German Shepherd wanted

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HoleCarder

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Hello friends,

My dog (Weimaraner) died a year ago. And I'm finally ready to acquire my next K9. I want a German Shepherd.

I have no interest in doing business with a puppy mill. I want a quality dog from a quality breeder. I'm prepared to spend $2k, $3k, $4k, or more, if quality matches price. Please share any and all advice.

The most frequent name that comes up is Kraftwerk K9. These dogs come with a super high-end price tag, typically between $4k-$6k. WOW!

This dog will be a family pet, companion, and protector, in a middle class suburban home.
 
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I can tell you that you do not need to spend that amount of money to get yourself a super dog and a wonderful pet so long as you are prepared to train it...well. $1500 or so should be all you can spend, and half that in certain places. you do not require a work dog, but a work dog parents are ones you want...you just need to be prepared to get a dog that is work bred but not quite prepared for 'work lines'

A work dog is great at things unless you have to have it with you all day or night, but a work dogs parents will have few dogs that while prepared to work, are just not in the same grain as truly 'work dogs' and those are the ones you want.
 
Arik said:
If it's not a working dog (police/farm) I would recommend a shelter dog. They may not have pedigree papers but they are no less smart and loyal. Besides, you'll be saving money and saving a life.

Just my opinion
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I agree with this. Around here (and in most parts of the country I suspect) each breed club has a rescue program. How it works is that any time animal control gets a purebred (or purebred looking) dog, they contact the breed club. The club takes the dog, has it checked by a vet, checks it's disposition, and then places it with an appropriate family. Dogs are also turned in by owners that can't care for the dogs any longer due to health (the owner, not the dog) or they are moving. The advantage to a breed operated rescue is that they know the quirks of the breed and are able to more accurately place the dog with the proper family. My last 3 dogs have been rescues, after I recover from the loss of a dog, I contact the rescue part of the club and put my name on a list. When a dog becomes available, the club contacts the top of the list and meets with the prospective owner. If that owner is not a good fit, they go to the next on the list. You may have to wait for a bit, but you know what you're getting. These dogs don't normally have papers and can't be shown (at least around here because rescue dogs have to be neutered). I can't imagine getting a purebred any other way. Here's a pic of my current girl. She's getting a bit long in the tooth, she's 11 and unfortunately I suspect I'll be going through the hard part in the next few years.
 

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HoleCarder said:
Hello friends,

My dog (Weimaraner) died a year ago. And I'm finally ready to acquire my next K9. I want a German Shepherd.

I have no interest in doing business with a puppy mill. I want a quality dog from a quality breeder. I'm prepared to spend $2k, $3k, $4k, or more, if quality matches price. .
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That breaks my heart. I have been working (volunteer) at two local animal shelter for the past seven years. There are so many good dogs that are put to death because nobody wants them.

And believe me when I tell you: a purebred dog opens you up to all kinds of genetic health problems from inbreeding.

I wish you would go online and locate your local shelters. Most post pictures and you can monitor it from home. The world's greatest dogs live in shelters. I have met thousands of them.
 
I agree with others who say there is no need to spend that kind of money. I bought a registered German Shepherd puppy for my girl for Christmas. She is a beautiful pure bred Shepherd and was only 450.00.

The prices you describe are for working dogs that can track, detect narcotics, attack on command, etc. Obviously this isn't necessary for what you want.

Shepherds have a natural protective, loyal, instinct. Just buy a full blooded dog and you should be fine.

I also agree that you should check the animal shelters. I toured the Villalobos shelter in New Orleans yesterday. It is the shelter featured in Animal Planet's Pitt Bulls and Parolees. There was a beautiful little shepherd stressed out because she didn't want to be in a kennel. It broke my heart. I wish we had thought of that before we bought our puppy. Our next dog will come from there.
 
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bountyhunter said:
That breaks my heart. I have been working (volunteer) at two local animal shelter for the past seven years. There are so many good dogs that are put to death because nobody wants them.

