Although the Sheprador does not require a high level of grooming, you should carry out basic grooming in the following areas;
Ears: Wipe the ears gently using a clean wet piece of cloth. At the same time, get rid of any pests that might hide under the ears.
Eyes: This is one of the most delicate arts to clean. Even so, gently clean the eyebrows and eyelashes using a clean piece of cloth. Avoid touching the retina.
Teeth: Dental cleanliness is of the utmost importance when grooming your Sheprador. Brush its teeth at least once in a day.
Nails: Since the Sheprador is an energetic and playful dog, clip its nails whenever they grow. Clip the nails at least once a month.
Hair: The Sheprador has short hair. This makes it easy to clean it. Brush the hair twice a week.
Sheprador is not a purebred dog. It's a cross between a German Shepherd and a Labrador. Sometimes called labrashephard. It can take any parent, but sheprador is often gently shed with a short coat. It will have round brown eyes and a black nose.
Like his parents, sheprador will have a thick, strong double coat. This coat makes him a hardy breed and can handle cold temperatures much better than other breeds. However, it also made him a hair remover. Sheprador takes off her coat twice a year and leaves a lot of hair in the process. You should be ready to brush it off with a shed blade to make sure all dead hair is removed. You should always brush your sheprador coat to keep it shiny and healthy. Manicure can be a bit more difficult to do with a sheprador than it is in other varieties. The reason is that the color of the dog's nails is transparent. As a result, natural "ring" nails are different from other nails and are a little hard to see. If you're not sure where the safe place is, don't hesitate to involve a professional beautician. But here's the good news: because shepradors is a very active breed, you can naturally help keep your nails manicured by practicing on a hard concrete surface. Sometimes, sheprador's eyes also produce light secretions. You should pay attention to this, because it can cause eye irritation and infection if not treated. Fortunately, it's easy to wipe off the excrement with wet tissue.
Recommended Daily Intake: Since the Sheprador is a large dog breed, the food should be formulated to meet its energy levels. However, not to overfeed your Sheprador since it can gain weight quickly. The ideal intake per day is 3 cups of food.
What Food to Choose: While you can choose between cooked and canned dog food, it is important that the food is always high in protein and low on fats. This is to ensure that your Sheprador develops strong muscles.
How many times to feed your dog: Due to the size and energy needs of a Sheprador, it comes highly recommended to feed your dog at least twice a day. Even though, you can feed your dog three times a day, with regards to the type of work he's doing.
How to keep your dog in good shape: There are two ways that your Sheprador remains in good shape. First, exercise him regularly, and secondly feed him a healthy diet.
Sheprador is a medium to large dog, so it needs a lot of food every day. Most experts recommend dry kibble because it helps keep your pet's teeth clean and provides a complete, balanced diet. When choosing your brand, choose a brand whose source of clenbuterol is listed as the primary ingredient. Lean meat sources include chicken, beef, Turkey and mutton. Avoid cereal based foods and foods containing meat by-products and harmful chemical preservatives such as BHA. You should strictly follow the feeding instructions on the bag to prevent overfeeding your pet, which can lead to obesity and spread the food over several meals of the day.
Sheprador likes to eat, and it's easy to feed hybrids. This is especially true if you don't give him the daily exercise he needs. Ideally, you would want a male shepradorbetween 45 and 55 pounds and a female sheprador between 35 and 45 pounds. You can expect to feed your dog three to four cups of dry dog food a day. Ideally, you would want to feed him a high-quality dog food that is high in protein and nutrients and low in fillers and artificial preservatives. It can be tempting to ignore quality in order to improve cost-effectiveness, but you should avoid it as much as possible.
Since the Sheprador is a mix of two dog breeds, you cannot ignore the fact that it can inherit different health conditions from its parents. However, since most purebreds are screened prior to breeding, it's highly unlikely that you will find a Sheprador with any genetic condition. Here are some of the common conditions that a Sheprador can suffer from.
Hip Dysplasia
Condition: As the name suggests, this is a health condition that affects the hips. Once it sets in, hip dysplasia causes unmatched pain in the joints and the pain can worsen with time.
Treatment: One of the best ways to manage hip dysplasia in a Sheprador is to ensure that it does not become overweight. When your Sheprador has weak muscles, it will be predisposed to hip dysplasia. However, you can always use pain relievers to manage the pain caused by the condition.
