# BYB vs. reputable breeder



## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

alright, who has a BYB pup/dog and who has a pup/dog from a reputable breeder?? also do they have any health issues?? 

i consider my boy a BYB, but on the other hand the breeder did go about things the way a good breeder would. so far (6 months old) tyson has not had any health issues other than he did have a sprained knee from rough play with another pup


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

I have two GSDs from rescue, but know where they came from. 

Both I would say are BYB-one started out good, then I think got more into another breed. 

Bella-from a definite BYB has plasmoma (pannus of the 3rd eyelid) 
Nina-from an oops mother-son litter has GSD pyoderma, which is a rough skin disorder and hypothroid


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## shadow mum (Apr 8, 2008)

Shadow is almost positive a BYB puppy. He's 5 months old and no major health problems yet. He's a small guy, but has a great temperment (sp?). The only problem is that one of his testicles didn't drop, but that will be taken care of when neutered.


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## Strongheart (May 2, 2007)

My two GSDs are from a BYB in southern Virginia who had their own ideas about breeding oversized GSDs. They did have some kind of plan but they are definitely not into genetics or show lines.

The chronic issues my 2 had when I got them have resolved by feeding them super premium food and supplements.

I haven't had their hips and elbows xrayed but Jess shows signs of mild elbow dysplasia but mild and she is going on 3 now so I think she'll be fine. They have flat backs as opposed to sloped backs which is better for their health. 

But we didn't buy them, we rescued both of them.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

both my dogs were from rescues with their history known.

gia is from a BYB. at the time he had a poorly done geocities website & he bothered to micro chip the pups, then decided that the rescue should find her a home instead of having her returned to him at 9.5 months. gia has HD, diagnosed at 4yrs due to weird spasms/lameness.

tilden came from what "sounded like" a responsible breeder situation, but we don't have the kennel name. they were willing to take him back if original owners shipped him. he has absolutely no health problems so far (a hernia is the all ive noticed in the 9 months i've had him)

eta: i forgot about pano for tilden... but he was better very shortly after i got him.


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## hvaclu (May 7, 2008)

Brody came from a backyard breeder. He has had a bout with pano so far but thats about it. He definately doesnt look strong in the hindend. Hoping its not HD as he gets older. On the positive side though he has the best personality ive ever seen. 
Greta came from a breeder. Shes only 4 months and we havent had any problems yet. Praying that they both stay healthy.


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## shepherdbydesign (Mar 7, 2007)

Ok what is considered a BYB, A sprained knee or a one testical dog I feel doesn't fit the discription to me. Just because one testical doesn't drop, I've seen a reputable breeder put them out once in a while. Sometimes it make me mad when there is a problem out of the breeder control on said pup that all of a sudden they are labled a BYB. I feel that it is how the breeder takes control of the issue that would label them this, not cause the pup has a problem


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

> Originally Posted By: chuckOk what is considered a BYB, A sprained knee or a one testical dog I feel doesn't fit the discription to me. Just because one testical doesn't drop, I've seen a reputable breeder put them out once in a while. Sometimes it make me mad when there is a problem out of the breeder control on said pup that all of a sudden they are labled a BYB. I feel that it is how the breeder takes control of the issue that would label them this, not cause the pup has a problem


Producing a puppy with a retained testicle doesn't make a byb. That can happen to anyone. BREEDING a dog with a retained testicle, however, is a definite sign of a byb to me. 



Rocky is from a BYB. His health is very very good, although he did have a retained testicle. He is also extremely nervy and shy.


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## scannergirl (Feb 17, 2008)

My puppy is from a reputable, responsible breeder. She's got no health or temperment problems we've seen yet.


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## shepherdbydesign (Mar 7, 2007)

I agree breeding a one testical dog in the first place is just plain wrong, how about the breeder that put dogs together with out researching what they are breeding, or doesn't stand behind what they breed also would be considered a BYB in my book


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## butch33611 (May 4, 2007)

Sarge is a rescue dog that im sure came from a BYB. He doesnt have any health concerns at 4 years old now. Hes a huge part of our family and I hope he continues his good health for many years to come. Thats him in my avitar.


