 22%.

As a pet parent, you need to know which foods are dangerous to the breed. Watch out for the following to keep your pup healthy.

• Avocado
• Caffeine
• Cherries
• Chocolate
• Garlic
• Grapes and raisins
• Onions
• Shallots
• Chives
• Potato
• Salt
• All types of Nuts

If your pup accidentally eats something wrong, it would suffer from lethargy, diarrhea, and vomiting. It is crucial that you take urgent action if it eats something toxic. Contact your vet for advice to ensure that you take the right action.

4.     Offer Proper Socialization

Socialization is just as important to a young German Shepherd as food. It helps prevent behavioral problems such as people’s aggression and depression.

Having a well-adjusted dog makes it easier for you to take it along wherever you go. It would also ensure that it is happier and healthier.

On the other hand, if your puppies are poorly socialized, they would experience stress and anxiety. Hence, you must provide them opportunities to socialize. It will help improve the quality and length of their life.

The easiest way to socialize your puppies is by taking them outside. As soon as your puppies have received their shots from the vet, you can take them out and introduce them to the world. It would enable them to explore and play properly as well as interact with others. Moreover, it is best that you get them to socialize early on to prevent social anxiety.

5.     Ensure Mental and Physical Exercise

If there is one thing that you need to look after when you get puppies, it is that they engage in mental and physical exercise. It would help keep them happy and healthy. Take your pups out for walks and get them to exercise so that they are actually tired.

Failing to provide adequate exercise would only result in your pet looking for alternative ways to keep entertained, such as knocking things down, chewing on valuables, barking, and digging up your yard.

As German Shepherds are known for their high energy, a daily walk is non-negotiable. Similarly, mental exercise is just as important. You must provide puzzle toys to get it to put its mind to the test.

6.     Take Your Pups for Regular Vet Check-Ups

Another great way to keep your puppies healthy is by taking them for regular vet check-ups. The sooner an illness is identified, the more likely it would be for them to get treated. Make sure that you take your pet to the vet every six months for a check-up.

In addition to the above, your dogs will need to get their shots on time. It would prevent heartworms from causing any trouble.

7.     Bone and Joint Protection

As your puppies start to get older, bone and joint disease would be more likely. It is also worth mentioning that German Shepherds are prone to suffering from a joint problem. Thus, you must ensure proper care to prevent a joint problem altogether.

To avoid irreparable bone damage, you must make sure that your puppies do not jump up and down from tall surfaces. As they get older, you would also have to provide glucosamine and chondroitin supplements for maintaining bone and joint health.

While your furry buddy is in puppyhood, you look after its bone and joint health. You must decrease the risk of future problems by controlling how much weight it gains.

Ask your vet to recommend the right amount of minerals, vitamins, calcium, and protein for proper skeletal growth. Besides this, you also have to provide sufficient exercise opportunities to help your little one burn off sufficient energy.

8.     Lots of Love

German Shepherds are just like any other dog breed. They need your love to thrive. Since they are highly intuitive, they can sense how you feel and need your attention to stay healthy.

As the puppies are extremely loyal, you must return the favor by loving them. It is something that they deserve. Besides, giving love to your puppies will allow you to form a strong bond with them.

Here are some of the best ways to bond with your little one.

• Make Eye Contact: Look deep into your pup’s eyes to show affection. It is the perfect way to tell your bundle of joy how much you love it. You can also pet it softly while you stare into its eyes.
• Sleep with Your Pup: Enjoy naps with your pup and sleep with it to ensure that it gets the love it craves. Even leaving the door open and letting your dog lie on the floor is a good start.
• Scratch Its Stomach: When your pup lies on its back, you can scratch its stomach to share some love and affection.
• Massage It: For some amazing bonding, you should massage your puppies. Besides, it would also help boost circulation for ensuring a shiny coat and keep them calm.

9.     Adequate Hydration

Lastly, you must keep your puppies well hydrated. Their dark coloring and double coat can lead to overheating during the summer.

The truth is that German Shepherds prefer the colder months. Hence, you must provide cool air, shade, and water to keep them going when it gets unbearably hot. Making simple changes to the home environment would go a long way in keeping them healthy.

The following symptoms indicate a dehydrated pup.

• Thick saliva
• Dry, sticky gyms
• Dry nose
• Lethargic and low energy
• Lack of appetite
• Loss of skin elasticity
• Dull and sunken eyes

Fortunately, if you identify any of the above dehydration signs, you can simply provide fresh water to your puppies to rehydrate them.

Make sure to leave two to three bowls of water in various locations so that they can drink water. Other tips that you can follow are mentioned below.

• Rehydrate your dog by offering ice.
• Avoid providing a ton of water after heavy exercise. Instead, you should provide small amounts of water.
• Give an electrolyte supplement when it gets very hot.
• Slowly rehydrate your pup if it has not had any water in a while.

Takeaway

Keeping your German Shepherd pups just got a whole lot easier with our post. From providing them the right nutrition to ensuring adequate hydration, each tip will help ensure that your puppies lead a happy and healthy life.

As a dog parent, there is a lot that you can do to look after your little ones. Hence, you must learn as much as possible about being a better dog parent. Adopting German Shepherd pups is amazing as it allows you to adorable teddy bears at home whom you can cuddle and hug.