# Are these pure and would you pay $350?



## junodeargsd (Jul 17, 2013)




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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

They look pure. I doubt for $350 they come from a decent breeder so my answer would be No, I would not pay it. That second one looks sickly.


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## Wolfgeist (Dec 4, 2010)

They don't look purebred to me, something about them... Cute, but paying $350 for a puppy worries me as reputable breeders often charge around the $1000 range.


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## Gsdmama79 (Mar 5, 2013)

Jax08 said:


> They look pure. I doubt for $350 they come from a decent breeder so my answer would be No, I would not pay it. That second one looks sickly.


I completely agree! The second does look ill. I would not do it. I paid $1800 for mine (not saying that you have to pay THAT much or more for a good pup) and am not sorry. Find a breeder who cares about the integrity of the breed, that shows or titles their own dogs and has hip,elbow and temperament testing done. Based solely on the pics you have here and the asking price, don't do it. Think about it....a reputable breeder who puts time, energy and resources into furthering the GSD breed in a responsible way will have WAY more than that invested in the pups. I realize that many breeders do not make a true monetary profit, but they would sell,their pups for way more than $350. Another point is that they would want to ask high enough of a price that the owner obviously has the means to care for them properly, feed them responsibly and get them proper veterinary care. Just my opinion....


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## Andaka (Jun 29, 2003)

If you have to ask if they are pure then I wouldn't buy one.


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## boomer11 (Jun 9, 2013)

yes the pup looks pure. if you like the pup and its in your price range then get it. just do your research and make sure to meet the parents. charging 1000 does NOT make someone a reputable breeder. i had to laugh out loud at that statement. if you dont get your dog from a good breeder than it really is a crap shoot on how your pup will turn out. it doesnt automatically make your dog a bad nervy aggressive dog with bad hips. i'd absolutely get a dog from a really good breeder if possible but not everyone wants to spend 1000+ on a dog. this forum is really the wrong place to ask this question. most people on here will judge just based on the price of the pup as you can see from the examples above.


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## Merciel (Apr 25, 2013)

Andaka said:


> If you have to ask if they are pure then I wouldn't buy one.


Yep.

If I'm buying a dog (vs. adopting one from a shelter or rescue), then I want to see the pedigree and a whole lot more besides. Without that, I might as well roll the dice on a shelter dog. The pup will be just as much of a genetic question mark, but at least I'll be saving a life and not supporting a breeder whose values I don't much care for.


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

the white on the paws and chest would make me question if it was pure or not. if i wanted the pup, i would pay the 350.00.


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## llombardo (Dec 11, 2011)

I got two that I didn't pay more then $200.00 each for. I'm still learning about the male(rescue from shelter), but he's a good sound dog. He has one issue we are working on with the leash reactivity, but that is even getting better every day. My female has the best temperament in the world and if I could find 10 more of her I would grab them in a minute. She came from someone on craigslist that couldn't handle her at 12 weeks, what an idiot he was. It all depends on what you want to do. You will get a million different answers. I personally would opt to get the one that looks sickly to some, because I would feel bad and want to give it a good home. God willing they don't have any health issues. No one can predict which dog will or won't, even the ones that come from reputable breeders. It might stack the deck, but its not 100%. No one wants to deal with health issues, but it isn't the dogs fault. So whether they are from a breeder or from the shelter, they still need us.


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## rapala (Mar 10, 2013)

huntergreen said:


> the white on the paws and chest would make me question if it was pure or not.


Excatly what's said above...


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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

You get what you pay for. There is NO good breeder I know of that sells well bred dogs for that low of a price. I do know people that sell to friends and family for a deal but that's a whole different story.

Poor breeding practices should never be supported. Save up the money for a well bred dog or adopt through a shelter or rescue.

Brings up a good point though, if 350 $ is all you can afford to spend how are you going to afford treatment for the genetic problems that are almost guaranteed to be found in a poorly bred Shepherd? Zeke is poorly bred and I consider myself lucky with what health problems he's had. Hes only had pano (800 $ to diagnose and treat at 9 months), submucosal pyoderma that was 900 $ to sedate and biopsy with histopathology at 3 years old, lifelong on and off antibiotics to treat it at around 30 $ a refill. And now at 6 he's been diagnosed with mild hip dysplasia. Thats pretty good compared to most BYB GSDs I see

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## Anubis_Star (Jul 25, 2012)

Its not about having a high dollar dog to brag about, its about supporting ethical breeding! If all people do is throw 2 gsds together because they're purebred, then turn around and sell them, theyre not concerned about health testing or temparament. Heck, half the time they like that giant fear aggressive dog because "its a big bad tough german shepherd, look how protective it is".

