German Shepherd is a kind of breed that caused different oppinion among different peple. While some see it fierce and threatening, some others, especially who had a German Shepherd look at it much more tenderedly.

The German Shepherd is often aloof – they don’t often walk right up to a stranger but size them up, as if silently figuring whether you are worth their time. Some dogs take longer than others to warm up and create a bond, but once that bond is made is a dog that will face any threat imaginable to protect their family.

It is this loyalty and sense of duty that has made the German Shepherd a dog that willingly guided the blind, works as law enforcement, herds livestock, competes not only in shows but in dog sports, is a friend to the military and performs countless duties in homes throughout the world.

In the late 1800s cavaly officer Capt. Max Von Stephanitz sought to perfect a dog for farm work. As with many animals bred for function, what was needed locally was different than the dogs available. The breed today takes the look of a defined breed but not all are the same. A dog developed as a show dog might look very different from one developed for police work, which may have a different body type from one working on the farm.

American soldiers brought the breed to the US after being introduced to the breed in the military. The breed is still today used to assist soldiers throughout the world.

By the standard, the male should be 24-26 inches at the shoulder with females 22-24. They should be longer than they are tall, with an image of power and grace. Disqualifications from show include: cropped or dropped ears, nose not mostly black, undershot jaw, docked tail and all white dogs. There are many many dogs that are larger than the standard, or all white dogs, as well as all black dogs, that are still fully German Shepherd. For those interested in details of show conformation requirements they can be found at http://www.akc.org/breeds/german_shepherd_dog/

In early development it was felt the GSD should be above everything utility and intelligence. The breed is still today a working machine…functional in the ability to cover ground easily whether after a loose cow or an escaped criminal. They are distinctive in appearance and although known by different names are the same breed throughout the world.

The GSD is one of the breeds some pet food companies have developed special formulas for. They are also many people who feed a raw meat and bones diet. An important factor in feeding German Shepherds is food selection. Do not feed for fast growth – it does not necessarily mean a bigger adult but can mean a weaker adult. High energy food that boosts fast growth should be avoided especially in the rapid growth time of 3-8 months of age. This reduces the chances of displasia later. While selection of breeding dogs and testing hips and elbows before breeding is certainly a factor, equally is diet.

Many things vary within this breed. One GSD charges fearlessly into a conflict that includes gunfire while another trembles in a thunderstorm. Some have been guilty of biting while others would never except under extreme threat threaten a human. Some are bold in any circumstance, some are borderline fearful. Handling and breeding can make an immense difference in this breed. Additionally the breeding and genetic markers for disease can affect an otherwise suitable working dog. Genetic issues affecting the eyes, skin, heart, neurological system, digestive and skeletal systems are all possible within the breed – and most are found by testing before breeding.

It is this testing and the maintaining of healthy, tested clean lines that makes a good GSD an investment. A few health issues to watch for besides the hip and elbow displasia include thyroid disorders, skin allergies, Addisons, vonWillebrand’s disease, heart murmurs, cardiomyopathy, epilepsy, wobbler syndrome and spinal bifida can all affect the breed. Many problems show up at under 2 years old. A condition called EPI, Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency, is another issue that can be overlooked.

A more complete list of the health issues that can affect the breed is at http://www.awsaclub.com/healthgenetics/caninegen.htm – and remember that although it can look like they are prone to every disease known to canines, many of these can be eliminated by genetics.

Although not genetic, owners of GSD should be familiar with the danger of bloat. Like many deep chested dogs, GSD is susceptible to this critical emergency that needs immediate medical attention. This condition is fast-striking and fatal.

Do not be deterred by the list of health issues in the breed – instead, use that to choose your dog wisely. Understand that without testing you have the risk of losing a dog you’ve become attached to – and it may well be worth $ 700-800 for a dog that has a healthy genetic family rather than getting one of unknown background for $ 150 then spending thousands treating problems that are lurking unseen. For a tested, working and show type dog bred for temperament, trainability and soundness do not be shocked by prices $ 1,500 or $ 2,000 and up. Many of these come with health and soundness guarantees.

Dogs of 12-15 years are not uncommon. With a reported average litter size of eight, it’s important to choose mates wisely.

The trainability of the German Shepherd is well documented. The movie “K-9” and it’s sequels revolved around a German Shepherd, as did the infamous Rin Tin Tin. The first seeing-eye dog in 1928 was a German Shepherd. The GSD is one of the most intelligent dogs in the canine world, in one test just behind the border collie and poodle. John Kennedy, Roy Rogers and Franklin D. Roosevelt kept GSD.