Progressive Retinal Atrophy
Condition: This is one of the conditions that affect most dogs, and the Sheprador isn't excluded. Basically, progressive retinal atrophy affects the retina and can cause blindness if not treated early.
Treatment: This condition can only be treated after taking your dog to a vet. While it can cause severe damage to your dog's eyes, it is worth mentioning that it can be treated with antibiotics. However, if the condition is severe, corrective surgery might be required.
The life span of a sheprador is usually 10 to 14 years. Compared with other large varieties, this longevity puts them at the high end of life expectancy. It also has a slightly longer life expectancy than a GSD or Labrador. Not surprisingly, sheprador is prone to some health problems, which are common in both GSD and Labrador dogs. The most prominent disease that can affect a sheprador is dysplasia, both in the buttocks and elbows. It is a common problem in large dogs and it is similar to arthritis in humans. A sheprador may also be subject to a condition called gastric distention torsion and a more common one called distention. This is a serious problem, characterized by dilatation of the stomach and then torsion or rotation. If not treated, it may lead to cardiovascular system damage and organ death. Other situations shepradors may experience include epilepsy, cold tails, ear infections, skin problems, allergies and eye problems. Fortunately, the risk of some of these problems can be mitigated by high quality diet management.
The German Shepherd and the Labrador are not only intelligent dogs, but they are also highly energetic. In terms of training, the Sheprador will require rigorous training sessions for at least two hours on a daily basis. However, if you have a young Sheprador, you can expect to conduct more than two hours of exercise in a day.
For most parts of their training, the Sheprador dog breeds require a professional human company for directions. At the same time, the company is important in getting these big dogs bored.
In a nutshell, the Sheprador is a working dog, just like its parents. It is always highly motivated to not only impress its owners but to learn new things as well. Thus, it tends to follow instructions given to it with ease.
Sheprador is a smart breed, easy to train and energetic. Your pet needs a lot of mental stimulation to be happy. If he is alone for a long time, he will chew. He is alert and conservative in front of strangers, which makes him a good watchdog. It's loyal and likes to be part of the family. Sheprador's parents are police and military dogs, so sheprador's parents are generally tough. Sheprador is known to be amiable. This kind of sheprador often appears formal in front of strangers. It takes time to be enthusiastic about new comers, but once sheprador accepts you, sheprador will be very loyal and protect you. Sheprador's parents are very smart and pass this trait on to their offspring. This breed learns command very quickly and is suitable for search and rescue missions as well as military and police work. These dogs need a lot of mental stimulation, otherwise they will get into trouble by chewing or digging.
Sheprador is very easy to train and can complete complex, multi-step tasks. This breed, as well as the parental breed, is very eager to please sheprador's owner and will soon pick up what you're trying to show sheprador. One of the biggest reasons some people have trouble training their pets is that sheprador doesn't use aggressive intensive training techniques. Positive reinforcement means that sheprador will give praise and hospitality to your pet when it completes a task. Don't use negative reinforcement, or look disappointed when you fail, or your dog will look for something more interesting to do and resist the training course. Another key component of training your dog is consistency. Always use the same active training program and schedule it at the same time every day. Don't shake your schedule, otherwise it will confuse the dog and significantly reduce the efficiency of your daily work.
Just like any other dog, you should ensure to keep a strict vet schedule for your Sheprador. This is to ensure that you detect any health conditions in time. The good news is that you can ask your vet to develop a care schedule for your Sheprador.
Ideally, Shepradors are often known to gain a lot of weight. Since they have a high energy level, it’s of utmost importance to ensure that you exercise your Sheprador for at least 45 minutes on a daily basis.
Just like their parents, Sheprador is a very mouthy dog. They tend to be happy and comfortable whenever they have something to chew in their mouths. Therefore, always keep sturdy toys around for them to play with.
A sheprador may or may not be energetic, but everything sheprador does is full of energy: sheprador tightens the belt (until you train sheprador not to do so), tries to cross obstacles, and even gulps. These energetic people need a lot of training to learn good manners, which may not be the most suitable for families with children or the elderly or the frail. On the other hand, dogs with low vitality have a more restrained attitude towards life.
Sheprador is an active dog that needs about an hour of exercise every day to stay healthy and happy. Sheprador likes to travel long distances. She also likes to play frisbee and pick up things. Tug of war is another good way to help sheprador consume energy. It also helps to strengthen sheprador's physical fitness.
