Mr. Lukas

Lukas. My loyal, protective, intelligent, goofy, teddy bear lap dog. He’s also boisterous, strong minded and dominating, with Kali, that is. She’s our Silver Lab. He’s a true knucklehead, in a loving way. If you’ve never owned a German Shepherd, you’re missing out in a world of laughter. They are wonderful companions. His favorite games are football, playing in the water, tug-of-war with his rope, hide-and-seek, picking on his kitty-cat sister and taunting Kali. He loves to go to the field and just run himself crazy. He knows when I’m not feeling good, he’ll come over and lay his head down on my lap and give me those big puppy dog eyes. I broke my toe a few weeks back and he was right there walking slowly by my side, guiding me all the way. Well, until he steps on my toe with his 100lb self! Another thing he does that amazes us is when he's excited to see us, he will wrap himself around you like a cat does. For as big as he is, he can sure make himself into a tight ball. And whine, he loves to whine when he's happy.

German shepherds are not your average ‘get-a-dog-and-leave-them-outside-with-nothing-to-do' type dog. That just won’t work. You’ll end up with a dog that does nothing but dig and bark. They need constant stimulation, at least a good hour of play, running or walking. Plenty of chew toys and lots of love.

It was pretty hot outside the other day and I needed to give the dogs a bath. I normally do it outside, especially with Lukas, but with the heat and wanting to get it done earlier than later, I decided to give our Lab a bath in the tub and do Lukas later outside. As I was washing Kali, Lukas was right there lying by my side watching me give her a bath. When I was done, I was in the process of cleaning out the tub and placing the plug back in the drain when Lukas decided he wanted a bath right then and there. He jumped in and sat, giving me those big puppy-dog eyes. I knew giving him a bath in the tub, was going to be a job. For one he’s huge. He has a ton of hair, and the shaking. When he shakes I end up with more water on me than him! So, unable to resist the fact that he got in the tub on his own, sitting there with that adorable look, I decided to bathe him. Half hour later, I was done, soaked, and about a good gallon of water all over my bathroom floor. He was a happy camper, just like his sister.

Later that evening, I realized I should have blown his coat out before his bath. German Shepherds shed something fierce, especially in the summer. There were fur balls in every direction, all over my house. Tired, I decided to do it in the morning.

Lukas sleeps right outside our bedroom door. No, it’s not poor dog, there’s a few reasons why he does not sleep in our room. #1 is protection. He needs to be able to hear whatever is going on outside the house and sleeping in our room will not give him that opportunity. #2 he snores. He snores loud. And he’s a restless sleeper, always getting up and resituating himself. We need our sleep. #3 the shedding. I don’t need him in my room, on my rug, shedding. I’d be vacuuming every single morning. I can deal with the occasional sweep during the day.

When I work up the next morning, I opened my door and the breeze from the door opening blew about half of that dog’s hair all over the floor. My bathing triggered his shedding and it was all over the place! Before I had my coffee, I grabbed the shedding comb and spent the first 2 hours of my morning blowing out his coat, and the last ½ hour vacuuming the house. What a mess.

This will give you an idea of how much fur I pulled off his coat. This does not include what I vacuumed up.

That’s almost another dog! He’s happy, he’s not panting as much as he normally does. I do take the shedding comb to him about every other week. If I was a super, duper, good mommy, I’d do it weekly. But it’s a lot of work and a long process. I have learned from this experience – never bathe him without blowing his coat first. Then, after he dries, take the comb to him again.

This is what I used. It’s a necessity for every German Shepherd, or any dog for that matter that sheds:

You can pick them up at PetsMart or Petco. They run about $65.00 (for large dogs) and worth every single penny.

I only bathe Lukas once every 6 months. He always smells good. Kali is the one that smells like a real dog from time to time – she needs more bathing than him. The reason Lukas only gets bathed every 6 months is due to his breed. You don’t’ want to bathe them too much. The German Shepherd Dog has a "double-coat". Their coat consists of a "downy" type undercoat next to the skin, with longer, coarse guard hairs as an outer shell. Under normal conditions, the German Shepherds will only require regular brushings, and an occasional bath. Baths should be given no more than once or twice a year to avoid drying out their skin - over-bathing them will strip their coat of its natural oils.

So, another season down, another shedding season done. We’ll do this all over again in December. Or earlier if the need arises – believe me, he’ll let me know!