# We visited the breeder...



## sgav8r (Apr 15, 2011)

We put a deposit on a GSD puppy a few weeks ago and we've been waiting for the end of April when we will finally get to bring our new little guy home. Yesterday we were so excited (and tired of waiting for the breeder to upload new pictures) we decided to make the six hour round trip drive to the breeder and visit the puppies!

Anatone Shepherds is located up in the Blue Mountain Forest of Eastern Washington. They've got four beautiful adult German Shepherds that are used for breeding, 2 males and 2 females. Currently they have a litter of puppies that are about 6 weeks old. Our little guy, Koda wears an orange ribbon. We took lots of pics!

This is Thor. Our puppy's dad:









Or puppy's mom, Shai:









One of the puppies, yellow boy:










Our little guy, Koda:









Daddy (Thor) getting to visit one of the babies:









A pretty cool shot of Thor (left) "playing" with another female... It looked way more vicious than it was. What a powerful and beautiful animal though. I was SO impressed with Thor:









Another shot of mom, Shai:









Another shot of dad, Thor, with mom, Shai in the background:


----------



## KZoppa (Aug 14, 2010)

WOW!!! I love it! 








They always look so intense and like they're on a mission to kill each other..... until they hit the ground in a cloud of dust and start rolling around wrestling like puppies. THIS is a great shot!

and your puppy..... ADORABLE!!!! cant wait to see pictures when you take him home!


----------



## DunRingill (Dec 28, 2007)

Thor is only 14 months old??


----------



## sgav8r (Apr 15, 2011)

DunRingill said:


> Thor is only 14 months old??


Yes. Their website states he was born in February 2010. 

This is his first litter.


----------



## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

You should check out the links in this thread http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/choosing-breeder/137533-things-look-responsible-breeder.html

I do not see it on the website, do they certify hips/elbows are free of HD?


----------



## Zeusismydog (Aug 23, 2001)

Wow they are beautiful! I love the fighting pic  how did you choose your puppy? 6 weeks is a little young to do a temperament test. Did the breeder pick him out for you? I didn't look at the website but they are beautiful dogs. Good luck


----------



## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Koda is certainly a handsome little guy! Your excited about your future fur baby & your post was not asking for advice on the breeder you picked. However, it would be wise to at least confirm that the sire & dam have OFA hips & elbows done. I checked the OFA website & could not find anything, but maybe you have information that would confirm or not if they were x-rayed. This REALLY is a big deal with large breed dogs, esp. GSD where hip & elbow dysplasia is seen often. It's genetic and at a _minimum _the breeder should be able to show you proof this was done.

Orthopedic Foundation for Animals


Whatever you decide good luck!


----------



## evybear15 (Mar 28, 2011)

Such a cute little guy!


----------



## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

A dog can't have hips and elbows OFA certified before the age of 2 years, but he might have PennHip or SV hip certifications. I would definitely check with the breeder. Like others have said, buying a pup from parents without hip and elbow certifications (not "my vet looked them over and said they were ok") is really asking for trouble in this breed.


----------



## MomOfBroncoandKoda (Apr 15, 2011)

These are some great suggestions, I will email the breeder.


----------



## 1sttimeforgsd (Jul 29, 2010)

Very nice looking parents, and very cute puppy.


----------



## sgav8r (Apr 15, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the advice! We are learning as we go along and we have faith that everything will go well for us. We feel that we definitely made the right choice. 

We chose this breeder because she is all about the dogs. The first thing she told us is she considers her dogs family and she absolutely insists they go to good responsible owners. She also INSISTS on keeping in contact with the owners for the life of the dog.

As newbies to the world of large-breed dog "shopping" we probably made some mistakes and neglected to ask important questions or do important research. What we wanted was an approachable, friendly breeder with purebred GSD, and a plethora of satisfied customers in their wake. We found that in Anatone Shepherds.

Koda will be a loved and cherished member of our "pack" no matter what health issues may or may not arise down the road. We feel lucky to have found a breeder who wants to keep in contact and follow the dog's progress. And we've also made lots of new friends via facebook with other Anatone Shepherds customers, even some from the same litter.


----------



## Zeusismydog (Aug 23, 2001)

Ask the breeder what type of drives this puppies parents have. What type of temperament is the pup showing? "A good dog" is not a type of temperament, nor is a "family dog". What are the bloodlines? Are you looking at a high drive puppy or a very submissive puppy? How is he getting along with his litter mates? Is he first at the food dish or last? Does he let the other pups push him away or does he fight for a place? What kind of socialization to other dogs and people does this breeder do? Just family or do other people come in and play with them? Have they done any conditioning as a pup? What kind of environment has they been in? Has he been exposed to loud and unexpected noises? If so how did he react? 

LOL ok I will stop with the questions, but it is very important to know the temperament of the pup as it will decide on how best to train him. It will also tell you how to introduce him to your other dog and what to expect of him. Good luck.

P.s I am getting a pup about the same time. I am SO excited.


----------

