Quenn vom loher weg puppy for your breeding progra - Page 2

This really doesn't have to be about Quenn. You see responses all the time from people that say go direct and buy a 600 euro puppy as if was really simple. You send an e mail, wire 600 euro to Germany and POOF your puppy appears and it's just what you have always wanted. I'd like to hear how they do it. For me it's been a bit of a process. Here's a partial list: Learn about dogs and find honest breeders that share your interests and will work with you. Work around the language barrier. Find a vet in Germany that will check health, papers, etc. Find trainer in Germany that will evaluate dogs. Establish a relationship with a shipping company and familiarize yourself with the rules and requirements of importing/exporting. Figure out the best way to transfer currency from country to country. Structure a deal where the buyer is protected on paper so if the deal goes south you have not lost their money. Get the dog to the airport. Process the paperwork. Warranty the dog once it arrives. For every step in the process there is an expense acquiring the knowledge or a direct cost. There are pitfalls in every step.

In Germany puppies out of V or VA parents are sold for around 800 €, a small kennel may sell them for 600 €, a well known kennel for up to 1000 €. The breeder takes care for the transport to the airport,and he takes care of the necessary shots. Add your costs for the flight and the crate, maybe the costs to pick your puppy up, that¿s it. So far, so good. - There are two big differences between a German buyer and ( a lot ) of "Oversea" buyers. The German knows, that he is going to buy a living animal, and he knows, that nobody is able to give any guarantee about the development of his pup. In Germany we don¿t ask for any guarantees besides healthiness at the day we bring the puppy home. In case the pup has severe HD in the age of one year, you may get a new pup, but normally no German asks for that. We know, that nature works its own way. All of us want to own the new World Champion, either in conformation or in Schutzhund sport, but we don¿t make the breeder responsible, if our pup ends as a pet. Either we love this dog or we sell it, buyer and seller tried their best, so what? The "normal" German breeder has a full time job, in his free time he raises, trains and titles his female(s) just because he loves to work with his dogs. He doesn¿t need to make money out of puppies. There are only a very few, that make money out of breeding, and even these breeders started with one dog and it took them years of work, training, and money to become successful. The only way to make money out of dogs, is to own a very high rated stud dog, and believe me, this happens very, very seldom, and these lucky breeders put a lot of money in their breeding stock in former decades. Maybe I¿m wrong, but in my opinion a lot of "Oversea" breeders try to live from their dogs. In this case the puppies need to be much more expensive. Breeding German Shepherds should be a honour, no outcome. As a result of these two reasons - the buyer wants a lot of guarantees and the seller wants to make money - the "Oversea" German Shepherd is much more expensive than the "German". I know there are a lot of honest "dog people" in the world, and these people, raising and training their dogs, always should be your first choice, either in the States or elsewhere. Sorry about this long letter, maybe I¿m totally wrong, I only tried to write down my thoughts.

Susie, Just my opinion, but you are RIGHT ON!! Dawn B.

Susie, Thank you! That is the best post I have read to date. I hope every breeder trying to "make a buck" reads it! "Breeding German Shepherds should be a honour, no outcome". That's my new favorite saying. JoAnn

Susie.... You are sooo right on the "money" (no pun intended)!!! After reading your post, I'm contacting my friends in Germany (where I was raised) that I know have GSD's, and speaking to them about helping me find a dog. NOT that I don't trust to buy a dog in the US, but honestly, my experience has NOT been that good! I know they WON'T do me wrong!

Dear Ladywolf! I don¿t know, if you are interested in working lines or in show lines, but it should be no problem for your German friends to find a good puppy for you ( but never forget - nobody can promise you anything about the future development ), World Class parents doesn¿t mean World Class puppies! I¿m not very knowledgeable about working lines, but I know that there is a good conformation breeding stock in the States, and the available genetic pool of working dog lines may be good, too. There ARE American breeders raising and training their dogs, maybe you should look around in the clubs for a while? On every single American Siegershow there are a lot of very well American bred dogs in the younger classes. If the new owners would train and title them ( and there is the main problem ) these dogs would be able to compete with the German Imports. There ARE good dogs in the States, you only need to look around.