German shepherd breeder advice please

[Greyhorses]

Hi everyone,

I would love some advice regarding GSD breeders if anyone has any personal experience!
I am not looking for at least another 12-18 months (once we have moved house and are settled!) but I am looking for something quite specific!

So I would love a breeder who has evidence of hip and elbow scoring, poss testing for CDRM, who breeds standard coloured (no white or blue or other fancy non breed standard coloured) good quality GSDs. I am ultimately looking for a family pet hence am unsure re working lines, but I don't want an exaggerated sloping show dog or a small dog (I like big chunky shepherds!) I don't really like long haired but wouldn't rule out the right do because of this.
I already have one of these who is perfect however his breeder no longer breeds and I can't find another like him. He is an old fashioned black and gold big dog who has had no health problems until now at 11!! I have always loved the look of black shepherds however again I think the gene pool may be too limited??
I will travel for the right dog so don't care where in the Uk. Temperament is also hugely important!

I would love to rescue however won't be considered because I have one rescue dog who is a bit strange (he is very very nervous of strangers due to being beaten within an inch of his life in a previous home) and also because I have two cats and I work full time, despite the fact I take my dogs to work with me. Due to the work thing I also need my dogs to be pretty well behaved and a rescue may be harder to integrate?
I have searched gsd rescue for months and I have not seen one who may be suitable for one reason or another :-(. I am also worried with a rescue regarding potential health problems due to not being health tested, I already have one who has a few problems and have had another with CDRM and dysplasia and am keen to avoid this again (he was sadly PTS way too soon!!)

Like I say, no rush! I am just enjoying looking and researching at the moment!

Thanks in advance!

Hi you sound just like my dm! She spent ages looking up and contacting different blood lines, her ideal gsd sounds exactly like yours. I think she looked at 'the gsd association' information on stud dogs and breasting bitches. She didn't want one from a puppy mill/farm and only contacted those that breed occasionally. There were 3 breeders in Norfolk that she really looked into, visited set up and checked both the stud and the bitch before narrowing it down to a pup. The working lines that she was most interested were, agility, tracking, working trials.

Good luck with your hunt for the pup that will suit you.

i worked with dogs in essex a little while ago and a couple of our clients were looking at GSD, they found 2 breeders in norfolk that sounded pretty good. maybe the same people??? as GSD breeders i think can be very dodgey, breeding crazy slopey backed, highly driven, 1 brain celled showdogs and selling them as family pets. but i do believe there are good ones out there. maybe check out norfolk.

i dont like alot of the gsd rescues, rotti rescues, doberman rescues etc, i find they let alot of dogs go out to home that really shouldnt as they have to many underlying and undected issues, health and personality wise. i have heard more bad stories than good sadly.

as you have had dogs before and you know exactly what you want and what tests you want to see etc i am sure you will find the right breeder, i wish you good luck. they are out there. you are asking the right questions, not just blindly buying a cute puppy, also a good move

I know that you said you didn't want a rescue but..... had to put this link on. She is in Croatia but can be adopted through Action Aid for Animals GITA

Perhaps someone else who is partial to GSDs will see her!

Thank you everyone!!!
I will have a look for some decent breeders and hopefully will find one.

It's not that I don't want a rescue, I spoke to someone from gsd rescue at length however they were unsure if I would be suitable. Maybe someone else could have a think as to whether we would be suitable as I am in two minds. All of my pets bar one have been rescues and I much prefer rescuing but I think I have my hands full with problem dog one. Also the breed is a funny one, very much one family one people dogs and I don't know if I can trust one without knowing it inside and out (that sounds awful but I have met many nasty ones in my job!)
Firstly I have another rescue dog, he is very nervous of strangers and can be dominant to other dogs. I am worried about bringing another adult into a house incase he feels threatened?? He is fantastic with my other dog and small dogs but I would be worried a big or equal sized would upset the balance as he is very much top dog. Despite this he gets very scared if another dog growls at him! Basically he has been beaten and under socialised and despite him being pretty much perfect now small things can frighten him. He regularly plays with other dogs and loves company and is very gentle but can be scared of dogs he dosent know.
Also I have two cats who rule the roost, small children visiting and I take my dogs to work so they meet dogs and people all day and also I walk in big groups with many dogs a few times a week and my dogs need to travel well. I also have horses and chickens surrounding us. I also work full time as does my partner. Also my dogs are often dog sat by my parents who have small children and other dogs.
I thought about an older dog but think the rescue would flatly refuse due to the above? I also can not find a single GSD that is cat, dog, small animal and people friendly. I don't mind problems as long as there is no danger to my existing pets but could I take that risk?

I think if I found a well balanced well trained shepherd who has no aggressive tendencies I could consider it but finding the above is impossible!!
The puppy in the link is gorgeous, I would definatley consider a rescue pup but they are like hens teeth :-)

What I'm about to say isn't intended to come across as harsh but I'm wondering whether your desire to have a new GSD would be matched by your dog's desire to live out his days without further stress.

Given that you aren't ready to look for another pup just yet, might it be an idea to research good breeders but hold off actually getting another GSD until your older dog is no longer with you? Or perhaps consider fostering a GSD so that you can see how well your older dog copes?

Only while dogs are adaptable animals that's not the same thing as them wanting to adapt or even being able to. Right now it sounds as if you have a great lifestyle with your current dogs and cats. Your GSD has issues as a result of being ill-treated in the past and it might be that he really won't co-exist happily with another dog of the same breed.

Hi,

He is only 3 so not that old :-)

He gets along great with other dogs (and my other GSD) fantastically once he knows it, he also gets on great with my sisters shih tzu and my fathers collie. Like I say he has issues with the intial introduction not the living together part. He actually meets proberbly 10 days a day and has never shown aggression, he is more playful but I am aware he can be dominant. He has never shown aggression to a pup ever- it's more big uncastrated males that freak him out and he can run or growl at them in a nervous way, nothing more.

The reason I am thinking of this is that my oldest boy (11) has been diagnosed with CDRM and is deteriorating quickly and as harsh as this is I don't want my 3 year old to be alone. I said 18m as I proberbly will have a single dog by then. My 3 year old suffers with seperation anxiety when left but is absoloutley fine with dog company. If I was to leave him alone he becomes very upset and I don't want this.
My old dog loves all others and dosent care what I bring home, it's just my 3 year old who is quite easily unsettled and I want to know what the best thing to do would be to upset him the least.
I much prefer two dogs, I find one a lot harder.

Hope this makes it a bit clearer!

The puppy in the link is gorgeous, I would definatley consider a rescue pup but they are like hens teeth :-)

The puppy in the link is available to adopt, you know? Very easy adoption process through Action Aid for Animals.

My apologies, Greyhorses, I'd clearly got your dogs the wrong way round so to speak!

Ladyturmoil - that pup looks like she is making a face :)

Having scrolled through the rest of the pics on tht link i can see why! WTF?? it looks like some sort of val doonican show!

I wish I could enquire about the pup however I can't do anything for at least another year as I am moving in June and think we should wait until we are settled!

No problem pandemoniaa :-) I have two gsds at the moment so it is difficult to explain which one is which and I'm not good at explaining anyway!

Someone told me to look for a failed police dog? I wonder if this is a good idea or are they too driven to make good pets? How do we go about finding one anyway?

Thanks again!