Frequently Asked Questions about Ulvilden German Shepherds
Question:
Should I get a female or male?
"Females are usually a little smaller and are a little easier to live with as a house dog. Females never or very seldom get dominant. Females are usually easier for novice handlers and trainers and usually want to please their handlers a little more. Females come in season twice a year if not spayed; males are in season every time they smell a bitch in season if not neutered. Males are tougher as a general rule. Females do Schutzhund work just fine. If you need normal personal protection from a dog, a female is just fine. If you want to compete at the top level of Schutzhund , you will need to buy a male or a very strong female. Males have a harder temperament than females as a general rule, so they may take a firmer correction without going down in drive. Females do not lift their leg on your shrubs, flower beds or tires."
:Question:
What about x-rays and hip/elbow dysplasia?
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When you buy a dog from a breeder such as myself, you have taken the first step towards insuring that you get a dog with good hips and elbows, a dog that is genetically sound. Every dog we breed has had their hips/elbows x rayed, in fact every dog in 5 generations on the pedigree has good hips. Hip dysplasia has four major causes:
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1.Genetics
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2.Diet
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3.Over feeding
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4.Too much exercise at a young age.
It is felt that genetics play between a 25-30% role in a dog getting hip dysplasia. That means that new pet owners can assume a great deal of responsibility in their dog developing good hips and elbows. This begins with feeding an all-natural diet, raw meat, or a dog food that is made up of all human grade ingredients. It also means that you should keep your dog from becoming over weight. Carrying too much extra weight at a young age is going to add stress on soft puppy bones and will have an effect on skeletal development of your dog. New owners need to be very careful of not over exercising a young pup. This means no jogging or running beside a bike until the dog is 12 months of age. This means not exercising to the point of exhaustion, or taking the pup for long long walks, or allowing the pup to jump off a deck or out of the back of a half-ton.
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Question:
Will the pup you sell me protect me?
We are often asked by our puppy customers if the pup will work in schutzhund or obedience or be protective when they grow up. Our answer is this. We can give you a dog with the correct genetic make up to do the work, what you do with him after you get him determines how he will respond when he grows up. Without training, and later more training all you will end up with is a nice pet. We will guarantee one thing though: unless you start a pup with the right genetic background you will never get a protection dog.
Question:
Do I have to be concerned about your dogs with my children and family?
Answer:
Dominance is not breed specific. Very few of the dogs that come from our kennel ever show signs of dominance at a young age if at all. Dominance will start to show in the temperament of a puppy at a young age, around the food bowl, or with his/her toys specifically when you try to take them away. The solution is to start with a puppy. The dog grows up in the family and learns its place in the pack order (at the bottom of the pack) when this happens there is never a problem if common sense is used as the dog grows up. So to repeat myself, there have been very few pups from our kennel ever show signs of dominance and if there were you can deal with it at a young age and the issue is finished. A good test of a dog’s temperament is how they get along with kids, in our kennel the dogs all get along with our kids and their friends and they listen to our kids.