# New gsd owner needs good advice...



## chrissyho (Sep 16, 2009)

I just got a 3 months old gsd last week, still haven't finished my shopping yet since this is my first gsd so I am spending more time on reserach and need some help here.

Do you guys recommend bone & joint/fish oil/vitamin & mineral supplements for gsd puppy? Will it help to reduce the chance of getting HD?

And is there any good brand of ear cleaner and nail clipper? I know some bad clippers will break their nails so I want to be very careful on this. Last week I gave him a bath and he didn't like it...

When should I start brushing its teeth? He is teething now so he chews on me even without touching his mouth, and he got aggressive when I said No, so I worry and not sure where/when to start...

Sorry I got tons of questions here but I love my gsd so much...
Thank you for your advice!!


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## natalie559 (Feb 4, 2005)

Congrats on your new puppy!!

For ear cleaner- I just use a baby wipe to wipe out the ears. For deeper cleaning you can use solution of 50/50 water vinegar, but don't use this for an infection b/c it will sting. Others use blue powder ear treatment that they make from home 

http://www.itsfortheanimals.com/Adobe/Blue%20Power%20Ear%20Treatment.pdf

For nails I prefer using a dremel. Easier and smoother. Instructions are here, 

http://homepages.udayton.edu/~merensjp/doberdawn/dremel/dremel.html

If I had to use clippers I would use this type, 

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js...r:referralID=NA 

not the guillotine ones

Teeth brushing- start now so that the dog gets used to it, even if it is just baby teeth. I would put the paste on the brush, let the dog lick it off, then put it in the mouth, take it out, maybe next day try to brush. Don't force, go slow and make it enjoyable.


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## Tbarrios333 (May 31, 2009)

> Originally Posted By: GSD Sam
> When should I start brushing its teeth? He is teething now so he chews on me even without touching his mouth, and he got aggressive when I said No, so I worry and not sure where/when to start...


It's not aggression, he was probably just throwing a tantrum. (Barking, growling, running around being a PITA?)
I wouldn't think of it as "He doesn't like it". Even if he didn't like his bath, don't baby him and get it done. 
He's going to be mouthy for a long time yet, good luck









My advice would be to say "Ouch that hurt..." and act like it really did and stop playing for a minute or two. 

Also, stick a toy in his mouth and play a quick tug game to distract him from biting.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Congratulations on your new addition!!

For an ear cleaner, you shouldn't need one if the food is right and he's not having problems with water in his ears from swimming, etc. 

I too use a dremmel for the nails.

For the supplements. The first step is to first make sure he's on a good food that is working for him. Food is pretty controversial to some - my recommendation is always start with a food that has no corn, no sorghum, no wheat, and no by-products, and then go from there. 

You don't want to add anything until you are sure that he is digesting the food well, good stools, etc.

My dog needed a multivitamin at a young age -- she was kinda a mess. Most folks don't want to mess with the balance of the diet for a young dog. If you decide to go with a multi, we had good success with vetrisciences Canine Plus. Or you could look at some of the more whole food products, like Missing Link.

I like being proactive with joint supplements. For a pup, you could give a half dose, as I do believe that they have some preventative action. Some products, like Nupro or Missing Link have versions with glucosamine and chondroitin in it already that might help. Normally, I don't think there is enough of the joint stuff in products like those, but for a pup with no symptoms, it might be just enough.


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## AK GSD (Feb 27, 2008)

Hokamix is a good herbal supplement that can help with many things like allergies, coat & skin, bones & muscles. It can be hard to find in the US but we order it online at:

http://www.naturmix.com/

For ear cleaners try to avoid ones with alcohol. Veterinarians Best is a two part wash/dry system that is entirely natural.


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## chrissyho (Sep 16, 2009)

Thank you for all the info.

I've been feeding him Iam large breed puppy dry food mixed with fresh chicken, pork, egg, carrot, celery, broccoli and rice. He got loose stool in the beginning but now it's normal. Is it too much stuffs that I added into the dry food? How can I tell if he has a good balance of the diet and need supplement?

I guess Iam isn't a good brand after I did the research. I found that both Royal Canin and Eukanuba have special dry food for gsd. Does anyone know if those ones are good?


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

I am not a fan at all of the Iam's foods -- you can do better for the price that they charge for that food. You might want to browse a bit in the diet and nutrition forum. I think the consensus is that the RC food is better than the Euk, but there are still better ones out there. However, some of that depends on how well your dog does on the actual food.

