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The German Shepherd dog ( GSD ) is also known as the Alsatian. It was specially bred for obedience, loyalty, protection and intelligence. A GSD has courage to do its duty even in the face of danger. It is so intelligent that it uses its own discretion to carry out its work.
For all its good qualities, the GSD needs obedience training from a young age. Its intelligence and independence are a challenge to the novice dog owner. It is best to prepare your dog by enrolling it in a dog obedience school. Another character trait you need to beware of is its dominant personality. Most of the time, it wants to be the leader of the pack so you need to be firm with it. With basic obedience training, exercise, challenging tasks and a balanced diet, your GSD will be happy to serve you well.
A trained GSD responds to commands like sit, heel, down and come. It will behave well under all circumstances as it has a calm and steady manner. It makes a good guard dog as it is suspicious of strangers and will always act to protect its human owner and his family. It is so brave that it is ready to fight off animals larger than itself to protect its premises or owner.
The GSD has 2 coats of hair. The outer coat hairs are shed periodically. The inner coat hairs are shed twice yearly. It is good to brush your dog daily to remove dead hairs and massage its skin. It is unnecessary to bathe your dog too often. You can spray water on the outer coat to splash off the mud and dirt.
Trim your pet's toenails once in 3 months. If your dog has parasites like fleas, use dust powders or other anti-flea aids. As your GSD has a dense coat, you need to be very vigilant to be able to eliminate the fleas.
Serve your GSD dry food. It helps to prevent tooth decay. Commercially available meal or kibble food is good. These have the necessary nutrients and added vitamins and minerals to keep that breed of dog healthy. Make available a constant supply of water in a water dish. Change this daily to prevent insects and mosquitoes using the water. House your dog in a cool, shady area. Bring it out for walks daily, preferably in the cool evenings. Use your leash as these dogs are very protective of their masters and may attack others if the dog thinks that they pose a threat.
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