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## Liljah (Jan 20, 2008)

I would consider Shane from a BYB, but the breeder also did things pretty good. Shane didn't have papers, but he gave me copies of the parent's papers, and allow me to see his environment and both parents and interact. Knock on wood, Shane is 16 months and in perfect health!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Kenya is from a reputable breeder. She is 4 years old, hips and elbows will OFA good/normal if I remember correctly. No health issues besides stuff that happened once (like an ear infection after a week at the lake, a thorn in her paw...). She has been exposed to whip worms and kennel cough in my home and picked up neither.


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## DSudd (Sep 22, 2006)

Rocky is definitely from a BYB. When we got him the guy had the pups in a chicken wire kennel in the back yard. When we got him he had worms. fleas, and had different areas of his body that were chewed up so bad there was no fur left. He has severe food allergies, chronic ear infections, and pano. We have not had his hips done and probably wont unless there he has a problem in the future. As of right now, he is healthy and we have his ears under control.

We got Apollo from a breeder. I would not consider the guy a typical backyard breeder. In aftersight not exactly sure he was a "great" breeder, but we have Apollo. He is healthy, happy and just full of energy. He doesnt have any health issues that we currently know of but if they appear we will cross that bridge when we get there. Again unless there is a reason we will not have his hips checked either.


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## shadow mum (Apr 8, 2008)

I wouldn't say the breeder I got Shadow from was a BYB just because of the retained testicle. His litter was advertised on the internet. When we went to look at the remaining two dogs, there were 4 or 5 runs in the back connected to a large barn. 1 run had a pregnant golden, 1 had shitzu puppies, one had the 2 remaining shepherds, and if I remember correctly, 1 had 2 beagles. the dogs were extremely nervous of people, as though they had not been handled much. I didn't get to see his parents as they weren't on site. It was the set up of the place that makes me consider this a BYB, not the retained testicle.


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## GunnersMoms (Sep 14, 2004)

We've always considered Gunner's breeder a BYB. However, we're not sure if she knows how good her dogs are (at least ours). We paid a whopping $300 for him. Neither of his parents are titled, but there's a couple vom Fleischerheim dogs a few generations back. ScH titles run rampant after (before?) that. Size is well within breed standard.

We got Kenya from a better breeder. All of his dogs are ScH titled, including her parents. Kenya is a large-boned girl; at the high end of the breed standard.

Both are smart, but Gunner is much more intelligent than Kenya. Gunner has a higher ball drive, and is more high strung. Gunner LOVES everyone he meets, unless they try to come in the house when the boss isn't home. He's great with kids, other dogs, everyone. 

Kenya, on the other hand, is agressive towards strangers. She's the biggest baby/whiner in the house, but outside, she's awful. We took them both to be evaluated for Sch training. Gunner "got it" right off the bat. Kenya wasn't interested in the slightest.

Both are in excellent health. No problems at all with either, unless you count a floppy ear (Kenya).

Maybe we were wrong about Gunner's breeder. Maybe we just got one heck of a dog at a great price.


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## JKlatsky (Apr 21, 2007)

I'm not sure I would consider Argos and Anka's breeder a total BYB in so far as it implies an unknowledgeable person who just wants to make money off a litter of cute puppies and puts 2 dogs together with complete lack of concern for what they could produce. 

She had 2 super dogs with good pedigrees and stellar temperaments. The puppies had excellent health care, early socialization, and clean environment. She did not show them or work the parents herself, she didn't have the resources. She cared that the puppies went to good homes, but her breeding market/goal was primarily pet people. Dad was OFA'd, Mom was not. She did not guarantee the puppies because she does not breed enough litters (maybe 3 in 5 years) to have a replacement if something goes wrong. So perhaps not the most reputable breeder, certainly not a puppy mill either, but I couldn't be happier with the result. 

Argos had some early health issues with itching and we thought allergies, but they have since resolved themselves and after talking with several vets and people from the UF vet school, we determined that his problem was probably had more to do with a stressed immune system from leaving his litter, rounds of vaccinations, and the introduction of many new elements in his new home environment. His Hips look good. Elbows look great. Super solid temperament. Great worker. 

