German Sheperds

N

noc529

Guest
Hi,
Do you ladies know of anyone who breeds german sheperds from a good bloodlines? The breeders here in NY wants about 900-1,000 bucks for the pup and I'm not spending that much money on one. I live on Long Island but am willing to go to CT, NJ, VA and Indiana to check it out. I'd appreciate your help.

Lisa
 
This is not the information you asked for, just a question.
I have cats myself, but I just wonder why do dog owners pay so much for a pure bred when there are so many good dogs in shelters that don't have homes?
 
In Dobes, we have the motto "pay now or pay later". I'd suggest saving up and spending money on a dog from good lines, from a reputable breeder, with a guaranteed contract, health testing, temperament testing, etc. Breeders who are charging less are most likely not doing any of the above and just breeding to breed and get money. You might also check out rescue sites and see if they have anything you are interested in. For Dobes, we pay anywhere from $1,500 to $3,500 for a good dog and it is worth the money. You are more apt to have a healthy dog with a good temperament from a breeder who will support you and become part of your family. You want to buy a dog from a breeder who has done their research, done their health testing, can go through the pedigree and tell you what each dog has died of (in past generations), how littermates are doing, what health tests have been done and why they decided to breed dog x to dog y.

If you go to www.akc.org and search for breed clubs. You can find the German Shepherd main breed club, many locals clubs and rescue info. Good luck in your search! Shepherds are a great breed.

Colleen
 
Please think about adopting from your local animal shelter. There are so many wonderful dogs including purebreds that want a loving home. Try doing a search for German Shepherd rescues. I know my local humane society has 2 purebred Shepherds here in California.
 
Thank you all for getting back to me. I've spoken to a reputable breeder upstate NY about puppies. He was pretty nice. His dogs are show dogs and he's selling his pups for under 1,000. Not too much under 1,000.

About shelters, I have adopted a puppy from a shelter and that was one of the worst mistakes I've ever made. She turned out to be one of the worst pet I've ever had in my life. I live on a farm and people dump their puppies or kittens or ducklings here and we raise them 'cause we feel very badly for them. Oftentimes they turned out to be great pets. I had 2 sheperds when I was a kid and they were the best dogs I've ever had in my life. The one I adopted from the shelter 3 yrs ago is dead now. She got hit by a car. She never listened, she was a filthy dog peeing and pooping all over the house and she was hard to train no matter what. Also, another wonderful thing was she was mostly pitbull. If I had known, I wouldn't have adopted her. She was lousy with kids. Too agressive. Lousy guard dog, too. Also, most shelters I looked at have older dogs. I'm not interested in older dogs. I'm interested in puppies. Something I can train myself to be a guard dog, hearing aid dog and a pet. I don't want something from a nutso mother or father which I am sure my other dog who died was from. Believe me, I feel bad for dogs, cats, birds who are in shelters but they're not what I'm looking for. I'm sorry. If you know any shelters with purebreed sheperds, let me know. I have had MANY mutts, too. I'd like something different.
 
I agree about looking into adopting rather than buying from a breeder. There are so many sweet, sweet adult dogs that want a place to call home. There are pro's to this such as not having to train them, knowing their temperment or how big they are. Also, whether they will get along with other pets and children.

Also, another thing to keep in mind is that a lot of time, purebreeds are more prone to certain disease and disorders, it is different for each breed. Mixed breed dogs, in general, rarely do.

But if you have your heart set on a german shephard puppy, it is definitely worth paying that much.

Good luck!
 
If you want a puppy. I would pay the money for a GOOD one. Do not try to find a bargain. A puppy from a reputable breeder will be far better than a puppy from a backyard breeder. Unless you are very lucky. Remember you will spend alot of years with this dog, so the family history is nice to know. You can get that from a reputable breeder. The rescue is also a good idea as they get to know each dog and know what family and what dog will fit well together. Something you can't get with a dog from the pound. Not to diss the pound, but there you just go in blindly and hope for the best. The reason most end up in the pound is because people are over breeding and these puppies end up in the hands of people who shouldn't have dogs or did not know how much time it takes to raise a dog. Also bad breeding can result in bad temperments(immediate pound puppy) and health problems. I personally got a Whippet from the humane society. She is no longer here. But she was a wonderful dog with no problems.
I also got a whippet from a whippet rescue. He had problems but turned into great dog. Shepherds are a great dog. Good luck in your search. Check out www.akc.org and try to get as much info. as you can.
 
