D. Caroline Coile - German Shepherds For Dummies

German Shepherds For Dummies

Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com

Copyright 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2019949669

ISBN 978-1-119-64464-4 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-64469-9 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-64467-5 (ebk)

1. Chapter 2
2. Chapter 4
3. Chapter 5
4. Chapter 6
5. Chapter 7
6. Chapter 10
7. Chapter 11
8. Chapter 12
9. Chapter 15
10. Chapter 16
11. Chapter 17
12. Chapter 18

Everybody thinks that they know the German Shepherd Dog (commonly referred to as the German Shepherd). Many of us grew up with Rin Tin Tin, or we saw German Shepherds in nightly news reports breaking up riots, or we saw them in neighbors backyards protecting children. But that only scratches the surface of one of the most fascinating and confusing breeds on Earth. And if youre thinking of adding a German Shepherd to your family, or you already have one, you need to know this breed in depth.

It takes only a little investigation to discover that the German Shepherd is a complex breed. All you need to do is flip through the ads of a dog magazine to be inundated with terms and abbreviations like Grand Victrix, SV, VA, and Bundesleistungshueten. Its hard to know whether youre buying a dog with a sought-after title or a dreaded disease! And although health-conscious conversations among owners of most other breeds might center around flea control and worming schedules, German Shepherd owners throw around terms such as degenerative myelopathy, pannus, and perianal fistula. Breeding decisions in other breeds may be based on coat color or length; in German Shepherds, a breeder must be ready to recite an OFA number or a PennHip rating. In most breeds, the biggest training decisions that owners face is whether they want to use a choke or a buckle collar; in German Shepherds, its whether you want to include Schutzhund or search-and-rescue. Whether its selection, nutrition, routine health care, training, competing, or just having fun, theres more to it with a German Shepherd than with other breeds. Thats because theres more to German Shepherds in general.

Can you own a German Shepherd and remain oblivious to its finer points and intricacies? Sure. But why would you want to miss out?

This book explains not only the basics of the German Shepherd, but also the details that make this breed unique. Even if your shelves are lined with dog books, I wrote this book to be the one book you wear out. Its not a generic dog care book, but instead a German Shepherd Dog care book. Its not filled with unrealistic scare tactics about dog care or with hand-me-down dog lore that has no basis in fact. Its filled with breed-specific information that can help you get the most out of life with a new best friend.

This book is a reference book, not a textbook; youre not required to read it from cover to cover to get the information you need. You choose how to read it go to the table of contents and select an individual chapter that interests you, go to the index to find information about a specific problem you and your dog are having, or curl up in front of the fireplace with your Shepherd and read it from beginning to end if you like. The point is to empower you to be a good dog owner, not to lecture you or guilt you into doing so.

I want you to be able to find what youre looking for quickly and easily, especially if youre in an emergency situation, so Ive organized this book as logically as possible. Heres a rundown of what youll find in each part of the book.

Of course I think that the German Shepherd is among the best breeds out there, but I want to convince you of that as well. This part traces the breeds origins so that you can come to appreciate the tremendous care that went into the development of the German Shepherd. Here you can familiarize yourself with the essentials of the German Shepherd physique and mystique, and also do some soul searching to decide whether you are right for this breed.