Most kibbles are very grain heavy, so I don't see a reason to add any more grains like rice. Quality protein and veggies are always good. Adding a lot of protein, then you have to add some extra calcium for balance. If you give a lot of carrots, the sugar can bother them, if they are sensitive to it.

In my opinion, and your answers will greatly vary from person to person, I think a balanced diet is a very individual thing -- some individuals need to need more of some things than others. As for the guidelines, I don't think that they are forumulated with optimal nutrition in mind, so they are just forumlas. Ratios in the diet, are often important though.


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## chrissyho (Sep 16, 2009)

I see. So which brand will you recommend for kibbles? Hm, I still have a big bag of Iam left, and I was thinking about to mix the Iam with RC or better brand...

Oh yeah, I've been giving him lots of carrot, and I didn't know about the sugar part, good to know, thank you!!

And what kind of nature food do you suggest for calcium? or supplement?

Thank you all~!!


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

For the food issues, you might want to read the Diet and Nutrition board. I feed a homecooked diet, so I am not up to date on all the foods and ingredients. In general, I recommend a food with no corn, no sorghum, no by-products, and probably no wheat.

For calcium, I just use calcium carbonate powder by NOW foods. The easiest thing to do is to grind eggshells, if you have them around from eggs that you have eaten. I can't remember how much you need to supplement. They will know over on the nutrition board.


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## chrissyho (Sep 16, 2009)

Oh, grind eggshells will do it? That's easy, I always feed him eggs anyways.. good to know... thank you~

Last night I tried to shower him, he was scared and struggled like crazy, his whole body including his mouth and teeth were shaking, omg... Then later at night I tried to clean his ear, failed... And he hates it when I try to brush him, he would just run away from his food/treat/anything...

Aw... What should I do? This happened to all gsd or just mine?


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

He's probably just not used to being groomed yet,,IF you think it's to hard to handle, start taking him to a groomer, I would look for groomer recommendations from some of your doggie friends? 

You don't want a groomer who is going to manhandle him and really scare him to death, but you want one who won't put up with his nonsense either..

My aussie HATES baths, but get her on the table at the groomers and she is cool as a cucumber))


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

For a shower, use a handheld shower head -- also that way you don't get water in the ears.

Are you taking your dog to training yet? (is Sam you or your gsd?)


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## chrissyho (Sep 16, 2009)

Yea, Sam is my gsd, I started to love gsd after I watched the movie I am legend, hehe...

My bf just took Sam to the backyard to shower him with cold water... I guess I am not using any particular shower head and the water temp surprised him... 

Well, when I first go the brush he was ok with it, but now he would run away from his food, treats, bed when he's sleeping... so I don't know what happened... And I tried so hard to clean his ears last night...


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

EEk, cold water? I think you should shower your bf with cold water.....

It sounds to me like maybe you are not letting Sam get adjusted to new things, and he's probably not being reward properly when he does the right thing. You might want to post about this in the training forums?


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: GSD SamYea, Sam is my gsd, I started to love gsd after I watched the movie I am legend, hehe...
> My bf just took Sam to the backyard to shower him with cold water... And I tried so hard to clean his ears last night...


BRRRR, I wouldn't want that either! If there is nothing wrong with his ears, don't clean them. 
If there is a problem go to the vet and get a swab done. Could be bacterial or yeast. Yeast will smell. Many times ear problems/eye goop are caused by the food you are feeding. This is one reason to feed a quality diet.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

He's probably small enough that you can bathe him in the kitchen sink with warm (not hot) water. It's much easier to control a squirmy puppy under those circumstances too. If already too big, try the bathtub. I wouldn't bathe a baby puppy in cold water.


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## chrissyho (Sep 16, 2009)

Oh yea, Sam is already too big can't fit into the kitchen sink, but bathtub definiately ok...

I know we really shouldn't use cold water, but my bf and his mom are limiting dogs at the living room and yard only so my bf showered Sam in the backyard with cold water. Honestly I am not happy about it cuz when I got Sam I told my bf to give Sam access to the whole house since Sam is housebreaking, I guess they are having problem/trying to be fair to the other dog...

Another question that I have - whenever I let Sam out to the yard, he run/jump/rollover on the grass then he starts to pull and eat the grass... Is this normal?


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

Grass eating can be normal, or can be a sign that the digestive system is having problems.

If it's excessive, of he seems driven, then there is probably an issue. It may very well be the Iams....


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