i have a six month old purebred german shepard, he's been...

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Question by ruger
Submitted on 3/31/2004
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i have a six month old purebred german shepard, he's been dealing with chronic itching,biting, and scratching now since about 12 weeks old.he even gets these sort of "hot spots" in his arm pits. I know that shepards are prone to allergies, and he has been on a raw food diet since he was weaned as well as supplements that i give him now. i can't solve this problem and have tried everything...no thanks to my vet who would probably prefer me to spend hunderds of dollars in tests and end up putting him on steroids. his system is nearly toxin free and i would like to keep it that way! if any one has any home remidies i would love to hear them...help me solve this problem i'm running out of options! SARAH

Answer by Kieran
Submitted on 4/12/2004
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Sarah, One thing is he may not be getting the nutrition he needs and his body is reacting. German Shepards are highly tuned and you can't run regular gas on a highly tuned engine. Change his diet and start giving him Oatmeal baths from your groomer. The best food diet for him is Best Breed German dog diet. Go to www.bestbreed.com for a free sample or to purchase a bag. I do not work or endorse them but my dog has been on it for months and loves it. He looks and feels great Also, when you feed him put a teaspoon of Olive oil in his food this will help renew the coat. I'm not sure if you are aware but these dogs will shed their winter undercoat around this time of year and will bring in their summer coat. If he eats dry and wet food together then mix these together and wet it a little. This will help in digesting and eliminate bloat. You have a beautiful dog and requires a lot of work. good luck Kieran

Answer by reese
Submitted on 10/13/2004
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Hi Sarah, If you have those allergy problems with your German shepherd still, I'm sure i have the answer, talking from experience. My partner and i have a German shepherd that has been through exactly the same thing, (being hell!) exactly how you explain it right down to the steroids and expensive tests. I believe in making your own natural dog food at home but right now, you should buy the Hills Science Diet called "Canine z/d Low Allergen". You need to keep him on it until all the allergies go away. Then you can start to introduce home made natural food. If he starts itching again then go back on the z/d. A tip is to keep it simple to start with by only cooking 2 ingredients together at a time, e.g. Potatoes and kangaroo meat. The reason i suggest the z/d, is it was the only thing that saved our lives from hell!! I researched what is in it, and it makes sense of why it works, it is mainly potato and chicken but its hydrolyzed chicken. When your dog has got to the stage where its a real mess itching and scratching and is distressed it may be super sensitive and at this point may have a problem digesting normal protein and food. So, hydrolyzed protein is the answer. I believe it only has to be necessary until your dogs is well. What you'll be doing is understanding and working out your dog. For example, our shepherd loves Lentils, brown rice and potatoes and kangaroo meat all cooked up together. But that was after going through almost every brand of dog food watching him scratch & itch. Then i discovered that alot of dog food companies use corn as a main ingredient. Sure enough if i gave him fresh corn today he would be scratching & itching tonight!! Look, i bet if i was to research what German shepherds ancestors ate it would probably be something like potatoes and red meat. Bye for now, feel free to ask me anything, i would be happy to help.

Answer by Heather
Submitted on 9/19/2005
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Believe it or not, a lady that I work with and I were discussing our dogs one day and we were talking about the coats and scratching, itching, biting, and even fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes. She told me her dog loves garlic and explained why it was such a GREAT thing. We all know the unique odor of the food, and you see, the garlic liquid will slightly excrete from the dogs pores and glands to help with itching, biting, dry-skin and especially with fleas, ticks and mosquitoes. (Here's a flea and tick trick too). Feed them approx. 1/2 oz. of minced garlic that you buy in a jar, or even one piece off of a garlic clove, 2-3 times a week. In a few weeks this should solve your problem. Although, if this doesn't help, it may be stress, seperation anxiety, or even a nervous problem in which you may actually have to take your beloved friend to the vet. Good luck with the home remedies! I couldn't recommend anything better than what's worked so well for me!

