Is the advice i was given about my GSD True!? - Page 1

Hi All!.

I was hoping you could help me with something i was told about my German Shepherd.

he comes from superb show line so i have been taking him to ring craft to get him use to the environment and more importantly.. socialize him!
I was told by someone who had been going to ring craft for a long time that i need to minimize his walks in his 1st year of growing. which i knew anyway as it could damage there growth plates and cause complications with their hips and joints but she was saying i can do with keeping him to the garden on some days and to not let him off lead when i do take him out in case he bounces around to much. thats all nice but as hes 6 months old 27.3kg pup now and seems to have a lot more energy! i'm taking him for daily walks for 20 mins twice a day regardless now as i do not believe hes getting enough mental or physical stimulation following the advice i was given. can someone tell me if the advice i was given was correct or if what i'm doing is wrong?

Thank you all in advance

Why should a show German Shepherd be raised any different than any other normal puppy of any other breed or any mongrel dog? I don't understand .

Yes Gustav. ive had german shepherds before but this being my 1st showline pup... suddenly there's alot of guidelines to adhere to. i dont think she meant these are the rules for just german shepherds, i think she meant generally all breeds shouldn't be walked to much which i understand. but to the point where shes telling me i shouldnt let him off lead and some days just to keep him exercised in my garden... i cant see how that can be more beneficial than a 20 Minute walk around the park twice a day for his growing bones and muscles.

ignore those advise and let your pup grow up how you want him to be. Most celebrities are ruined because of malicious beliefs: look at Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. :)

they tried placing him in a show stance with his leg stretched right out and i told them to get the F*** off him, he looked so uncomfortable! hes my family companion before hes a show dog! he won best in show last Sunday without placing him in any of the uncomfortable stances. i just let him stand how he felt was comfortable and he moved great! think i will just follow my own instincts with him :)

A Dog is a Dog no matter what you want out of them...You can lead them to be what you want...but as you stated he's your pet...friend...etc FIRST...
Walking him 20 minutes twice a day is great (I take it that you're walking him on-leash)...but also let him run off-leash and play...You can certainly play with your puppy...Play with toys such as a Ball...Kong...and other toys...Get him to chase things and have a good time...
TOO MUCH exercise is not good for any puppy...but they do need good exercise...both for their body and their mind...They have a lot of energy and you should let them enjoy themselves...
You should also socialize him...to introduce him to new things...places...and people...
Follow your own ideas of what you want and you'll be just fine...You can and should listen to knowledgeable people but then you make up your own mind to what you want to do...
I tell people to do with your dog what you would do with your child...You listen to others then you do what you think is the right thing for them and for you...

~Bob~

The only thing you need to avoid when the joints are growing is too much jumping, or a lot of fast work on hard surfaces (pavement). If you want to jog with your dog, I'd save it until he's over a year old. Other than that - just let him be a dog!

 

Some people are so anal they won't even let their puppy do stairs. I think that's RIDICULOUS! When Star came home at 12 weeks, she learned to do stairs right away, and by the time Eska was 5 months old, she was not only jumping down the four stairs from the kitchen to the front entrance, she was also jumping UP them!  

This type of advice is particularly prevalent where the breed concerned is subject to a higher rate of Hip Dysplasia, GSDs among them. Its often said in a well-meaning way to stop novice owners taking 12 week old pups on hikes (although I'd be cautious with stairs with that small a puppy, too !) But of course you need to give an older puppy enough exercise, and so long as you are careful about not demanding too many hours/miles, or too rough terrain, for the first year or so, you'll be fine; unless your dog is already genetically pre-disposed to poor hips through poor breeding (which means no guarantees of never going off them, but actually exercise can help stop bad hips being worse, because you allow enough muscle to develop, to hold the joints).

Not only can you exercise the dog through ball and tug games, as well as walks, but just as those games also exercise & tire the dog, so does training. There is no harm in doing some obedience things; it does not mean you can't move your dog around the Showring because you have taught it to Sit or Down or Heel (again, there will be those who try to tell you that you shouldn't !); food puzzles are good, too - all will make your pup think and concentrate, and these are tiring in themselves.

Thank you all for your comments. based on whats being said i'm doing all the right things! :) He definitely didn't come bad breeders as they are very well known for producing exceptional dogs world wide. you may have heard from them yourselves? Bad Boll Breeders from Germany. Again, thank you all for your advice.

Well Andrew if you bought directly from Bad Boll, unless you get very unlucky (or do very stupid things environmentally !) you stand a great chance of staying HD free. That is not to say that everything will be perfect by the time you get the pup x rayed and graded (by OFA, in your case ?), nor that you won't get anything else go wrong in its lifetime - but you have certainly improved your odds. If that is the pup in question photographed for your id icon, looks a stunner - wish you the very best of luck in everything with the dog.

Afterthought:  the thing about pulling the dog into a Show stance ?  That is now supposed to be past history, just quote the SV's recent instructions about letting dogs stand naturally at the person(s) at your Ringcraft sessions !

Again, your photo shows that your pup can walk into the correct position with one leg back, there is no reason to exagerate that further, or to alter the topline mechanically.  Tell people to keep their hands off !  That includes any professional Handler you might engage if you don't want to run around the Showring yourself.