Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Hi Everyone,
Now that you have decided on what you believe to be a reputable breeder, you must then visit this breeder to make sure that they have well cared for and high quality German Shepherd Dogs.Upon your visit examine the overall health of all the dogs and notice if the kennels are clean and well maintained. Does the place smell bad of urine and feces? If the kennel does not pass this initial examination, you may need to move onto another breeder.Once you do find a reputable breeder with well-maintained dogs and kennels, you need to know that there are myriads of different types of shepherds with different looks and different functions. These differences may not be readily apparent to the average puppy buyer.Therefore, it may take several visits to different breeders to find the reputable breeder that is producing the right type of shepherd for you and your family.A reputable breeder does not always translate into good quality German Shepherd Dogs that are right for you or your family.Therefore, you must assess the actual German Shepherd Dogs especially the adults and parents.Because the related adults at the kennel especially the parents are going to be the best predictors of the temperament and structure of the new puppy.
Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels
If you have chosen a breeder that specializes in imports be aware that many of these German Shepherd Dogs are high-strung and are full of nervous energy.Unless, you and your family members are prepared to spend several hours a day exercising and training an import shepherd may not be the best choice. For several years, the breeders in Europe have bred their German shepherd Dogs to increase the drive and energy of their lines.This is because the sport of Schutzhund requires a high drive dog, and the higher the drive the more successful the breeder will be in competitions. While this is a noble pursuit for dogs that will be used professionally in law enforcement activities, this does not translate well for the family dog. In addition, some imported German Shepherd Dog lines are people and/or dog aggressive.Do you and your family have the skills to deal with an aggressive dog?Note that not all imports are high-strung; those that originate from the show lines in Germany have steadier temperaments and often make wonderful companions for families, as well as offering home protection.
When visiting the kennel to discuss the potential purchase of a new puppy be sure and go around to all the kennels and visit each of the breeder’s dogs. Observe their behavior.If you are greeted with a serious barking and aggressive behaviors at several kennel this is an indication of the aggressive behavior that would be exhibited by your new puppy once grown.However, if you are greeted by an excited bark this indicates less aggression and a more relaxed temperament.Will the German Shepherd Dogs come greet you through the fence by smelling and licking your hand or do they retreat to the back of the kennel?A retreating German Shepherd Dog could potentially be a dangerous dog that could be a fear biter that could get you sued. Retreating or showing fear towards strangers is not the correct German Shepherd Dog temperament, and is a big clue that these may not be the right German shepherd line for you to get your next puppy from.
Champion Heidelberg’s Stefanie Stretched Out In Her Stack
Notice if the kennels are heavily chewed or if excessive digging behaviors are observable. Again, these are indicative of behaviors that your new puppy may demonstrate at home.Is there incessant barking coming from the kennels even after you have been there for a while?This may indicate a barking problem when your puppy is grown.Ask to see the dogs outside the kennel.Will these dogs allow you to greet them and to pet them?If the breeder is reluctant to let the dogs out of the kennel this is a major warning sign, and perhaps it is time to move on to the next kennel to purchase your next German shepherd Dog. Be observant and ask questions and listen to see if the breeder’s answers ring true to you.
We at Keystone German Shepherds & kennels breed an even tempered German Shepherd Dog that are a true pleasures to live with inside and/or outside. However, while friendly towards welcomed strangers and children our dogs would readily give their lives to protect us and our property.Our Heidelberg German Shepherds can discern the difference between a stranger and a truly bad person; therefore they will not get you sued for biting someone because if they do bite someone that person will be going to jail.
Heidelberg’s Shae Playing In the Rock Garden
When someone first arrives at our kennels, the first thing that they will notice is that there is no odor. The next thing they will notice is how quiet it is on our property. Our Heidelberg German Shepherds will first alert bark when strangers come in, but once we go outside to greet the people, the dogs know that all is well and they will quietly observe us and the potential puppy customer.Our kennels are not chewed or dug up.Strangers can go from kennel to kennel and be greeted by a kiss to the hand from every dog on the property without any aggressive or fearful behavior being exhibited.
