Dutch Shepherd Forum

Hello Everyone!

I actually came across this website using google and "dutch shepherd".. because I literally just got a 4 month old German Shepherd/Dutch Shepherd mixed Puppy from someone who was going to give her to the pound if they couldn't find someone to take her.

My Husband and I have been very intrigued with the GSD/shepherd breeds. We wanted this type of dog for family pet/guard dog and a lot of our family and friends recommended this breed from experience or from a friend that had it...

I am aware this breed is very energetic, and needs to be given a job/task. Which is no problem, as My Family and I are very active and we'd love to have this puppy (she still has no name yet lol we can't decide) be as active as we are.. But i'm glad I stumbled upon this forum so I can learn as best as I can to give her the best life we can give her. I hope to learn how to properly train her too! She is very obedient so far and great on the leash. She is still kind of scared/shy with my husband and myself (she's barked at him a couple times) but otherwise she's been very good to us.

I saw her parents, which the mom was a typical GSD (black and tan) and the dad was a HUGE dutch shepherd.. but since I don't know much about the breed I was hoping to get confirmation from you all about her mix (if she truly is gsd/dutch shepherd).. She has floppy ears, and i'm not sure if they are supposed to? I don't mind it at all, but just wondered)

Also the previous owners had her on pedigree puppy food, I was wondering what are you all feeding your dogs/pups at this time? I have 2 smaller dogs (yorkies, which are much older than her) and so their foods will have to be different (i'm feeding them senior food as they are reaching 8 yrs old).. but I wanted brand recommendations as well as treats you'd suggest? she doesn't like greenies very much (which was all I had at the moment)

And if you could point me in the right direction for any training advice? I'd like her to be indoors but not pee/poop inside.. I had her sleep in a big crate I purchased for her last night and she did very, very well!

thank you again for taking the time to read this, I know it's a bit lengthy!

welcome!
as far as kibble goes, people here generally recommend brands like orijen, merrick. orijen puppy would be really excellent. if memory serves me well, I think pedigree is ranked pretty low for quality and nutrition, but not the very bottom, at least. though you can find nutrition/feeding threads everywhere on site, the ''feeding'' section would be a good read to get a more comprehensive view of thinking here.

Thank you for your response!

I had seen that Orijen was recommended the most..

would this be okay to feed her:
http://www.petflow.com/product/orijen/o ... y-dog-food

Because she'd be considered large breed, right?

yes, that would be good

Hi there,

Cute girl and welcome to the forum! I started typing a message earlier today and got busy. I was going to suggest pet flow but see you maybe already use this service. I love petflow. Great company.

The orijen probably is one of the best. If price is a factor another option is taste of the wild puppy. It is also 5 star grain free and $51 for 30lbs of puppy bison and venison. I've been using taste of the wild for all my dogs and no complaints. I'm buying 3 30lb bags a month so the cost ads up.

The ears are often not up until they are done teething. You can find a lot of info on ears on old discussions at this forum and google search. My girls ears were up and down at that age and she still likes to let them flop at times at 18 months. Most likely her ears will come up when done teething.

It's good you are active. Having compatible lifestyle to the breed is important. Does she like to fetch? This is a good way to burn off steam. You could also try tracking, frisbee, and lots of obedience and a lot of walks.

Thanks for the warm welcome TexasMedy!

We did end up getting Orijen for her and are slowly transitioning her on it. She seems to like it so far with no problems

I did search "ears" and "floppy ears" on the boards, but didn't find much info, no biggie, i can definitely look at google if anything. I'm hoping her ears will go up, but if they don't I don't mind it

She does like to fetch (but she won't bring the ball/toy back to me lol) but gives her a good workout