Female German Shepard Weight

Tracy,
I have had two GSD and I love the breed. How old is your dog? GSD tend to be one of the worst puppies and usually do not mature till they are about 3 years old. My GSD now is two and has just now started to settle down. We walk him and let him play as much as he wants. He really didnt start putting on serious pounds until he was a year and a half. Females are smaller and much thinner then males. These dogs must have a purpose, try getting a doggie backpack and walking her with some weights or bottles of water in the pack. This gives them a sense of having a job. They are working dogs and are bread to be active and loyal.

I always had German shepards growing up. We also lived on a lake and the dogs would go swimming daily and run around the yard. They always thinned out in the summer but packed on the pounds in the cold months. I grew up in Maine. You did not mention the food brand you fed your dog. Go to your pet store and get good helthy food and not the junk food found at supermakets. My mom feeds her to GS Blue Buffalo. I also feed Blue Buffalo to my 2 cats. There fur is amazingly soft and they eat less of it. I dog sat my moms dogs for 2weeks. If they were still eating the junk dog food I would have needed to re-fill there dog food container, but on blue buffalo, I never had to add any food to the container. The food container feeds two full grown GS and the food is left out so they eat when they want. Its healther and more full filling with good nutrients and not junk. It does cost more, but its much better in quailty.

If she's not on a high quality dog food (www.dogfoodanalysis.com) I would recommend switching her to that. Also, adding a 1-2 cup meal just before bedtime will help to get her so "sleep on it" during the night. Don't leave food down all the time... it's much better to feed her a greater number of times per day. Food can have a HUGE impact on behavior... in many cases causing the hyperactivity that is keeping weight off of her. Generally, if you recognize the name of your food or you buy it at the grocery store, it's not terribly high quality. When that happens then you have to feed much larger volume in order to give the dog adequate nutrition. If you would like more information feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### my website at www.sithappens.us or email me at ____@____.com. I am a professional dog trainer.

German Shepherds are working dogs, she needs a job and exercise. No not literally a job but a task that she can do to occupy her mind because this breed is super smart. Otherwise dogs of this breed get bored and show neurotic behavior. Excessive barking, licking, chasing her tail, and things like that. Sounds like right now she sees her job as protector of the yard and home. Try giving her toys that she has to figure out…a kong with peanut butter inside or a treat ball that dispenses treats when rolled around. A fun activity for her with the kids would be for them to hide treats around the house and have your dog sniff them out. Also, this breed needs to be walked…a lot…again you having a working breed dog. If the dog is kept in a pen or inside a house all her life without exercise and daily interaction with her family she will have behavior issues. Like someone else mentioned your dog may be great at agility which is both a job and exercise! Last, a good quality food like Wellness or Canidae can do wonders…it ends up being cheaper than you think because you feed them so much less of the quality food than of the cheap stuff, plus it means much less poop in your yard.
We invested in a trainer for a past dog and it totally changed the way we saw and trained our dogs from then on, we too love this breed and all breeds from the working class. That dog was a lot like you discribed of yours; she always wanted to be outside and cased the perimeter of the yard barking like a mad woman. Inside she was also in mischief tearing up toys, pillows, jumping over furniture. She too was super skinny and we did up her food a bit. After we completed the training program with her she was calm and obedient, she was like a different dog. We just did the things I have mentioned here.

Right now we have a Golden Retriever that once nobody wanted and was given back to the rescue twice. He is now a relaxed happy obedient boy because we invested a little time training him and giving him a “job”. Good luck!

You might also have her thyroid checked. If she has a hyperactive thyroid, that would account for thinness and anxiety. My dog had the opposite--her thyroid was underactive--but that's how I found out how common thyroid problems are in dogs.

First trying feeding her twice one in the morning and one at night Secondly you might want to take her to some obedience classes to see if this help Otherwise ask the vet for some advise Maybe he can recomend a tranquilezer in a very small dosoge Good luck

Try feeding her more often. Maybe adding in some wet food And get some obedience classes. Also you might consider looking into some agility or herding schools. With that much energy she sounds like a good candidate for agility.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dog_agility

Here are the AKC standards for a GS

http://www.akc.org/breeds/german_shepherd_dog/

If you can run your hands down her ribs from the top and you can distinctly feel her ribs she is too thin. GS are fairly lean but muscular dogs.