Chapter 3 · Socialisation
What it actually is
Not meeting lots of people and dogs. Calm, positive exposure at a distance where the puppy stays soft.
Right distanceSoft body, curious, taking treats. Watching traffic from a bench, a man in a hat walking past, one calm adult dog.
Too closeStiff, staring, refusing treats, hiding behind you, barking. Add distance, let them look, pay for looking.
Pay for lookingNew thing, treat. New thing, treat. The world predicts good things.
NeverForced greetings, being passed around a party, a mob at the park. That is how fear is made.
A Shepherd puppy allowed to observe and retreat becomes brave. One dragged forward learns the world is dangerous and you are no help.
Sample page · The German Shepherd Handbook
Chapter 5 · Food and bloat
The emergency every Shepherd owner must know
Gastric dilatation-volvulus: the stomach fills with gas and twists. Deep-chested breeds, Shepherds very much included.
| You see | What it means | What to do |
|---|
| Swollen, drum-tight belly; retching without bringing anything up; restless, drooling | Bloat | Nearest vet immediately, ring ahead |
| Weakness, pale gums, collapse | Late bloat or a splenic bleed | Emergency vet, now |
| Loose stools for weeks, weight loss despite eating, greasy pale stools | EPI or IBD | Vet: test, don't keep switching foods |
Two or three small meals, a slow bowl, no exercise an hour either side. Ask your vet about a preventive gastropexy.
Sample page · The German Shepherd Handbook
Chapter 8 · Barking and reactivity
The visitor routine
Teach it before you need it. The dog decides when to say hello; the visitor ignores them until then.
- Doorbell rings: dog goes to the mat, gets a chew
- Visitor enters and ignores the dog: no stare, no reach, no loom
- Dog approaches and sniffs when ready, or doesn't
- Can't settle: gate or crate with the chew, no stand-off
- Children visiting: dog gated while play is rough, adult in the room
- Window barking: film on the glass, a gate in the hall, a job to do
Every bark at the postman rehearses the next one. Remove the stage.
Sample page · The German Shepherd Handbook
Chapter 7 · Adolescence
The first growl
At some point an adolescent Shepherd growls at something. What you do next decides a lot.
DoAdd distance. Work out what worried them. Get a force-free trainer in early if it happens again. Keep socialising through adolescence.
Don'tPunish the growl: it teaches the dog to skip the warning. 'Show them who's boss': pressure makes a wary dog sharper. Neuter to fix it.
ManageLong line for the recall, film on the window, mat routine at the door, a job every day, sleep protected.
When it endsBetween two and three, gradually. Everything you did in the hard months is what that dog is made of.
Early help is a few sessions. Late help is a year.
Sample page · The German Shepherd Handbook
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