These people almost ALWAYS produce unhealthy pups because the breed is so prone to genetic health issues. They also are very prone to nerve issues when poorly bred. If you think that is not true you're poorly mistaken. Work a day in a vet clinic shelter or rescue that handles a lot of german shepherds. Sadly enough there are very few I work with that I would even consider taking home. Most of them should probably be euthanized because they have such bad arthritis and HD and skin allergies and shotty nerves. And thats REALLY sad that I see very few healthy german shepherds.

Someone producing sick unhealthy dogs should NEVER be given money to support their greedy practice! That dog has a life of suffering and the owner has a life of financial loss. The only thing those "breeders" deserve is a good stoning. 

Im all for adopting one of these dogs from a shelter or rescue. It's not their fault and they deserve the best care possible. But no one should make money off their creation


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

White on chest/paws is common. If I wasn't sure, I'd pass. Can be really hard to tell at this age (and not because of white paws). I wouldn't pay anything for a gamble if what I wanted was a purebred.


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## deldridge72 (Oct 25, 2011)

If you know what you are looking for and at-one simply does not have to spend four figures to get the right dog


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

Liesje said:


> White on chest/paws is common. If I wasn't sure, I'd pass. Can be really hard to tell at this age (and not because of white paws). I wouldn't pay anything for a gamble if what I wanted was a purebred.


can you educate me on the white "spots" and why it is not a red flag? tks


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

White spotting is fairly common. Why would it be a red flag? 
put white spotting gene into the search box, there are a few threads on the subject.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

boomer11 said:


> charging 1000 does NOT make someone a reputable breeder.


No it doesn't, but I don't think there's a reputable GSD breeder out there, who's buying/selling healthy dogs, doing health and temperament checks, putting titles on dogs, and deworming/vaccinating their puppies appropriately, who's selling them for under $1000. They know the value in what they are producing and the costs associated with raising a healthy puppy.

Selling pups for $350, I can almost guarantee it's not a well bred, registered animal, who's had a health check at the vet, and who's parents have had all the health checks done. 

They look PB, but the white toes is throwing me. I've never seen that on a GSD, I'm not an expert, but it makes me think there's something else in there.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

Reputable and Responsible are two very different things.

There are 'reputable' breeders selling puppies for over 2 grand, but I can't really say they are 'responsible'. They do have a reputation and it isn't always stellar.


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## Discoetheque (Nov 2, 2011)

When my dog was born (the one in my avatar and albums), she had a bit of white on her chin, a little dusting on the toes on one foot and a minute spot on her chest. Now at 4 years old, the white on the chest and toes has completely disappeared, and the white chin has become a distinguished-looking gray. A friend of mine has an American-line black dog with white toes and a considerable white patch on her chest.

The white spotting does happen, and while these puppies may indeed not be purebred (which they do look purebred, though not particularly great), the white spotting would not necessarily be what I would look to in determining purity. You may not be able to tell until they were a bit older.

I would likely not pay $350 for one of these guys.


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## blackshep (Aug 3, 2012)

That's true Disco, my pup had a bit of white on her chest that disappeared, I've just personally never seen it on the toes, but I hadn't heard of the white spotting on toes before either.

Anyway, I don't think you will find a good breeder selling pups for $350. If they are doing things right, I don't think you can raise a good puppy the right way for $350.


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## Discoetheque (Nov 2, 2011)

I've seen it pretty often on toes, but in most every case I've seen it in, it almost always disappears with all the changes the coat goes through, or gets so tiny that you can't even find it unless you're looking for it.
I can only tell where Discoe's was now because the nail on that toe is a bit lighter in color than all the others.  But I liked her little white chin spot. It made certain that I could always tell her from the others...lol.

The top puppy doesn't look terrible, but without knowing anything about the parents health or temperaments (or even the puppy's at this age), lineage, or health clearances, it's tough to say whether that $350 is a good price or a down payment on a laundry list of problems later on. Granted, nothing is assured even with a reputable and responsible breeder, but I'd much rather take my chances with the breeder I know is trying to minimize the instance of later issues as much as possible.


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## Diesel and Lace (Apr 15, 2013)

To the OP: My Samoyed is Pure bred, and *could* be papered. I payed $300 for her and the other litter mates were over $1,200 why? Because she did not meet the breed standard for a show dog in the breeders opinion. The breeder was going to have her PTS or put her in a pet only home. She is an excellent dog, but the breeder also made me sign a contract that she would be spayed and not bred as she did not carry the correct confirmation and other traits that the breeder was aiming to produce. So could you pay $300 for a purebred puppy that has good breeding, certainly but what is the story behind why they are so inexpensive? Also what do you plan on doing with it? Are you able to paper the puppy? Will you have to sign to get the puppy spuetered so that the unfavorable traits in the puppy cannot be passed on? Those are the questions you should be asking.