Schutzhund, a competition not for the faint of heart, is but one thing the GSD excells at. This competition tests the dog’s intelligence, soundness, tracking abilities, willingness to work, courage and trainability. While photos from these competitions show dogs scaling obstacles and making spectacular leaps to latch bites onto the arm of a “suspect” it’s important to remember these dogs are highly trained. They are not vicious…they are trained to get to a suspect, restrain them and ideally get them on the ground for the safety of their handlers.

No dog, German Shepherd or otherwise, should be teased or mistreated to induce aggression. The difference between an aggressive dog and a trained K-9 is extreme. A K-9’s training is based on play – an aggressive dog is based on survival, and this difference is critical to understand. It drives an aggressive dog to unspeakable acts and reflects poorly on the many great dogs of the breed that are highly trainable.

A good dog with obedience training doesn’t need special training for protection. These operate from a position of defense of the home – and the bark of a GSD is often enough to change the minds of someone who thinks they want to do harm. The natural protection instincts of a good GSD is normally sufficient to deal with a threat.

It is no surprise that there are many heroes in this breed. Ceasar, a K-9 handled by Corporal Mark Sarna of the Shaker Heights Ohio Police Department, had a resume that included drug detection, tracking suspects as well as being a certified therapy dog and friendly with children. Griff, a K-9 with the Summit County Sheriff’s Department, and his handler Deputy Kathy Wilmot is another awarded dog and a great illustration as to the unknown these dogs and their handlers can face. Called to a domestic disturbance where the suspect was threatening to burn down the house of a girlfriend with her and her kids in it, Griff tracked the suspect through freezing rain. While he wanted to continue, the humans insisted on returning to the command unit and before long a second call came in. The suspect returned to the home and was becoming violent. A very dangerous situation evolved with the suspect assaulting the dog and handlers, attempting to kill the dog hands on despite being tazered. Griff not only never gave up but never shifted position – he put himself between the suspect and his handler, willing to lay down his life if need be. After the incident was over it was learned the suspect had commited an armed robbery just hours before, was out on bond and had a previous stint of 13 years in prison.

In the dangerous work of police and military work many German Shepherds have paid the ultimate price for their instincts and training. They serve faithfully and have confronted the worst of humanity, not only on a daily basis but also in events such as the World Trade Center and Oklahoma City bombing.

Because these are bold, intelligent and trainable dogs they must have a home that will TRAIN them. Select a good, healthy dog and put the time into training them. This doesn’t take 6-8 hours per day…it’s teaching things in small ways on a day to day basis. Left to their own devices they will be unhappy and find their own means to entertain themselves, and you probably won’t like it. A bored, untrained dog can destroy vehicles, homes and lives. Once trained then you can sit back and enjoy your beautiful, functional, intelligent and well mannered dog.

For the right home the German Shepherd is a wonderful companion and security that doesn’t fail with power outages. If yours is the right home, do your homework and find the best dog for you. They’re a wonderful breed with a big heart.

Dog training equipments are of real importance to a dog trainer as without equipments it is hard to train a dog efficiently with in a stipulated time. You may be a good trainer who have enormous tenacity and patience and may be experienced too but it is a matter of fact that it will take more time in comparison to a special training where proper dog training equipments are used along with guidance. Here are some special dog training tools and equipments which are very popular and effective in deed-

Collar

Collars are very popular and effective. Wide varieties of collars are used like spoke, chain, electric, shock etc.  are used. All these collars have different use and you must have fair idea before trying a collar. It may not be that you spend some amount for collar and it will do the rest for you. It is just a tool or rather equipment which enhances training. Nylon, fabric or leather can be used as the base material for a collar.

Harness

It is very much like collars and can be used as an alternative of collar. You may also use both of them at the same time together. The main use of harness is pulling a dog backward. When harness is used the entire pressure is distributed evenly. So the neck of the dog is not injured at any case.

Leash

It is used as an alternative of collar. It creates a loop inside dog’s neck and makes the use of collar optional. But when the dog is aggressive or ferocious leash are of very much required. You may restrict the dog from doing anything ridiculous.

Muzzle

Muzzle prevents a dog from biting someone. Some dogs own the habit of unnecessary biting. It creates a cover in front of dog’s mouth and prevents it from biting something. You can wide variety of muzzles in the market and depending on the shape or material you can choose the best suitable one for your puppy.