And believe me when I tell you: a purebred dog opens you up to all kinds of genetic health problems from inbreeding.

I wish you would go online and locate your local shelters. Most post pictures and you can monitor it from home. The world's greatest dogs live in shelters. I have met thousands of them.
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That's where I got mine. No directly from the shelter bit from a rescue
 
You don't need to spend that much.we have gotten 2 GS over the years for lest than 2000.00 They both have been wonderful dogs with family, neighbors or others. I swear the present one is sometimes smarter than the wife and me put together.We always get females very loyal. just remember training and socialization. Good luck
 
PSD Kennels seem to have nice looking dogs. Prices are around $1,000.00 to $2,000.00. Look them up on Google. Please research GSD's (if you haven't already) before you jump in. American breeding stock often have numerous health issues that don't show up immediately. I researched but let my heart trick me into buying from a back yard breeder. I have a beautiful 100lb male shepherd. With a seizure disorder. I love him to death, but his meds and vet bills are not for the faint of heart! Depending on where you live, there are usually GSD rescues with nice adult dogs if you are interested, but you don't know the breeding history and may be taking a chance. Good luck!
 
There's nothing wrong with getting a pup and if you have the time for them the rewards can be great.

I tried to adopt twice and had problems both times. The first one was epileptic and would totally black out and bite anything in sight. He was just to dangerous around my wife and two other dogs, I was even scared of him. I found him another home with a single guy that keeps him on medication but last I heard he was getting worse. He was a cool dog and I still feel bad.

The other one needed some serious dental work so I passed. My wife watched his profile to make sure he got adopted and he did. He was lucky and someone with more money got themselves a great dog.

Both times we were trying to be breed and age specific. If I tried to adopt again I'd get a mix breed.

OP, It's your money. If your heart is set on a German Shepard find a reputable breeder and look in to it.
 
One more thing and a place to start.

We had a thread or two with some nice looking GSD pups. One just turned a year old the other day.

Maybe a search and a PM to some of our members might give you a lead as to where they got theirs.
 
All of our dogs have been rescues one way or another. Great dogs, loved and the ones that are gone are still missed. BUT: how one defines "protection" may drive this train. If you mean a dog that will bark and alert you about stuff that may need attention, as a result of which you deploy the firearms and stuff, that's one thing. If you mean a dog that will respond to commands and much on people who need it as a result, that's a WHOLE DIFFERENT game.
First, you have to KNOW, not just believe, but clearly know, what are the applicable use of force issues everywhere you might ever have that dog. Second, you don't get to go cheap - if I was getting a trained dog for LE protection work, for example, I would budget not less than $10K, and closer to $20K, just for research and purchase. A really smart dog is about like a 5 year old kid, and what person with any brains would arm a 5 year old for part of their protection? My wife's Tervuren is poor with some strangers, and she has to be alert all the time to the possibility of a poor reaction. She is not a selected and trained dog; she is going on nature. That is NOT what you want in a serious situation.
You also have to consider your living situation. It may be hard to take the dog traveling, and even harder to board it. While a good working dog should be social and capable of good behavior with others unless commanded, if you have kids, their friends are a consideration. You need to work all of these out.
 
First of all you need to know there are basically three separate breeds of German Shepherd Dogs. The American version has evolved since the Second World War and has been bred for it’s gait to the point I consider it no longer true to the standard. These can be had fairly reasonably up to big prices, but I don’t care for that hyper long gait it makes them look funny and frankly unsound mechanically.

The second variant it the West German breeders. These dogs are shorter in body length, tend to have larger heads, and nearly always a roach back that is a serious violation of the standard for GSD. They can have beautiful reds in their coats.

