The German Shepherd Dog Breed – Where to Find and How to Choose a German Shepherd Puppy – Part III

Article by The Dog Breed Expert

At this time you are all set to choose your German Shepherd puppy, while there is one more thing we haven’t considered yet and you have to decide before you pick your new puppy. Do you want a male or a female? That’s genuinely a big decision and many people choose one or the other for the wrong reasons. There is a lot to say about this matter and I don’t want to digress from the topic at hand, so I will very likely write about this on my next post. For now, let’s focus on understanding how to pick out the ideal puppy whether it’s a male or a female. The first thing you should check out is for the puppy to be the most ideal age. Some breeders may possibly want you to take your puppy at 6 weeks of age, but you shouldn’t. The puppy should be physically and emotionally capable to be separated from his mother and littermates by the time you take him home. Usually you shouldn’t separate a German Shepherd puppy from his mother any earlier than at 8 weeks of age; for the most part between 8 and 12 weeks old.

Something that is extremely critical in this process is to meet the parents of the puppies and the littermates. Examine the parent’s temperament; how they interact with you and if they are too shy or too aggressive. Many times puppies inherit the parents’ behavior. The puppy you choose must be well socialized too. He should be playful and friendly. Remember; physical characteristics are very important, but temperament is equally crucial.

Make sure the puppies are maintained in a clean area. The puppy you end up choosing should have the adequate weight. He shouldn’t be too overweight or too thin. His eyes should be clear and the ears should be clean. He should have a full coat, with healthy looking hair and skin, and he shouldn’t scratch too much. It is also important to confirm that the puppy you have picked is a healthy one. Take him to the veterinarian for a complete exam within just the first couple of days of your purchase.

Umbilical hernias are the most typical hernias in canines. Hernias can have severe and even fatal complications, and often require surgery. Ensure you touch his belly near the navel and check for an outward bulging in the area around the belly button.

Considering you are deciding on a show quality German Shepherd puppy, you have to check for disqualifying faults such as coat length, color, bite faults and any defects that would not change with age.

The only right coat is the medium smooth. Puppies’ coats change as they grow, but even as puppies the coat needs to be short on the ears, the front of the legs, the feet and the toes.

Although the final color of a puppy is determined when the outer coat completely develops, he shouldn’t have fading pigmentation and he must be one of the colors outlined in the standard of the breed.

The puppy should not have an overbite, an underbite, or any other flaws of dentition.

Monorchism and Cryptorchidism are faults, but since testicles in male dogs do not drop until a few months later, there is no need to examine the puppy for missing testicles or testicles that have failed to descend into the scrotum.

The way German Shepherd dogs are shown in the show ring is very distinctive and the way they are stacked is entirely different from any other breed. The stack, which is the way the dog stands, is a very important component in showing off the dog’s physical structure. In order to choose the appropriate show quality German Shepherd puppy you must stack the puppy and see how closely he looks like the ideal described in the standard. Dogs change with age, but doing this will give you a pretty good idea of the dog’s future structure.

Refining this procedure takes a little practice, but for now you should do ok with the essentials. Pick up the puppy’s front feet and set them down squarely under the shoulders. The front legs should be perpendicular to the ground, with the feet flat and the toes pointing straight forward. Now stack your puppy’s hind legs. Begin with the interior hind leg first. Pick up your puppy’s foot and pull the leg up and forward under the body. The hock should be close to the ground. Now take the exterior hind leg, slide it back lightly until the hock is perpendicular to the ground and make sure the puppy’s foot is flat against the ground. The puppy should have the correct topline, proper angles, strong bones and the masculinity of the male or femininity of the female must be evident.

Ahead are a few pictures of German Shepherd puppies owned by some friends. These puppies range from 40 days to three and a half months old and show the correct conformation for a German Shepherd puppy.

In addition to that, remember to ask the breeder for some kind of guarantee, registration papers and the pedigree. Lastly, ask him about shots, dewormings and any other exams the puppies may have had.

If everything works out right and you find a puppy you feel at ease about taking home; go ahead and do it! You just found your new German Shepherd puppy.

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The author's website features original articles about the German Shepherd dog breed.

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