# Olympia Kennels



## NJBob (Nov 28, 2014)

Hi everyone. This is a great forum! I've learned so much as an unregistered user and look forward to learning more now that I've created an account. 

I am hoping to get some feedback on Olympia Kennels in New Hampshire - www.olympiakennels.com. 

We are looking to get a puppy from their upcoming litter. We have spoken over the phone a few times but haven't met in person yet. Everything seems good so far and we are planning on visiting them next weekend. 

We had a not so great experience with the last GSD breeder we worked with, so we are proceeding with an abundance of caution this time. 

Thanks in advance for any feedback you can provide!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I don't know anyone with a dog from that kennel, but they look like beautiful German Showline type dogs if that's the flavor you lean towards.

DId you have a chance to go through ---> http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/welcome-gsd-faqs-first-time-owner/162231-how-find-puppy.html


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

I'm not all that learned at deciphering pedigrees....but Obervom Steffen Haus and Aenny von Juventus have some quality blood in their lineage....especially Obervom's "grand dad".

Wonderful looking GSDs.


SuperG


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

They look like nice dogs. 

My only question, and someone may be able to answer it, Ober vom Steffen Haus was born in 2011. Jane Steffenhagen died in 2009. The kennel was disbanded and dogs sold off. So how is this dog carrying the kennel name? I am only curious because my first GSD was a Steffen Haus dog. So I followed the kennel. 

None of this means anything to the OP so sorry for the thread hijack. Just got me curious.


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Here are two threads that might extend your search for breeders;

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/choosing-breeder/485386-looking-good-breeder-connecticut.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/choosing-breeder/410410-breeders-breed-herding.html Comment #3: Sheep Herding German Shepherd Dogs Training 

Moms


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## NJBob (Nov 28, 2014)

Thanks for taking the time to respond. Lots of helpful info! 

The litter from olympia is still at the top of my list, but it is good to have some alternatives to compare.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I didn't realize Jane died. I remember when Jada was showing.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

gsdsar said:


> They look like nice dogs.
> 
> My only question, and someone may be able to answer it, Ober vom Steffen Haus was born in 2011. Jane Steffenhagen died in 2009. The kennel was disbanded and dogs sold off. So how is this dog carrying the kennel name? I am only curious because my first GSD was a Steffen Haus dog. So I followed the kennel.
> 
> None of this means anything to the OP so sorry for the thread hijack. Just got me curious.



Perhaps from Steffen-Haus Kennel in Germany???

Steffen-Haus Germany


SuperG


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## Steve Strom (Oct 26, 2013)

Wow. Over twenty five thousand dogs trained ! Close to 850 different dogs a year! Amazing.


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## John C. (Mar 6, 2013)

I have a puppy from Olympia's last breeding of Bara and Java (a Kirschental dog). I've also been the kennel on several occasions and met Bara, Java, and a bunch of their other dogs. First, a little about myself. I've owned a couple of GSD's before my current puppy and put a BH on my last dog. So I have some experience owning and training dogs, but I'm not an expert.

My current puppy, is one of two males produced by the last breeding of Bara and Java. He is currently almost 8 months old. On the positive side, he has a super temperament. He has been exposed to a ton of dogs and a ton of people and has always been friendly. He is pretty confident and responds well to new situations. 

He has a ton of energy, and right now has a tough time settling down in the house even though he gets a lot of exercise every day (but he's still a puppy). He has medium ball drive. He is intelligent and picks things up pretty quickly. 

Housebreaking really only took a couple of days. 

So far he has not been showing any signs of dominance. He doesn't guard food or toys. He has moderate food drive. 

Obedience training is somewhat challenging because he does not have great concentration and getting him to focus exclusively on me is a challenge. He can be distracted fairly easily. I have seen other Olympia dogs and while they do well in obedience, I don't think they have the focus or drive of some of the working lines. So if you were seriously into competitive obedience of schutzhund, you'd probably do better looking at a working line dog.

My one concern right now is that my puppy has always seemed to be a little loose in the hips and has a somewhat ungainly gate. However, he is still a puppy and I've not had him x-rayed so its too early to tell if his hips will be a problem. But it is something I worry about a little.

I've also met Bara, who I think is the stud dog in the breeding you're interested in. He is a gorgeous dog and has a very calm temperament and solid nerves. I also went to an open house Olympia had a couple of months ago and was able to meet a ton of their dogs from various breedings. I came away very impressed. All the dogs seemed to have pretty solid temperaments and were good around people and other dogs. All of the owners seemed to be very happy with their dogs.

Hope this helps. If you have any questions please feel free to ask on this forum or shoot me an e-mail.


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

SuperG said:


> Perhaps from Steffen-Haus Kennel in Germany???
> 
> Steffen-Haus Germany
> 
> ...



Same breeder. All of those dogs are from the early 2000's. Nothing past 2009. It was her sister kennel in Germany.


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## NJBob (Nov 28, 2014)

Thanks so much John. That is great info and I feel much more confident in moving forward.


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## John C. (Mar 6, 2013)

One final thought on Olympia. They generally produce WGSL dogs, so you should end up with a dog that has the classic black and tan or black and red coloring. Bara is pretty light for a WGSL, and most of the offspring that I have seen will end up darker, with the classic GSD black mask on their face. Bara is also a large GSD, and I suspect my puppy will also end up on the large side for a GSD. He's almost 8 months old and weighs around 70 pounds. (And I keep him very lean). My guess is that once he's done filling out he will be around 90 pounds.


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## SuperG (May 11, 2013)

gsdsar said:


> Same breeder. All of those dogs are from the early 2000's. Nothing past 2009. It was her sister kennel in Germany.


Yes, same breeder....but is it possible the German facility is still breeding GSDs even if the Columbus, WI USA kennel is no more?

Here is a Steffen Haus bitch born March 2012....according to Pedigree database

https://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/dog.html?id=2013067-quinte-vom-steffen-haus

SuperG


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

Cool. Maybe they are? Gonna do a little digging. My dog from there was amazing!! Perfect first GSD. Solid nerve, nice drives, great work ethic.


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