WHY WE HAVE CHOSEN TO IMPORT OUR FOUNDATION DOGS FROM GERMANY We believe we are able to provide a sound, well balanced, clear in the head, healthy, strong boned, beautiful puppy by starting with a sound breeding foundation using the German (SV) standards. The standard in breeding a German Shepherd in Germany, has significantly more requirements completed than in the U.S. These are the German minimum standards:
GERMANY: (ALL of our breeding stock come from parents that have met this criteria and MORE)! 1) Certified Healthy Hips ~ All of our foundation dogs come from German Shepherds with Certified (SV) Healthy Hips and Elbows. SV = German (which has even more stringent evaluations than that of the OFA or American evaluations).
2) They must have their Schutzhund Title (SchH I, II or III OR have their Herding Title - Requires strong nerves and stable temperament.
3) Must have their (BH) ~ Temperament test with strangers, in and around traffic as well as obedience testing.
4) Endurance Testing (AD) ~ Includes a 12 mile marathon where the trainer rides a bicycle and the dog trots along side.
5) Must have their Korung~ Structural, Temperament, Courage thoroughly evaluated and tested.
MORE INFORMATION ON Title Classifications: V Rating: Receives an EXCELLENT rating at a show. Must meet all of the above requirements and demonstrate EXCELLENT Structure and movement along with passing the gun-sureness test.
VA Rating: All of the above PLUS must have a minimum of SchH 2 title and posses OUTSTANDING structure. This rating is only awarded at the Sieger Show, which is the annual National / World Champion Show where hundreds of the World's top dogs compete.
The Stud dogs from our breeding dogs ALL have their V and/or VA Ratings! That's impressive folks.
UNITED STATES: NO Genetic, Structural, Endurance, Temperament, Courage or Schutzhund Testing is Required in order to breed. In fact, in the U.S., if you have a female and a male you can breed them. The AKC only requires they are simply purebred in order to register them. Is that value? Just because someone is marketing a purebred dog be sure you look at the whole package to see that you are getting value for what you are paying. Price isn't everything but it sure helps when you have an understanding of what makes up the value of different breedings / litters.
How much should you expect to pay for a puppy? Although we have invested many years and significant amounts of money for our breeding stock, you will only pay a fraction of the cost of what we would buy a comparable puppy for from Europe or in the U.S. but, under the breeding standards of Germany (SV). The shipping cost alone from Europe is $1,600 plus add the health certificate, import fees, broker fees, custom fees, posting of a bond, sales taxes (depending on what state you reside) and of course the puppy itself. Then you must take into consideration if there are any problems with the puppy when you receive it how easy is it going to be to resolve when you are dealing with people out of the Country? It is our goal to be able to provide an amazing German Shepherd puppy through an honest breeding program at a reasonable price. Our prices for our puppies vary and are dependent on the accomplishments of their lineage. As a breeder with strong ethics, honesty and integrity we don't see it as being expensive to have invested in quality breeding stock, it is priceless! With all of that said, to get one of our puppies you should expect to pay a price significantly higher than what you would typically pay for a well bred dog with the U.S. Standards but, you won't! Why settle for the American Standard (simply just purebred) than what you can get all of what we offer for the same price?
Would you expect to pay more for a puppy from lineage that has been bred to the GERMAN standard VS to the U.S. standard (above criteria)? Our foundation dogs have FAR EXCEEDED the minimum GERMAN standard requirements. It takes about $30,000 to fully Title a dog today in Germany. As a small Hobby Breeder that is far beyond our affordability however, we have made significant investments into our breeding stock over the years to be able to bring you the opportunity to obtain one of our puppies that has the lineage that doesn't just meet the minimum standards but, far exceeds the GERMAN minimum standards. The Sire to our Stud Dog not only accomplished the German requirements for breeding but exceeded them to receive his VA rating in Germany. Kaspar Von Tronje holds his VA2 title. That means that he was the #2 dog in the World! Our Studs mother also received her V Rating. Ladi Vom Messina is V12! Remember, that is all of the above German requirements for breeding PLUS the V and VA ratings! Our females have equally impressive lineage. Take for example Burma. Her father, Marlo von Baccara was number 1 in the U.S. and number 3 in Germany 2018!
No breeder can guarantee that they won't ever have puppies with health issues however, a reputable breeder will make every effort to only breed dogs that can significantly reduce the risk of health issues specific to their breed, and then will stand behind their breeding program with a warranty should a genetic problem specific to those known to the breed arise. Your breeder should also be willing to educate on how to reduce the environmental causes of health issues such as diet, exercise needs, grooming, spay, neuter, growth, breeding education and overall health and ways that we as owners can improve the health and life of our dogs and puppies. You will find so much information on these topics here on our website and we are always just a phone call away for additional questions.