t the wall

Experienced and professional animal trainer provide their insights in answering this question :
A. Your dog needs to be seen by a vet immediately. Inappetence that long means that by now he’s probably dehydrated. Staring means that he could be very painful or he could have a tumor or other neurological problem. At this point his condition sounds like it has reached the stage where it is considered an emergency.

How to Identify Common Pet Problems ?

Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced pet care professionals :

German Shorthaired Pointers require quite a bit of vigorous exercise every day—guarantee you`ll run out of energy before they will. Most GSP dogs will need one to two hours of daily exercise, whether in the form of a walk, hike, run, swim, or combination of multiple activities.
The energetic, eager, and highly trainable German Shorthaired Pointer is intelligent and friendly, and enthusiastic without being nervous, although she can develop separation anxiety if you routinely leave her alone for long stretches.
For the GSP, the most common of these reasons is simply their hunting instinct and high-energy levels. Also, they have a superior sense of smell and sight and are easily distracted.
They can be trained to leave them alone and share home space, but their hunting instinct may interfere at times. When raised with such creatures, GSPs often do well. However, caution should always be used with any other small pet companions such as cats, rabbits, gerbils, birds, and some toy breed dogs.
German Pointers have high energy levels and will need plenty of exercise – over 2 hours ideally per day.
How much exercise does a Pointer need? Although your Pointer may seem calm when they`re inside, don`t be fooled! Pointers have huge amounts of energy and thrive in the great outdoors where they can put their muscles to good use. To stay healthy and stimulated, your Pointer will need 2 long walks a day.
This is an intelligent breed that learns quickly with consistent training sessions. GSPs need a purpose, and without one they can be destructive if left to their own devices. The breed can be extremely challenging from 6 months to 3 years old.
This is a high-energy dog that will not be content to sit around all day. A long exercise period every day and access to a good-sized yard is needed during the day. Given adequate exercise, life indoors with a German shorthaired pointer can be tranquil; without adequate exercise, it can be disastrous.
It turns out that your dog`s adorable preference of sleeping under the covers or burrowing into blankets is a natural instinct, similar to that of moles and groundhogs, and it is present in most dogs. It comes from the fact that their ancestors were born and raised in dens, a mammal`s sheltered home.
Overall, the breed is known to have a longer life expectancy than many breeds of a similar size, living anywhere from 12 to 18 years. While these may be common medical conditions, your German shorthaired pointer will not necessarily develop any of those listed below.
GSP`s are generally known as gentle, good-natured dogs that get along well with people and other animals.
Why do German Shorthaired Pointers whine so much? German Shorthaired Pointers may whine in an attempt to communicate, to express a need for more exercise or mental stimulation, to show excitement, to convey displeasure or anxiety, to ask to be let outdoors, or to alert the family of suspicious activity outside.
As a general rule, adult dogs need about one ounce of water per pound of body weight per day. But growing puppies, despite their smaller size, drink more than their adult counterparts.
German Shorthaired Pointer

While an especially cold stretch may keep you both indoors, if you`re able to weather the conditions, she`s likely to accompany you. The GSP doesn`t have as much insulation as other breeds, so she may benefit from extra calories as the temperature drops.

