German Shepherds first started being developed in the late 19th century by a man named Max von Stephanitz. Stephanitz is still today credited as having fathered the entire German Shepherd breed. An admirer of the German sheep dog of the time, he chose to breed selectively to procure his most desired traits and weed out those that were unnecessary or undesirable. Stephanitz bred his dogs for years, creating the founding root of the German Shepherd breed and eventually become the dog we know today.

When the German Shepherd was brought over to the United States, the breeders in America changed up the bloodlines of the breed by mating it with other types of dog. It is still up for debate whether these breeders aided or damaged the development of the German Shepherd, as American breeders were working towards a show-quality dog while the original German Shepherd was intended primarily for work.

German Shepherds in the United States have coats that are on the shorter side of medium, usually brown and black, tan and black, or cream and black, but not uncommonly producing an all white or all black variety. The truly German variety of the breed has a longer coat which is occasionally (but rarely) seen in the U.S.

German Shepherds were initially developed by Stephanitz as a working breed. To this day, even with the American cross breeding, German Shepherds excel in the work force as hunters, farm dogs, service dogs, narcotics dogs, and law enforcement dogs. German Shepherds are an exceedingly agile, strong, and athletic breed, with a very malleable temperament. They can be trained to work as aggressive guard dogs or be gentle helpers on the farm.

In their native country, the breeding of German Shepherds is so meticulously monitored that a registered shepherd must have had both its sire and damn Shutzhund certified, which means that they have been evaluated for temperament and ability by professionals. Shutzhund certification pays no mind to the size, coat, or general appearance of the dog, which is vastly different from the American variety of canine judging.

The primary visible difference between true German Shepherds and American German Shepherds, besides the length of their coat, is the lack of sloped hips. True German Shepherds have hips level with their shoulders, as the original breed was intended to. American German Shepherds have a distinct slope at the back of the torso into the hips. Sloped hips are argued over by many international breed enthusiasts, being the desired trait for showmanship in America, but also leading to an earlier onset and more significant risk of hip dysplasia.

Whether you are choosing to acquire an American German Shepherd or seeking out a true German Shepherd, you must research your breeder thoroughly. Because of the popularity of this breed and its potential for strength, there are many unethical breeders out there who are trying to turn a quick profit by mating irresponsibly. With proper research, either variety of German Shepherd can provide you with a loyal worker or a loving family pet.

German Shepherds first started being developed in the late 19th century by a man named Max von Stephanitz. Stephanitz is still today credited as having fathered the entire German Shepherd breed. An admirer of the German sheep dog of the time, he chose to breed selectively to procure his most desired traits and weed out those that were unnecessary or undesirable. Stephanitz bred his dogs for years, creating the founding root of the German Shepherd breed and eventually become the dog we know today.

When the German Shepherd was brought over to the United States, the breeders in America changed up the bloodlines of the breed by mating it with other types of dog. It is still up for debate whether these breeders aided or damaged the development of the German Shepherd, as American breeders were working towards a show-quality dog while the original German Shepherd was intended primarily for work.

German Shepherds in the United States have coats that are on the shorter side of medium, usually brown and black, tan and black, or cream and black, but not uncommonly producing an all white or all black variety. The truly German variety of the breed has a longer coat which is occasionally (but rarely) seen in the U.S.

German Shepherds were initially developed by Stephanitz as a working breed. To this day, even with the American cross breeding, German Shepherds excel in the work force as hunters, farm dogs, service dogs, narcotics dogs, and law enforcement dogs. German Shepherds are an exceedingly agile, strong, and athletic breed, with a very malleable temperament. They can be trained to work as aggressive guard dogs or be gentle helpers on the farm.

In their native country, the breeding of German Shepherds is so meticulously monitored that a registered shepherd must have had both its sire and damn Shutzhund certified, which means that they have been evaluated for temperament and ability by professionals. Shutzhund certification pays no mind to the size, coat, or general appearance of the dog, which is vastly different from the American variety of canine judging.

The primary visible difference between true German Shepherds and American German Shepherds, besides the length of their coat, is the lack of sloped hips. True German Shepherds have hips level with their shoulders, as the original breed was intended to. American German Shepherds have a distinct slope at the back of the torso into the hips. Sloped hips are argued over by many international breed enthusiasts, being the desired trait for showmanship in America, but also leading to an earlier onset and more significant risk of hip dysplasia.

Whether you are choosing to acquire an American German Shepherd or seeking out a true German Shepherd, you must research your breeder thoroughly. Because of the popularity of this breed and its potential for strength, there are many unethical breeders out there who are trying to turn a quick profit by mating irresponsibly. With proper research, either variety of German Shepherd can provide you with a loyal worker or a loving family pet.

