Thank you for choosing our kennel to purchase your German Shepherd companion!

This has been an awesome litter to rear and I am very pleased with health, temperament, and conformation with these little ones.

We have taken special care in choosing the right puppy for you and wish you many healthy, happy years!

FEEDING GUIDELINES

The following is a simple guide in feeding and potty schedule that I have maintained with this litter for the last few weeks. The time zone to be noted if you are not in Central Standard Time:

Morning – Between 6:00 – 7:00 am

Outside to potty – make sure you give them plenty of time to do both their jobs! They have been out to pee, then eat and then back out to poop. (Sometimes they need to poop twice)

Breakfast – 1/2 cup Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy

Afternoon – Between 2 – 3 pm

Outside to potty – make sure you give them plenty of time to do both their jobs!

Lunch – 1/2 cup Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy

Evening – Between 9:30 – 10 pm

Outside to potty – make sure you give them plenty of time to do both their jobs!

Dinner – 1/2 cup Royal Canin German Shepherd Puppy

Slowly increase food until you are at approx. 4 cups a day by the time they are 5 to 6 months.

I add warm water to their food and let stand for 5 mins then serve. Adding extra water to the food will allow better absorption. I also add water to my adults food but it will be at your preference as to how you wish to feed as adults.

This is a guide only to their daily routine. You can change up the times slowly to adjust to your schedule. A good way to encourage puppy with the crate is to feed at least one meal a day in their crate. Also, change up the locations where you feed every once in a while so if ever you are going away, they will not be interrupted with the change. i.e. outside if weather permits, the other side of the kitchen, laundry room. This also makes it fun for them. I train all my puppies and adults sit for their dinner, this creates respect for the handler.

Food and Exercise – It is highly recommended to continue on a quality dog food for at least the first year while their joints are developing. It is not recommended to run, bike or do excessive ball play with your puppy the first year. Ball throw with puppy running and jarring the shoulders/elbows to stop and retrieve should be discouraged. Rather teach puppy to sit, throw the ball and allow it to stop moving, then release the puppy. This way, the drive is lower and they will not stop so sudden to retrieve.

Panosteitis – With large breed dogs, they can be at risk for Pano which is short for Panosteitis. This can be defined as “growing pains” in large boned puppies. If your puppy is suddenly lame or shifting lamness from leg to leg, they should be crate rested and changed to a lower protien diet. Allowing your puppy to be active while they go through this can cause lamness or damage to the other limbs that are compensating for the limb that is exhibiting pano.

For more information: Panosteitis – Information

For training puppy – I start right at 8 weeks old and typically hand feed the evening meal teaching basic manners such as sit, down, come, hand touches, bell exercise to go outside for potty etc.

The noon feeding can be discontinued around 4 – 5 months of age. If you find that he/she is too hungry by evening, then you could give him/her just a small amount (¼ cup) to tie the puppy over for noon. Whatever food you are taking away for the noon meal, start to split the food evenly between the morning and evening feeding. Do this weaning gradually over a week so it gives the puppy time to adjust. You will also have to increase the amount of food he/she is eating as puppy grows. There is a guide on the back of the bag to help you with feeding amounts.

Bedtime – Between 11 pm & midnight (you can make it earlier as puppy gets older)

Take water away around 9:30 pm.

Below is a routine I use for all of my litter and one that I will be starting at week 7:

I let all puppies out at 11:30 pm and they are able to potty and then will sleep better without whining. If they have done all their business and are still whining in the kennel, you can let them cry it out as giving attention for this behavior will not teach them to be quiet. The first couple nights might be tough for you and puppy but we have been working on kennel training with them and they are on average, settling after about 1-5 minutes. Some sooner and some later than others! I do not leave food or water in their kennel for bedtimes as they will keep their kennel clean. A good walk in the morning and evening will allow them to settle better in their kennel if you are working during the day and then at bedtime they will sleep longer!

General rule for potty is outside whenever puppy wakes and 5 – 15 minutes after eating. Playtime they will have to go out to potty more frequently and I tend to take them out every 15 -20 minutes to prevent any accidents. You will catch on fairly quickly as they might start to whine, sniff the ground, run to the door, circle quickly, or start to squat!

I HIGHLY recommend putting your shoes/sweater/jacket on first before letting puppy out so you can go directly to the door to go outside.  Don’t stop to pet puppy but rather focus on outside to potty then you can reward with high praise and cuddles.  This will help with your house braking success.

Where to put the crate? During the first two months when puppy comes home it is recommended to place the crate near the door puppy will be going outside to potty with. Keeping the crate closer to the door also makes it easier to eliminate accidents.

