future gsd owner needs advice - Page 1

 Hello everyone, im new to the forum and looking to learn a bit and get some knowledgable feedback. Im looking at purchasing a gsd within the next year and i have a few questions. First of all, I live in chicago Ill. Can anyone give me the names and websites of some reputable breeders in the area? Has anyone dealt with shipping a dog.I would think that this would cause alot of stress on a pup. Is this a bad idea, does it traumatize the dog? I have only visited one breeder thus far; the website is http://heritagekennels.net/ Has anyone dealt with them before. There were alot of dogs on the property, I know that this is sometimes a red flag. However they appeared to be healthy and in good spirits, and there pens also appeared to be clean.
  Next, it seems that there are a thousand different sites that claim that they are the greatest thing since sliced bred. There was one in particular that i have been attracted to, and after some research on this site im not so sure. The breeder is Kraftwerkk9. The dogs look so strong and healthy on the website, and claim to be hip certified and all the other good stuff. I understand that sometimes bad things happen as far health issues and theres no way to foresee things like that happening. My question is a matter of, are they truly a bad breeder. Or, is it just human nature to share more bad than good. We all know misery loves company. I would think that for them to be as succesful as they appear to be, they would have to have way more good customer experiences than bad.
  Last, the most important thing to me is to get a healthy dog that is a natural family protector/deterent and companion. Is it completley neccasary to go for an expensive champion bloodline like kraftwerk to have the best chance of a healthy dog with a sound temperment. I would rather pay a little more up front and walk away with a happy healthy animal then deal with the heartache of having to give back a dog that youve already grown attached to, or worse, have the animal destroyed before that animal has had a chance to live a full and rich life.  Any and all feedback is appreciated. thank you

 John

Flattracker,

There are many knowledgable and experienced people on this board who shall attend to all your questions and worries, I can tell you that I imported two puppies at different times. Plane trip was about 6 hours and previoius to the plane trip there was a trip in car for about 8 hours, both puppies reached me fine and in good health, no problems at all.
On this board there are good reputable breeders, many of them are in the States, consider buying one from a U.S breeder!!!


Regards

Ibrahim

You might want to consider a GSD rescue.  If you are wanting a companion dog, family protector etc. rather than a working dog this would be a good place to start.  Depending on the rescue group, you can find a great dog with plenty of background to help you make your choice.  Check out www.montanagsdrescue.org  as a prime example of someone dedicated to matching up the right dog with the right person.  She has some awesome dogs that were cast aside for really stupid reasons.
Deb

I would stay with a local breeder that knows his/her dogs, has alot of experience and currently works the dogs.  Also, I would look for several generations of hip/elbow cert via OFA or PennHipp.  All you can do is reduce your odds of getting a dog with no issues.  Genetics have a way of creeping it's ugly head no matter how much research you do.  Good luck!

Flattracker,

Glad you are thinking of joining the fold of owners of some of the most incredible animals ever created.  GSDs are terrific dogs and if you do your homework, I think you will be very pleased once you have acquired your choice dog.  If you are in the Chicago area you have several excellent resources near you.  I recently purchased a puppy from a breeder local to you that I can recommend.  The website is  www.vomeisenherz.com and the breeder's name is Jen.  She has a terrific female that she imported from Germany and she is planning to have another litter this coming June.  If she does not have a puppy that is compatible with what you are seeking, I feel confident that she would be able to make recommendations for you to pursue with other breeders and 'dog-people' as she is a wealth of knowledge about the breed and dogs in general.  Good luck in your quest!  BTW, this is NOT a paid advertisement!  LOL!    

Chausser, not only is that not a paid advertisement, but I am going to charge you for embarrassing me!!! YIKES! I've been working nights here and there on my website and it is BY NO MEANS ready for publication. GEEZ. I'm cringing thinking of anyone reading that in the state it's in. I haven't even proofread it yet! And half the pages aren't up! I guess I need to keep you on a prong collar from now on.

 Thank you for all of your opinions thus far. Purchasing a dog is a big decision to make, and when the time is right i want to have the knowledge to make the right decision. I had considered the adoption option. However I would personally feel more comfortable purchasing a dog from an knowledgeable and ethical breeder who breeds for the betterement of the breed. Knowing where the dog came from, getting to see the parents of the pup and seeing some lineage with proof of good health in the lines is paramount to me. Like turk said, genetics can sometimes rear its ugly head no matter what, but i would like to stack the odds in my favor as much as possible. Thank you again for your input thus far, KEEP IT COMING, THE MORE THE BETTER!

 John


P.S. Jen, i took a minute to look at your site; although it is not complete yet, im sure it will be great when completed. And yes your female is gorgeous!

Oops, sorry!  Forgot that someone was such a perfectionist!  The site is far more than adequate and provides a good way to contact Jen.  The fact still remains that she is a very good source of information.  And yes, Capri is a beautiful specimen isn't she!  :)  As for the prong collar, I think an e-collar might be more appropriate, given the amount of distance between us.  LOL!

Ah, Chausser. E collars are effective, for sure, but I  can be rather old fashioned when it comes to punishment of the human species. ;-)

I'm sick as a dog, pardon the pun, and yet I spent the last several hours this evening scrambling around trying to fix a few of those pages so I didn't die of embarrassment. Hmmm, I've been meaning to get that done. Maybe I should thank you. Nah.

247 people (at last site stats check) had looked at something I wasn't ready to show to more than 2 or 3. Gee, thanks.

Flattracker, thank you anyway! You are welcome to come visit if you'd like; meeting a few dogs of different lines may help you lean one way or another in that aspect.