He Stayed Home From The Walk. Eight Weeks Later He Beat Me Out The Door.

A Yorkshire German Shepherd owner explains what changed — and the dosing mistake that costs most GSD owners six months of decline.

By Mark T.  ·  Harrogate, North Yorkshire  ·  Owner of Rex, 10-year-old German Shepherd6 min read

See What I Switched Rex To →

This was Rex last September.

I'd just come back from a forty-minute walk on the moor. Muddy boots on the mat. Lead back on the hook.

And Rex was exactly where I'd left him. Lying by the front door. He didn't even lift his head when I came in.

I sat on the bottom step with my boots still on and I'll be honest with you — I had a moment.

Because I knew what this was. I'd been telling myself for months that he was just slowing down. It's just his age, Mark. He's ten now. He's a senior dog.

That's what the vet had said. That's what I'd been saying.

But sitting on that step looking at him I knew it wasn't just age. Something had gone wrong months ago and I'd been ignoring it.

The signs I'd been pretending not to see

If you've got a German Shepherd that's slowing down, you'll know exactly what I mean by this.

It didn't happen overnight. There was no specific moment.

It was the kitchen floor first. He started slipping on the tiles. Roller skating my wife called it — back legs going out from under him.

Then he stopped jumping into the back of the Land Rover. He'd put his front paws up and just wait for me to lift his back end in.

Then he started sitting strangely. Frog-sitting, legs splayed out behind him. He used to sit properly. Now he couldn't.

And his back end was changing shape. The muscle was going. He looked narrower behind than he used to.

Rex had been protecting me from the truth for months. And I'd been letting him because I didn't want to face it.

Rex last September — the morning I finally accepted it wasn't just age.

The £200 I'd wasted before I figured it out

Before I get to what actually worked, I need to tell you what didn't. Because I almost gave up before I found NutraPaw.

YuMove first. Every dog owner knows the name. I gave Rex the senior tablets for six weeks. Nothing changed.

Then a green-lipped mussel powder my brother-in-law swore by. Eight weeks. Nothing.

Then a glucosamine supplement from a big-name pet shop. Another £45 gone. Rex was no better than when I started.

£200 down. Three months of "give it time." Nothing to show for it except a cupboard full of half-finished tubs and a dog that was getting worse, not better.

I genuinely thought I'd left it too late. I thought we were past the point where supplements could help.

The dosing mistake I had no idea I was making

The reason none of those supplements worked is something I only found out by accident.

I switched vets — got fed up of being told it was "just age" — and the new one, a young woman who'd worked at a referral hospital with a lot of working line shepherds, asked me what I'd been giving Rex.

I told her. YuMove. The mussel powder. The glucosamine tablets.

She said something that stopped me dead.

I sat there working it out. For three months I'd been giving him roughly the same amount of glucosamine a Cocker Spaniel would get.

No wonder he wasn't responding.

She told me to find a supplement that was weight-dosed for large breeds. Or better — one designed specifically for shepherds. She mentioned a few she'd seen work in her clinic. NutraPaw was one of them.

What changed, week by week

I'm going to be honest here because I've read too many of these stories that sound made up.

I'm not going to tell you Rex is a puppy again. He's not. He's still ten. He's still got hip dysplasia. He still has bad days.

But here's what actually changed.

Week 2: He stopped struggling to get up off the kitchen floor. No second attempt. He just got up.

Week 5: He stopped slipping on the tiles. Completely. The roller skating was gone.

Week 8: I came back from the morning walk and he was standing at the door. Lead in his mouth. Tail going.

For the next walk he beat me to the door. First time in over a year.

Rex last weekend on the moor. He did the full hour without stopping.

Why I'm writing this

I'm writing this because if you're where I was — looking at a German Shepherd who's slowing down and being told it's "just age" — I want you to know that's not always the full story.

Some dogs really are just old. But a lot of them are just under-dosed on the wrong supplement.

I wish someone had told me about the dosing thing a year ago. I'd have saved £200 and six months of watching Rex disappear in front of me.

The other reason I'm willing to talk about NutraPaw — they offer a 90-day money-back guarantee. You don't have to return the bottle. You just email them within 90 days. That's what made me try it after the others had failed. I had nothing to lose.

NutraPaw GSD Joint Support

Weight-dosed for large breeds. 7 active ingredients. UK GMP certified. 90-day money-back guarantee.

→ See if NutraPaw is Right for Your Dog

Doesn't work for your dog? Email within 90 days. Full refund. No return needed.

Mark's account reflects his personal experience with NutraPaw. Individual results vary. NutraPaw is a nutritional supplement and not a substitute for veterinary care. Always consult your vet about your dog's specific needs.