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Answer by doeen
Submitted on 5/10/2004
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i have a question i have a 11 month old shepard he barks all the time what can be done to break him of this bad habit i have tried several things but they haven't worked

Answer by Kathie
Submitted on 5/19/2004
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Im a german shepard breeder from south australia and we had the same problem with a new pup. She was stressed out about moving to new home. All the attention we gave her etc, did not make any difference. Our vet put her on anti-depressant drugs to control the problem for a few weeks and she settled down and stopped. Also hes may have dry skin, and a teaspoon of flaxseed oil may help if this is the problem. Puppies are sometimes out of control with biting, chewing etc, and you may have to start telling him off a would not hurt. If the person who you purchased the puppy from is a good breeder, they will also help you with the problem as it could be heriditary.

Answer by Valerie
Submitted on 10/5/2004
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I have a year and a half year old female and she is ssoo hyper all the time. I have no idea what to do. It is not because she does not have enough attention it is because she is too excited. I baby her so much, she is hardly ever alone. My "vet" told me too either get her fixed or wait until She has puppies. Does anybody know of any tricks or old remadies I might use to calm her down? I would really appreciate it. Valerie

Answer by Kris
Submitted on 10/29/2004
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Dear Sarah, I guess you have already determined that your dog does not have fleas? For a dry coat - I give my german shepard sardines packed in water (not oil!), every three days, as recommended by my trainer. It works really well. I have recommended this to my friend with a lab and it has worked for her as well. Also, I would agree to make sure your dog is on a balanced diet, getting everything he/she needs nutritionally - Maybe re-vamp your current diet. I agree about keeping as many toxins out of your dog as you can. I only use non-toxic cleaning products in my home, which has stopped my cat from having seizures. Good luck!

Answer by nicole
Submitted on 11/3/2004
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i have a 1 and half year old female....we can't keep her in the yard. we have over an acre and we resuced her from the spca the owner didn't want her she jumped his fenced yard. i tried her on electric fence...she is only 55lbs...small and she dosen'teven care...she goes right threw it, she takes the hit like its nothing....and we have her on the highest level...please send me some ideas...eclipseon19z@aol.com

Answer by chelsea
Submitted on 11/4/2004
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my sister has a white german shepard and he had the same problem. know like karen said try an oatmille bath but that didn't help my sisters dog. another proble could be dry skin so i reamind a weekly bath with luke warm water and a oat mill conditioner let it set for at least five minutes than risen it off. also blow dry him and if all else fells by a movle and put it on every time you see him cowing. good luke chelsea

Answer by andi
Submitted on 11/13/2004
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I have a 7 month old German Shepard, when I take her out to run around the yard, she uses her snout and opens the gate, how can I break her of this? She is the smartest dog I have had. I am having trouble also with her bumping her with her nose at night when I am sleeping. Can someone help??

Answer by j4ssal
Submitted on 12/23/2004
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i have a 8 month old German Shepard and he barks the most just for no reason

Answer by roxy56789@yahoo.com
Submitted on 3/31/2005
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Hey I know how you feel. I had a germanshepard and i had the same exact thing. what you do is you go to the vet and just ask for an antibiotic and a pill that allows the dog to gain weight. if hes not gaining wait. you can also go to walmart and in a bottle it says hotspots you can use that to get the sores away. you have to feed the dog wet can food for about 3 weeks. after that you will start seeing a difference in hes eating habits. he will start to eat more. when you go to the vet just ask for a 4 week dosage of this medicine. i cost me 150 dollars which is not bad. i have germansheps.

Answer by amy
Submitted on 5/19/2005
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well it might be that he doesn't get enough exercise, you might keep him in overnight with no windows open or it may be the food hes on

Answer by sarah
Submitted on 7/3/2005
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hey i have a 5 yr old german shepard we had left her in the backyard withe gate closed we got home and she was sitting and waiting for us at the front of the house can german shepards climb chain link fences

Answer by sarah
Submitted on 7/5/2005
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can german shepard climb chain link fences?

Answer by rooster
Submitted on 7/6/2005
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a chronic barking dog should have been given disipline from day one. You will find it harder to stop the dog now but it is possible try a barking colar they really to work. Dogs that scratch a lot might have dry skin or might be alergic to certain types of grass or have fleas. Try a tablespoon of oil in the dogs dinner that might help, i have found that to much pasta or rice might be the coulpret for dry skin.

