Import puppy - Page 1

I am wanting to get a male pup or young adult from over seas. I would prefer Black and Red long coat or black and red only.

Does anyone have any recomendations of honest great quality breeders they would recommend? 

RBR,

Find someone in the US that has imported the type and quality of dogs/puppies you are looking for and get their help. It's a snakepit out there.

There are some excellent breeders in the US too. If this is your first time. You have a better chance of getting something good from the US than importing something.

 Will do! Thanks! I'm real learie about importing from someone I don't know. But on the other hand I don't really know who's honest in the states. I'll do lots of reaserch before I buy though. Thanks for the tip :)

RBR, ask everyone and anyone you can who has familiarity with the breed as much as possible about each and every breeder you think may have the type of pup you're seeking, BEFORE you commit to a puppy. BEWARE of any breeder that requires you to sign a 'non-disclosure' contract--yes, there are those who will require you sign a document saying you agree to never breathe a word of any issue that may arise with a pup or dog purchased from them--as well as those whose contract requires you to follow a VERY specific feeding, care, training and exercise program for the pup or dog in order for any warranty or 'guarantee' offered by the breeder to be valid. As Dog1 said, importing can be an expensive teaching moment that leaves you poorer in pocket and dissatisfied with what you received, while there are just as nice puppies being produced here in the US from the same bloodlines, and in some cases from the same dogs, as those being born in Europe. 

IF I were going to get an import pup, I'd probably try to work it out so that I could fly over to Europe myself after having chosen several breeders who had pups for sale that interested me, so I could meet the breeders and one, if not both, parents of the pup, as well as the puppy itself, before I made a decision on which pup was the right one. But that's pretty costly; consequently, it makes more sense to do a version of this with breeders of import-line GSDs here, where traveling to see the litters would be less expensive. No matter who you get your pup from, INSIST on seeing proof that the appropriate health clearances have been done--the actual certificates for the parent's hips, elbows and Degenerative Myelopathy results--and make sure you know exactly what such certifications mean, and what they do NOT indicate. Imports typically don't come with any type of guarantee or warranty, though there are some breeders over there who DO replace pups if they are found to have a serious health or structural isses; most guarantees offered by US breeders, however, offer only a replacement pup as opposed to any refund of the purchase price, and some allow you to keep the original pup while others will require you to return the dog in order to get a replacement. Personally, I think guarantees are pointless if you've made sure the breeder has done all of the proper health assessments, provides proper care for the pups and their mother--all the health tests in the world can't completely control nature and genetics, and if a breeder has done everything in their power, how can I hold them responsible should the pup I select happen to get a bad deal of the gene cards and develops bad hips?

Dog1 knows just about all of the players in the game on both sides of the ocean, and he also knows the characteristics of the various bloodlines as well as anyone out there; there are others on this site who are similarly knowledgable about the subject, and are also happy to help answer questions you may have in advance of you making your decision on a pup. Once you've brought a puppy home already, fewer folks want to answer questions because they know you've already gotten attached to your pup, and it's too late to give you advice on avoiding breedings based heavily on 'Rover von Doghouse' if you've already got a pup who has Rover in his pedigree 10 times in six generations...it won't make any difference at that point. 

Good luck in your quest, and just when you think you've asked every question about everything you can imagine, think some more, and ask some additional questions....all before you narrow down your options.

Oh, and since you're in AR this could be a reasonable drive for you, the GSDCA Universal Sieger Show AND the GSDCA National IPO Championship is being held May 1-3, 2015 @ Purina Farms in Grey Summit, MO, and would be an excellent event for you to attend, if you can. You'll see a LOT of US breeders there with their dogs and pups, and you'll get more familiar with the show ring events AND the working trial field events if you can watch both activities. It would be a good place to meet various breeders in one spot, too. You can find more info on the Sieger Show part here, and the IPO Championship trial here.

Thank you hexe for all that info! I feel like I ask to many questions as it is. I am writing everything I learn down to help remember everything. I don't want to make a costly mistake. I have talk to one breeder about importing a pup but I havnt found many that do. I am in no rush to get a male I want to make sure I get a great quality dog. I will also look into going to the show in May. It's no to far for me. 

RBR, it is not possible to ask too many questions--the problems always reflect questions we failed to ask and get answered, not the ones we did.   And the more patient you can be before 'pulling the trigger' and making your purchase, the better your chances are that you'll be doing so from the breeder best equipped to bring you together with exactly the puppy you're dreaming of having.

Yes I plan on being very patient. I want to make sure I get the right one!! I am in no rush at all :)

Again thank you!!

I imported a puppy from Germany about 3.5 years ago. It was from Karl and Marion Fuller who own Kirschenstal Kennels. I wanted a female because I already have a male. They came highly recommended. Yina is beautiful as advertised. But I wouldn't import another one for 50 grand. She flew from Germany to Philadelphia. (Customs are real a--holes) Almost ended up in jail. Bottom line was the trip should have taken 11 hours tops and it was 26 hours. If you import, hire a custom broker. That is the only way to go. If your worried what they charge then don't import the dog. Good luck whatever you decide. Karl died awhile back and Marion has sold off most of her dogs. But they were the best. He knew more about german shepherds than anyone I ever met in my life.

Saxman

You spent 50k on an import?!! That's crazy. I wouldn't do that either :)