All dog breeders believe that if a dog is going to live on the street, a good kennel is a must. A dog house should be proportional to the size of the dog. In our case, it was spacious because we understood that Jack would grow up to be a big big dog. Our kennel has double walls filled with heat-insulating material, with no gaps.

After construction, it was necessary to take care of the bedding in the kennel. In the summer, experts say, you can lay down a regular blanket or mattress. In winter - something warmer. The best material for bedding is straw! Not hay, but straw. The material is very warm, absorbs excess moisture from the dog’s fur, is hygienic and environmentally friendly. But the straw needs to be changed from time to time - as it becomes moist and becomes unusable. By the way, used straw is an excellent material for humus and subsequently an excellent organic fertilizer for the garden.

We always remembered that a dog must know its place! From the very beginning, Jack was accustomed to him. All family members and guests knew that if a dog (puppy) is lying in its place, it cannot be disturbed. This allows the puppy to develop a strong belief that if the puppy no longer wants to play with others, he can go to his place and no one will bother him there.

Experts do not recommend letting your puppy play with shoes, even old ones. Otherwise, in the future the dog will chew your shoes, rightly considering them his toy.

From personal experience, we knew that bowls must be prepared in advance. There should be two of them: one bowl for food, the second for water. The material of the bowls can be any, but the most ideal, strong and durable material is stainless steel. However, for drinking outdoors or in an enclosure, you can permanently place a cast iron or aluminum pan. We gave Jack two enamel pans.

In accordance with the recommendations of veterinarians, we gave the dog all the necessary vaccinations.

Vaccination schedule:

• 2 months - infections
• 3 months - infections + rabies
• 6 months - repeat 3-month vaccinations
• 1 year - repeat 3-month vaccinations
• Every year - infections + rabies

At about one and a half months the animal, if it is in good health, appetite and activity, veterinarians give an anti-helminth (worms) drug, according to its weight and age.

After all the vaccinations have been completed, you can gradually start walking the puppy. The first walk should last no more than 10 minutes in good weather. Gradually the duration of the walk increases to 40-60 minutes. The number of walks per day can be from 3 to 5. You cannot tire your puppy out with walks! He still has weak ligaments and an unformed skeleton, so we spared him. During the walk, we watched the puppy so that no one would scare him. Only from the age of 10-11 months did they begin to gradually increase the load: work on the “descent and ascent”. In winter - towing, running through snowdrifts.

Every day, one of the adult family members examines Jack in order to prevent possible diseases in advance and ensure timely treatment, we advise you to pay attention to:

The coat should be shiny, without bald spots. It is necessary to check the coat for the presence of parasites. You need to brush your dog regularly, especially when shedding. This is what my dad does.

Ears are cleaned as they become dirty. You can use regular cotton wool or a cotton swab. Do not rinse your ears with water!

Eyes - check for injuries and discharge. We examine the mucous surface of the eyelid: is there any redness?

Teeth - look for tartar, plaque, cracks and chips. Dad and grandma monitor the change of teeth in puppies. We use raw carrots to clean our teeth. Jack doesn't like apples. We examine the gums - they should be pink, without redness or ulcers.

Limbs - watch the nails and paw pads. You need to check for cuts, calluses and injuries. My brother and I do this work. Jack likes it, he loves to be the center of attention.

Washing: Dogs are washed as needed. It is recommended to wash service dogs once every two times a year - in the spring and after the summer, in the fall. Water temperature is within 28-32 degrees. You can use dry shampoos. After washing, the dog should be thoroughly dried with a towel. We wash Jack in June and August and use a special shampoo. Our dog doesn't like to wash himself.

Bathing: You can and should bathe your dog as often as possible, especially in the warm season, preferably in clean waters. This is a very useful procedure that helps strengthen ligaments.

Growth period. By the time a German Shepherd becomes an adult, its original weight will have increased by 80 times. This developmental stage lasts from 15 to 18 months, with peak mass growth occurring in the 4th month of life. Ideally, by the age of six months, the puppy should not weigh more than 60% of its adult weight.

Excessively high-calorie food increases the puppy's weight and is the main cause of obesity. Under the influence of excess weight, the joints and bones of the limbs are formed incorrectly. For the harmonious development of the puppy, it is necessary to reduce the calorie content of the food due to the reduced fat content, which will allow you not to limit the daily ration too much in volume.

Mineral supplements with a high calcium content are not recommended, since excess calcium leads to disturbances in the formation of bones in large breed puppies.

