# Breeder experiences in Northern California



## GRodriguez

Recently the family and I had to put down our GSD of eleven years and we are again looking to add another member to our family.

Based on previous forums, threads from this website and local trainers we have identified three breeders in Northern California. 

Now I am looking for anyone with personal experience with any of the three. Dealing with the breeder before/after, health issues, temperament issues, kennel cleanliness, Etc. 

Some quick background, I work in Law Enforcement, have owned previous GSD's, have a highly qualified trainer and will be working the dog in advance Obedience and Protection. I am looking for a working line but first and foremost the dog will be a member of our family.

Here is a link to the three breeders:

1.Witmer-Tyson Imports - German Shepherds, Law Enforcement Training, and Equipment 
2.German Shepherd Dog, True Haus Kennels
3 http://sentinelharts.com/

I currently have a refundable deposit down for a male from the Puk and Henny litter at witmer/tyson. So far the experience has been good but I want to make sure this is the correct breeder and I am not making a ten to fifteen year mistake. 

BTW, I have heard/read a lot of positive reviews for: Adler Stein Kennels-German Shepherds-German Shepherd Puppies-Working Line German Shepherds
in Southern California. My only reservation is I am located about seven hours away and am unable to visit the kennel until pick up day. 

Again, any feedback is really appreciated. 

Thanks


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## Freestep

I know Jim and Cindy from True Haus very well. Great people to work with and they have top-notch working line dogs, they also offer ongoing training at their faciity. The other breeders you mention I have no personal experience with, but I have heard the names.


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## Cassidy's Mom

What part of Northern California are you in? I'm only about 15/20 minutes from SentinalHarts and have no personal knowledge or experience with them yet, but I've added them to my short list of possible breeders to consider in the future. I've heard good things, and due to their proximity it's certainly worth going to visit and meet the breeder and dogs for me.


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## GRodriguez

Thanks for the feedback Freestep. I was in contact with Jim/Cindy at True Haus but unfortunately all litters are spoken for until Spring/Fall. I almost had pick male from Sasha & Esko litter but missed the opportunity.

Cassidy's Mom, I'm located east of Sacramento in the foothills.


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## Cschmidt88

Here's another Nor Cal kennel to consider, I'll most likely be getting my next dog from them. Great folks, I've really like their dogs that I've gotten to meet and produce dogs capable of both working, sport, and companion life styles. 
Adlerhimmel Working German Shepherd Breeder. We Produce Top Quality Working Dogs For Sport, Law Enforcement, Protection, and Pet Owners - Working Line German Shepherd Puppies For Sale

I like True Haus, but the dogs I've met from there tend to be a bit "more of a dog" so to speak and did better in a place where they were constantly working.


One of the Witmer-Tyson dogs, Bruno, is the likely sire of the litter I hope to get a pup from as well.


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## Gretchen

Sorry, I do not know about the breeders you posted, is anyone going to answer your question? ha ha

I will leave this reference because you said you were in law enforcement. This is our trainer, I think he has just one litter a year, his website shows Aug for a litter, he is a former police officer. You asked about cleanliness, never seen his kennels, but the training area is very well cared for. In Santa Cruz County.

The K-9 Clinic 

http://www.k9clinic.com/


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## Smithie86

The two that I recommend and know dogs from are Witmer Tyson and Adlerstein. Hands down over others.

Both are true hands on experience. I trained with Menlo Park (part of the club) in CA and still keep in close contact. Anne is excellent as well. Would be a hard choice between


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## KB007

I have a True Haus pup from the last Esko-Stella litter. Jim and Cindy were great to deal with, and were very specific about understanding exactly what I was going to be doing with my dog in order to match me with the right one. Of course it's still somewhat of a crap shoot, but I am glad they were. 

I would certainly recommend them based on my experience, but your current litter deposit looks great as well.


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## Smithie86

The other thing that I like about Randy and Anne is that they follow up and follow through on the status of their puppies, post purchase. 

We have helped with rescue with a breeder in Cal that, when notified of the horrible situation the dog was in and eval by vet, they said "that is nice" and hung up.


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## GRodriguez

Thanks everyone for taking the time to provide the feedback. It will still be a tough decision but based on the comments and the lack of negative responses/experiences I believe either of those breeders will/could produce a sound GSD. Now it's time to visit some of the kennels and meet the pups/parents. 

