# Northeast Ohio Breeders??



## rob011 (Nov 1, 2011)

Hello Everyone,
My family and I have begun the search for our next family member. I have had a few Resuce German Shepherd mixes over the years that are as sad as it is to say "awaiting at the Rainbow Bridge". We have decided that we would like a German Shepherd puppy form a Breeder. I have done extensive internet research over the past few weeks on Breeders but have found it to be quite overwhelming finding one that is reputable. We are looking for a dog with good temperment, great health, and good looks but not show quality. Can anyone recommend a good Breeder in the Youngstown, Ohio area? Any input would be appreciated!!!


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## GSDBESTK9 (Mar 26, 2002)

Are you looking for Show or Working lines?


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## rob011 (Nov 1, 2011)

We are a somewhat active family, bike rides, hikes, spend lots of time outside/outdoors. Both me and my wife work durning the days so the dog would be couped up in the house during the day. Which would you recommend??


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

rob011 said:


> We are a somewhat active family, bike rides, hikes, spend lots of time outside/outdoors. Both me and my wife work durning the days so the dog would be couped up in the house during the day. Which would you recommend??


Both lines would be great for that.

Do you have a certain color you prefer?


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## rob011 (Nov 1, 2011)

I really like the Black and Tans


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

I don't know of anyone in Ohio, but I will tell you to be careful. You're right smack dab in the middle of puppy mill country, and a lot of them know how to pose as more responsible breeders.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

I know you want a breeders puppy but in Warren Ohio there is Weeping Willow Second Chance GSD Rescue.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

von Weinbrand is down around Canton - Val and her sister Jessica are active in training and they have sables and black and tans....they train at OG Ohio Hundesport....

vom Haus Weinbrand

her website is not up to date I think....I know she was breeding Drama soon.......

Lee


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

Emoore said:


> I don't know of anyone in Ohio, but I will tell you to be careful. You're right smack dab in the middle of puppy mill country, and a lot of them know how to pose as more responsible breeders.


 Honestly, Youngstown is not "puppy mill country". There's a fair share of pet type breeders of popular breeds like anywhere. There are some Amish commercial breeders in the rural areas of NE Ohio, mostly seems to be ones that sell to brokers for petstores. There's a commercial Doodle breeder about a half hour's drive from Ytown. Really though, I wouldn't say it's "puppy mill country" and warn people that it will be hard to find a good puppy here. 

There are lots of serious breeders within an hour or so from here too. Tons of shows, trials, training places, etc as well. One of the biggest outdoor AKC shows in the country is held every August in Canfield, which is only about 15 minutes from Youngstown. 

I totally second the suggestion of Vom Weinhaus. Val's dogs are awesome! Unfortunately, I don't think she's having any puppies until at least the spring. Wouldn't hurt to contact her though, maybe she can put you in touch with someone who does have pups.

I know a show breeder here who is looking for a pet home for a 10 month old German/American male. There's actually a ton of GSD show breeders in this area, many are now doing at least some German/American line breedings as well. So there's very often Amline and Am/German crosses available in the area. If you are interested in their names, PM me 

Also Weeping Willow GSD rescue is another great option if you'd consider an adult. It's run by some of the show people in the area. A lot of GSDs seem to turn up at the Trumbell pound too and some at the Mahoning pound. Of course, if you want a pup you'll probably need to go to a breeder although they occasionally turn up in rescue too.


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

AgileGSD said:


> Honestly, Youngstown is not "puppy mill country". There's a fair share of pet type breeders of popular breeds like anywhere. There are some Amish commercial breeders in the rural areas of NE Ohio, mostly seems to be ones that sell to brokers for petstores. There's a commercial Doodle breeder about a half hour's drive from Ytown. Really though, I wouldn't say it's "puppy mill country" and warn people that it will be hard to find a good puppy here.


You know what, that's a classic example of a Texan generalizing about other states and I apologize. I've heard so many times that there are lot of Amish puppy mills in Ohio and, you know. . . other states don't have _areas_. They're too small. I'd get mad if somebody said that Texas is all one way but of course other smaller states are all one homogeneous mass.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Agile GSD I agree. I am from the Ytown Area. The Canfield show brings lots of GSD Breeders to the area and your right there are some breeders around.There are also schutzhund Clubs and the Northern Ohio German Shepherd Dog Club.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

German Shepherd Dog Club of Northern Ohio. You can google it. It will tell you when and where the next meeting is. Or I can tell you. It is next Tuesday evening at a hotel in Macedonia. 

We are not full of Amish puppy mills, but there are some Amish around, and some do puppies. Southern Ohio has the auctions and that is bad. So, you do have to be careful wherever you get your puppy from. 

The Canfield show is awesome. I put some titles on my girls there. But that is in the beginning of August. If you want to go to a show and see some dogs work, there is a show in Cleveland mid December. (I doubt I will have even one of these monsters ready by then.) But the IX center is a GREAT show for dog-lovers and worth the haul. 

