Black German Shepherd: description, feeding and care

The black shepherd, as well as the white variation, is sometimes perceived as a separate breed of German dogs. Is it really so, and because of what the animal's wool has acquired black color - consider in this material.

The article describes in detail the features of the breed, its origin, differences in the care of the pet, contained on the street and in the apartment. Considers the issues of choosing the right puppy and more.

Most people think that the black German shepherd is a separate breed. Not really. This is an ordinary shepherd of zonarnogo color, because of him she got its name. In general, the zoned color is gray, however, a pair of zoned and turtle color can give birth to completely black puppies. Such babies are more expensive than their "standard" brethren. Black German shepherds differ in size, animals are not so large, but more active.

The history of the German breed began in the XIX century. Sheep-dogs were bred in the role of labor - the dogs watched the flocks of sheep, goats, protected pastures from predators. Over time, the animals were taken to work in the security services. However, there was a period of time when the dogs were out of work, and the breed was close to oblivion.

In World War II, German shepherds were used by German troops as combat medics, and animals dragged communication cables. When the war ended, the breed of German shepherds began to spread beyond Germany. The dogs were brought to the territory of the rest of Europe, the USSR.

However, kennels were few in number to supply the desired number of pets, and the purchase of German dogs was expensive. It was decided to withdraw its own analogue of the "Germans", which was called the East European Shepherd. Therefore, it is not necessary to perceive these two breeds for one.

Now the black German shepherd is a fairly common breed. The animal attracts with its qualities: intelligence, devotion, fearlessness, outward beauty.

According to its characteristics, the black German shepherd does not differ from the German breed. As mentioned above, the dog received its name from the zoned color, respectively, the coat color can only be black. Pets who have spots, reddish, or other shades on wool are rejected.

• Medium sized head. The muzzle is narrow, elongated. The ears are large, triangular, set high. Scissor bite. The eyes are almond-shaped, the color of the iris is dark brown and golden brown. The eyelids, nose, lips have a dark pigmentation, close to black color.

• The body is elongated, the back is even, to the croup goes under a slope. Shepherd pelvis is always lower than shoulder line. Limbs straight, parallel set. The neck is strong, short. Thoracic region rounded, belly drawn. The tail is saber-shaped, long, the tip reaches the floor. Musculature is clearly visible under the coat. Fingers of paws are collected in dense brushes.

The black German shepherd is a working breed of dogs, so you should immediately prepare for the fact that you have to spend a lot of time raising and training a pet. The dogs are very curious, active, energetic, playful. The puppy will constantly try things on the tooth. So that the baby does not chew on slippers, you should buy a lot of dog toys.

Black Shepherd Dogs are friendly with other animals, they get along quickly. Dogs do not attack cats. If the house contains a small kitten and a puppy, then the latter will make contact in every possible way, so that any conflicts between pets are excluded.

Shepherd is able to take care with children behaves carefully, no matter how old they are. It is recommended to purchase this type of dog for couples. Shepherd dogs mature at about 3 years of age, so until this time she will behave like a puppy, even if she is 60 cm tall and weights 50 kg.

The dog needs training, but it will be enough to learn simple commands.. If you need a guard or watchman, you should take the help of a dog club.

To get a puppy of a black German shepherd is quite problematic. When choosing a pet can not immediately say what type of coat you get the dog. Standard breed signs will appear closer to the pet's year of life.

It is undesirable to buy puppies from the hands or on the street markets. It is better to contact the nursery or the breeder, the benefit in the territory of Russia, the CIS is enough. It is worth asking the pedigree, in the column "ancestors" should not stand dashes. The breeder must provide a puppy metric, veterinary passport.

Before you buy, you must look at the baby and his parents in person. Spend at least an hour. It is worth paying attention to how the baby behaves. Puppies must be active, inquisitive, sociable. Ask the seller what kind of food he feeds his parents and puppies, ask about recommendations in the diet or let you make a menu. The seller is obliged to tell about how to care for an animal, about its diseases.

If the breeder tries to hide information from you, reluctantly communicates, then you should find yourself a new seller. Before buying an animal, a sales contract is compiled without fail.