Anka has had no problems.


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## 1211meeka (Mar 1, 2007)

We got Meeka from a reputable breeder. So far she has no health or temperament issues. She will be two years old on August 31st, 2008 and has been a joy since the day I brought her home. She is from west-german showlines. I've not had her hips or elbows checked as I will not breed her. She was spayed at 6 months.


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## dearraine (Apr 6, 2007)

Ruby is from a BYB. She is a very sweet dog- no aggression that I've seen but definately has prey drive. No health issues other than a ton of puppy parasites when we got her which really cut into her early socialization opportunities. 

The vet and local pet store owner that know of other dogs from this BYB say that all the dogs they've seen are fine. 

I would not recommend his to others though and I would do it differently if I had the chance. 

FWIW


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## CherryCola (Apr 24, 2006)

Cherry is from a reputable breeder. She's very healthy.. And if I do say so myself - perfect








I like the fact that a reputable breeder breeds to better the breed. Cherry's breeder is a lovely lady and I e-mail her regularly.

I'd say that Logan was from a BYB. She didn't want any contact with us after we took him home. She'd done the hip scoring, etc. And the Sire was from good lines.. But Logan showed signs of aggression from the first day we got him home. We tried to work on it. At about 10 weeks old, he started to attack people - he'd just lunge at them, sometimes foaming at the mouth. One trainer even turned us away. We then found out that some of the others from his litter were having the same problems. My Grandma had bought Logan's littermate and he too was very aggressive. He was also obsessive about shadows and would scratch at them until his paws bled.
I understand that aggression is often down to the owners/environment, but we spent so much time with him.. I mean my Grandparents were breeders themselves - it's not like we'd never owned GSD's. It's just strange that all of these pups were unstable. Is aggression hereditary? We didn't give him up like so many trainers had told us to do. We kept him and researched and helped him ourselves.
Apart from that Logan was relatively healthy.. Although he was a lot bigger than the average GSD. He died aged 9 from a cancerous tumour. His brother died aged 5 from bloat..

I loved Logan with all my heart, but when I decided to get another GSD, I really spent time looking for a good breeder. And I now have a beautiful, well-behaved GSD, she's exactly how a GSD should be.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

Honey, Kelly, Mac and Slider came from reputable breeders.

Bruiser came from someone I consider to be a BYB despite the fact that he has a fantastic pedigree (Caretti,Jerrwen/Marhaven, Ken Delaine lines), is healthy, intelligent and has a good temperament. Both his parents are good representatives of the breed, his sire is very masculine, his dam was feminine, however, Bruiser himself is bitchy looking - a pinhead with huge ears. Despite that, in my eyes he's beautiful, as are all the Hooligans.

The breeder lied to me from the start. There was a legal issue regarding the ownership of the bitch she was supposed to clear up and never did (she claimed to have put off going to court to resolve the problem numerous times). Therefore, he couldn't be registered with AKC and had to get an AKC ILP. 

She told me her bitch had been x-rayed H & El, which I found out later wasn't true. 

She had numerous "oops" litters along with a lot of planned litters.

Despite having a large number of dogs and litters, she was extremely ignorant about the breed itself, nutrition, etc. but tried to BS people into thinking she was an expert. 

From what I could gather over a period of time, having money was the only criteria she used when selling her puppies.

On the other hand, to give her credit where credit's due, she did a wonderful job raising Bruiser's litter (and I "ass-u-me" her other litters). She spent a lot of time with the puppies, socializing them with the neighbor's kids, exposing them to various stimuli at certain growth periods, etc. The puppies were as clean as any puppy can be, they got vet care if needed, TLC, exercise, etc.


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## grmnshpd21 (May 5, 2005)

I would label Molly's breeder a BYB. There were no contracts to sign when we got Molly, just paid $300 bucks and that was all we needed. We did meet the breeder along with Molly's parents before we decided if we wanted to go with them for a pup. From the 30-45 minutes that we were interacting with the parents, we liked them and opted to go with one of their pups when they were born. We got first pick of the females and we were able to go visit the pups at 2 weeks and 5 weeks and then brought her home at 8 weeks. Molly's mother is OFA certified and is a Fleischerheim dog, but I believe she was OFA'd when Molly's breeder purchased her. Molly's dad never had his hips or elbows x-rayed, but the breeder told us "we haven't seen any problem with his hips". No titles on either of her parents either. I've put more titles on Molly than the breeder put on his dogs and honestly I don't know if he even knows what I'm talking about when I send him updates on Molly.