Do not leave rawhide bones in kennel unattended. Rawhide without the knots on the ends as the knots are choking hazards. Nylabones are fine, if they start to wear, throw away.

Collars off in kennel

No Braided, woven rugs, stuffed beds, or stuffed toys. I use old bath towels for puppy which are easy to wash.

Fresh water at all times except during the night – make sure the bowl is not going to tip over as these guys put their feet in EVERYTHING!

Puppy Supervision – The more time spent supervising puppy the more you can reinforce good behavior and discourage unwanted behavior. I do not encourage chasing puppy, or rough play till at least 1 year of age as this creates aggression and avoidance. Correct and then ignore him/her if he/she starts nipping. I correct very firmly if they nip at my pants or hands. They are catching on very quickly that this is unwanted behavior and most of them do not nip with me.

How Much Sleep Does A Puppy Need? They sleep up to 18 hours a day for the first month at least. While we love our puppy and want them with us, they also need to rest. Some puppies can put themselves for a sleep while others, need help with that or they turn into overtired toddlers! If you puppy was behaving and then starts nipping, its time for a nap! Take them out to potty and put them away for a couple hours so they can rest and recharge. In doing this, you will prevent many unwanted behaviors.

Handling Your Puppy – Conditioning your puppy to be handled is important. Wait till puppy is calm and then handle the head, check the ears, open their mouth, handle their feet. If you try this when they are excited, it causes nipping, which we don’t want. Giving touch to the chest and back rather than patting on the head will also discourage nipping. This breed have prey drive and tend to want to “catch” everything that moves. In turning your puppy with their back to you, then give scratches to the back and chest, will teach the puppy that they only get attention when they are calm and will also deter jumping.

Vet Appointments to book for your puppy:

January 13th, 2025  – FIRST BOOSTER  – DISTEMPER/HEP/PARVO/PARAINFLUENZA/WORMED – COMPLETED BY BREEDER

February 3rd, 2025 – 2ND BOOSTER, BORDETELLA, WORM INTERCEPTOR PLUS

March 3rd, 2025 – 3RD DA2PP AND RABIES AND FINAL WORMING

March 3rd, 2026 – 1 yr BOOSTER and 1 year check up.

            Annual shots and yearly checkups following 1 yr check up.

Please email me with puppy weight after your vet visits!

TRAVELING/SOCIALIZING – They have only had their one set of shots and should not be going to any public areas until they are fully vaccinated. Please avoid: Dog parks, pet stores, public walkways, hiking trails (wild animals transfer parvo), unvaccinated dogs or puppies. Back yard play with your other vaccinated dogs are great. Car rides are also a good idea as this gets them out of the house, in the vehicle to motor around and hear traffic and other noises. I have taken puppies after their second set of shots in a shopping cart at a dog friendly store where I have cleaned the cart and put a blanket in the bottom for puppy. I wash the blanket after and puppy is secure in the cart to avoid jumping/injury (at your own risk).

TRAINING – I strongly recommend classes for your puppy. Private trainers are good, however, teaching puppy to learn in a controlled environment with other dogs is a great way to train and socialize at the same time. It is recommended to complete at least 6 weeks of classes however, please do not stop. Their minds continue to change and develop the first year and stopping training at 6 months can also affect their learning/retaining training. 9 months can be a tough age as they mature, hormones are now developing and they can test you! This is the hardest age for many families to manage their puppy.

FEAR PERIODS – Puppies will have fear periods several times throughout their first year where something that never bothered them may cause a reaction that you do not expect. If you notice this, don’t make a big deal out of it and go back to fundamentals and see what happens the next day. We don’t want to avoid the issue, but also do not want to give attention for negative behavior. It may just be a one off.

Also during the first year they will have growth spurts around 3, 6, 9 months where they seem to forget everything they have been taught! This is normal and again, may need to go back to go forward with training.

If you will be kenneling your puppy, going to dog parks, or puppy classes, I highly recommend doing Bordetella (Kennel Cough). They already have the bordetella vaccine which is good for one year as noted on their records. Heart worm prevention, Lyme Disease Vaccine, Coronavirus, Lepto is also worth considering after they are a year old. Contact your vet for more information.

Trupanion is the pet insurance company that is provided for you for your free trail.  I will email you the code and information to sign up.  You will have to do this prior to puppies arrival or within the first 24 hours after.

I welcome e-mails and phone calls anytime if you have any questions with your puppy! Please feel free to forward your pictures as I would love to see how they are growing and will put them up on the web site and social media so fellow litter families can also see them grow! 

Wishing you many happy & healthy years with your German Shepherd!

Jemine Funk

Elhart K-9’s German Shepherd Dogs