# Reputable North Dakota breeder?



## War_wagon336 (Mar 18, 2018)

Hello everyone, this is my first post on the forum. Me and my wife are stationed in North Dakota and am starting to look for German Shepherd puppies. I would ideally like to find a liver colored shepherd but I understand living in ND doesn't help much and most breeders don't aim for livers and blues. Anybody know of a solid breeder in the ND area? I'd even be willing to travel to a surrounding state if I found a good deal. Thanks!


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## Momto2GSDs (Mar 22, 2012)

Hi War Wagon and Welcome! :greet:

Respectfully......please do not choose a German Shepherd for "color" 
or "a good deal". A Reputable breeder does not "choose" to breed for livers or blues.

Temperament is key. Good article for explanation: https://www.germanshepherdguide.com/temperament.html


There are many qualified people here to assist you! A little info will help!


*Which "TYPE" of German Shepherd are you looking for? Showline? ... Working Line? (see this page for "Types": (Types of German Shepherds, by Wildhaus Kennels ) )


*What activities or sports do you plan on doing with him/her.

*What type of lifestyle do you have that will include the dog?

*Tell a little about yourself/your family!


*What is your price range? (usual is $1,600 to $3,000)


*What state are you in and how far are you willing to travel (hours)?


*Are you willing to have a dog shipped?



Here are some good reading materials!
Things to look for in a 'Responsible' Breeder 

http://www.germanshepherdguide.com/how-to-select-a-breeder.html 

(German Shepherd and Schutzhund Articles, by Wildhaus Kennels )



Good luck in your search!
Moms


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

Hello and Welcome!


What is it about a liver or blue that you want? What are your priorities in a puppy/dog???


Looking for a good breeder is like looking for a needle in a haystack! Good breeders breed for stability, health, drive and functional structure....not color. In fact, no one who respects the breed, the breed standard, who has the integrity of trying to breed correct dogs will intentionally breed for "rare" colors. In fact, they are not "rare" or desirable, but a serious flaw.

The closest breeder to you that I know, and would recommed is v d Traumwolfen, or mandm on this forum. I know her dogs, her bloodlines and understand the breedings she does as we talk often and have bloodlines in common. She is in Northwest NE.


Good luck.

Lee


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## War_wagon336 (Mar 18, 2018)

Thank you Mom2Gsds and Wolfstraum for the quick replies! I've been reading through a lot of the articles that Momto2GSDs replied with and I had no idea what all went into picking out a GSD, their drive, temperments, pedigrees and what to look for as far as legit breeders go.

So from what I have read up on so far, I would prefer a "working line" dog. Seeing as what the aritcles say; they have a better handle on their nerves and also have a higher threshold as far as their temperments go. Am I correct in saying this? We would like to have a plush/long haired GSD if possible since ND gets pretty cold and I read they shed slightly less. 

I found a dog breeder directory that listed some breeders by state germanshepherdguide (forum won't let me post the direct link), anybody know if the breeders listed here would be worth the driving distance from ND? I talked to the wife and she would be willing to drive/fly wherever need be. 

A little about us, me and my wife are stationed in ND and live about 20 minutes from our base and an hour away from the city. We live in an old farming town with a population of about 460 people and lots of open fields/farmland. Me and my wife are pretty active, we try and go on daily runs together if our shifts permit and we usually fish or take the ATV out on the weekends. Unfortunately, most of the time we work different shifts but I suppose that would be good for the dogs sake. 

As far as price goes, $1,500 is what I think I'd be wililng to pay but that could change if we came across the right dog/breeder. We would also consider on having the dog shipped without seeing the dog only if that breeder was known for correctly judging the temperment of the pups. 

I've got to admit, there's a lot more to picking out a dog than I had ever imagined! There is so much information/things to watch out for that it makes picking out a puppy almost intimidating! I'll continue to read up and learn as much as I can, thank you all fo the help!


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

Gaardog Shepherds in Ray, North Dakota. Website: Gaardog Shepherds | German Shepherd puppies for sale Breeder Anne Oppegaard. My Sting came from Gaardog Shepherds. I've known Anne for 11 years from the first when I contacted her about a puppy. She takes good care of her puppies and in matching up the puppy to the right person. She is very honest. She had one puppy selected for me, but then contacted me and said that the puppy was turning out to be very shy and would do better living out on a farm and not in town. She suggested a puppy from another litter and was frank in telling me that though the puppy had a friendly outgoing temperament he would mature at over 100 lbs. and he was twice as big as the other puppies in the litter. That didn't deter me, so I got my Sting. I told her the name ahead of time, and she got him used to it. Her puppies are also reasonably priced. If you have further questions, either post on your thread or when you get enough posts, pm me. Good luck in your puppy search.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

1500$ is a reasonable figure - be flexible if you find a good breeder you like and the price is a bit higher - you don't want to pass up a good dog for the sake of a couple of hundred. 

Take your time to research things, you'll be glad! This forum and the links that Moms posted helped me a lot when I was new to GSDs. It was a real education and a whole world I wasn't even aware of. 