Molly does have SIBO and her breeder asked me if that was contagious....I had to inform him that it could be a hereditary thing. I would also label her shy and timid in certain situations. Otherwise, she is healthy besides the SIBO. Her hips and elbows came back OFA Good/Normal, so we are very lucky in that aspect. She is also a wonderful agility dog. She was the best $300 we ever spent!


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

> Originally Posted By: mollysmom...
> Molly does have SIBO and her breeder asked me if that was contagious....I had to inform him that it could be a hereditary thing.
> ...


Kel's breeder also asked me if SIBO's hereditary, I didn't know, have never seen anything about it. Do you have any links that discuss this possibility that I could send her?


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## scannergirl (Feb 17, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: Kim_Becile
> I understand that aggression is often down to the owners/environment, but we spent so much time with him.. I mean my Grandparents were breeders themselves - it's not like we'd never owned GSD's. It's just strange that all of these pups were unstable. Is aggression hereditary? We didn't give him up like so many trainers had told us to do. We kept him and researched and helped him ourselves.


I was surprised to learn that poor temperment was genetic. I had always assumed fearful or aggressive dogs had been abused or brought up wrong. Not that proper socialization and training won't help, or that the wrong handling won't make things worse, but the basic temperment of the dog is determined by his or her genetics.


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## Superpup (Jun 7, 2007)

My Cody is from a BYB. Since I did not know any better, I went to http://www.akc.org and looked up "breeder search" and his breeder came up. I called them and they said they have puppies available for $500. we went to see the puppies at 3 weeks of age, saw both parents (Cody's Dad is from some pretty nice West German showlines, but has no titles whatsoever, and I doubt his hips are even certified, although the breeder said his hips are just fine).. and really liked them. Cody's Mom is American bred, so the "breeder" was mixing lines on top of just breeding pet dogs.
The puppies were kept in horse stables, which I guess is not "that bad"...although Cody stunk pretty bad when we got him... and the puppies were fed Ol'Roy...








So when we saw the puppies at 3 weeks and loved the Mom and the Dad, we put a $100 deposit down for a pick male. Came back at 6 weeks to see them and the breeder said we could take our puppy home that day. I said NO WAY and we came back in two weeks to take Cody home. All the other puppies had already gone home at that point, so he was all alone at least a week..








We also had no contracts to sign, have not once heard from the breeder since I took Cody home.. luckily Cody is the best dog in the world... he has SOME health issues, some type of allergies, but nothing real serious. He gets his hot spots, which I would imagine are because of the allergies. The biggest thing with him is his size... exactly the BIGGEST THING with him..







he is waaaaayyy oversized, 30" tall... they are basically breeding really big dogs, which is not good! His temperament is good, he is probably medium drive, pretty good nerved, not real timid and not shy... I think the main thing is that he would be higher drive, but I love his temperament.. "unfortunately" a lot of people are very attracted to big GSDs and always are commenting on his "good looks" and his nice temperamnet... I always try to tell people about how it is not good for him to be that big, because it might mean some health problems later on, his preliminary hip xrays came back as fair, and I hope to God that won't change to the worse. I know one person in my neighbourhood that went to Cody's breeder and got his brother, because they fell in love with Cody. I also know a couple of people with his brothers from the same litter. All of them see to be as big.
I do not regret getting Cody, he is the love of my life, but I do regret not doing my homework before we decided on getting a puppy from this breeder two years ago..


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## Meb (Oct 18, 2005)

> Originally Posted By: Kim_BecileCherry is from a reputable breeder. She's very healthy.. And if I do say so myself - perfect


Kim I love your answer--how true

Meb my first GSD I would say I got pretty much from a BYB. Both parents were on site but the dad was in the garage in a cage and we peeked in and he went "nuts" barking. He was very scary. The Mom was in a cage outside (inside a large fenced in area for the dogs) I just went up and seen her. Meb is very loving to me and our family or if we are out in public he just loves EVERYONE. But at home if someone pulls in that he doesnt know his hair stands up and he barks at them.

