Hello from Ohio!

[Andre]

Well…my husband was at work one day 2 weeks ago and his buddy showed up with a German Shepherd puppy…and fortunately he got all the breeder info and we were out there that night looking at facilities Moms and Dads and a litter of 9 week old puppies. We discussed at length what we were looking for played with the puppies and ended up bringing home a puppy (I know…you don’t have to say it) BUT she is exactly what I wanted. Smart as a whip, going to the door to go potty the 2nd day home (which I’ve NEVER had any of my GSD’s do that) and she’s only had a couple of accidents at night and only on the piddle pad. We’ve had her out in public daily and nothing phases her. She is inquisitive and curious. We came across one older dog that growled and she “told him about himself” by barking but I easily redirected her and she did great. I have been training her in the house and out in the world and she is responsive, and cars going by doesn’t break her concentration. I started training her sit (which is solid now) down, stay, wait, come and I started doing target training today (which she isn’t quite getting yet…but I’ve only done our morning training session so far, we’ll try again this afternoon. Here’s some pics of her. She’s working lines, which is what I’ve always had so I’m used to the demands of what she needs.

Sounds like everything worked out just right!

 

[Brend83]

Hi Brenda! What gorgeous dogs! You know by the loving look on their faces that they are absolutely ADORED. I'm sorry for the loss.

Can't wait for when you add your new addition!

Thank you! Dogs come here to be spoiled rotten for sure Lol! We did just get our addition purely by chance (which is always how I get dogs for some reason. I rescued a GSD from the pound once because I went with a friend to get her dog license and just had to take a peek at the dogs and I found Daisy who had been adopted and returned 3 times. She ended up tearing up a man who broke into our house while we were at work less then 2 weeks after I adopted her (a neighborhood creep who we saw walking around bandaged from head to toe a few days after the incident) and she was the BEST dog. When I brought my daughter home from the hospital the baby was officially Daisy’s from that day forward. She passed in my husband’s arms from cancer but we’ll always miss her. Our new girl is Callie and she’s smart as a whip. She started to go to the door to go potty on day 2 of coming home at 9 weeks old and we’ve only had 2 accidents and she just turned 12 weeks yesterday. I’ll leave you some pictures of Daisy with Lilly and of Callie

 

[Brend83]

Sounds like everything worked out just right!

It did…much to my surprise. I was REALLY trying to do it “right” this time but here we are lol. I got her down in Millersburg OH which is Amish puppy mill country, but this was no puppy mill or I would’ve been out of there so fast their heads would’ve spun. It was a beautiful facility. All the dogs had bigger runs then I’ve ever seen, indoor heated shelters…everything was clean and beautiful and all the puppies were clean, happy and social. We got to see a 10 puppy pile of happy playful babies so it was a great experience. They’ve only been breeding GSD’s for 6 years and before that he was breeding Labs but he said after his first GSD he was hooked and he sold all the Labs and is now strictly GSD’s. They’ve raise all the dogs and puppies around little kids (which Callie absolutely adores children). So far I can’t say enough about Callie. She amazes me on the daily. She is confident and happy and loves to learn. She reminds me a lot of my first (on my own) shepherd Leo who is the standard I hold all my dogs to…who was also from Millersburg but that breeder isn’t breeding anymore.

 

[Brend83]

I would say really think about what kind of temperament you want from your dog. This is the biggest factor on what your lifestyle will look like with your dog. A lot of people think they want a high drive dog until they actually live with a high drive dog. It can be a lot. I love my WLGSD but his energy level can be challenging at times - I'm not a kid anymore. LOL.

After you know what type of temperament you want, start searching out breeders. At a minimum you want the parents to have hips and elbows OFA certified and to be free of DM or one parent is an unaffected carrier, at most. All of the health claims will be associated with paperwork and pedigrees proving the breeders claims. Ask for copies. Also, there should be a health guarantee and a written contract for the puppy.

Good places to look are GoodDog.com and WorkingDog.com. Also, you could find local IGP training clubs, GSD clubs, get involved and ask about reputable breeders etc.

Rescues can make fantastic dogs. I've had several of different breeds. But you don't know what you're getting as far as health is concerned or temperament for that matter.

I'm not sure what type of dog you're looking for but if you're OK with going out to West Virginia or even have your pup shipped, I would recommend Vomhaushighlands. That's where my pup came from and he's the nicest dog I've ever had. Kyle is a small breeder concentrating on high drive, healthy, stable working line dogs. These might not be right for you but if they are, I couldn't recommend him more.

He answered all of my questions 100 times. Spent several hours on the phone with me, shipped my pup and didn't even want payment until the dog was delivered. Just an incredible person to do business with. I wouldn't hesitate to get another dog from him.

Mom, dad and my pup.

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Those are GORGEOUS dogs!!! WOW!!!!

 

[Kaia Murphy]

Well we got a new baby…so here’s some pics. Her name is Callie. AKC registered SUPER smart! Nothing phases her. Great temperament. Raised in a home with little kids being carried around and played with. She’s started going to the door to be let out to do her business on day 2 of being home with us. I started training right away and she picks up immediately. I’ve been training in all kinds of environments and she’s just not phased even with cars passing close by at fast or slow speeds. Loves people but isn’t like a Lab that immediately will approach (which I like). We got her the day she turned 9 weeks and on Friday she’ll be 11 weeks.

Oh my gosh, she’s adorable! Those little ears and that confident look, she already seems like she knows she runs the show haha. It sounds like she’s adjusting beautifully, especially for being so young. I love how you’re exposing her to everything early on, you can already tell she’s going to be such a solid, balanced girl. Can’t wait to follow along as she grows!