I used to go to school in Youngstown, straight shot down rt 11 about 50 minutes from my house. I give myself an hour and 10 minutes to get to the IX center in Cleveland. So that would be a 2 hour drive if you go north then east. It might be quicker to go west on 80 or something diagonal. 

In any case. If you want to find some serious breeders in NE Ohio, check out the GSD club, meeting on the second Tuesday of the month (except December), and/or go the dog show in Cleveland, the Christmas Classic.


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## wolfstraum (May 2, 2003)

Val does have a litter posted from Drama and Kimon Grenzblick....he is a very very nice male with great temperament. 

Lee


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## rob011 (Nov 1, 2011)

Thank you all for your great feedback. Curious if anyone is familar with Peters' Elite GSD in Medina, OH. I spoke with them earlier and they had tons of information and offered a lot of advice of what to look for in a quality breeder. They seem very particular as to who they sell dogs to.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Yes, they are members of our GSD club. I have never bought a dog from them though.


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## AgileGSD (Jan 17, 2006)

Emoore said:


> You know what, that's a classic example of a Texan generalizing about other states and I apologize. I've heard so many times that there are lot of Amish puppy mills in Ohio and, you know. . . other states don't have _areas_. They're too small. I'd get mad if somebody said that Texas is all one way but of course other smaller states are all one homogeneous mass.


 LOL not a problem. I'm not saying there aren't "puppy mills" in Ohio, it's just not something I have ever heard associated with the Ytown area before. And we do have a lot of serious dog people in this general area, in GSDs and other breeds. Of course, one should _always_ do their homework before buying a puppy 

FWIW the IX Center is about 90 minutes from Youngstown taking the turnpike. Made that trips so many times over the years! There used to be a summer IX show too and I miss it. The Christmas Classic is a great experience - tons of vendors and a big agility trial and an obedience/rally trial in addition to conformation. Horrible, overpriced onsite food though - bring your own lunch! 

As far as GSDs at that show go, you're likely to see almost entirely American showlines or German/American crosse with some German lines in the obedience and agility rings. Which is fine, just don't go expecting to see all types of GSDs equally represented. I think there is also a Schutzhund trial in a couple weeks in the Akron area, where you'll see almost exclusively German line GSDs. There is also a Schutzhund club about 45 minutes from Youngstown that you could visit. If you are interested in more info on that, let me know. 

You can get a good pet out of any of the lines, so that will be up to you to decide what you what. Whatever you decide look for parents that you like the temperament of and a puppy that you like from health tested parents and pedigree (OFA hips and elbows at minimum for multiple generations). And a breeder that you get along with well and agree with


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## REDorsey (Nov 2, 2011)

FWIW, I was up that way this past weekend (I used to live in Chardon) looking for a dog. I can refer you to TWO places: 1) Pat Matarrese who runs the NEOWDA; he had two younger dogs for sale and a Sch3 male. All nice, but a little too much drive for my 7 yr old son! Working lines, he has placed several dogs with Geauga county sheriff; he was a very nice man and extremely knowledgable. 2) Just happened to find Mi-Lyn kennels in Leetonia through the AKC website. She has some puppies available, just ready to go (8 wks). I am not a GSD bloodline buff AT ALL (now ask me about Arabian horse bloodlines, and I can talk for hours!) - but I want healthy hips, excellent yet protective termperaments. We saw the parents, one of the grandparents and some other dogs. All were healthy and great with my son; I was not really looking for a new puppy, but we did put a deposit down and now I am trying to get the house ready. I haven't had a puppy since I was my son's age. I think it will be fine. I'd like to get another dog later, maybe an adult with some Sch training. 

Email me at [email protected] if you want info, phone numbers etc.

Renee

PS - You can always check out Kirchenwald in Gibsonia, PA - wow, we went there 2 months ago - out of our price range, but WOW - incredible dogs!


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## rob011 (Nov 1, 2011)

Just curious if anyone else knows anything about Mi-Lyn Kennels in Leetonia, OH?? Thanks for any info


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I would keep looking.


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## REDorsey (Nov 2, 2011)

"I would keep looking." Obviously a nice way of saying, well what? PM me on that. If you KNOW of a personal experience these dogs/kennel, then I'd like to be forewarned of what "may" happen. If it is heresay or based on outward appearances, then I might not care. 

Rob011: I think it depends on what kind of dog a person is looking for. If you want a family dog, then from what I saw - and so far at home with the puppy - then they are just fine. If you want a high drive working line, probably not so much. High end show line, not so much either. For us RIGHT NOW - this puppy fits our family. 