Answer by TERRY
Submitted on 8/19/2005
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HELLO, MY GRETA WAS DEVELOPING HORRIBLE SKIN PROBLEMS.( GRETA IS A BLACK GERMAN SHEPARD)OUR WONDERFUL VET SAID IT WAS CAUSED BY ALERGIES. WE STARTED USING A DRY DOG FOOD FROM PET SMART IT IS A MIXURE OF VENISON AND RICE. GRETA WAS CURED! (I BELIEVE IT IS CALLED NATURE'S WAY). MY SON SAYS THAT DOG FOOD IS TOO DRYING FOR HIS BLACK LAB'S SKIN.

Answer by nola
Submitted on 9/12/2005
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i have a full blooded german shepard pup. She is about 6 months old and has been limping on her front left paw. I took her to the vet and had x-rays done. The vet could not find anything wrong with her. The vet then consulted an orthopedic vet surgeon. the surgeon said that it is "growing pains" has anyone heard of this and is there anyway to get her to use the leg? she is starting to loose muscle mass and i fear she may not use the paw properly again. she also is not eating like she used to and has lost 5-10 lbs. Any suggestions?

Answer by DEANNA
Submitted on 11/9/2006
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I HAVE A 6 MONTH OLD BOY GERMAN SHEPARD THAT STILL HAS NOT GONE TO THE BATHROOM OUTSIDE NO MATTER HOW LONG WE KEEP HIM OUT HE WILL WAIT UNTIL WE GET BACK IN THEN SNEAK INTO A CORNER AND GO.PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ANY ANSWERS TELL ME,I HAVE ASKED THE PET STORES AND THEY TELL ME TO BUY THESE THINGS TO PUT ON THE FLOOR AND ALL HE DOES IS TEAR THEM UP. DEASPERATE FOR SOME ANSWERS BECAUSE I DONT WANT TO GIVE HIM AWAY!!!!!

Answer by amanda
Submitted on 10/18/2005
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my aunties scottie has the same problem and has got a special diet list from his local vet it is dry malsels and NO tinned food apart from what he started off from when he was weened or pal!

Answer by steph
Submitted on 11/18/2005
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i have a german shepherd and all he does is bit me it is 5 months old it doesn't bit anyone else but me and it wont walk on the lead properly keeps jumping up and pulling the lead what shall i do

Answer by imogen
Submitted on 11/29/2005
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my grans dog will not stop barking at the television, she as tried evrey thing to stop it, do you have any tips that she could use?

Answer by aj
Submitted on 12/3/2005
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give the germy some Ivomac Itll kill any parasite in him. This cures mange. Kills the mite that gets under their skin.

Answer by linda
Submitted on 1/3/2006
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Lamaderm dog food. DRY, No human food at all. One 40 pound bag thru the dogs system solved all of their dry spots,licking,bad smell from the licking. Hot spots, etc. Told to us from a Shepperd breeder. Works miracles. We have helped many a family and dog by passing this on. Good Luck

Answer by Sandalicious
Submitted on 1/10/2006
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I just got a 2-3 yearold rescue German Shepard (tied up fed poorly for first 3 years) Now that I give her constant love, like she is not used to she has become super dependant on me. She stays with 3 other dogs in an office for up to 4 hours, without me (I'mdownstairs), she whines the entire time, what should i do? She is killing the people I work with and I need her to relax and know I'mcoming back. What do I do???

Answer by mel
Submitted on 1/23/2006
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Hi we had a few german sheperds our female whitney she had bad skin and had hot spots and smelt bad even though we had her hydro bathed weekly, we put her on just dry food ?coat cant remember the first word but it was expensive and did help heaps although it never fully went away we had to buy this spray stuff and spray her every night poor thing..dontgive them eggs or any dairy products i have heard this brings the skin irritation out even worse it did with my uncles sheperd poor thing couldnt even have a slice of bread

Answer by craig
Submitted on 3/13/2006
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question We have a 6 mo. old 71 lb. german shepard male who we love to pieces. He is provided with the best food exercise rest and vet care. However we have one problem his ears are not coming up. He is teethning now and has plenty of approved chews. His parents ears are erect and it appears there is not a problem with his blood line. Can anyone help us please?

