# Looking to get my first puppy.



## elderNerd (Jan 10, 2013)

I'm looking to get my first puppy. Have had dogs all my life but all have been rescues of one kind or another. The best by far was a GSD with a just bit husky or Malamute in his blood. At my age this will almost certainly be my last dog and I would like a shot at having another great animal. All my dogs have been “good dogs”, the last was a rather troubled rescue that eventually earned his GCCC after nearly a year of no-force training by myself under the direction of a professional trainer. We have three miniature horses and an 800lb pig named Boog. I have grave doubts about the ethics of breeding for show (looks) as opposed to breeding for temperament, function and health and so I am uneasy about dealing with that side of the dog world. We are located in the very rural mountains of northern North Carolina. Willing to travel ~200 miles, perhaps more. 

Any tips, thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated.


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## lourdes (Jan 3, 2013)

*Ak9*

Hello, I'm also in the process and have narrowed down my choices to Von der Falkenhein AK9 German Shepherd Breeder German Shepherd Puppies specifically the breeding of Jerry and Loretta Line-breeding for the progency of Jerry von der Hube and VD Loretta Vepeden
Best wishes on your search this will be my first dog ever and the process of finding breeder/litter can be overwhelming. GSD forum has become invaluable to me on this journey.


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## sophia_dave101 (Jan 18, 2013)

Actually the tips for getting that first puppy are probably endless and like most things that you do in life common sense will carry you a long way. It will do a lot when you are thinking about getting that first puppy.


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## elderNerd (Jan 10, 2013)

sophia_dave101 said:


> Actually the tips for getting that first puppy are probably endless and like most things that you do in life common sense will carry you a long way. It will do a lot when you are thinking about getting that first puppy.


 

Thank you; been locating by internet searches and culling by phone conversation. I think we've found a breeder. I didn't think to ask about price in our first phone conversation, and there's no price on their site that I could find. I have an email request for some idea and will call if no response to email over the weekend. We can't spend more than $2k for the dog and would like to spend less. Based on previous experience with our trainer we expect to spend >$1k on training (and to find it worth every penny). Anyway that really makes spending more for the dog difficult for us to justify. But we need a breeder competent enough and experienced enough and serious enough to properly evaluate puppies and match them to the needs of their clients. So I have concerns that our budget may not be adequate. Thoughts on that?

edit:
regarding first post: GCCC is what the pre-senile call CGC


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

elderNerd said:


> edit:
> regarding first post: GCCC is what the pre-senile call CGC


Hahaha!!

Have you ruled out having a puppy shipped? There are many VERY good breeders out there - you shouldn't limit yourself to a set area if you want a puppy from a competent breeder.


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## elderNerd (Jan 10, 2013)

Lauri & The Gang said:


> Have you ruled out having a puppy shipped? There are many VERY good breeders out there - you shouldn't limit yourself to a set area if you want a puppy from a competent breeder.


Yes, that would simplify things greatly but before deciding I want to talk to the breeder face to face, see them work with dogs, see how their dogs live etc. I could extend the driving radious to ~300 miles.


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## gowen (Nov 4, 2011)

lourdes said:


> Hello, I'm also in the process and have narrowed down my choices to Von der Falkenhein AK9 German Shepherd Breeder German Shepherd Puppies specifically the breeding of Jerry and Loretta Line-breeding for the progency of Jerry von der Hube and VD Loretta Vepeden
> Best wishes on your search this will be my first dog ever and the process of finding breeder/litter can be overwhelming. GSD forum has become invaluable to me on this journey.


+1 for Von Falkenhein in reidsville, nc.


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## CelticGlory (Jan 19, 2006)

There are many great show lines and working lines, you also have some breeders who cross these lines as well. Von Lotta is a good breeder located in GA. Their pet puppies are priced $1500-$2000, their show quality puppies are more.

I would look into breeders who have older puppies that hold them back and decide they would do better in other homes as well.


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## elderNerd (Jan 10, 2013)

I have talked to the breeder by phone. Their prices are completely within reason and I have arranged of us to meet them in a couple of weeks. I will not (and would not) select the puppy, the breeder will. I don't think one could overstate the importance of that. I want to feel comfortable about them being the one making the decision, and that they know us well enough to fully utilize their skills in that process. Of course, in the end it's a craps shoot played on a Gaussian field and I'm just hoping to nudge the odds in our favor. 


In any case I thank you all for the feed back. I will post a picture of the pup when we get one.