As for being in Amish area, there were Amish nearby but these folks were definitely not Amish! If I were to have found their website, then I may have passed on by; there is not a lot of info on it and it could be a lot better. But for once, I decided to follow my instincts based on the conversation I had with the breeder, and it worked out for me. Like I said before, email me if you have any comments/questions, etc. 

[email protected]


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## Emoore (Oct 9, 2002)

REDorsey said:


> Rob011: I think it depends on what kind of dog a person is looking for. If you want a family dog, then from what I saw - and so far at home with the puppy - then they are just fine. If you want a high drive working line, probably not so much. High end show line, not so much either. For us RIGHT NOW - this puppy fits our family.


That's awesome! How old is your dog?


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## REDorsey (Nov 2, 2011)

Just now following up to this; sorry for the delay but just been a crazy year. I lost my beloved Arabian mare this year, that I had raised from birth and had until this year at 14 - it has taken a lot out of me. 

Now that is has been a little over 2 years, I have some more feedback. First of all, we still have the dog. She is a family member and fits in well. Gets along with the cats (some playfulness but no "grabbing and shaking" ); has adapted to the chickens I got this year and is pretty good with other dogs and our horses. We can bring her to our office with no worries, or leave her in the garage for the day; door cracked and she stays at the house. (We live in the country.) 

Now the less than stellar issue with her is this: she is a "spinner". As soon as she was old enough, I took her to Crosswinds K9 (Phyllis Tustin) for puppy classes.  She did well, and we got the basics down very well. I wasn't going for any Sch with her, as I know she didn't have the drive needed; maybe a future dog. Well about 5 to 6 months later, I took a video of her chasing her tail and sent it to Phyllis - and she explained the spinning. It is obvious it is an OCD-type issue; it seems to occur when she is anxious and doesn't know what to do with herself - so we have to constantly be ready to "interrupt" it - I am not sure if medication would help, but as it isn't a constant issue, I haven't pursued that. 

She appears to do better on grain free kibble; had some itching when I switched her from puppy food adult kibble, so I tried several brands until I found one that seems to work. (I fed her nothing but Honest Kitchen as a puppy; mixed it every meal, etc.) I actually like the Tractor Supply version of the grain free; it is a good price, her coat is shiny and soft, and she eats it. I try to limit the typical "grain" treats, but we have employees who will bring her milk bones and then she might scratch for a day or so. I stick to deer jerky I don't want anymore. And always "American" sourced rawhide. 

NOW - does this mean I am completely unhappy with the kennel? No - because I don't know if any other of their dogs do this. Would I get another dog there? Probably NOT. I basically got a decent, farm/family quality dog, that adores my son - is playful, loves to be around us, loves to play ball, is great on hikes in the woods, and we love her.

I also just added some pics of her; sorry for the one that is sideways - it was funny, she was laying across the ottoman while my husband was looking at his laptop.


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## REDorsey (Nov 2, 2011)

*Pictures of our dog from Mi Lynn*

Here are a couple pictures of Ziva; she has been with us since 2011. I will try to post some others, since I know I have them. This dog does have a lot of play drive - PLAY not prey. She loves to play ball, grab sticks, and is great with kids - my son and the neighbor boys. The FedEx truck? Not so much - he won't open his door.  I am under the impression that if someone did try to hurt us, she would not recoil - she'd bark and growl.


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## Daisy&Lucky's Mom (Apr 24, 2011)

Ziva looks quite happy and obviously loves her pool.She is a very pretty girl.


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## REDorsey (Nov 2, 2011)

*Current update on Mi-Lyn*

Well, we've been on this forum our entire journey with Ziva. I feel compelled to add another update. She has cancer. She is only 6 years old. It is Hemangiosarcoma and we are trying chemo. She was diagnosed on 10.27.17, so today it's been exactly a month. Is this a genetic issue? No idea. But it is what it is - we will do what we can for her and so far we are into 4 figures. If she were older, it might be more of a palliative course but she still behaves like a puppy!

I've attached a few pictures; one of my son that picked her out when he was 7 years old. :crying: 
This breaks my heart.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I am so very sorry to hear about the hemangiosarcoma. That picture with your son and Ziva made me cry. What a sweet face she has.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

:crying: Hemangio is such a cruel cancer.


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## sebrench (Dec 2, 2014)

I'm sorry to hear that Ziva has cancer. That is a beautiful photograph of her with your son. Please keep us updated.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Is it genetic? I dunno. It seems like NE Ohio is a hot bed when it comes to cancer. My mom had cancer, and my sister. It got my grandmother, and my great aunt beat six different kinds before the seventh got her in the end. My parents' dog Cujo had cancer. I think Arwen did too, but was never diagnosed for sure. I even think my cat had cancer. My parents' rescued dog, a stray GSD/hound cross, had an aggressive form of stomach cancer 35 years ago. It just seems like there is an awful lot of cancer around here. So many folks. You'd think this was Love Canal.


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