My next post will be a continuation of this series in “Choosing a Reputable Breeder” and the “Correct Type of German Shepherd Dog for You and Your Family” to actually “Choosing the Perfect Puppy With the Personality That Best Fits Your Family’s Lifestyle and Needs”.Because this is probably one of the most important discussions I can have regarding German Shepherd Dogs, I will be editing these posts and adding to them over the next couple of weeks with the plan to add this discussion as a new page on my web page so please revisit these posts as they are refined and improved.
Basic Obedience Class At Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels
Ask me a Question and I will provide my opinion. Also, please see our web page: KeystoneGermanShepherds
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Hi Everyone,
Choosing the correct German Shepherd Breeder is not an easy task with so many disreputable, incompetent, and misguided breeders. Since the presence of new German Shepherd Dog puppy is a twelve year investment and commitment, choosing the best place to purchase your next German Shepherd Dog puppy for you and your family involves careful consideration including life style and economics.Today, my discussion will focus on tell-tale signs of breeders to avoid.
First and most importantly, do not purchase your next German Shepherd Dogs puppy from a puppy mill.Dogs used for breeding in puppy mills have miserable lives and in many cases never live outside a crate, cage, or adequate kennel. Besides the obvious problems with the likely poor quality of puppies from puppy mills, the cruelty to the breeding animals is reason enough for a caring person to avoid puppy mills. In addition, avoid purchasing puppies from pet stores. Pet stores in general purchase all their puppies from puppy mills.While these types of puppy mills are somewhat better because they are overseen by the United States Department Of Agriculture and certain minimum living conditions are met; nevertheless, the breeding animals often have miserable lives with little to no love or socialization. Whereas, puppy mills that hide from the authorities and sell their puppies through the local newspaper, internet, parking lots, or even alongside the road are the worse culprits and largely are cruel places with harsh and often mentally ill owners. Do not support this cruelty.
Our Heidelberg German Shepherds Playing
How to recognize a puppy mill: First and most glaring indication of puppy mills is that puppy mills will breed several different types or breeds of dogs from Chihuahuas to German Shepherd Dogs.In addition, puppy mills will not readily let you see the parents or if they do so they will bring them to you so that you cannot see their living conditions.Often, they will place you in a room or fenced yard away from all their kennel operations and bring you the puppy one at a time or they may bring the entire litter out for you to choose from.The point being they will hide their dog raising activities from you. If they will not provide you with a tour of their entire facility, you probably should leave as quickly as possible.
Another blatant indication of a bad breeder and/or puppy mills are dog registrations with a parent club other than The American Kennel Club (AKC).AKC inspects all their breeders, and if standards are not met then that breeder’s registration rights are suspended.Puppy mills usually cannot stand the scrutiny of an AKC inspection. However, some Puppy mills do pass AKC inspections by moving sick animals off property and cleaning up their facility before the inspection. I wished that AKC would perform surprise inspections, but unfortunately at this time they schedule all inspections. For those breeders that are banned from AKC, they will often register their dogs with a club that is not familiar to most of us.We at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels have been told, over the years, by three different AKC inspectors that we have the cleanest kennels and best cared for dogs that they have ever seen.
Keystone Kennels in Winter
We at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels have devoted our lives to breeding and promoting the German Shepherd Dog.It has taken years to learn how to correctly breed our shepherds to produce the best possible puppy possible for our customers.Our breeding focuses on temperament, health, and appearances.For a powerful dog such as a German Shepherd Dog, temperament is absolutely the most important attribute.Perfect German Shepherd Dog temperament does not happen in a vacuum.By definition, backyard breeders randomly purchase German Shepherd Dogs from different breeders and then breed two different lines and types of German Shepherd Dogs. These breedings that put two random dogs together, mostly produce poor quality shepherds. Because the backyard breeder lacks basic breeding principles and knowledge, they have have no way of predicting the end product. These German shepherd Dogs are usually sold exclusively through advertisement in the local newspaper and almost always are the lower end of the price scale with puppies priced as low as $100.00 to $500.00. Avoid purchasing puppies from backyard breeders, that is if you can afford to go to a reputable breeder to ensure the highest possibility to acquire a healthy and good looking German Shepherd Dog puppy with the correct shepherd temperament.Although, on rare exception, you may find a good quality shepherd from a backyard breeder. However, more than likely, unless you are an expert in judging German Shepherd Dog puppies, you will end up with a puppy with serious temperament or health problems including an extremely structurally incorrect German Shepherd Dog that is just plain ugly.
