German Shepherds have an image problem of being inherently vicious when, in fact, they aren't. They were never bred to fight other animals or human beings. They were bred, however, to be extremely obedient and willing to please. So, if you ever read about a German Shepherd attacking a human being, it was because the dog was trained to attack, not because the dog is mean.

When thinking up German Shepherd puppy manes for your special furry friend, don't use aggressive names like "Killer" or "Cannibal" This promotes the negative stereotype that German Shepherds are mindless killing machines. You never know whom you and your German Shepherd puppy will be meeting. There are many people frightened of dogs and urging breed specific legislation to outlaw the ownership of some breeds of dog including the German Shepherd. You and your German Shepherd puppy need to be ambassadors for this breed. The right for you to own your German Shepherd puppy is at stake.

Never buy a German Shepherd puppy from a pet store or from an Internet sight that will ship a pup to you without asking you any questions beyond, "Check or charge?" These puppies will be from puppy mills. They will not only be sickly, but they will have missed a major learning period for basic training and will be harder to train and more uncontrollable. The best German Shepherd puppies are from breeders, from animal shelters or from German Shepherd rescues. One of the times German Shepherds are most abandoned is when they are six months old and past the cute stage.

This diet needs to be monitored closely. If a German Shepherd puppy grows too fast, this can lead to health problems. They also can't be exercised too heavily (as in training for agility or herding cattle) until they are eighteen months old, or they will experience health problems like elbow dysplasia.. You need to follow the diet and exercise schedule pretty closely in order to avoid a problem like a bone deformity in the legs.

In time, lots of patience, daily handling and attention, your German Shepherd puppy will be a canine ambassador. Your friends, neighbors and even total strangers will appreciate you for taking the time and responsibility to train your dog well.

In time, the German Shepherd puppy will seek out appropriate things to chew in order to get your praise. Keep your training sessions short and frequent.

Please give a lot of thought into your German Shepherd puppy's name. If they have papers, the breeder will have given them a moniker longer than the puppy. This is impractical for pet German Shepherd dog names. Make them only three syllables long or less and easy for you to pronounce.

Please don't make the name sound similar to a command, else the dog will get confused and just think you are babbling. The name you choose needs to get the puppy's attention and hold it.