If you prefer a long coat, the are not very common in working lines, but they do occur. Good breeders, again, will not purposely breed for long coats, but some breeding combinations will produce an occasional long-coat, and you may get lucky. However, living in a cold, snowy climate, and having owned a regular coated GSD who was on the plush side, and a long-coated mixed breed, let me tell you that the long-coated dog in snow was a nightmare! The snow stuck to her coat in all weather, in-between her toes until she couldn't walk; formed snowball on the fine hairs in-between her legs, under her arm-pits and all over. It made walking difficult and uncomfortable for her, and it took several minutes of me painfully tugging the snow-ball off her after each outing. My regular coated GSD never had any snow stuck to him, and tolerated the cold without any sign of discomfort up to -20C no problem. Even colder was fine with him as long as we kept active and moving around. 

The website you mentioned is a good resource - the breeders mentioned on it are worth considering.


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## Nigel (Jul 10, 2012)

We have a coated WL and his feet will ball up with ice, this has never been a problem with my two stock coats. Trimming the hair around the toes can help with this along with some mushers secret. I hike a lot and am constantly picking debris out from my LC guys tail, burs, sticks and even Devils club. My stock coats come off the same trail with nothing that cannot be brushed off by a swipe of my hand. As far as shedding goes you'll either brush it out with a coatie or you vacuum it up with a stock coat, take your pick. I prefer the wash n wear of a stock coat.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

War_wagon336 said:


> So from what I have read up on so far, I would prefer a "working line" dog. Seeing as what the aritcles say; they have a better handle on their nerves and also have a higher threshold as far as their temperments go. Am I correct in saying this? We would like to have a plush/long haired GSD if possible since ND gets pretty cold and I read they shed slightly less.


Not necessarily. There are nervebags and solid dogs in any line type. The important thing is to decide what you want the dog to be and do your research with respect to breeders. I think you would find what you are looking for in a good working line dog, but I also think you could find a good show line dog that would suit your purposes. It depends on what you prefer and what you want the dog to do. If you are open to show lines, consider the German Shepherd Dog Club of Minneapolis and St. Paul; it's a very strong club and there are only a few I'd tell someone to reconsider. If not, I'll defer to the WL people on the forum, there are a lot of really knowledgeable folks here.



War_wagon336 said:


> As far as price goes, $1,500 is what I think I'd be wililng to pay but that could change if we came across the right dog/breeder. We would also consider on having the dog shipped without seeing the dog only if that breeder was known for correctly judging the temperment of the pups


Show line dogs do tend to cost more on average, so that is a factor. As to the other - I bought my dog sight unseen and met her for the first time the day I brought her home. She has ended up being a great match for us. Pick a breeder you trust, let them get to know you, and they can do a really good job selecting your puppy.


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## mnm (Jan 9, 2006)

I am in Nebraska, and there are many breeders around, but not many breeders in this neck of the woods that I would personally recommend. 

I took a look at the link to Gaardog site. Just some things of concern to me:
Only one of the dogs pedigree link to Pedigree Database list any hip or elbow results. 
Only one dog (now 10 years old) had a decent pedigree with health tested and titled in all generations.
It looks like they are only breeding for pets, and not breeding to the breed standard. Whites, over sized dogs, with nothing noteworthy in the pedigree's. And I didn't see them doing anything with their dogs.

Also, as others have said, a Long Coat will have more issues dealing with the weather and brush/grasses sticking in the coat. A normal Stock Coat will be warm enough in the winter time. The breed has an undercoat, which helps protect it in heat and in cold.

I would suggest you take time to search out a good quality reputable breeder who is breeding to the breed standard. You will have a better chance of getting a pup that will have a good temperament and a long healthy life.


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## Aleia (May 19, 2018)

WateryTart, hello I'm new! I'm in ND as well and reading this thread. Do you know of any breeders in the Minneapolis/St Paul area who breed for temperament, for use as therapy dogs?


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## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

There is a lot to consider when choosing a breeder, that's for sure! I have seen a couple puppies from Marsha's kennel, traumwolfen, and you'd be searching far and wide to find any better! That being said, if you are set on a long coated pup, I just had the pleasure of meeting a son of the dog I linked below, and although I have not dealt with this kennel personally, the guy who owned the puppy had nothing but good things to say...they're also located in Nebraska...and the puppy I saw was very impressive both in structure and temperment, so it might be worth a look.

LONGCOAT GERMAN SHEPHERD MALE, CARLO

They have a litter with this dog ready for take home in August.


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## Mame (Mar 13, 2018)

War_wagon336 said:


> ...there's a lot more to picking out a dog than I had ever imagined!


SO much. We have two GSDs I scooped up because they were available and I knew nothing about the importance of pedigrees. I spent a couple months reading here, and looking up topics in the search bar, before I really understood what I was looking at/for, and what I can do with the right dog. I ended up putting a deposit down on a breeding between two very specific dogs with excellent pedigrees, titles, and health checks for a litter in early 2019 because knowing what I'm getting (to the degree possible) beats short term availability, easy geography, or low pricing.

All that to say...keep reading!


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## mnm (Jan 9, 2006)

One thing that I always suggest keeping in mind is the number of breeding dogs a breeder has, and how many litters they have on the ground and are expecting.... I always want to see official health clearances, but also titling in some venue to prove good temperaments and solid stable nerves.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Aleia said:


> WateryTart, hello I'm new! I'm in ND as well and reading this thread. Do you know of any breeders in the Minneapolis/St Paul area who breed for temperament, for use as therapy dogs?


I’m sorry, I just saw this. I sent you a PM.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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