To purchase a top-of-the-line German Shepherd Dog from a reputable breeder, you will likely have to spend approximately $1,500.00 or for a world class dog that turns heads, you may need to spend significantly more.
For years, we at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels have tried to keep our prices down around or below $1,500.00, but with the rise in cost of almost everything related to the operation of our kennel, we had to go up in our prices to where our average shepherd puppy is sold for $1,500.00.As the consumer of new German Shepherd Dog puppy, you should be aware of how expensive it is for a reputable breeder to consistently produce top quality German Shepherd Dog puppies. Doing things the right way and not cutting corners always cost more in time and money.
There are many bad breeders that are posing as reputable breeders and some clues to those that are legitimate and those that are not are provided below. The first thing you should ask is how long have they been breeding German Shepherd Dogs.While we all had to start at some point, longevity is a partial indication of legitimacy.More importantly, are they doing anything with their breeding dogs, such as AKC Championships, Herding Titles, Obedience Titles, proven Service Dogs, etc.If a breeder is not doing anything with the dogs he is breeding, this is an extremely strong indication that this is not a breeder that you would want to get your puppy from because they are likely only interested in selling puppies with little consideration for the dogs they breed. Not placing titles on the German Shepherd Dogs that you breed, in my opinion, is an inexcusable cutting of corner and indicates a lack professionalism. As the consumer, the only indication that these puppies are worthy of you and your family is the word of the breeder that has done nothing to prove their German Shepherd Dog lines.
A young Ch. Stefanie Being Shown
In addition, do they have a web page, and does it give the impression of professionalism.Do they readily state their guarantees and breeding philosophies? Be aware that breeding philosophies and guarantees are often rote and copied from reputable breeders by incompetent breeders. Also, If they are breeding and selling other breeds of dogs or other animals such as horses, this is indicative of a breeder that lacks dedication and focus on the German Shepherd Dog. Are they nut cases asking you to fill out applications and sign ridiculous restrictive contracts that threaten you with legal actions and fines? These are all indications of breeders that you may want to avoid. The only exception to signing a contract is possibly a non egregious show contract that clearly lays out the responsibility of the new owner and the breeder.
Legitimate breeders health screen and will be forthright about any health problem that they have observed in the dogs they breed.As the buyer, you need to be realistic and realize that all breeders of German Shepherd Dogs, overtime, have had certain health issues.If the breeder has been breeding for a number of years and has produced several hundred puppies over many years it is very likely they have most assuredly seen certain health concerns. This is just biology and the realities of the world that we live. What is important to you as the consumer is the rate of occurrence of these health concerns and the breeder’s willingness to discuss these issues with you.As a potential puppy buyer, you should realize that health concern discussions are going to be a touchy conversational subject for even the best and most reputable breeders. To be fair, save this discussion for an actual visit to their kennel so the breeder will know that you are a legitimate puppy buyer and not someone looking for information to disparage them or their dogs. Phone or email questions about Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) elbow and hip certification should be fine and readily addressed by the breeder.
Ask these questions when considering a breeder: Is the breeder knowledgeable about training, feeding correctly, and routine maintenance such as pest control, worming, and heart worm prevention? Do they take the time to share their knowledge with you?Do they explain how to correctly feed your new puppy so that the puppy grows correctly and fulfills its genetic potential?Do they convey a basic knowledge about proper nutrition for German Shepherd Dog puppies and adults or do just suggest a certain brand of dry-food without a detailed explanation for their recommendation?Are they available for questions and support after you have purchased your German Shepherd Dog puppy? Do they offer training? We at Keystone German Shepherd & Kennels offer several types of training including basic obedience, AKC Canine Good Citizen training and testing, conformation training, Service Dog Training, etc. Our basic and obedience training and AKC Canine Good Citizen Training are free and included in the purchase of your new puppy. These are just some of the questions, you should ask when looking for a reputable German Shepherd Dog breeder.
