German shepherd breeders

SpottyTB

SpottyTB

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Hi there, can anyone recommend me a GSD breeder down in the south west/surrounding area?

Tomorrow seems to be D day for our lovely old Lab Henry, the drugs we were given have not helped him in the slightest and tomorrow he's booked in to be PTS.. So thinking ahead slightly - thinking about our other dog who is going to be absolutely beside himself when Henry doesn't come home..

we'd really love another GSD, i don't want to buy of the internet or out of the paper, i'd rather go to a breeder who breeds from properly health tested dogs, with good natures..

We have looked into rehoming, but to be honest, our JRT will find it hard to accept an older dog, he's only just become "ok" with our sprocker puppy (who isn't home all the time as goes out with OH shoeing in the day - we are a 3 dog family)..

So yes, now i've babbled.. if anyone can help me and suggest a good breeder, i'd really appreciate it.

many thanks

STB :)
 
It rather depends what you want your GSD for. I find there's a definate difference between those bred to show and those bred to work
 
stevieg said:
It rather depends what you want your GSD for. I find there's a definate difference between those bred to show and those bred to work
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It'll be for a pet and a companion.. MIL/FIL don't like the GSD with the sloping backs - mainly because they never used to be like that and they look so wrong.. there old GSD was an extremely straight backed lad.. so yes i suppose that's a working type of GSD?

:) thanks for the reply!
 
dwteam said:
Please have a look at https://www.facebook.com/groups/uk.gsr/ there are so many with them that are crying out for forever homes all ages shapes and sizes. If OH would let me I would have another from them to go with the one I already have.
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Hi there, we've looked into re homing and have seriously thought about it but our JRT just wouldn't get on with an older dog (anything over the age of about 6 months i feel) he needs to meet them whilst they are young to accept them..

So it really does make thing's a lot harder =/ it seems it's a puppy or not - but we can't not do it because he LOVES company and once he's fine with another dog .. it's great and all's well but yeah!

Will have a look through that page anyway!

Thanks! :)
 
Sorry to hear about Henry, hope tomorrow goes as well as it can.

I would be wary of going for strong working lines, they can be quite full on and not an ideal choice for a pet owner. Although she doesn't have any pups at the moment it might be worth you contacting Katrina Stevens http://www.kesyragsd.co.uk/pge.php?page=7
she may be able to point you in the direction of decent breeders in the south west. I will try and have a think of others in the area, and if you find any you want to know more about pm me the details and I will try and help. Make sure that you actually find out the hip and elbow scores of parents, don't just accept that they have been hip tested without seeing the proof.
 
You can PM me as well, not long out of my pit so not firing on all cylinders, with exactly what you are after, likes and dislikes etc, agree health testing to the hilt if you are buying a puppy and avoid working lines as a rule if you are looking for something with a lab-type temperament. Agree Katrina would be a good starting point :)
 
Hi all :-) thanks for reply,

will keep Katrina's website bookmarked - not going to get a puppy until we've moved and we're settled - so could be anytime up to 6 months - will just have to keep sprocker home with JRT 24/7.


Not sure what's happening tomorrow, i was under the impression that he was going to be PTS - which in my eyes is the kindest thing however MIL has just said she think's she'd like to keep him on steroids for a few months.. (costing £5/10 a week - for a 14 year old lab i don't really see the point - sorry if that sounds harsh but i don't.) I feel it's for them and not for him and that's selfish. But hey ho, not my decision - perhaps i'm being a little cold about it, but i can see it from an outside POV as i don't have 14 years worth of love for him.. only 2/3 years (as didn't know him before).

CC - Basically, we're after something that's easily trainable, got a lab type temperament - fairly large build, normal black/tan coloring and no sloped backs as mil/fil dis like that hugely. :)

STB
 
OK but what I will say is don't fall for the 'old fashioned, big boned' sales pitch if possible, it is no substitute for health testing and it is a myth to say that that type of GSD never gets hip problems...the GSD is by nature not a giant breed with big bones, the first GSDs were actually medium sized, light/wiry, tight coated and grey...the heavy/tall breeding was input from English and latterly American lines in later years. They are a relatively young breed, only established in the very late 1800s.