Thanks again,


elderNerd


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## gowen (Nov 4, 2011)

elderNerd said:


> I have talked to the breeder by phone. Their prices are completely within reason and I have arranged of us to meet them in a couple of weeks. I will not (and would not) select the puppy, the breeder will. I don't think one could overstate the importance of that. I want to feel comfortable about them being the one making the decision, and that they know us well enough to fully utilize their skills in that process. Of course, in the end it's a craps shoot played on a Gaussian field and I'm just hoping to nudge the odds in our favor.
> 
> 
> In any case I thank you all for the feed back. I will post a picture of the pup when we get one.
> ...


Which breeder are you considering? I can only speak from my personal experience with our past breeder and can easily say that she is an expert judgement of character and knows her dogs well. You will not go wrong letting her (AK9/Birgit) make the selection on your behalf.


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## GerMutt (Jan 16, 2013)

Why have you decided against adoption again? I can understand not wanting to go through so much training just to pass Good Citizen, but perhaps if you adopt young enough then you won't have to deal with this problem? I know it's hit-or-miss with rescues, but things can always go wrong with professionally-bred dogs as well...but with a much higher price tag! 

I found both of my rescues from Petfinder.com, but there are lots of private GSD rescues across the US as well. I just couldn't read this thread without putting in my rescue 2 cents!


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## Rosie428 (Jan 16, 2013)

elderNerd said:


> I have talked to the breeder by phone. Their prices are completely within reason and I have arranged of us to meet them in a couple of weeks. I will not (and would not) select the puppy, the breeder will. I don't think one could overstate the importance of that. I want to feel comfortable about them being the one making the decision, and that they know us well enough to fully utilize their skills in that process. Of course, in the end it's a craps shoot played on a Gaussian field and I'm just hoping to nudge the odds in our favor.
> 
> 
> In any case I thank you all for the feed back. I will post a picture of the pup when we get one.
> ...


 
No matter what, puppies are a crap shoot.  The best thing you can do is make sure the parents have certified hip/elbow ratings, great temperments, and have some solid working blood. It is great that you have so much faith in your breeder that you are letting them pick. That is what I did for my 4 month old, and I could not be happier. If you KNOW they are the expert, why try to be one yourself? Congratulations, please let us know how it goes!


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## Equiuga (Jan 19, 2013)

I also have been looking and like you eldernerd am more attracted to working lines. I have found a kennel named Van Den Heuvel K9 that seems to be focusing on what I also believe is important. I had emailed them last year and received an email back from Dari regarding if their lines were suitable for my family that includes 2 small children (her response was a resounding 'yes. Her dogs are just so nice structure wise. Does anyone else have experience with this breeder?


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Equiuga, you might start your own thread in the choosing a puppy forum asking about van den heuvel..You will most likely get more hits there.

I do know a member , not sure she is still active here, Patti, has a VDH dog that is her service dog,,Grim is his name.


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## elderNerd (Jan 10, 2013)

The breeder that I had hoped to get a pup from did not have one in their two litters that had a drive low enough to fit our needs among the males from her two litters. She referred me to another breeder who had two males from a breeding of two low/moderate drive dogs. We were able to see both parents and both indeed were calm low key individuals. The male was exceptionally easy going. The breeder suggested that we select and one clearly had more drive than the other (at least during the ten minutes or so we played with them) and we selected the calmer more timid one.


We did the selection on Sunday and the breeder delivered him on Monday. Wednesday Dirac went to the vets and got a vaccination and clean bill of health; tomorrow we go to the trainer with him for the first time.


Dirac is doing very well. He has not defecated in the house even once and always urinates as soon as he goes out (which is not to say he hasn't peed in the house). His crate is in the kitchen and he makes occasional use of it. I will not start closing the door for a week or two as we are both retired and one or the other of us is on duty 24/7 to prevent accidents. 


In the afternoon of his first day we checked out the horses. The first challenge was getting down an embankment. He had declined to go down it earlier in the afternoon, but this time I went down it without him and just waited for him. He worked up his courage and started down the bank crouched so low his belly dragged the ground. By the time he got to the bottom he was almost running and having a grand time. We then walked a short distance down the path to the horses. We stopped at the far side of a little creek just across from the horses shed and watched the horses watch us through their fence. *Dirac sat calmly beside me and seemed to study the horses for a while. Then he followed me as I walked over a little land bridge to them and got a kiss from Harley Horse through the fence. While returning to the house the beauty of that experience very nearly brought me to tears.​


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

Cute puppy. He sounds like a great match for you and hopefully that will continue into his rotten teenage years (good thing they outgrow that stage!).


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