Stay as far away from the backyard breeders and
cheap dogs as you can, these dogs will not embody
the qualities a top notch well bred german shepherd.
These dogs can actually be unpredicatable, unstable
and untreatable and a real liability not only to you
but to the breed. Do not support people who breed
dogs with little or no knowledge of this great breed.
Choose a puppy that appears healthy and substantial
Never choose a german shepherd puppy for color
– the most important aspects of a german shepherd
dog is it’s trainability factor, health, hardiness,
mental and physical soundness. Dogs bred for a certain
color alone have poor genetics in the important areas.
This can be a tremendous problem later.
Always check the pedigrees to make sure that there
is no inbreeding. Inbreeding may lead to dogs with
health issues.
Dogs direct from germany offer the best information
regarding health, and trainability. Due to the strict
breeding standards by the sv there should be no inbreeding
and no dogs bred without having earned their working
titles and breed survey. These are tools to help breeders
know which dogs are worthy of being in the gene pool.
Once you choose your breeder go often to the breeder
and play with the puppies. If the breeder has mastered
the breeding of german shepherds the puppies should
all look like they came out of the same ‘cookie
cutter’. Temperaments and trainability should
be consistent throughout the litter. Males usually
are larger and females smaller. There should be no
runts. Visiting often you can see which puppy you
gravitate to or vice versa.
If you are not able to go to the breeders most good
breeders are excellent at picking a puppy for your
needs. Be specific regarding your requirements i.e.
House and pet companion, show dog, breeding dog, or
a dog for work.
Don’t rule out a puppy that is apathetic the
first time you visit, or one that is shy. They could
just be having a bad day. If for some reason a puppy
consistently shows this behavior I would stay away
from him.
Look for happy fun loving puppy – you can’t
go wrong.
