Buying a German Shepherd

Question
I would like to buy a German Shepherd for my family.  I have one son which is 7 years old and and a another dog which is a springer.  My question is I would like to buy a real good quality dog.  I have been told to do that I must buy from Germany.  Are the standards that much better?  If so, do I have to buy online sight unseen?  I grew up with a GSD and loved it.  We would like one a a companion and for protection that is great with kids coming in and out of my home.  Please advise.

Thanks for your time.

Mark Kallus


Answer
Disreguard everything else you heard from the source that said you must buy German.  They have no clue about what you need.  The dog guide school Iraise puppies for looked at Greman blood lines and found nothing they could use.  I am not sure where they found the ones they are using now.  Their requirements are far closer to the sort of companion you want, than many other programs.  They must have friendly, healthy dogs.  They can't tolerate any agression.  Their dogs might not be show winners, but excell in obedience and agility competition.  After she retired at about 7, oneof theri breeding stock was given to a private trainer, went on very successfuly in obedience competion.  He was thrilled to be given such a dog.  


Choosing a dog is a very personal thing.  You need to actually see a variety.
You could drop in on an obedience class.  Most of the people will be happy to
talk about their dog, and many will give honest answers about grooming and
nature.  Dogs vary so much within a breed, even among litter mates.
Maybe ask to visit the breeders home.  Field  and show champions can be bred
in kennels.  Dogs where the mother lives in the house have the best
personalities.  Some kids to fondle the puppies from birth are better yet.  If
the breeder doesn't want the parents in their house, do you want the offspring
in yours?  Spend as much time with the parents as you can.  Nice parents don't
guarantee nice puppies, but don't chance bad parents.  Of course ask about hip
and eye certification  or other genetic problems common to your breed too.  I would ratehr see the parents before buy8ing a puppy, than the puppy.

Consider the animal shelter.  There are many nice dogs, and you can see how
they look with little or no grooming.  You can also see how they behave.  Look
for dogs that want your attention, but are not going wild. Leave the ones that
retreat to the back of their cage.  Look at their teeth.  Look for ones that
still show a 3 lobed, clove like pattern on the front ones.  Leave the ones
that fight letting you look at their teeth too much.  If the points are worn
off the teeth, it is an older dog that may break your heart by dying too soon.
Pinch the web between its toes.  It hurts.  It is OK for the dog to pull away
or whine, but it shouldn't growl, snap or show its teeth.  

Finding a good breeder and purchasing a puppy that will make a good pet is very difficult.  Almost nobody is intentionally breeding dogs to be nice pets.  Most of your so called reputable breeders are breeding for show or something.  They may say the puppies they don't keep for their purpose make great pets, but the truth is that the parents were selected for other than health and temperament.  Often they keep the puppies in the kennel too long and they miss the important early socialization puppies need to live in the house with people.

Next are the disreputable breeders.  They breed any 2 registered dogs they can lay a hold of looking only at the money they can make selling them to pet stores.  Pet store puppies are easy to find, but difficult to socialize into nice pets, perhaps difficult to even keep alive.  You will not get what you pay for at a pet store.

One of the best sources for dogs with a predictable personality is the rescue
dogs.  These are dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home
to be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them.   You may
find a rescue near you starting at
http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm  The rescues charge a fee to help cover their expenses, but is much less than the price of a puppy plus all its medical expenses the first year.