The third variant is the Iron Curtain countries, mostly East Germany, and the Czech Republic. These dogs were not altered in their breeding standards like the other two variants of GSD. This is why I selected both my GSD from this variant of GSD. I had one that was of East German parents, and the current one that is of parents from the Czech Republic. The

You also need to decide if you want the dog as a pet, as a show dog, or as a working dog. Currently the AKC is very biased in favor of the American breed with the excessively long gait when it comes to show dogs. It would almost be impossible to do well in American shows with the West German or Iron Curtin variant.

If you want a working dog you can find good working dogs from all three variants, but the best are the Iron Curtin and secondly the West German variants.

You can find a quality pet in any of the three variants, but many of the Iron Curtin variants are much higher energy and often cost more. My dogs are great pets, but I have the energy to keep them active.

Once you decide which variant of GSD you want get on the internet and do your research. A majority of kennels have web sites with information and pictures of their breeding dogs and information of the type of dogs they breed.

If all you want is a quality pet, you can find those for under a $1000.00. If you want a quality working or show dog, you will pay from a little to a lot more depending on how much looking you are willing to do.

Price will not always guarantee a quality dog that is right for your situation, and many top GSD breeders will not sell you a dog without knowing what you want to do with it and how you plan to care for it.

The last thing you should be looking at is the color or coat pattern which varies also. My dogs were both dark red sable in coloring, which grew on me.
 
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Our GSD Fauna was a breeder return that washed out of cop school for not being aggressive. She was gifted to us on condition we have her spayed, which we did. She was gentle, smart & was a great house dog. Best part was she came to us already trained. She came from a fairly impressive line of working/sport dogs.

 
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If I may offer you some advice. I hope I don't come off condescending just trying to be helpful. I am on my second GSD and was fortunate enough to get a lot of free training and advice for several years with my first dog from a relative who was and still is a dog trainer. She personally owned several GSDs.

First I don't know what your background is as it relates to dogs, but these dogs are challenging (putting it nicely). They take a few years to grow up and need to be busy most the time - or they get bored and get into trouble. If you are not the firm and the discipline type (like for example if you let your pet sleep on your bed) a GSD could rule the roost.

Second point - they can get aggressive if not properly corrected and this alpha dog domination starts when they are very young. So that needs to be monitored constantly and put into check - especially if you have young ones.

Lastly, unless you are looking for a show dog quality or a dog to compete in lets say a for Schutz-hound title 1,2 or 3 you would be wasting your money spending thousands of dollars. Both my dogs came from good stock and I only paid $600 to $700 dollars. I would make sure you check the parents hips and a good breeder will have taken the time to have them x-rayed and rated. If the dog is to the breed standard they will be naturally protective as well and no need to train them in that area. i would suggest a professional if venturing down that path.

If you haven't already I would go to a local GSD dog club on a weekend and see what advice you can get from these knowledgable folks. They love to brag about their dogs. :)

Good Luck!

PS Finess_r makes a lot of good points as well and right on point.
 
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IMHO, post No. 14 summed up the GSD problem.....They have been too popular and too many people have been breeding for other than true GSD characteristics. I have raised and trained Dobermans and am now raising a Cane Corso/Pit Bull mix as a Companion Dog. I worked with fellow LEOs that were operating with the Belgian Malinois breed. IMHO, for what you are looking for in the Shepherd type, you should take a close look at Belgian Malinois. They are true working dogs and are loyal to their family to a fault. I am very impressed with them and would have gone with one for the current puppy, but I wanted a larger dog. My Mastiff/Pit Bull should hit 100 to 125 lbs. by the age of two years. ......
 
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All three of our dogs are rescues. Two are purebred: one a Lab, the other a German Short Hair. The third is a Lab/Retriever mix. The Lab came to us as an adult, whose serviceman owner was deployed. The other two were pups that needed homes. All three are excellent dogs that we have taken time to socialize around other dogs, cats, and people. We couldn't be happier with our fuzzbutt friends, and I encourage you to follow the advice given by others in researching rescue groups.
 
Another vote for rescue/shelter dogs. I could not ask for a more loyal and intelligent pet than my mostly schnauzer mutt. Cost $50 donation.
 
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