Pointers generally do well with other dogs and other pets, especially if they`re raised with them. They may, however, be very interested in pet birds, and the two should be protected from each other.
And as long as their daily activity levels are met, they are also happy to chill on the couch with you for hours. They are big cuddle machines that won`t leave your side unless they see an opportunity to chase.
They won`t bark excessively, but they will alert you to visitors and strange noises. Above all, GSPs hate being bored. These working dogs were bred with a purpose and thrive on having a job to do.
German shorthaired pointers do have a distinct smell. It is natural and not unpleasant unless the dog`s coat gets dirty or it swims in stagnant water. If they do not have their anal glands cleaned, are not regularly brushed or bathed, and eat a poor diet, they can get smelly.
The German Shorthaired Pointer is an excellent breed for active, outdoorsy families. These loving, loyal, protective dogs tend to be friendly towards children. GSPs enjoy being around people and want nothing more than to be included in family life. This breed is usually safe around other pets and dogs.
The eye is almond shaped, not circular. The preferred color is dark brown. Light yellow eyes are not desirable and are a fault.
Although there are many discussions surrounding the eye color of a GSP, the preferred color of a purebred German Shorthaired Pointers is dark brown. And the reason for this is pretty simple: GSPs carry a dominant pigment i.e., the brown-eyed gene (not to worry, we`ll be discussing this in detail below).
It provides them with a reliable place to lay their head and sense safety. This desire to sleep with you is likely a natural instinct to stay close for safety and secureness. You being the head of household or of certain authority to your dog, they feel the most secure in your presence.
Your dog sitting on you may be his way of saying he loves you, he feels safe around you, or that you are his territory. As long as he isn`t acting aggressively towards you, other people, or other animals, and as long as you`re okay with it, this kind of behavior doesn`t present a problem.
Dogs notoriously love their blankets. Whether it`s at home or on the road, it gives them a place to snuggle up and be comfortable. No matter your lifestyle, this is an easy investment that every pet owner can make to improve the quality of life for their animal.

Relevant Questions and Answers :

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Q. Ok, so I have a 3 year old GSP (German short hairand for the past week he has been not eating nor drinking anything and he is just staring at the wall
ANSWER : A. Your dog needs to be seen by a vet immediately. Inappetence that long means that by now he’s probably dehydrated. Staring means that he could be very painful or he could have a tumor or other neurological problem. At this point his condition sounds like it has reached the stage where it is considered an emergency.

Read Full Q/A … :

Q. Why does my dog eat grass?
ANSWER : A. As another user mentioned, dogs can eat grass when they want to vomit. Sometimes, when a dog has an upset tummy, they will eat grass. If you notice your dog eating grass frantically, you can assume vomiting will shortly follow. Grass does not digest and pass normally. If your dog eats too much grass, it can cause serious issues with pooping. Your dogs poop can end up all tangled inside of her, and it can need veterinary assistance to remove it. The same goes for celery, so avoid feeding celery to your dog.

The other day my boyfriend accidentally left the laundry room door open where we were keeping the trash that was filled with cooked chicken bones. She ate one of the chicken bones lightning fast. We had to induce vomiting by feeding her some hydrogen peroxide. After we had fed her the peroxide, she immediately began frantically eating grass because her tummy was upset.

If there is something lacking in your dogs diet, it could be that your dog is eating grass to make up for it. I am sure that my dogs diet is extremely well balanced (I do not only feed her an air-dried raw food-type diet (Ziwipeak), but a wide variety of safe, healthy foods), so when she eats grass, I know that it is because she has an upset tummy.

That is why I think it is important making sure your dog has a very well balanced diet. If your dog is on a low quality kibble, your dog may be trying to let you know by eating grass (or eating poop).

Q. My 3 month puppy eats his own poop and is also biting what can I do to prevent this
ANSWER : A. When it comes to poop eating, you want to consider a few things. First off, what is his diet like? Maybe something is lacking in his diet that is causing him to want to eat his own poop. This is the most common reason why dogs eat THEIR OWN poop. Try a higher quality kibble like Taste of the Wild, Ziwipeak, Orijen.. and try feeding three meals per day, instead of the more common two meals per day. Remember to gradually switch his kibble. Add a little bit of the new kibble and reduce the old kibble very slowly.. little by little every couple of days until the bowl is mostly new kibble! You should also be cleaning up his poops IMMEDIATELY after he does them.. I mean like, you have a bag in your hand, and you are low enough to scoop it up RIGHT when he finished so he doesn’t have a chance to eat his poop.