Thanks


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## K.Creek

GRodriguez said:


> Recently the family and I had to put down our GSD of eleven years and we are again looking to add another member to our family.
> 
> Based on previous forums, threads from this website and local trainers we have identified three breeders in Northern California.
> 
> Now I am looking for anyone with personal experience with any of the three. Dealing with the breeder before/after, health issues, temperament issues, kennel cleanliness, Etc.
> 
> Some quick background, I work in Law Enforcement, have owned previous GSD's, have a highly qualified trainer and will be working the dog in advance Obedience and Protection. I am looking for a working line but first and foremost the dog will be a member of our family.
> 
> Here is a link to the three breeders:
> 
> 1.Witmer-Tyson Imports - German Shepherds, Law Enforcement Training, and Equipment
> 2.German Shepherd Dog, True Haus Kennels
> 3 http://sentinelharts.com/
> 
> I currently have a refundable deposit down for a male from the Puk and Henny litter at witmer/tyson. So far the experience has been good but I want to make sure this is the correct breeder and I am not making a ten to fifteen year mistake.
> 
> BTW, I have heard/read a lot of positive reviews for: Adler Stein Kennels-German Shepherds-German Shepherd Puppies-Working Line German Shepherds
> in Southern California. My only reservation is I am located about seven hours away and am unable to visit the kennel until pick up day.
> 
> Again, any feedback is really appreciated.
> 
> Thanks


I don't know much about any of the above listed except sentinel hearts is on this forum and I have pm'd several times, seem very knowledgable and helpful! Good luck!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Ace952

I know of a great litter that just hit the ground in your neck of the woods. Ill PM.


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## kenG

*kenG*

I purchased a female German Shepherd Dog from SentinelHarts in early January of this year. And I couldn’t be more pleased. The entire experience from my first contact before the purchase through my discussions with SentinelHarts after the purchase has been outstanding. I also have a 10 year old male GSD working dog, and the puppy was an addition to our family. I did Schutzhund with my older dog when he was younger, and am presently doing Agility with him. I started looking for a GSD puppy with the intention of raising her to do agility with me as my older Shepherd ages.

My goals for this new puppy were to have a dog that has all of the mental, physical and temperamental qualities that a good German Shepherd working dog of German/European breeding should have. Prior to my purchase I phoned SentinalHarts and talked with Camilla Hart about the qualities that I was looking for in a puppy, and what activities that I was wanted to do with her. I also told her that I would like to come visit her facilities and meet her dogs and puppies prior to any purchase. So, we made an appointment and I did. I was very impressed. The Harts are both really nice people. The kennels are very clean. They feed all of the dogs a natural diet of raw chicken, crushed meaty bones and a custom made veggie/supplement mix. If a customer intends to feed their puppy kibble (as I did), they will transition the puppy to kibble before you take it home. 

I observed that all of their puppies are socialized by meeting many non-household friends and are frequently allowed to play and interact with most of their adult dogs and their other puppies. And they are also allowed to meet and interact with many other kinds of animals that are on their premises-- chickens, goats, ducks, geese, cats, and I think there was an alpaca. I frankly can’t remember all of the different types of animals that they have. The Harts also bring their puppies into their house on a rotating basis. And all of the puppies are crate trained. They also accustom their puppies to loud noises by banging pots and pans, and other loud sounds. They basically do their best to expose all of their puppies to as many different experiences as possible. 
After the purchase, Camilla contacted me on several occasions to insure that everything was going well with my puppy. She was clearly just as interested in seeing that I was as satisfied after the purchase as before the purchase.

The end result for me was that I got a puppy that met all the qualities that I was looking for – in spades! And she is smart, a very quick learner, self-confident, athletic, no hang-ups whatsoever, alert, and extremely responsive and focused on me. Additionally she is a gorgeous dog. This took a lot of effort on my part but the Harts did their part to make it happen.


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## lhczth

Another breeder that wasn't mentioned is Vom Patiala. vom Patiala German Shepherds | Breeder of Working-line German Shepherds

I will also second Sue's recommendations.


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## Renegade

I would not hesitate getting a dog from the first 2 breeders you mentioned, and don't know anything about the 3rd. I would also suggest speaking with Vali at Caini de Politie Câini de Politie - Home (Superior Working GSD Kennel) to see if he has anything that would meet your criteria. Super knowledgeable and nice guy to speak with.


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## Smithie86

Ajay is good. If you go out to Menlo Park (Randy's club), ajay might be there, as he is a member there


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## NancyJ

You also are limiting to "breeders" with a web presence and regular production of litters. There are any number of folks who may breed one or two litters in their life and might have what you want. Being able to discern the "backyard breeders" from people with good working stock / show stock having a well planned litter opens up the possibilities. Of course, to do that, you need to be "connected" by actually being involved in dog things. .


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