# Hello! Breeders in Michigan?



## CanineLove (Aug 3, 2010)

Hi, I am beginning my search for my new family member and wanted to know if anyone could direct me in the direction of some MI breeders?

Thank you!!!


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

It would help to know what you are interested in. showline? workingline? Any dog sport plans? etc..


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

What are you looking for in a dog? Is it going to be just a pet? Do you want to do agility? Any other dog sports?

What kind of look were you looking for? Here's a link to all the different "style" german shepherds there are out there.

Breed Types & Related Families

How far are you willing to go to get a puppy? If you want to go outside of michigan, it opens up a lot more possibilities, but i know there are quite a few good breeders in your state.


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## CanineLove (Aug 3, 2010)

sagelfn said:


> It would help to know what you are interested in. showline? workingline? Any dog sport plans? etc..


Family inside pet


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## CanineLove (Aug 3, 2010)

Lucy Dog said:


> What are you looking for in a dog? Is it going to be just a pet? Do you want to do agility? Any other dog sports?
> 
> What kind of look were you looking for? Here's a link to all the different "style" german shepherds there are out there.
> 
> ...


thanks for the link! I am really open....


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

CanineLove said:


> Family inside pet


When you say "inside pet", you mean it's just not going to sleep and pretty much live outside, right? Not sure what you meant by that.

German shepherds are extremely active dogs. They need to be both mentally and physically challenged on a daily basis or they can become destructive and bored. They are very smart dogs, but their intelligence needs to be utilized. 

Have you ever owned a shepherd before? If you haven't, prepare to have your hands full, especially with a puppy.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

The questions being asked by the others all have to do with homework, and study. Having done your homework, and studying the GSD, you'll know not so much what you want, but more importantly, if you want a GSD?

German Shepherds are not like other dogs. 

Read through some of the more recent threads from folks with GSD puppies;

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-behavior/140095-dont-know-what-do-my-dog.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/training-our-puppy-basic/134755-puppy-biting-hurts-help-me.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/puppy-behavior/139995-jumping-biting.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...ts-completely-different-personality-help.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/training-our-puppy-basic/140008-puppy-cries-all-night.html

If you don't already know the answer to what line of GSD puppy you are looking for, and why?....then do yourself a favor and STOP, don't rush out and buy a puppy. Invest the time to understand enough about what a GSD is, and what you want in a dog. You may discover that a Golden Retriever is a better fit for your lifestyle.

The most fundamental thing to understand is that a German Shepherd is a working dog. This translates to time. A GSD puppy will demand more time from you than many other breeds of dog. The line of GSD selected can either decrease or increase that time demand, and the temperament of the individual puppy within a litter can increase or decrease that time demand.

For instance, and very generally speaking, you will have less time demand if you were to select an American Show Line GSD, and within the litter, if you were to select the puppy with the lowest drive. At the other end of the spectrum, if you were to select a West German Working Line GSD, and within the litter, if you selected the highest drive puppy, you would have an amazing level of time demand to manage that puppy...you'd be living with a land shark!

Lets talk about breeders and time demand. Backyard Breeder and insufficient health screening, your time demand goes up, because more likely than not, there can be health issues to deal with. You buy from a solid breeder, and more likely than not, time demand goes down because your odds at a healther pup are much improved.

These are but a few modest highlights.....when considering a GSD puppy, know you're about to jump into the deep end of the pool, and be very confident you can swim before you step-off.


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## CanineLove (Aug 3, 2010)

VERY well said and thank you for the links. I will be reading them. Being a breeder of a toy breed for many years I know the importance of doing ones' homework and that's def why I am here. I want to know the good , the bad, the ugly and make the right choice for not only myself, but for the new family member himself.

I research EVERYTHING before jumping in. This is a LIFETIME commitment....and would never be s spur of the moment purchase so I value all's opinions and advice! 






W.Oliver said:


> The questions being asked by the others all have to do with homework, and study. Having done your homework, and studying the GSD, you'll know not so much what you want, but more importantly, if you want a GSD?
> 
> German Shepherds are not like other dogs.
> 
> ...


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

CanineLove said:


> VERY well said and thank you for the links. I will be reading them. Being a breeder of a toy breed for many years I know the importance of doing ones' homework and that's def why I am here. I want to know the good , the bad, the ugly and make the right choice for not only myself, but for the new family member himself.
> 
> I research EVERYTHING before jumping in. This is a LIFETIME commitment....and would never be s spur of the moment purchase so I value all's opinions and advice!


God bless you, you'll be ahead of most, including myself.

Should your research result in West German Show Line I can suggest;
Gail Bauer in Lakeport Michigan near Port Huron
Royale Shepherds

Should your research result in Working Line I can suggest USA registered breeders;
Chris Wild near Ann Arbor Michigan
(Working German Shepherd Breeder in Michigan, by Wildhaus Kennels )

Lisa Clark near Ann Arbor Michigan
Zu Treuen Händen

Should your research result in American Line, there are others who may be able to offer a suggestion.

Clearly these are not the only options, but three of my suggestions based on the fact that I have/will/would buy a dog from.


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## EchoGSD (Mar 12, 2010)

I wholeheartedly agree with W.Oliver -- I have one of Gail Bauer's dogs (as do others in my dog training club) and couldn't be more pleased. Intelligent, beautiful, sound. Gail is a thoughtful, intelligent, responsible breeder who truly loves and understands the breed. My girl has obedience & rally titles, and is both CGC and Therapy Dog certified. I can, and do, take her everywhere with full confidence that she will handle herself beautifully. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to bring my next GSD home from Royale Kennels.


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## Sigurd's Mom (May 12, 2009)

I recommend Kolenda Kennels to you (don't mind their website, they have horrible search engine optimization skills). I own a male from them, and he is fantastic. The breeder chose him for me based of the fact I wanted a family dog, no sport or anything. She picked the perfect pal for me, he does have prey drive and is extremely high energy, but he has no issues laying around the house with me (I'm sick today and he went out once this morning, and slept with me until 2:30 without any complaints). He is so smart, curious, loving - just everything you'd want in a dog. His OFA hip/elbows came back normal, he's in perfect health. Kolenda just produces wonderful dogs all around. My next German Shepherd will most likely be from there.

My SO and I posted a blog post about KK when we first got our dog, and since then we've got so many e-mails, and a few public posts talking about their dogs. I talk to a lot of people via e-mail about their dogs from Kolenda, and they are so happy. I also talk to people who own litter mates of my dog. You can PM me if you want to know more.


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## Jessiewessie99 (Mar 6, 2009)

If you end up getting a West German Showline GSD I suggest Alta-Tollhaus. I have heard many great things about this breeder, and some people on this board have dogs form them. I am strongly considering this breeder for when it comes closer to getting another dog.=)

Here is their site:
Alta-Tollhaus German Shepherd Dogs


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## FredD (Jul 5, 2009)

All suggestions in the above posts are excellent choices in Michigan...


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## boeselager (Feb 26, 2008)

Well a Big Kudos to you on doing your research and not jumping into things. I've known sooo many people that just want to jump into getting a GSD puppy without researching first. It usually doesn't pan out well for the puppy :-( 
I would suggest going to schutzhund clubs to see what lines would interest you the most and what will fit into your life style. Also if you can go to the breeder(s) to see what lines they have (as well as talk to them), and how their dogs are too would be a plus ;-)


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