We imported from Germany - my husband trains Shepherds in Schutzhund and lived in Europe most of his life so he had contacts in Europe in order to get a top quality dog - temperment and physical. We couldn't be happier. Our dog is the most sweet, intelligent shepherd I have ever known. We get so many compliments on him because he is so well behaved - great guard dog too - however having a great dog also takes an owner that knows what they are doing as far as training. Any great dog can be ruined by an ignorant owner.
 
>
> Thank you all for getting back to me. I've spoken to a
>reputable breeder upstate NY about puppies. He was pretty
>nice. His dogs are show dogs and he's selling his pups for
>under 1,000. Not too much under 1,000.

Make sure to check that all his dogs are OFA'd and have passed Good or Excellent. Not just the ones in the pedigree but littermates, etc. Show German Shepherds are bred to be very overangulated in the rear and used to (it's gotten better over the year) have many many problems with hips.

Good luck in your search. Puppies are a blast!

Colleen
 
Maz:

Is your husband training just your dog, or other dogs in Schutzhund? I have 2 shepherds, but living in Vermont, I don't believe there are qualified people that do the training. I have been doing some research lately looking for another puppy and find that on the web everyone touts their shepherds as the best. My youngest shepherd (6 years old) is from Schutzhund lines and is just as you described your dog - sweet, intelligent and very well behaved. But as you say, it takes someone who knows what they are doing to train properly.

Lisa:

As far as buying a puppy, I would look for one bred as a working dog, rather than a show dog. They are usually more sound physically, because they aren't bred for that severe angulation that can lead to a lot of problems. I agree with Sunnyside, don't look for a bargain, look at the quality of the dog you are getting.

Good luck! I wish it was me getting the puppy!

Nancy
 
Hi Nancy!

Right now my husband only trains our dogs. He use to train a lot when he lived in Europe - he was part of a Schutzhund Club - however once he moved here (United States) he checked out some Schutzhund clubs and they were horrible! They swung the dogs around on the sleeve - the type of move that breaks teeth and they were just making aggressive dogs as far as I could see. They were totally clueless let me tell you. Backyard trainers ;) - we were not about to become involved with them. We live near Omaha and it is impossible to find any good clubs around here. Maybe if we lived more to the West it might be possible to find people who know what they are doing - and yes, every dog breeder says their dogs are the very best. A person has to be so careful in order to get a mentally and physically sound German Shepherd. Also, I find it funny that people who have no clue about Schutzhund training think that it makes "mean" dogs when really it makes a very well trained, non-aggressive dog who is usually a real sweetheart - unless you tell them not to be LOL!
 
>Hi Nancy!
>
>Also, I find it funny that
>people who have no clue about Schutzhund training think that
>it makes "mean" dogs when really it makes a very well trained,
>non-aggressive dog who is usually a real sweetheart - unless
>you tell them not to be LOL!
>
Being in Dobes, I can relate. I would love to do Schutzhund, but can't find any respectable trainers either. People don't realize how much obedience is involved in the sport as well as teaching a dog to call of an attacker, teaching bite control, etc. I watched a police demo at an agility trial the other day and so many people were surprised that the dog (beautiful Shepherd by the way) was really trying to get the sleeve. They demonstrated the "attack" and then later they gave him the sleeve and he pranced around like a little puppy, just a happy little camper!

Colleen
 
Colleen,

I have seen that too - they are so funny looking when they run around with that big sleeve in their mouths. There are some who say Schutzhund training is nothing more than obedience and "play" training - originally it was used to teach dogs to "protect" a person but anymore is is mainly just using the dogs prey drive - like a game. Some people say that Schutzhund doesn't really train a dog to protect - for me the jury is still out on that one. I do know that there are dogs who go through Schutzhund and then personal protection training to fine tune the dog - so the dog will get "more serious" about the bite work. Several years ago we lived near a person that knew Schutzhund and personal protection. I had my female Shepherd trained in personal protection but then we moved and wasn't able to continue the training. I would really love to have someone near so I could continue it. I sure can't use my husband as a helper LOL!
 
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