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## ndirishfan1975 (Jun 29, 2013)

First, I would whole heatedly agree with the majority on this topic. Just because a dog is cheap doesn't mean it will automatically be a bad dog but I would not be willing to give my money to a breeder that doesn't support the breed. If you can't afford a dog from a reputable breeder than look at adoption. Maybe there is a GSD rescue close to you. 
Second the white toes can definitely show up on a pure GSD. My dog Zoe is from West German lines and has white toes. Tried to upload a pic but the app is not cooperating. 


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## Ares God Of War (Jan 13, 2011)

I paid 350 gir my girl and she is the best dog I could have asked for.. Just saying

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## Rubybooby (Jun 8, 2013)

I would really think hard on this. I bought my GS off Craigslist for $250. Ruby was 9 weeks old and weighed 5 lbs. she was so calm and slept so much. By day 3 she started pooping pure blood. We rushed her to the vet and she had such a severe case of round worm and coccidia. It took 5 weeks of so many treatments to finally rid her of the worms,but the damage was so bad that a good portion of her hair fell out from malnutrition. Her stomach is so sensitive now that we have to give her gas x because she is still so gassy from all the deworming. She is 16 weeks now and her hair is growing back and she finally has solid bowel movements. She weighs 20lbs. We have paid $1800 dollars in medical treatment and special sensitive tummy food. 

The moral of this story for me is I was trying to be cheap and by a dog from CL. When I could have bought a puppy from a reputable breeder and had a healthy dog and saved myself the trouble and heartache.


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Diesel and Lace said:


> To the OP: My Samoyed is Pure bred, and *could* be papered. I payed $300 for her and the other litter mates were over $1,200 why? Because she did not meet the breed standard for a show dog in the breeders opinion. The breeder was going to have her PTS or put her in a pet only home.


Not to deviate from the OP but any breeder that puts a puppy to sleep just because it "doesn't meet the breed standard" is *NOT *a responsible breeder!!


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## Diesel and Lace (Apr 15, 2013)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> Not to deviate from the OP but any breeder that puts a puppy to sleep just because it "doesn't meet the breed standard" is *NOT *a responsible breeder!!


Lauri I would most certainly agree with you as well. My Samoyed had to have surgery in order to reconstruct part of her tail / hips. She was the "green" puppy and her tail was deformed which if not operated on could of caused her to be paralyzed as she grew. I had gone to the breeder with the intent of buying one of the $1,200 puppies, but my DH fell in love with the little puppy that had so many issues and so we spent the $ on the surgery instead. She still has no tail and it is still deformed. The breeder was going to PTS if she could not find someone willing to take the steps in a pet only home. I agree with her decisions and respected her for not wanting to have the issue carried into future generations of the breed. IMO that is a responsible breeder. It can happen to any breeder where the bitch throws an off puppy and the off puppy is usually PTS she chose to try and first rehome


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

huntergreen said:


> can you educate me on the white "spots" and why it is not a red flag? tks


This dog was born with two white spots, other than the usually cream/white on the belly and "pants" of the dog. He was SG rated twice (one by a German/SV judge at 13 months), doing the breed survey in November. 









There's nothing wrong or even uncommon about a *small* bit of white on a GSD. I personally cannot stand white or light feet, but again it's often overlooked even in shows.


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## Msmaria (Mar 2, 2013)

See if you can get the puppy checked out at the vet first. It's worth the $45. I agree that second pup looks sick.


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## ken k (Apr 3, 2006)

heres a "cheap" $200 GSD from a BYB, had white on his paws and chest, health wise you could do better, EPI Bloat, his temperament and intelligence, you could pay $10,000 for a pup, and couldn't get any better,


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## Catu (Sep 6, 2007)

Akela at 22 days old. White on chest and toes


Akela now, V rated and Kkl1


That said... if I wanted a cheap pup, that I'm not sure if pure or not and which at least one sibling looks sick... I'd get one from the shelter.



Andaka said:


> If you have to ask if they are pure then I wouldn't buy one.


This resume everything.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

> the white on the paws and chest would make me question if it was pure or not


Doesn't mean anything. Lots of GSD puppies, even well bred ones, have a white spot on the chest, or a couple white toes.


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