What do the better breeders have in common...??? - Page 1

Like everyone else I am looking for that perfect GSD...Can anyone or all of you help me to help myself by telling me what I should be looking for in a breeder and what to ask them...Are titles as important as some say they are...???Here is a chance to really give some advise to someone who is trying to do the right thing before I get my GSD...I've had good, bad and ugly experiences with "back yard breed" GSDs want to go with an experienced breeder with quality dogs...I am in central Fl, anybody have a special breeder I should speak with...???

Dear roborob, Please provide a way to contact you. Email / phone number- that way people can contact you directly.

One of the questions before you ask for help is, what are you looking for. Are you wanting to get West German show or are you looking for working lines?

roborob, The first thing to know is that there is NO perfect GSD. Secondly, yes, you must do your homework and that begins with your knowing exactly what it is you are looking for in a dog and what you will do with the dog, what bloodlines you want etc. etc. etc. Take a look at the topic about "Are titles necessary" under the message board. While not specifically talking about your request, you can gain a lot by reading that discussion. Secondly, look at other topics like "Always make a contract". Do NOT buy from someone who simply talks a good talk and has a fancy website and offers you the moon and an unrealistic health guarantee. Know how much you want to spend. Ask around as well about dogs and breeders. Get involved with others who are involved in the breed. When you have specific questions, ask here or elsewhere. And do look at pages and pages of messages posted here because this topic has been discussed ad nauseum. Good luck.

roborob, I also live in Central FL (volusia county) and have went to see ALOT of breeders here in person..dident like any one of them. Most all of them look better then they really are. A TON of Back yard breeders here, just look in the orlando sentinel there must be 10 ads on GSD's on any given day. Half of them cant even spell SHEPHERD right they say(german sheppard pups $900). I have just decided to save myself a heart break and import a pup, better quality and I know for sure I am getting a good dog. You'd be suprised how inexpensive the pups are there,(They are usually about $850 US) the only difference is shipping but its worth it in my opinion. Importing is a controversal topic so its really up to you what you want to do. You can e-mail me and I can give you a list of breeders I thought were really good. Hope this helps. Andrea

What better breeders "should" have in common is health and quality of the dog. Not all breeders are seeking out the same dog (i.e. some want prey monsters, some want sharp strong protecters etc... every breeder is focused on small different items. And when you do find your speacial so called breeder I don't care what anyone says its a crap shoot with puppies period. Even the best of breeders have turds in the litter. All you can do is use a educational guess when picking out a pup and stack the cards in your favor. (i.e. if you don't know the bloodlines or the breeding pair in question then you ask are there any previous litters? If so how are they performing and hows thier health? Are the parents titled? etc...To really strenghthen your chances you have to go to the young adult to know what your getting. We could go on and on the variables are almost endless. A dog that is BSP/WUSV champion in say Jane Smith's hands could be a club level only dog in John Smith's hands. All you can do is sit down and ask yourself what am I going to use the dog for and what do I expect from the dog? Once you have that then search out for a pup using educational info and stack the cards as much as possible in your favor. www.HeimatKennels.com

I have to say hodi said it all. That was one of my mistakes is trusting to much and not doing my own research. Just like hodi said, it is best to go through the message board and read it. Then at the end it is your decision on what your wanting in a GSD. A lot of people can help you with your new puppy/dog after you get it whether it be show or working, their all right here to ask.

I agree with GSDandrea you really will be surprised in the quality that you can import for say $1500 including shipping. Not to mention any name but buying pups for $2500-$3500 is purely stupid it better have been whelped with a SCH1 and a dumbell in its mouth lol. I have available with a friend of mine in Germany right now 2 really nice male's they are $1500ea or both for $2700 includes crate, shipping, pink papers and the beschienigung for AKC registration. A really well known trainer currently known as the WUSV team captain actually travels to Germany to breed to these particular puppies sire. You do the math

I have a few tips for you after I learned the hard way dealing with a very very poor example of a breeder. Check the website first, look around, it is professionally done? Is it organized? Do they seem to care about how they promote their kennel name or is it sloppy, overlapping, missing pictures, hard to read fonts etc etc. If they don't care about their website and how they present themself to the public, that's a good indicator if they have little self respect and little respect for their name and therefore the quality of care they provide their dogs so Move on! Do you see them showing pictures of their facility? Pictures of their kennels? Their whelping facilites? are they clean, well vented, well lit etc? Do their ground and entire appearance show pride and detail to their animals care? No pictures of their kennels? No pictures of their whelping areas and puppy runs etc? Move On! Do they list the clubs they are members of? Do they offer show, awards, and titles they have worked hard to earn with their dogs? Do they have many dogs with their Kennel name showing years of working for a type or breeding with a plan? Or do they just buy a dog, breed the dog, sell the litter and just sell all the puppies not holding any back and then selling the bitch? Ask around from members of the clubs they are members of, see if club members are waiting a pup from one of their litters. See if they post on this website. See how many litters they have produced in the last year or two. Do they look like a mass producer? Do they still own any of these dogs or have they sold them off. There are lots of common sense ways to do this type of checking yourself. Good Luck Hope this helps

Your Best bet is to attend the German Sieger Show and buy an adult dog. It Takes the guesswork out of the equation. Yes it will cost a whole lot more than a puppy. But you could buy 30 puppies and eack one may not be what you want.