I would say that I got Shay from a reputable breeder http://www.gretersgsd.com/ Both of Shays parents were on site and let outside when we arrived. His Dad came up and licked my hand and his mother barked a little but then warmed up to us. Shay and one other puppy played in their yard with us and the parents didnt seem to mind at all. Shay is VERY lovable to everyone he meets and his personality is a clown. He is very intelligent and eager to please but also very determined. 

I have had no health problems with either one of my dogs!!


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## shilohsmom (Jul 14, 2003)

All three of mine are from the same reputable breeder. So far I have had no health problems and am thrilled with my furcrew.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I would have to say that all of the GSD that I have owned over the years came from very good breeders. They all had back yards, though.









Only one had a major health issue and she still lived to 10.5. 

Right now I only have one dog from a breeder. The rest I bred myself.


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## shepherdbydesign (Mar 7, 2007)

Diane that sound more like the start of a puppy mill to me, I'm sorry if I came off this way, but it bothers me to hear someone that just because they have problems with their dog right away label a Kennel as a BYB. In your case the red flags would have been up right away when first, the parents weren't on grounds and all the different breeds there. I make it a point to show the parents unless I had studded out of house and couldn't produce him for said customers. In my case when we started our kennel there were a lot of breeders out here that wouldn't lend a hand with the info that I was asking so we learned a lot on our own and always stood behind our dogs. Now the breeder that I got Butkis was one, when we walked into her house I amost threw up from the smell of poo and instead felt sorry for the pups so we took one home, what a mistake, but we learn from them and this is what makes us a better person and learn what not to do. Now I have a unbreedable male that I can't even find a home for. But I do have the satisfaction of knowing that he is well taken care of and maybe someday he will have that special home, but it will be at my choosing.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Grimm came from a reputable breeder. He has had some bacterial overgrowth issues, but is basicly healthy. What I like about a good breeder is when they can and will tell you upfront and honestly about the possible weaknesses, as well as possible strengths, in a pairing.


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## shepherdbydesign (Mar 7, 2007)

Patti you are absolutely right


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## kutzro357 (Jan 15, 2002)

The three I have now all came from decent breeders. The BEST healthiest, most solid temperament and nerves dog I ever had or worked with came from a BYB. No real titled dogs in the pedigree. I had seen what these two had produced and knew some people that knew some people and I was offered a pup that had an umbilical hernia. The hernia closed on it`s own. I had owned a number of well bred dogs before and after Shultz but he turned out perfect.


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## shadow mum (Apr 8, 2008)

Chuck, don't worry, no offense was taken. I just wanted to explain that it wasn't because of the retained testicle I considered the place a BYB, it was because of the place itself. I had seen Shadow's photo on the internet (he was used in the ad for the litter) and fell in love with him immediately.

One things for sure, Shadow will def. NEVER have pups. I have had alot of people asked me to breed him w/ their females, even after I say he isn't registered.


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## lcht2 (Jan 8, 2008)

> Originally Posted By: chuckOk what is considered a BYB, A sprained knee or a one testical dog I feel doesn't fit the discription to me. Just because one testical doesn't drop, I've seen a reputable breeder put them out once in a while. Sometimes it make me mad when there is a problem out of the breeder control on said pup that all of a sudden they are labled a BYB. I feel that it is how the breeder takes control of the issue that would label them this, not cause the pup has a problem


i didnt say that i "considered" him a BYB because of a sprain knee. i described the sprained knee as a health issue. im remembering why i ignore your posts


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

Rex came from a supposedly reputable breeder. EPI, fistules on his front legs, later on his butt, cronic hotspots, undescended testicle, cronic ear infections, stuff I've forgotten the list was so long. Breeder got sick of hearing from me after a while... but he had a great temperament and he looked fabulous.

Luther, no clue where he came from, rescue. Developed epilepsy at 5, only lived to 7. Great dog though.