AKC Canine Good Citizen Class at Keystone German Shepherds & Kennels
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
Hi everyone,
Today, I am going to explain why we supplement our German Shepherd Dogs’ and Puppies’ diets with vitamins and supplements. German Shepherd Dogs digestive systems are not as efficient at assimilating nutrients from their food sources as human beings. Yet, like all Carnivores and certain omnivores such as lions, tigers, wolves, coyotes, and foxes, German Shepherd Dogs have specific caloric and nutrient requirements. Unlike their wild counterparts that meet these caloric and nutrient requirements by capturing prey and consuming stomachs and intestines that contain predigested vegetation, our German Shepherd Dogs depend on us to provide these dietary needs. Predigested stomach contents provide the meat-eaters with much-needed nutrients such as complex amino acids, minerals, enzymes, and chlorophyll necessary for maintenance, health, and longevity.
Dry-food companies have recognized that many German Shepherd Dog owners are educating themselves on proper diets for their German Shepherd dog and puppies. Therefore, several companies are offering their dry-food (kibble) diets with vitamins and vegetables cooked into the kibble. However, what they do not say, is that because all dry-food is cooked at such high temperatures and extruded at such high pressures that almost all vitamins and nutrients are degraded. These nutrients cannot be found insufficient levels or in a readily digestible form in most all dry-foods.
Nevertheless, many veterinarians and dog food companies are teaching people to feed only dry food. Consider that German Shepherd Dogs are less efficient at assimilating nutrients from their food sources than human beings. Yet, intuitively we know know that if we consumed a kibble only diet for years that eventually we would have myriad of health problems caused by this kibble only diet.
We at Keystone German Shepherds and Kennels consider our dry-food as a caloric base for our diet. Therefore, we feed a grain and gluten-free kibble that we supplement with vitamins and cooked fresh vegetables. Our vitamins, “Pure Total Dog Supplement” are packaged here at Keystone German Shepherds and Kennels in 3-pound bags of powder that is sprinkled on top of your German Shepherd Dog or puppy food. These powder vitamins last approximately 2.5 months for one German Shepherd Dog. Our Pure Total Dog Supplement contains diatomaceous earth, brewers yeast (all vitamin b complexes), active yeast enzymes to assist in digestion, selenium (for bone growth) vitamin c, kelp, flaxseed meal, chicken liver powder, and fish-meal for an extra boost of protein.
We sell these vitamins for $19.95 and can ship for a low fee anywhere in the United States.
Pure Total Dog Supplement
We feed our German Shepherd Dogs adults and puppies the same diet throughout life. Once weaned, German Shepherd puppies become lactose intolerant and can no longer digest milk products other than cottage cheese, certain cheeses, and plain yogurt. Puppies grow fast and require calcium and other minerals to grow correctly and avoid joint problems later in life. We meet these requirements by adding plain white yogurt and our Pure Total Dog Supplement to their diet.
If you have a poor eater our Pure Total Dog Supplement will encourage your German Shepherd Dog or Puppy to eat. The German Shepherd Dog cannot resist the chicken liver powder that is an ingredient in our Pure Total Dog Supplement. Pure Total Dog Supplement will also stop your German Shepherd Dog adult and puppy from eating wood, dirt, rocks, and poop. German Shepherd Dogs adults and puppies will only eat these items in an effort to satisfy their needs for certain nutrients and minerals that are found in wood, dirt, rocks, and poop, which are not in a digestible form. These macronutrients and minerals are in Pure Total Dog Supplement and satisfy your German Shepherd Dog metabolic needs for these items.
Try supplementing your German Shepherd Dog adult or puppy with high-quality vitamins and your German Shepherd Dog will thank you with a longer and healthier life.
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
We have a really nice selection of German shepherd puppies with litters available out of new Ch. Heidelberg’s Nashville v Oklahoman and Ch. Heidelberg’s Stefanie Missyw.