Another way to get a pet is to take a puppy for undergrowth. This method is practiced in the nurseries of law enforcement agencies. For example, you can come to the nursery of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and ask for a puppy for undergrowth. You will be given two babies whom you will take care of at home until they are 6 months old. In this cooperation, the services of veterinary centers are paid in half. The attending physician is appointed from the nursery, and a cynologist can also come to you.

When puppies reach the age of six months, pets are exchanged. One puppy is taken to the kennel (the dog is sent to the service), and the second baby remains with you. The issuance of documents for the dog.

As for the price of animals, The black German shepherd is worth more than its German counterparts. On average, the price of one individual hovers around $ 400-800.

Let's take a closer look at the conditions of the shepherd in the house and on the street. What is the difference care.

If the pet will live under the open sky, then it is necessary to create proper conditions for its existence. The dog needs an aviary, booth. The dog's house should be positioned so that one part of it is always in the shade and the other is lit. The floor of the dwelling is covered with non-slip material, it is permissible to use sand, pebbles, crushed stone, having previously tamped down the material.

Be sure to have a water drain. The booth is made of wood, the bottom of the house is carpeted with straw or wood chips. In cold wet weather, the flooring is left clean, that is, the covering material is removed.In winter, the walls of the booth and the roof are insulated with straw and snow.

The size of the booth should exceed the size of the dog, so that the animal can easily move along it, stand, lie in a comfortable position. To keep warm, the entrance to the dwelling is made of medium size. The roof of the booth is better to cover with tiles, slate or any other waterproof material.

The whole area of ​​the dog needs cleaning and periodic disinfection. Small puppies should not be alone all the time. The dog should be walked inside and outside the site. The dog must receive sufficient physical activity that cannot be ensured while walking in the aviary.

Do not sprinkle the area with salt. Salt can cause irritation on the paw pads of a dog, causing bleeding wounds.

Caring for a pet in an apartment is reduced to the organization of the dog's sleeping place, feeding zone. For an animal it is worth purchasing a large stove bench, toys. A bowl for food is best placed on a pedestal or holder, so that the dog is comfortable to eat. The container with clean water is located at a distance from the area with food. The liquid in the bowl is always replaced with a new one, even if a piece of food gets into it.

A puppy is taught from a young age to a leash, a muzzle. Walking the dog is recommended twice a day, walking with him for at least half an hour. The older the dog becomes, the longer the walk. It is desirable that the pet was free to run, carry objects, climb shells.

After the walk, they start caring for the hair, eyes of the dog. Further we will learn more about the rules of care.

It is recommended to wash the shepherd no more than 2 times a year. The animal moults every six months, in the spring and autumn season. During shedding, the dog's fur is combed by the furminator, and the animal is not bathed. Allowed the use of spray for forcing wool.

Washing the dog itself is carried out before competing in competitions or in the event of severe contamination of wool. Dog wash special shampoos for shepherd dogs. Then dry the hair of the animal with a hair dryer. After drying, the wool is combed with a comb or comb-mitten. If the dog bathed in the pond, then upon arrival home, the dog's hair is doused with warm running water.

• Ears. The most vulnerable area. Wool on the ears can grow deep into the ear, which leads to a violation of the allocation of earwax. In such a situation, it is necessary to regularly cut the problem area. The ears themselves are not cleaned from sulfur.

• Eyes. After the walk, it is recommended to clean the eye area with a special lotion or warm water. The selected tool is applied to a cotton pad, after which it is pressed. Wet material with a promakivayuschim movements cleans the animal's eyes from dust and dirt.

• Claws. With a sedentary lifestyle, the dog's claws do not have time to grind down. To trim or remove the excess length, use the clipper-guillotine. Particular attention should be paid to the fifth finger, which can grow into the muscle, causing pain in the dog.

Once a season or six months, the animal must be taken for examination to a veterinary clinic. Also, the doctor carried out the procedure of hygienic cleaning of teeth. Removed tartar, caries. Conducted monitoring of tooth enamel. The teeth of a dog at a young age of snow-white color, with hillocks visible on them.

At an advanced age, a dog may have teeth falling out, in which case open areas must be treated with wound-healing preparations. The ingestion of food in the wounds can lead to inflammation of the oral cavity.