Gideon, rescue, was supposed to get his papers, first owner never sent. No health problems at all, but he did have a wierd rear dewclaw that was very small and not very well attached. He ripped it off one day. Not the smarted GSD and had some fear issues that were more related to his first owner than his breeding.

Morgan, again, no clue who she is or where she comes from but I've always suspected she wasn't BYB. For an ugly old workin' dawg, she's near perfect health (pollen gets her) and near perfect temperament (some aggression issues when she was younger)


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## daviddrena (Dec 25, 2006)

Look as if most of the dogs up her came from byb's


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## KCandMace (Apr 8, 2008)

I guess all 3 would come from ya'll standard for BYB. None of the pups have papers. 
KC's mom was on site Dad wasn't. I wasn't there so I don't know anything more. She has no issues except she is allergic to Ticks. Friendly but a little wary of strangers. 
The boys come from good lines. The parents weren't papered but the grandparents were. The breeders were open to any questions and were honest in their reply. We signed a contract about their health and they are willing to take the dogs back should something happen. We have written a few times back and forth about the boys. We haven't had any problems with the boys.


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## Ewilliams (Oct 17, 2007)

Well, our GSD, Hans, is a rescue. So was our last boy. If I had to guess I would say BYB for both. I can honestly say that I couldn't have been happier. Nerves of steel, high drives and super companions for my gang. 

Hans has bad teeth, probably from his days of survival on the side of the road before AC captured him. A weird dew claw that we had removed, but other than that, he is great!

Our last boy, Franc, had severe HD. Was bred large and ridden before we got him away from his ignorant owners. He was my heart dog. He lived to 11 or 12.


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## Helly (Mar 31, 2008)

Jackson is definitely from a BYB, fellow I work with...four months old, healthy as a horse, did have worms when we got him, but a trip to the vet cleared them right up, great disposition.


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## BrennasMom (Mar 2, 2008)

Brenna was given away to me for free but came with her papers. After researching and contacting her breeder I believe she's a BYB. She knew very little about the stud and blamed her landlord for the pups being nervy. She has apparently already bred Brenna's littermate at least twice and there is no way the hips could have been OFA'd since they turn 2 in July.

Brenna is extremely fearful and probably wasn't socialized properly. She has had digestive issues which are under control but it took quite a while to get a handle on things, though she is still very sensitive. The parents had good hip scores and I'm hoping Brenna's check out as well.

Mollie is not a GSD and is a rescue but she is most likely from a BYB, she was picked up running around in rural VA where a lot of people (mostly hunters) breed beagles willy nilly. She is pretty healthy, she's had a couple of very mild ear infections but many beagles have chronic/severe ear infections due to their drop ears. She's also slightly bow-legged but it's so slight no one ever notices.


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## Elmo's Mom (May 21, 2007)

Elmo came from what we would consider to be responsible and reputable breeders. They spent a lot of time with us asking and answering lots of questions. 

Wlmo was well socialized with their family, including children. Both of his parents had good hips (don't remember the exact rating). The parents also had great personalities when we met them. Elmo is healthy and has an excellent temperament. He has always had a mellow and sensitive personality. We couldn't ask for a better GSD.


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## tracyc (Feb 23, 2005)

All three of mine (1 GSD, 2 other breeds) came from reputable breeders that I found through research and referrals. I still keep in contact with all three breeders. I've been very pleased with all three dogs' health, conformation, and temperament.


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## Shandril2 (Nov 26, 2003)

My dog is from a puppy mill (local pet-store purchase).

My last GSD was a rescue.

I hope to one day be able to have a 'good' one, though I wouldn't trade mine for any other dog.


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## Cooper&me (Dec 18, 2007)

sHEPHERD IS REPUTABLE BREEDER
bOXER IS BYB
bRUSSELS gRIFFFON IS RESCUE.


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## untsmurf (Jul 23, 2008)

Brutus was born in a shelter. Pax was from a breeder that gave him to the family owned pet store to sell. That's where we got him. Brutus had Parvo before we adopted him. Pax hasn't had anything yet, but we've only had him for a few days.