Is your family expecting? Are you a little tense about introducing your new baby to your dog? If youre hoping for a smooth transition, then youll want to start preparing your dog months before the baby ever arrives. Your dog will inevitably go through lots of changes when the baby is born, so its best to ease him into the new routine gradually. Have your dog practice impulse control behaviors like down-stays around all the baby stuff (cribs, carriers, swings and other contraptions). You can also proof the down-stay by holding a doll and playing tracks of baby sounds, like you see in this video. Remember, its much easier to set your dog up to succeed proactively than it is to try to undo a bad experience after the baby has arrived.

Game hunters know how important a good dog is. A good hunting dog can strengthen your eyes and ears, and it’s always more fun to have a companion with you when you’re hunting! However, for the most effective hunting, you need a dog that’s well trained. This means obeying commands, of course, but a good hunting dog should also know what’s expected of him in the field.

One way hunters train their dogs is with live birds. That is, they take their dogs out to chase (and hunt) birds, using the opportunity to train the dogs out in the wild.

There are many advantages to using this method. One obvious advantage is that the dog gets real experience interacting with birds, and learns in real time what to do based on your commands, praise, and reprimands.

Another advantage is that you, the hunter, can see how your dog interacts with live birds so you can tailor your training techniques to fit your dog’s personality, as well as your hunting style. After all, if you have a pointing breed, you would want to curtail catching behavior early. With flushing and retriever breeds, on the other hand, you want to praise catching behavior, since dogs that try to catch birds will be better flushers.

If you want to train your dog with live birds, there are a couple of things you’ll need. The first is, of course, birds. Many trainers recommend using good flying quail. They may be difficult to find, but it’s worth it in order to have a well trained bird dog. The other thing you’ll need is a quality quail recaller.

When you have your quails and you’re ready to train your dog with live birds, put about two dozen quails in a box and don’t let them eat for a day. The next day, take the birds, a small block of ice, some game bird feed, and your recaller into the field. Scatter the feed across the area, and put the box down nearby. Cut a hole in the box and cover it with the block of ice, preventing the quails from escaping. Then walk away.

Once the ice melts, the quail will be able to leave the box and will find the feed. (Make sure there is water nearby, as well.) After about a week, you can run your dogs on the birds. This provides a controlled area for you and your dog to train with live birds. As with any training, patience and consistency are important to help your dog learn what you want.

Training is important for good hunting dogs. And while it’s great to teach a dog to hunt with commands, there’s nothing quite like getting in the field with live birds to teach your hunting companion exactly what to do in a hunt. And before you know it, you’ll have a great hunter!

Have you simply gotten your first puppy and want to make sure that you start your new pet on its way to a long healthy life with your family? If you answered yes to any of these questions then Alpha Paws dog training school may be right for you.

Puppy Preschool

Puppy preschool is a one hour program that is conducted by a professional dog trainer right in your home. It is designed to help you and puppy get off to a good start and covers such things as

1. Potty training your puppy

2. positive puppy games you can play with your new pet

3. Controlling your puppies chewing and biting

4. Giving your new best friend the proper nutrition

5. Helping you to ensure that your child and puppy interact well together

6. This program touches on many other issues as well.

Basic Obedience Training

Alpha paws basic training program is a ten day program that teaches your dog all the basic obedience commands and signals and that these commands must be obeyed. In addition, there are 5 follow up lessons with family members to help them integrate the use of the commands in the home with all family members.

Off The Leash Program

Alpha Paws also offers a 10 day off the leash program that will have your dog working in your home and enclosed yard without a leash despite any distractions that come along. He will increase his knowledge of both verbal commands and hand signals as well.

Behavior Problems

Alpha paws dog training also offers you help with a wide range of behavior problems your dog may be having including:

1. Destructive behaviors such as digging biting during play and various kinds of aggression

2. Chasing cars, animals, birds and other moving objects

3. excessive barking

4. housebreaking issues

There is even a free assessment that you can fill out online to help Alpha Paws determine what type of behavior training your pet needs.

Alpha Paws is a great program that provides training both for you and your pet and helps to strengthen the bond between you and your beloved pet. However, unless you live in Newmarket, Ontario or the surrounding area you won’t be easily able to enroll in training programs. However, there is no need to despair as the founder of Alpha Paws, Peter Brown offers a DVD of his training program to those who live too far away to take advantage of the live program.

Whether you enroll in the program or purchase the training DVD you can rest assured that the tips you receive will help you to have more confidence in your relationship with your dog and make you a better, more confident owner and your pet a better behaved dog.

At Alpha Paws we have a training solution that’s right for you! All of our programs consist of private individual sessions with a professional dog trainer. We believe that the best results are achieved through focused, one-on-one sessions with you and your dog.