Answer by maddi
Submitted on 3/16/2006
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for the barking thing i think you should keep on telling him/her and if he/her doesnt listen put it in time out. if that doesnt work put a mussle on until it listens to you

Answer by Patty
Submitted on 4/20/2006
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Itching and scratching and hot spots can almost be a thing of the past if you give your dogs sulphur tablets daily (dose varies) available at any chemist very cheaply. Or from Weleda, Ilkeston,Derbyshire.UK. (homeopathic remedies)

Answer by morris
Submitted on 5/10/2006
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Our 3 year old GSD has had a lick granuloma for 18months now since she was knocked down in a car accident. this is like a hot spot that she licks constantly and has made very sore.we have tried allsorts like muzzles and bandaging the wound but she is very determined. any suggestions on how to break her licking habit? We have been to the vets several times and all they do is give steroid injections that have a healing effect but do not resolve the problem.

Answer by suzzan
Submitted on 5/31/2006
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I had a east German Shepherd, black, who was very allergic to fleas (and everything else). I put her on California Natural lamb and rice with a little flaxseed oil. I was told by our vet that olive oil is not good for dogs. When we put her on Advantage or one of the flea meds and the food change the chewing stopped and she didn't have any other problems with itching and chewing. She could not be put outside in the summer however because she had real problems with flies biting the tips of her ears and making sores. Tried horse fly repellent etc. but she had reactions to the fly bites anyway.

Answer by rachael
Submitted on 6/4/2006
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to help you with the constant barking : my dog did this and chewing as a pup .... my vet said that she had such an attachment to me that she was depressed and typically crying , he suggested that dogs have a seperation anxiety and also a great sence of smell .. making them acknologe that you are there ..... so i started putting my dirty sweatshirts or pj's on the floor for her to lay on and comfort ..... somthing that smells like you all day ... i would come home and find that she layed in those cloths every time ... it works well in car rides also ..... it might take a few .. put the cloths down and a toy of the pups ... good luck . :)

Answer by duggie4640
Submitted on 7/30/2006
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what time frame is a female ready for breeding, how long does pregnacy last and when will she be ready again?

Answer by Danielle
Submitted on 8/12/2006
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I am a owner of a half german shepard half australian shepard mix. She never,ever barks unless we make her. She is about 9-10 months old and i am having a problem with her chewing. i have given her so many toys and it helps for about a day. Plus she is pooping in the house now, which she had never done before. I dont know what else to do. what do you suggest? Thank you for your time.

Answer by april
Submitted on 8/25/2006
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I have a german shepard as well.I have been dealing with the same problem.They are very in tune with there owners feelings.If there is stress in the home that could be another reason.My dog started his skin problem when I got cancer.I have tryed a lot of things but what I have found is medicaded shampoos work and bath him at least once a week.I hope you have luck.I am still trying my self.Also when you leave the shampoo on a while to soak that helps to. and frontline seems to help as well.When he has fleas it seems to be a lot worse.

Answer by Kat
Submitted on 8/25/2006
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Your dog may be barking out of frustration. Exercise is very important for working breed dogs. I would try daily walks with a doggie back pack with a little added weight. Things like water bottles or even joggers weights. If your dog does alot of pacing with the barking, then you can be pretty sure that he's frustrated and maybe anxious. I know it sounds funny, but I think they feel like they're useful when they're carrying something, and it adds to the work out.

Answer by JoAnne
Submitted on 9/28/2006
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My neighbor has dogs with hot spots. All she does is makes sure that they run in the ocean. I don't know if that helps you but it helps her. Good Luck.

Answer by ross
Submitted on 11/30/2006
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hello sarah are you still selling them or giving them, away

Answer by Chris
Submitted on 1/11/2007
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Sarah I have two GSD male and female, and I was going through the same problem. I paid lots of money at the vet, but nothing helped. Until I changed the food to Royal Canine "German Shepherd" food (you can get it at Petco for every age), which is specially formulated for the German Shepherd, additional I changed the Shampoo and Conditioner to Oatmeal Shampoo and Conditioner. Ever since I did all this changes, we don't have any problems anymore. Chris