Too hot and cold food can lead to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as death. Diseases of the digestive system develop for a long time and are asymptomatic.The same goes for the bones in the food. The dog should not be allowed to gnaw bones - their fragments injure the stomach, they can get stuck in the throat, gums.

Puppies aged 2 months should receive small portions of calf cartilage, bone meal, boiled or raw vegetables. Some dogs are unable to digest raw potatoes. Before feeding, you should make sure that the pet is not allergic and other reactions to the selected product.

For the first six months of life, the puppy needs high-calorie food. Upon reaching the age of one, the amount of food consumed increases, but the frequency of food intake decreases.

• It is forbidden to feed the dog with just one meat.
• It is necessary to observe the balance of vitamins, microelements. Food should not be abundant in vitamin D, A.
• The diet of 30% -70% consists of protein foods.
• You can not overfeed pet or give a little food. The dog should not be obese, lack of weight.
• It is forbidden to give dogs sweets, flour products, pickled, smoked products, sausage, spicy food.
• Food dogs always passes at the same time. Pet feeding between meals, free snacks are not allowed.

Power frequency:

• small individuals up to two months eat 6 times a day;
• from 3 to 6 months - up to 4 times a day;
• from six months of life - 2 or 3 times a day;
• after a year and until old age - 2 times a day.

When you brought the puppy home from the nursery, the first 2 weeks of life in the apartment the baby should eat food, made on the recommendation of the breeder. The change in diet occurs smoothly, as abrupt changes lead to a twisting of the intestines, regurgitation, or a complete rejection of food.

At night, the pet is not fed. The first feeding begins in the early morning when the owner gets up, and the last one occurs in the evening, at about 22 o'clock. It is advisable in the evening to give the dog meat products.

The basis of the diet should be protein food. Suitable lean meat pork, poultry, beef. The product is served raw or boiled, cut into medium pieces. It is advisable not to grind meat into mincemeat, since this texture of the product is not fully digested.

Sea boiled fish can be given to puppies that have reached 4 months of age. Be sure to remove the scales, bones from the product. Fish puppy eats once a week. Excess fish products in the diet leads to growth retardation, indigestion and other ailments.

Chicken eggs are fed in boiled form. You can give the baby only the yolk. The diet also includes low-fat kefir, cottage cheese, cereal porridge with a small amount of salt, Adyghe cheese, soaked cheese, sour milk. As a food additive, you can use brewer's yeast, as well as a drug for the normalization of intestinal microflora, which is called "Bifitrilak."

Fat puppy gets from sunflower and other vegetable oil. Carbohydrates - from cereals, cereals, crackers, bran, potatoes, black bread, vegetables and fruits. Allowed a puppy to feast on small portions of honey.

Legumes practically do not enter the dog's diet. These products are poorly digested, which is why nutrients are practically not absorbed. Fruits before serving should be washed, remove the bones, cut into portions, as well as some fruits can be ground into porridge.

Raising and training a puppy begins when he reaches 3 months of age. Any commands and instructions small pet remembers easily and quickly. If the puppy does not understand what is required of him, you should not shout at the baby or use physical punishment.It is necessary to visually show how the command is executed, or to push the puppy to its implementation - to help him sit or lie down, give a voice.

Any correctly performed action must be supported by a delicacy in order for the dog to develop a reflex.

Little dogs love jumping on strangers or on members of their family. Sheepdogs need to wean from this. The easiest way is to ignore the pet at the moment when it jumped.

It is important to accustom the baby to a nickname, the dog must always respond to its name. If you don’t have time for training or you’re not good at it, then you should visit a dog trainer school together with a puppy.

The black German shepherd is a versatile breed. Cheerfulness, kindness, loyalty, curiosity, a sharp mind and scent, fast learner - all these qualities make the animal indispensable in the security services. Sheepdogs are chosen by people working in the police, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, customs.

You should still get acquainted with a sheepdog, even if you prefer other guard dogs. These cunning eyes, pretty face, balanced temper bribe the first time. There is no more devoted friend than the German Shepherd.

For information on how to feed a German Shepherd puppy, see the following video.