barbi

Thats the exact same problem we are having with boss. All the dogs we see and know people who own dogs tell us Boss is underweight and unhealthy becasue their dogs are very overweight. Boss also doesnt want to eat all his food either and would just rather run all day Since we started feeding him working dog kibble we noticed he started keeping more weight on and was actually digesting his food more (smaller and less poo's) We also now alternate each week and give him about 9 chicken necks with 5cups of kibble per day and the following week he gets a mix everynight of either canned tuna or sardines or mackrel with the same amount of kibble. He just loves fish! and i think now he is getting much stockier and solid. I dont think he will ever be as tall as our Xena as she is really tall for a girl just like yours is but he is very slowly getting there in the weight department Our Xena will be 2 in march, she grew tall very quickly and is just staring to fill out now, she is also slowly getting a very nice big chest and doesnt look as lankey anymore. I've learnt now that all dogs grow at different rates even thought they are the same breed I think we just have to be more patient

Your boy is beautiful. I can tell now just by looking at Boss compared to yours and others that he still has a lot of maturing to do. Thanks for the pics

Hi, Boss Has a very similar shape to your girl, very lean. Im glad were not the only ones who had trouble keeping weight on our puppy. (think were just very used to seeing overweight dogs) Your girl is beautiful

Pockets - Thank you Xena and Boss are very healthy and not overweight at all which could also be the reason why we think Boss is so small, Were prob comparing Boss to the overweight Males we see.?? Tilly - Your boy is massive!!! He still looks like such a cute puppy though Showdog - I think we are just going to stick to their normal diet as we have had no problems. We did see Boss' parents and they were really big! The breeder only suggested the puppy food etc I think I will contact the breeder after the christmas period. Boss still acts like such a puppy he hasnt matured as much as Xena yet so i think it just might take him a while to grow up mentally and physically

Hi Ish, Your boy is beautiful!! Boss is actually quite simillar at the moment although he doesnt stand quite as nice ;) I thought was the vet said about them getting smaller wasnt right. Afterall he is only 15mths and i believe he still has some growing to do. (Xena just grew so quickly then expected and that we should stop comparing Boss to Xena as they come from different bloodlines) Xena is from a working bloodline and Boss is from Show dogs. (completely different!)

Boss is lucky to only be 30kgs. Is your boy very active? Thats why we had to change to the working dog kibble for boss as he was just too active for anyother kibble, he wasnt putting on any weight. Id love to see a photo of your boys.

We arnt sure why boss is taking a while to develop physically and the only advice we got from a vet was to change his diet a bit. Not too sure why as we give him working dog kibble (he is very very active ;) ) with nicken necks, mince etc. He just isnt as developed for his age as to what other male shepherds are. Not too sure if he is just going to take years to grow or if he will alwasy be a little boy? Another vet who saw him told us that Shepherds are now much smaller than what they used to be????? however i have never seen one as small as our boss. The same vet also told us when Xena was 1 she had reached the end of her growing and since then she has grown a lot more.

Ill have a look at what our dry food has in it. but i really dont think they have allergies. I think they are quite healthy anyway :-)

Thanks for that advice, its a big help as what the vet told me was far too broad :-)

Hi, Im not too sure if this subject has been brought up before. My 15mth German Shepherd still looks like he is about 8 - 9 months. He is a few inches shorter and not as developed than my female Shepherd who is 21mths. I have also read that it can take up to 3years before a dog is mature both physically and mentally. Is this true? as Xena grew quite quickly for being such a young age still. I spoke to a vet who advised me that some shepherds cannot tolerate Wheat or Beef in their diet. And that we should be feeding him lots of chicken, mutton and even fish with the working dog kibble we are currently giving him. My question is; Is any type of seafood ok? and can we buy the mornay mixes etc available in supermakets in the fresh fish section to give to him? Barbs :-)

That was a really good document, I've already printed it off and will stick it on the fridge this arvo. Thanks. I will look into those cd's. Think there a great idea as my two have never heard baby sounds before. Thank you, we sure do have some exciting times ahead of us

Their some great tips, Thank you

I am pregnant with our first baby and wanted to know if anyone knows how I get my two GSD's prepared for the new arrival? They are still pups themselves, Xena is 18mths and Boss is 14mths. By the time the baby arrives Xena will have turned 2 and Boss will be about 20mths. I dont want them getting jealous of the baby and i want them to accept the new baby as a part of our family. Is there anything we could do with the lead up to the baby arriving? and even when we first bring the baby home? eg when it cries etc?

They are just beautiful!!

Thanks

I thought it might be. i have tried walking them without the halti but it just doesnt work, thats why i thought the body halti could be good. Once they get over the excitement of the walk i can use the lead connected to the collar and they walk ok utill they see another dog (their very friendly, but unfortunately strangers dont like seeing two GSDs). Thats why i thought if i can get them using the body halti it could be another smal step to loose lead walking?

Hi, I have two GSDs. i currently use the head halti to walk them using a double ended lead however i can only walk one at a time with this method. i dont really like using the head halti. I was in petbarn a few weeks ago and saw there is a halti that uses the pressure points in dogs chests and was told this was the far better halti? Has anyone used this new chest/boby halti and if so do you prefer/recommond it? I would like to be able to walk both Xena and Boss together but i dont want to waste my money on buying this new body halti if it doenst really work. Barbi

Thanks for taking the time to help me, i really appreciate it

Is she being territorial or just interested? What sort of fence have you got? One of my dogs was notorious for jumping up at the fence to look at the neighbour's dog. I fenced off a separate section of the yard which solved the problem instantly, not always a practical solution though (I had more than one reason to fence off that section at the time). Keeping your dog inside with you might be an option, at least until you are able to train with that sort of distraction. You can "shape" your dog to do something more acceptable than whatever it is he is doing now, but you can't just jump straight into a Level 10 distraction and expect results. Doing what I have suggested above is your first step. I think she is just really interested, she is a very happy playful girl we have 5ft colourbond fences.

Thanks for that info, it does make sence. Ill give it a go and hopefully it will start to work. If once we go inside and she goes straight back to the fence what do we do?

Hi, Im new to this forum and was hoping someone could give me some advice? I have two german shephereds Xena (16months) and Boss (10months) they have both been to obedience and know the basics. they are great dogs. A new neighbour has just moved in next door with his 9 week old Bull Arab. Xena is now obsessed with that fence line and is ignoring my partner and myself. Boss doesnt care about the new dog but follows Xena everywhere, we dont know what to do about her obsession and why she doesnt seem to care about us anymore? would anyone know what we can do???