Nashville (Noah) is co-owned by Dee Pierce and this is his second litter. From his first German shepherd puppy litter, he produced two of the most promising male German shepherd puppies that I’ve seen in a long time. Champion Noah is producing great size and bone with fearless temperaments. I sold Newman, and co-own him with Jeremy Whitson and the other male German shepherd puppy, Nelson, I kept. Look for these lovely German shepherd puppies at upcoming shows this year (See them below).
Newman and Nelson Noah Puppies
Noah’s current German shepherd puppy litter has four males and two females. We are accepting deposits. Do not miss out on owning a future German shepherd dog champion out of this litter. German shepherd puppies will be available to go home on February 10, 2013. Below are some snap shots of this German shepherd puppy litter:
Two females and on male in the above pictures are from Grand Champion Champion (GrCh. Ch.) Heidelberg’s Kodiak v Queridad (Kodi) and Heidelberg’s Quinn Delta (Crystal). Note that these three puppies are marked to identify them from the other puppies. Crystal is co-owned with Riley Westfall and is currently being shown to her Championship. Kodi is also a full time Medical Alert Service German shepherd dog. Below is a picture of Kodi and coming is a picture of Crystal:
GrCh. Ch. Kodi
We also have a German shepherd puppy litter out of Ch. Heidelberg’s Bogie v Charisman and champion pointed Heidelberg’s Essence Jackieq:
Below are pictures of the Bogie and Essence litter:
Bogie has been a top producer the last three years and these puppies will be large. There are 2 males and 2 females in this German shepherd puppy litter and we are accepting deposits. These German shepherd puppies will be ready to go home March 3, 2013.
Ask me a question and I promise to provide my opinion.
Exploring the vast prairie of the Washita National Wildlife Refuge
We have two wonderful older puppies available. A male and female from new Champion Heidelberg’s Zeke v Gennyh and almost Champion Heidelberg’s Brandi Charisman. The Puppies are fairly calm with medium prey drive and are highly intelligent. They would be good for an apartment dweller as well as someone that lives on a ranch. In addition, they are both energetic and would make good jogging or walking companions. Both puppies have fantastic gaits. These puppies have been well socialized and love small children and will be compatible with other dogs and cats. Attached are pictures of the of the young parents:
Below are pictures of the two puppies. In addition we are accepting deposits on a 7 week old litter from New Champion Heidelberg’s Nashville v Oklahoman and Champion Heidelberg’s Stefanie Missyw.
Excited puppies playing
We just sold the female for $1,200.00 on January 31, 2013. The lovely Male German Shepherd puppy is still available.
Please submit your questions and I promise to offer my opinion.
Exploring the vast Prairie at Washita National Wildlife Refuge
We at Keystone emphasize placing conformation titles on most of our breeding stock. Attached is a pedigree from Grand Champion Champion (GrCh. Ch.) Oklahoma Natashac (Kay). All the names in red or blue are Champions. This pedigree represents a very typical pedigree from our kennel.
It is very expensive and competitive to win the title Champion on a shepherd. The better the dog, the less expenses towards the title. Kay finished in three weekends and cost us relatively nothing to finish her Championship title.
Nevertheless, there is no better proving ground for breeding stock than the conformation ring for shepherds. For the most part, only the best shepherds in country ever obtain the AKC Championship title. A Championship title requires a solid temperament, a beautiful shepherd, and correct, graceful movement.
As for the European or import shepherds most could never obtain a conformation title because they do not move correctly and are ugly. They have short choppy gaits with no extension. Therefore, they would struggle as a true herding dog because they would tire quickly if required to move across long distances. It always amazes me how critical most European or import breeders are of conformation dogs, yet my shepherds could readily achieve a schutzhund title 3, but their dogs could never become an AKC Champion.
While the conformation ring is not perfect, it provides, the potential puppy purchaser the best starting place to find the next member of their family, which was and still remains the purpose of AKC Championship titles, thus as the proving ground for breeding stock.
Please send me your questions and I promise to provide with my opinion.
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