We have imported several dogs from Germany within the past to years from our principal partner. The breed of the dogs are all German Sheperds ranging from puppy to adult. As customer requirements come up anytime of the year, these dogs will fly from Germany regardless of the season there then. On two occassions when it was winter in Germany, the temperature there was -5 degress celcius. When the dog reached KLIA it was +32 degree celcius. Think about the change in temperature. I walked the dog for a while in the pet hotel area before sending it to the quarantine area. I was concerned about the dog’s condition. He was perfectly fine and just as lively as he was in Germany based on the video(s) that I had seen. I visited quarantine facility once every 2 days to ensure that the dog was coping well. He was infact a lot better than a locally bred german sheperd which was in my kennel then for training.

So what do we learn from here? Climate change does have impact but it is not the level where you require to change everything around the dog to suit it. I will explain later on the issues that you need to be watchful which even the locally bred dogs are equally vulnarable of. I have heard people who keep on trumpeting that these dogs need to be kept in an air conditioned room with temperature control. Otherwise they will suffer heat stroke. So to give a sense assurance to my customers who buy these dogs from me, I tell them only three things. Make sure you keep your dog in a shady kennel off leash. It should be allowed to move freely in side the kennel or cage. Your dogs should get water all day long and walk your dogs at least 2 to 3 times a day for the first 2 weeks. I request the workers in the quarantine station to do this as well for the dogs imported by me. They are very nice people who agree to help with this task. Drinking water helps the dog to regulate its body temperature and walking gives the dog the oppurtunity to discharge excess heat in the body through urine. Having the dog untied inside the cage allows it to change location frequently to lie down on a cooler spot. End of story. Your new dog from Germany is a Malaysian then onwards. If you notice these are things that we even do for locally bred dogs. So you are rest assured that dogs have innate ability to climatize very quickly.

Of course the dogs stamina might take a bit longer to build up due to its slightly expanded lungs that would have been physiologically useful in colder climates. In addition to that if it carries winter coat, abit of it might shed depending on the genetic of the dog if it is a long-haired or short-haired type. But believe me  if you had plans to renovate your house to fix cooling equipments just save that money. You might us well pay us that money to source for you an imported puppy.

Anticipated Problems

Usually I see dry skin problems with the imported dogs. Apart from that I also see reddish patches on the belly. The formet is due to lack of good bacteria and the latter is due to fungus, though the cause could vary. I am not a qualified veterinarian. Both can be treated with medicated bath, antibiotic cream and oral antibiotics. It may recur, but you just have to be consistent in giving the dog the medicated bath. But you know what? Local dogs have the same problem!!!!