Looking for good breeder - Page 3

My recommendation would be to buy a young adult that has been trained in SAR that is healthy and ready to work.  If you cannot find that at least a dog with similar interests that you are looking for with the basics already accomplished for you then proceed ahead with the SAR training, etc.  Good luck in this venture;  Nan

If you have a 4 yo and the dog is going to be outside, I would seriously suggest you look for a rescue dog that has been in foster care and has some obedience training and/or established manners. I have a 4 month old GSD from a wonderful breeder who has an outstanding temperament who has been through puppy obedience and my husband and I are with her almost 24/7. She is still a challenge at times and has hurt us both (not on purpose of course) with her nails and sharp puppy teeth. She gets 2-3 (short) walks a day and lots of play time too. I cannot imagine leaving her outside to her own devices, even in my 1/2 acre with a 6ft fence. When she wants attention she digs, barks, eats dirt, chews sticks (gets them stuck in her teeth that I have to get out), etc and that is with me there to tell her right from wrong at all times... Then you add in the SAR dog you want and that type of dog would need much more discipline, training and attention to not be very very destructive. So many GSDs end up in shelters and rescues b/c people really have no clue what they are getting in to. And I hope you don't take what I am saying as rude at all b/c it's not meant to be. I would just really think about it long and hard. Ours in in our house and she tries to herd us and our cats lol. Not to mention all the usual puppy stuff like maybe tummy upset, which means diarrhea, which means a huge mess and a bath. When it rains we dry her off everytime she comes in... just saying, it's a ton of work if done right. Worth every second to me, but I own my own business so my schedule is very flexible and I work from home a lot. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Rescue organizations will not adopt out dog that will be left outside - at least the rescues in Texas won't.

I think if the OP spends time with an SAR group, they will find that SAR dogs typically are NOT outside dogs, because the bond between handler and dog is an important part of the teamwork.
 

If your in OK, look up Austerlitz German Shepherds. Susanne is a wealth of information and has been in the breed for several years.