Experts advise the following ratio of the puppy’s age to the number of feedings:

• 1-2 months. - 6 times a day
• 2-4 months. - 5 times a day
• 4-6 months. - 4 times a day
• 6-10 months. - 3 times a day
• over 10 months. - 2 times a day

Adult dog. The energy costs of a German Shepherd are quite high, which is due to its size and mobility. These needs change dramatically depending on the conditions of detention, so shepherd dogs must consume the amount of food appropriate to their lifestyle. Thus, an enclosure dog spends more energy maintaining body temperature.

The larger the volume of food, the worse it is digested and the stool becomes more liquid. In order for a German Shepherd to get the calories it needs without overloading its stomach, it needs food with a high (more than 85%) degree of digestibility. To reduce the amount of feed consumed at one time, it is recommended to divide the daily portion into two parts. We feed Jack at 7 am and 6 pm.

A dog's stomach can vary greatly in volume: from 0.5 liters at rest to 7 liters after eating. This feature leads to gastric volvulus, which is often fatal. This disease occurs in German Shepherds 4 times more often than in other breeds. Precautions are to ensure that the dog does not eat the food too quickly. Jack eats slowly, eating one and a half liters of food at a time in the summer and two in the winter.

Aging period. German Shepherds rarely live beyond 12 years of age. Therefore, starting from the age of 6 years, nutrition should be such as to help prevent problems associated with the aging process. In order to avoid premature aging, it is recommended to use food with a high content of vitamins E and C.

Most dogs of this age lose their appetite, so the quality of food ingredients needs to be improved.

The dog’s body is in constant development all the time: food is taken in; nutrients, vitamins, mineral salts and trace elements are used; metabolic products are released. Maintaining a certain level of all nutrients in a dog’s body should be considered as a complex, clearly balanced biological system.

Feeding with natural products:

Meat can be given raw or boiled, but it must be of good quality. Puppies are given raw lean beef in small pieces. Grown-up puppies are given boiled lamb, horse meat, and boiled boneless chicken. From 4 months of age, you can give fish once a week, but only sea fish, after removing all the bones. Preferably boiled. Bones are not dog food, but can be used to make broths. Starting from 2 months, you can give your puppy a large sugar bone - by chewing it, the dog trains its jaw muscles and cleanses its teeth of plaque, and, of course, gets great pleasure from the process. Jack only likes boiled bones.

Fish is rich in proteins and minerals. As a top dressing, you can use fishmeal, rich in protein and fats. Our dog doesn't eat fish.

By-products - heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, intestines, etc. Liver is the most valuable product; it is rich in high iron-containing proteins and carbohydrates. Another valuable product is blood, which contains a large amount of protein. It can be given both boiled and raw. We have never given blood to Jack, but he loves liver.

Vegetables - can be given both raw and boiled. Give potatoes boiled and mash thoroughly before feeding. Jack hates potatoes and always leaves them in the bowl. Some dog breeders believe that not all dogs learn it. Cabbage, beets, grated carrots with sunflower oil. Fresh tomatoes and tomato juice are very healthy for dogs. Our dog loves boiled zucchini most of all, and anything that contains tomatoes. Sometimes boiled pumpkin is added to porridge as a remedy for worms. Many dogs love fruits - apples, pears, apricots, seedless berries, bananas. It is possible to be allergic to citrus fruits; our dog does not eat them. Jack lives in the garden and loves berries, especially blackcurrants. My brother Gosha often tears this delicacy for him.

Cereal products - rolled oats, oatmeal, millet, buckwheat, barley and corn porridge, rice. It is not necessary to boil the Hercules, you can simply add hot water or broth and let it brew. Rolled oats can cause allergies in some dogs, but not in ours - this is their favorite cereal. Grandma tried to feed her more pearl barley, but Jack wouldn’t eat it.

Dairy products - kefir, cottage cheese (not very fatty), yogurt, yogurt - can be given daily. These are very valuable food products that are well absorbed by the dog’s body. Sometimes it's good to give cheese. It is recommended to give milk to puppies. Goat's milk is very useful, which is 1.5 times fatter than cow's milk, and in its nutritional and mineral composition is close to dog milk. But in some cases, dairy products, especially milk, can cause digestive upset! (this happens due to the lack of enzymes that are produced in the dog’s body as it grows, and if for some reason these enzymes are not produced in an adult dog, then it cannot digest dairy products). Our Jack loves all dairy products. If he is given milk, sour cream, yogurt, cottage cheese or cheese in the morning, he is in a great mood all day long.

Eggs are a highly nutritious product, but raw protein is poorly digestible and also contains a substance that destroys vitamin H - so it is best to give either a boiled egg or just the raw yolk (mixed with other foods). It is not recommended to give eggs more than 1-2 times a week. Jack loved eggs when he was a puppy, but now he is indifferent to them.

Bread - fed in small quantities in the form of crackers, preferably rye or gray bread. And Jack, unfortunately, loves “white” crackers.

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