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## DakotaSpirit (Jan 3, 2008)

I am on the fence with my breeder. BYB in the sense that the dogs were not registered or titled. However, both parents were on site and I was allowed to interact one-on-one with both of them. They both had very solid temperaments and were within breed standard for size. They were concerned enough about the pups to make sure they went to great homes and I have offered to keep in contact with them throughout Charlie's life and they absolutely want to stay in contact with me. They have even asked me to bring him by everytime I am in town and I have offered them the opportunity to drop by if they are ever in my neck of the woods. The pups were all well socialized when I visited to pick my boy up and so far he has an absolutely amazing temperament just like his parents so I am very happy with him.


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## Sherush (Jan 12, 2008)

Jesse was born in a Shelter, and he is 8.5 months old with a great temperament, well behaved, calm cool collected pup and so far very healthy.


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## Avorow (Jul 18, 2008)

Morgan was from a cash for puppies arrangement, no backyard involved, just kennels. No hips on the mother and fair on the father. She is dysplastic in both hips. I didn't know much when I got her, she was bred to be a pet, oops, I titled her anyway.

Santo is from Hilsblick kennel in Germany.
Bo is from Dennis VanderLinde in GA
Vinsie is from Salztalblick kennel in Germany
Mini is from Austerlitz in Tulsa

So, one BYB and four good breeders, I have been pretty luckym all are healthy and while Bo has some issues, they are not the fault of the breeder.

Lorri


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## kbigge (Dec 29, 2007)

I would have to say Kodee is from a BYB, for sure. I called around to several breeders who were advertising near our area, and ended up going to see Kodee first, as I wanted a male, and no one else had any males available. They advertised him as "registered", and hadn't had the parents hips OFA'd, but said they were good.

When I got there, the parents were on site, and barking their fool heads off. The guy (who was the person who was responsible for breeding the dogs, was out of town) so his wife, who knew practically nothing, was who I s/w. However, her husband did call from his cell phone to talk to me and answer any questions. By then, I had already fallen in love w/Kodee. I paid $400 cash for him, no receipt, no contract, and his "papers" were APRI, not AKC. I didn't know what the heck that meant, but like I said, I was in love.

I have NO regrets, although now I've educated myself, and next time I'll pick a better breeder. This time I think I got lucky - Kodee had giardia when I got him (they had just finished treating him, but it hadn't cleared up, which I found out a couple days after I got him). 3 rounds of meds later, it was finally cleared up. Then a couple weeks later, found out he had mange. Took care of that. Then his right ear wouldn't go up. Glued it up for 4 mos, and now it's upright, but will always be "soft."

But I have to say, he is the smartest, sweetest dog - very loving, and very protective now of me and my 3 kids. One other thing - the breeder didn't tell me he was long-haired (parents were short stock coats, from what I could tell). I knew he was super-fluffy for a GSD pup, but I'd never even heard of long-coated GSD's then. I would think the breeder would have said something, if they'd had a clue. 

But like I said - I got super-lucky - I wouldn't trade him for the "best bred" pup in the world. I get comliments on him all the time, and one guy (a BYB, ha!) asked if I would let him breed Kodee to his bitch. (Of course I said no). He's a great dog. He's spoiled as h*ll, too.


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## unicorndreams21 (Jul 11, 2008)

Gabriel is from a reputable breeder. He is very healthy, only 15 months old but no health issues, etc thus far.. He was neutered at 6 months and had a prelim hip exray done (since he was "out" of it anyway. So far his hips look "very good, better than most GSDs," according to the vet (good and fairly tight). His breeder OFA's her dogs, all come back very good & excellent. He has medium drive and just THE BEST temperment (no bias there..lol)

I also like the fact that a reputable breeder breeds to better the breed. Gabriel's breeder is "that" breeder. We email periodically & I send pics & updates. I was able to meet his dam & sire as well as all of her other dogs. His sire was such a sweet heart and BEAUTIFUL, his dam was a sweety too. She gave me a tour of her kennel. I'm VERY happy. I have no designs towards showing... and am perfectly content with my little "Pets On Wheels" member..though we do plan on obtaining his CGC. Gabriel is my avatar


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