When it comes to nipping there are a few things you can do. First, you should yelp as soon as the teeth touch your skin, stand up, cross your arms, and ignore the puppy until he is ignoring you. Once he is off doing his own thing, swoop down and calmly reward him by playing with him WITH A TOY so he doesn’t nip your hands. Whenever you pet him, or interact with him, you should always have a toy on-hand so you can give it to him. This toy should be a soft braided rope toy that YOU own. This means, your puppy is never allowed to have this toy on the floor, and your pup can never “win” tug games with this toy. This is YOUR toy that disappears when you’re finished playing, and reappears when you want to play. If you keep this up, in a weeks time, your puppy will be so excited to see that toy, that as soon as you bring it out, he stops nipping you because he wants to play with the toy. Another thing you can do is have two bags of toys. Bag#1 is full of chew toys/soft toys/squeaky toys/etc. After one week, Bag#1 disappears and out comes Bag#2. Bag#2 has the same types of toys as Bag#1, and it only stays out for one week. This keeps the toys feeling like new to your pup!

Q. Does an indoor cat need to be vaccinated every year?
ANSWER : A. In practice, I recommend a feline combo vaccine every year, but will generally start administering every 3 years once they have had their kitten vaccines and 2 additional yearly vaccines. Rabies, is required yearly by law, and if kept up to date can be good for up to three years also. Based on the age of your cat I would give a yearly feline combo and rabies, and then boost the combo again next year.

Q. My 9 month old Maltese-Shih eats his own feces. Is there anything i can give him to get him to stop?
ANSWER : A. Coprophagia (or eating stool) is very common in young dogs. Luckily, most dogs will outgrow this behavior as they age. There are several theories as to why dogs do this which range from mimicking the mother dog’s behavior of cleaning the den, nutrient deficiency, boredom or just plain enjoyment of it.

If your dog is eating his own, removing the feces as soon as he deposits them is best in preventing them from being eaten. Keeping your dog on a leash while he potties can also help to catch any stool before he finds it. If he is eating other stool as well, sweeping the area prior to letting him out to go potty can help you identify and remove any left-behind stool.

There is also a product called For-bid that is available to make stool distasteful to pets. This product is sprinkled over every meal for a period of a week. When your dog attempts to eat the stool formed from this product, it becomes distasteful and discourages him from doing so. Most dogs will stop after a week of use, but some may need a few reminders from time to time to completely stop the behavior.

Q. I have a 13 1/2 year old Shih Tzu. How old is he in dog years?
ANSWER : A. It’s used to be that dog years were 7 years to every 1. Now it normally around 5 years to every year as long as your dog is healthy and kept up with vaccines. So he’s about 68ish in dog years.

Read Full Q/A … : Shih Tzu Age

Q. My 2 months old rottweiler puppy isn’t eating properly. Shes only eating shredded or minced chicken but adding any thing means she won’t eat.
ANSWER : A. This is not a nutritionally adequate diet for your puppy. She needs to be eating a good quality puppy food. Put the proper amount in her bowl and put it down without any fuss. Leave it for fifteen minutes. After that, if she has not eaten, pick it up–again without fuss–and do not give her anything else to eat until her next scheduled mealtime, not even treats. When she is due to eat again, repeat the process. This may take quite a few days to resolve, as she will try to hold out for the chicken. Do not give in! Remember that you are not starving her. The food is there, but she is choosing not to eat. When she realizes that this is all she is going to get, she will begin to eat and your problem will be solved.

Q. Hi I just bought a German shepherd who is almost 3 months old, h has gotten his 1st puppy shots from his previous owner, what other shots does he need
ANSWER : A. Puppies should be given 3 rounds of vaccinations, ideally at 8, 12, and 16 weeks. Typically the vaccination against distemper and parvo (that’s one vaccination against 2 diseases) is given at all 3 visits. Rabies is given only once when they are 16 weeks old.

Depending on where you live and your puppy’s lifestyle, your vet may also recommend a vaccination against leptosporosis (given at 12 and 16 weeks) and against kennel cough (it varies, but they are usually given two of those as well).

Read Full Q/A … : Aggressive Puppy