Halter

It is training equipment too which can be used as an alternative of collar. Halter is tied to the back of muzzle and forces the dog to change its movement depending upon trainers’ requirement. This equipment is very worthy and in the long run makes a dog understand the value of any instruction shouted by either by trainer or you. So to make your dog obedient you have to take help of dog training equipments.

There are several other equipments like bait pouch can be used for some specific purpose. Before you choose any equipment make sure that you will be able to use it with your own. You may take help of an expert and ask him/her what dog training equipment to use and when.

Today, Beth Shaw’s YogaFit Training Systems Worldwide, the largest yoga school in North America, is proud to announce the release of the FURociously Fit DVD and CD line. Understanding the important relationship between pets and their owners, Shaw carefully designed FURociously Fit to teach both humans and animals the 20/30/40 walking and yoga program.

Shaw believes the strong bond an owner develops with their pet is a special type of friendship. With dogs specifically, a person receives unconditional love and friendship that rewards not only their soul, but the people around us as well. Bringing a dog along to exercise is something good for everyone. Getting in shape together with a pet decreases health risks and increase the chance of living happy, longer lives. Whether one is out walking a dog or volunteer to walk another dog, the social connections alone are great reasons to get out and walk.

The FURociously Fit 20/30/40 DVD and CD offers stretching before and after a walk, core work and upper body work to stay balanced, as well as a relaxation segment. Whether one walks a dog or not, this unique program help them get in shape, lose weight, and keep it off!

The 20/30/40 system refers to a 20-minute walk in the morning, 30 minutes at noon and 40 minutes in the evening for the best dog health. Also included in the DVD is the segment Dog Health Tips with Dr. Alice Villalobos, a well-known pioneer in the field of cancer care for companion animals and a founding member of the Veterinary Cancer Society.

Give this video as a gift to a friend or a dog! Get FURociously Fit with this package. Act now, for August they are 50 % off. Purchase the DVD here: https://webportal.orderwave.com/yogafit/portal.0?action=viewItemDetail&itemNumber=704660954368#.U9ulCONdWRs.

And dont forget to get the CD, which perfectly complements the DVD program: https://webportal.orderwave.com/YogaFit/portal.0?action=viewItemDetail&itemNumber=704660954054#.U9uljONdWRs.

The new DVD is exclusively distributed by YogaFit and is available through the YogaFit store. For further information visit YogaFit.com or connect at Facebook.com/YogaFitTrainingSystemsWorldwide or on Twitter @YogaFitTraining.

ABOUT YOGAFIT TRAINING SYSTEMS WORLDWIDE

YogaFit Training Systems Worldwide was established in 1994 and has since trained more than 250,000 yoga and fitness professionals worldwide. The leader in mind body fitness education, YogaFit is the largest training school for yoga instructors in North America with further expansion ongoing internationally. YogaFit is the American Council on Exercises (ACE) premier and only yoga partner. Founder and President Beth Shaw is internationally recognized as the foremost authority on yoga and fitness and has been profiled in print publications and television programs including Oprahs O Magazine, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, Entrepreneur, SELF and is currently a New Business Group Member of the New York Times. YogaFit is committed to community service as well as supporting animals and humanitarian causes.

For more information on YogaFit, please visit http://www.YogaFit.com.

Clicker training doesn’t need much in the way of specialized equipment. It will only cost you a few dollars to get everything you need to train your dog using this technique.

Let’s make a clicker training shopping list:

1.Flat collar and lead. You don’t need a check chain, prong collar or special leash to train your dog. In most cases, your dog’s existing collar and lead will be just fine.

2.A clicker. Dog training clickers are tiny plastic boxes with a flexible metal tongue. When you press the tongue, it bends and makes a clicking noise. They cost only a few dollars. If your budget is tight, you can do without a clicker by training your dog with a specific word. In the beginning, instead of clicking and treating until your dog learns that the click means reward, use your word instead of the clicker. For example, if your word was “yup”, you would say yup, then treat, over and over again. Then, when you are training, say “yup” when your dog does the right thing, and reward him. The one proviso is that you choose a word that isn’t part of your day to day vocabulary. That way your dog won’t expect a treat every time you say that common word, and become confused.

3.A reward. The most common reward for clicker training a dog is a food treat – they can be chopped up small so that you can give him plenty during a session without him becoming full or disinterested, and they are swallowed quickly so you can repeat the exercise straight away. The treat you choose has to be something very delicious and something your dog doesn’t get at other times. Don’t use his regular dried food; it’s not all that interesting and he’s not likely to be keen to work for it. Diced chicken and diced dried liver are favorites, and most dogs love them. These are also no more expensive than specially made commercial dog treats, if you work out the cost per pound.

