Say hello to Jake!

[michelleans]

Thanks everyone,

I was wondering about his ears. When they would pop up. He had also told us not to rub them or they would take alot longer. One of Jake's sisters had hers already up when we were picking him. She was lovely.

I'll definitely keep him away from stairs then - I want him to be in the best of health. We may move soon to a first floor apartment with a garden - he has the roof here but we're up 2 flights of stairs - and he doesn't like being picked up much. If I hold him for too long he gives out.

Both Jetan and Buddy are gorgeous. Sorry to hear Jetan died so young.. 120 lbs is big alright! What's that? 54kg around.

I'm mesmorised by Jake's eyes... I noticed both your GSD also stared right into the camera! Sometimes while sitting preparing food etc he will sit and stare right into my eyes. No breed of dog I've ever had before has stared like he has! It feels really nice that he's giving such attention

Sarah - he feels like a stuffed animal too - so soft and furry I introduced him to Bunny yesterday - I wanted him to settle in a bit more first. He came over to the cage and pressed his nose against it. Bunny climbed onto the bars right in front of his nose and started to gently preen him Then Jake got a bit excited and licked Bunny - causing Bunny to fly away to the other side of the cage, this of course got everyone a bit excited and Jake decided he needed to put his paw on the cage To which I prompty said no Jake and removed the cage to a high safe locaion. If I don't put the cage on the floor Jake pays no attention to Bunny - and Bunny isn't at all quiet He's getting less out time cuz it's hard to watch both of them at once. And I need a higher place for Bunny to play with Jake is around... I don't know if Bunny is jealous but he notices Jake all the time - he's even began making a strange whine/bark noise that sounds something like Jake He tricked me with it the first few times - I thought it was Jake

About his diet - I'm currently feeding him Royal Canin Junior Large
Breed and putting in some milk with his water to get extra vitamins calcium etc. Is there anything I should supplement into his diet? I was wondering if it'd be ok to give him meat.. He's still so small though I'm not sure. What do you feed your dogs?

Thanks alot everyone!

[mommazoo]

royal canin is a good food, it should provide him with everything he needs. Always make sure it is large breed. You should keep him on puppy or junior until he is about 1yr old, he needs the extra stuff in the puppy food to develop his joints & muscles properly.

I feed Nutro , natural choice lite (I have some fat doggies that need slimming down). I dont supplement with anything, except arthri maxx. It has glucosamine & chondroitin in it-it is prescribed by my vet for the lab he has arthritis in his hips. I give it to all of the big dogs a couple times a week because it helps keep their joints healthy.

Of note about supplementing, I wouldn't supplement him with anything for probably 2years. You can make his developing joints very lax and cause HD(hip dysplasia) especially if he has a HD prone bloodline, if you over do it. When he is adult and his joints are formed is a good time to start, but it isnt necessary. I know a guy who supplements with a crushed bone powder on his dogs food.The royal canin for large breed puppies/junior should have everything he needs. I dont remember reading how old he was. You can get some esbilac, it is powdered milk replacer for puppies, cows milk is bad on their digestion if thats the milk you are putting in his food. Sprinkle some onto his food but I wouldnt give it to him beyond 16weeks old.

I personally dont give my dogs any meat on a regular basis. On holidays they do get a piece of what we have, but it isnt something I do often. With 5 dogs, the chance of aggression over meat is high. My dogs all get along well but I do take precautions to make sure there is nothing to bring out their negative canine instincts.

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

All,

Your shepards are GORGEOUS!! I've always thought them beautiful creatures, along with golden retrievers, but sadly, I've just never had the room to properly 'house' a large dog. I'm glad you've gotten some good 'baby' info from owners- it's certainly things a non shepard owner probably wouldn't know!!

That said, Bailey Ann is the light of our lives. She usually sleeps between us in the cooler months, but lately with the heat she has preferred the hardwood floor..until I wake up in the early morning hours by a large hairy paw at the edge of the bed. I'm trying to get Bailey into show coat, so she does have quite a bit of fur on those legs!!!


Congratulations on your new addition..Jake certainly is a doll baby!

[radiogirl995]

Your little baby is SOOOO cute! As soon as I saw the pics, I was transported back to my BaileyDog's baby days!
He's a GS mix...with Chow or Collie we believe and he's 8 years old.
I don't have his baby pics on this PC, but these are from the other day

[michelleans]

Thanks for all that info and lovely comments!

Yes we are feeding large breed junior. He's just hit 8 weeks now. I might just leave the milk altogether, if he doesn't need it then it's fine. I've heard raw meat is ok to give too but we had some concerns over bacteria on raw meat.. Still researching and thinking.

Both Baileys are gorgeous

[GlendaNS]

Congradulations! GSD's are the absolute best dogs there are! I am partial of course.

This is my male and female (Satan & Lillith). We currently have 10 puppies out of them.

[michelleans]

Thanks!

Yours are gorgeous!

[Ladychaos]

one thing to pay attention to when it comes to dog foods are ingrediants. I am not sure about royal canin as I have not fed it. I personally like innova and california natural. But I feed natural balance venison and brown rice formula to my boy. It does great for his coat and skin. And no poop problems. Some other good foods are canidae, chicken soup for the dog lover's soul, eagle pack, solid gold, nutro, ect. it really matters how your dog takes to the food. If he has overly runny poop or vomits. Make sure to only bath him once a month to keep his oils nice and healthy. And daily brushing and exercise is a must. Adorable pup ^.^

[michelleans]

Well it seems he's doing perfect on the Royal Canin! He has a great appetite and great poo Though the chicken soup looks real good - I can't find anywhere that sells it here in Turkey though

I haven't even bathed him once yet.. He smells fine and he really doesn't need it. He has been given huge basins of water to play in which he happily jumps into to cool down and then splashes the water everywhere! He'll be getting a flea shampoo bath sometime soon though - as a precaution - I thought I caught him scratching!!

I've already started brushing him it makes him super soft and cuddly And so neat and handsome! We walk alot not much running and no jumping for him - I'm thinking of his hips for the future.

Moving to a first floor apartment with a big garden soon I'm so happy

Thanks for the tips!

[GlendaNS]

All my dogs have been permitted to run and play at will. Lillith even climbs ladders to the roof if someone is up there. LOL The one thing that that is most dangerous to a dogs hips are slick surfaces. I had a Great Dane that hurt her hip on a concrete floor at a dog show.

My puppies all wrestle and bite ears, their ears all stand up fine in time. Up one day, down the next.

You can supplement with a goats milk replacer. I always do, or I at least give vitamins. They grow so fast and you do not want them to be calcium deficient. Their legs will get a terrible bow to them.

Be sure to keep baby wormed! I use pyrantel pamoate paste. I have never had any problems with it, and my puppies are huge compared to a lot of others I have seen.