Perhaps a bit mischievous of me, but I used the term Lab temperament on purpose - GSDs are not meant to have a Lab temperament, they are meant to have a bit of spark and spunk and challenging at times :p :) but will do my best to help you out :)
 
Sorry should have been clearer, they don't want a small, fine kind of GSD - for example we just drove past two, the first was about 2 inches taller than a lab and about the same width in front (plus hair), the 2nd was slightly smaller than a lab, but built more like a /lurcher type - quite fine.. They'd rather the first?

Haha yes sorry, again a bit slow of me, or though when you said that I did think... Lab temp? Haha.. Well what I meant is, a kind temp .. I'm aware of a couple of breeders who have bred from snappy sires who have a nasty streak.. (will bite happily).. Does the "kind temp" thing make sense?

I grew up with GSD so know them well and MIL/FIL have had one before - fell in love and have re caught the GSD bug :-)
 
Have a look at some of my pictures of Evie, if she is too small/fine for you then at least it will give us an idea of what you are looking for, I promise I won't be offended:p . No pointus recommending breeders if they don't have the type you have in mind.

Ets. Mind you I will be offended if you think she is built like a lurcher :)
 
Right, here is one of my favourite links for me to wheel out again :p
http://www.shawlein.com/the-gsd/the-gsd-family/
(Not sure if the pics are showing up, grrrr!!!)

I've had mostly west German showlines (there are a couple of pics of my older dog and his sister in my gallery through my profile, I am sure some people would think they have 'sloping backs' :o but see what you think) and got my first workingline dog last year, he is a bit of a mish mash of east German, Belgian, Dutch workinglines and English and German showlines.
He doesn't actually look that radically different from them apart from colour, he is small, compact, has a straight back but it still slopes to the croup (that bit is actually in the breed standard).

The best dog I ever had was actually from a very old German herding line, great family dog but hard as nails when she needed to be....if I could get another one of her!!!


I would of course not recommend any breeders who would deliberately breed from nervy/shy/snappy/aggressive dogs :) and only tend to recommend dogs I have direct or indirect experience of, I know the litter brother of Katrina's stud dog Wotan and he is a real smasher.
 
Hi CC, thanks for all your info, will look at it tomorrow. We've just got back from the vets, Henry was put to sleep tonight.

He made the decision for mil/fil, he collapsed outside, threw up and couldn't get up again. We've all cried heaps and now we are having a drink to his memory.

STB x
 
Thanks guys, I'm actually really relived, they were considering keeping him going on drugs for a few months. I feel he made the decision. :he went so peacefully. thanks again xxx
 
Dobiegirl- it is, but then again they prepared themselves for it these last few days and today was the day he went extremely down hill. I only spoke from past experience but I feel they thought I was just being cold about him.

I think I cried the most tonight, such a lovely dog but 14 years, not bad really! STB
 
That's a good age x

This kennel http://www.jutone.co.uk/ carry some similar lines to my great old girl I mentioned above, their Jutones Alf was by her grandsire, a dog called Argus vom Aducht. I know you will see pretty exaggerated pics on their site but those dogs are posed like that, if you look at the unposed pics of the dogs and check out the Latest News and Owners Comments pages you will see that they are sought after dogs, they also breed Pathfinders guide dogs so their dogs are obviously fit for function :)
 
MurphysMinder said:
Have a look at some of my pictures of Evie, if she is too small/fine for you then at least it will give us an idea of what you are looking for, I promise I won't be offended:p . No pointus recommending breeders if they don't have the type you have in mind.

Ets. Mind you I will be offended if you think she is built like a lurcher :)
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Where am i meant to be looking for the photo's? :)
 
Sorry, I thought there might be some easily found on my previous posts but all the recent ones are of her pups. Here's one of her ladyship, not the most flattering but gives you an idea of her type.

Photo0153.jpg
 
Oh she is GORGEOUS!!! They are definitely looking for that sort of build, Rex there old dog was quite big, (not a lot taller then your by the look of it) but quite buff - never fat just buff.. i think they kept him entire for quite some time so perhaps that's why he was so big.. but yes she's gorgeous.. definitely that kind of GSD :)
 
Thank you.:D A male will always be stockier and broader in the chest than a female, but if that is the type you want I am sure Katrina will be able to point you in the right direction when you feel the time is right.
 
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