Food treats may not work for some dogs; they may have food allergies, or they may be on a diet. For these animals, a reward may be a game of tug, or a throw of a ball. If that’s the case, these toys should be kept just for training sessions, which will keep them special for your dog.

In Summary – You don’t need to spend a lot of money to train your dog. Clicker training is very affordable and because it is all positive, it has the added advantage of enhancing your relationship with your dog.

As part of its commitment to help first responders save lives and property, Mission Manager, Inc. is pleased to announce a collaboration with the American Humane Association aimed at enhancing the associations Red Star teams nationwide animal rescue efforts. Mission Manager, one of the most widely used cloud-based emergency management tools, has supported approximately 5,000 missions over the past three years.

Under the arrangement, Mission Manager will donate its software and a portion of its revenues to the American Humane Association.

Mission Manager provides a turnkey solution for mission planning and real-time situational awareness. Based on three core principals preparation, readiness and execution the software provides a team-based operational environment for day-to-day tasks and serves as an online command center during incidents. Mission Manager features automated reporting tools, multiple communications vehicles and extensive mapping capabilities.

American Humane Associations Red Star volunteer responders are trained to help animals during or after a disaster, or as a result of animal cruelty bringing vital skills in animal handling as well as necessary supplies and resources to set-up and operate temporary shelters and/or conduct field rescue missions.

Were excited to use Mission Manager, which will automate our Red Star Teams administrative tasks and significantly enhance the volunteers rescue efforts. Until now, weve had to organize our team of nearly 200 nationwide volunteers by pen and paper, said Paul Raybould, American Humane Association Chief Innovation Officer. With Mission Managers support, were able to do a better job than ever before in meeting the needs of animals during times of crisis.

Our reason for being is to help first responders save lives and property whether their callout involves a missing person, an animal rescue effort or catastrophic event, said Michael Berthelot, President and CEO of Mission Manager. Thats why our collaboration with American Humane Association is such a fit. Were proud to partner in the pursuit of saving animal lives.

A PROUD SPONSOR OF THE AMERICAN HUMANE ASSOCIATIONS HERO DOG AWARDS

Mission Manager is also sponsoring the Search and Rescue (SAR) category in the 2014 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards gala on Sept. 27. The finalist in that category Bretagne (pronounced Brittany) who lives in Cypress, Texas has made significant contributions to the SAR community over her long career.

As seen on a special broadcast of The TODAY Show on Sept. 11, she is one of only two surviving search and rescue dogs who worked at Ground Zero following the 2001 terror attacks. Bretagne was also deployed during the Olympic Winter Games in 2001 and Hurricane Rita in 2005.

Since retiring in 2008, she spends her time working as an ambassador to the SAR community and visiting schools. Bretagne is among eight amazing dogs that will be honored at a star-studded awards gala on Sept. 27 in Beverly Hills, where the top American Hero Dog for 2014 will be chosen based on more than one million votes by the American public. People can read her remarkable story athttp://www.herodogawards.org or watch video at http://on.today.com/1yrzFhZ.

ABOUT THE RED STAR TEAM

American Humane Association is the countrys first national humane organization and the only one devoted to protecting both children and animals. The organizations Red Star rescue work began in 1916 when they were asked by War Department to help save hundreds of thousands of horses that were wounded on the battlefields of World War I in Europe.

Since then, Red Star has been involved in virtually every major relief effort, from Pearl Harbor to 9/11, the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, and Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. During the past 10 years, Red Star has rescued, helped and sheltered more than 10,000 animals hurt in catastrophes and cruelty cases. To help, please visit http://www.americanhumane.org.

ABOUT MISSION MANAGER

Mission Manager provides cloud-based software designed to help save lives and property by enabling first responders to operate more efficiently and effectively. Mission Managers team member and asset management capabilities, combined with its calendar and communication functions, allows users to enhance team readiness through optimized training and seamlessly integrate mission-specific operations during real-time events.

Over the past three years, Mission Manager has been used in nearly 5,000 missions ranging from single-person rescues to large public events and full-scale natural disaster response. Mission Manager is currently used in all 50 U.S. states, and on every continent except Antarctica. Truly a global tool, Mission Manager is available in 80 languages. To learn more, visit http://www.MissionManager.com.