My 8yo wants one in the worst way. Anyone recommend a breeder? Houston area preferred but will travel a couple hours if need be

My wife's Grandparents breed German shepherds in Forth Worth. We have one of their dogs and she is 3 years old and wonderful. They are called Brushy Creek Kennels of Fort Worth. They have a Facebook page and a blog. You can PM me if you have any questions. They would be willing to meet halfway. Take care.

Also meant to say they have a litter due this weekend and have both boys and girls remaining.

GSD owner here. Did a bunch of research before I got my first one. You can spend $3k+ if you get into German bloodlines, competition bloodlines, etc. If you don't care about all that and just want a family dog, you should be able to find one for $300-500 and still get an AKC registered GSD.

My only word of caution is they are a working breed and have a lot of drive to work. Be prepared to invest your time into training and playing (working) with it a lot, or you will have a dog that shreds every possible thing thing around your house that he can get his teeth on. Also, they are extremely protective of their pack and very suspicious of strangers so they can be a dangerous breed if not properly trained.

However, Those qualities that are potential negatives can also be great positives about the breed when put to proper use. I feel that my family is much safer when I'm gone because I know my GSD would give his life protecting them.

Unfortunately, I said all that but was not even able to answer your original question. I found my dog on a pet classifieds site back when I lived in Austin so I'm not really able to help with recommendationss. Sorry about that, haha.

If you want to skip the puppy stage and are open to a rescue, the Greater Houston German Shepherd Dog Rescue group is a great resource.

Good luck with your search.

i would like to keep it at 500 or less. Ive warned everybody about keeping him active and what will happen if we dont. Ive owned several labs.....

Might know of a litter dropping in late nov near Houston. Not sure how soon you are looking to get one.

Another thing to look out for is Degenerative Myelopathy. GSDs are Top 3 on the breed list for DM with Boxers and Corgys. Trust me that is not a disease you want to be dealing with in 5-7 years. You can get a DNA test done. A dog with 2 mutated genes stands a very high risk of getting it, while a dog with one or no mutated genes is very unlikely to get it. It request a test from the breeder or to atleast at a minimum make sure they aren't breeding two parents with both having two mutated genes. Since the disease doesn't show up until 5-6 years dogs of breeding age likely won't show signs.

Enviroag02 said:

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Another thing to look out for is Degenerative Myelopathy.

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My GSD started showing signs at 8 yrs; eventually had to put him down. GSDs are great dogs which require lots of activity and human interaction.
From my perspective the only negative with this breed is shedding and they can have a strong odor.
Their intelligence is off the charts. I really miss my buddy.

We got our from Kennel Goldblum here in SAT. European bloodlines. Dog is smarter than most of my kids.

If your budget is $500, get an adult from a rescue that fosters. This way you know what temperament you're getting yourself into and for the most part the health of the dog. Otherwise, all puppies are a heath and temperament crapshoot. The quality ones (notice I said quality, not expensive; plenty of expensive, crappy dogs out there) simply stack the genetic deck of cards heavily in your favor. They cost more because of the established genetic consistency in health and temperament that comes from generations upon generations of proven health (hip/elbow scores) and temperament (through extensive testing that occurs in training and trialing and earning titles). You're not gonna get that for $500 in the classifieds. A GSD with poor temperament is a disaster to begin, but with kids in the mix? Yikes. Another route would be to get in touch with quality breeders and ask about young dogs that have been returned due to lack of working ability. That's not to say they'll be couch potatoes but they simply don't have what it takes for the working world and will be less expensive.

Beware. The breeder of that $500 puppy in the newspaper will say they don't have to test hips or elbows because their dogs jump in and out of the truck just fine even though that means absolutely nothing about joint health. And that their dogs are so protective but in reality that protectiveness is poor nerve and a ticking time bomb with kids.

AlphaBean

You gave me advice many years ago that lead me to Ozzy. I had a different user name back then.
Thank you.

TexasAggieJTL said:

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AlphaBean

You gave me advice many years ago that lead me to Ozzy. I had a different user name back then.
Thank you.

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I remember Ozzy! Glad you enjoyed many happy years with him.

Warsteiner, My dad had the first K-9 unit in Bexar Cty. and I have owned and raised 15 GSD. We have had both American Bred and German lines. Within the German lines there are East German and Czech, West German and Belgium lines. The West German and Belgium are more family temperament dogs whereas the East German and Czech are considered more toward guard, attack type dogs with a "sharp" temperament. The German dogs do not have the sloping back like the American Bred Shepherds and have a more blocked head and shorter muzzle.
I would caution you to thoroughly investigate the line that you are looking at on past temperament tendencies as usually lineage or breeding history tend to produce a certain type of puppy.
American Bred Shepherds can have easier and quieter temperaments but also can have more health issues imho. Ask lots of questions on health guarantees including hips and elbows. If you want to research information on the OFA certification you can go online and look up information on OFA testing and DNA testing.
The GSD is a great breed with a super "brain". They are a large dog and need to be socialized often and you need to start teaching them things the minute they come into your life. They need a firm but loving hand and they will repay that with their love and loyalty. Any dog....any breed.... given either the lack of, or wrong training can develop bad traits and temperament.
I can suggest a good breeder who is in Texas buy the name of MelloDee Middleton. Her website is www.germelhaus.com. She has been doing this for over 40 years and deals in the German lines. Great lady and knows her stuff.
I would also suggest feeding your new dog a total grain free diet as shepherds tend to have grain allergies.
Hope you find your perfect companion!

thanks for all the replies. Its been very helpful

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The West German and Belgium are more family temperament dogs whereas the East German and Czech are considered more toward guard, attack type dogs with a "sharp" temperament.

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This somehow seems so appropriate.

How much do you have to spend on a pet quality puppy from parents with hip clearances? Are there other health clearances common in this breed like in retrievers?

I have 2 rescues. One is very smart, the other...not quite as bright. A lot of energy and both extremely loyal. They love to bark almost as the love to shed. Buy a very good vacuum.

Am worried about long term issues but not a lot we can do about it. Neither have the sloped backs.

reddog90 said:

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How much do you have to spend on a pet quality puppy from parents with hip clearances? Are there other health clearances common in this breed like in retrievers?

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This will vary greatly depending on which "type" of GSD and the breeder. The euro show dogs are $$$. Some breeders simply want a good home for their pet dogs and charge accordingly. Other breeders view the pet puppies as having the same cost to create as the non-pets so they charge the same. I would expect at least 1k for a working line. Elbows are also an absolute must. The other issues like DM are hit or miss and just because a dog is a carrier doesn't mean it should be excluded from breeding, it just means breeding decisions about the other half of the pedigree must take that factor into account. Ask questions about the type of dog the breeder expects the pairing to produce and ask about weaknesses within the lines. If a breeder says there are no weaknesses then they are clueless at best, dishonest at worst. Ask what they are trying to accomplish with the breeding. I'll throw this out there, I always warn against show/working mixes. Creating a pretty dog that works isn't as simple as randomly throwing those two completely different pedigrees together and often results in temperament disaster because the show dog doesn't have the nerve to handle the natural aggression GSDs possess and in particular the amount that the working lines bring to the table. Aggression and fight drive is natural in GSDs, solid nerve ensures they do not feel like everything is a threat that requires using that aggression.

Ive got a question, especially for any breeders out there.
My son picked out the puppy he wanted from a certain breeder. We payed the deposit and said the puppy would be ready to pick up in about a month. 5 days before we were going to pick the dog up, the breeder calls and says the puppy has died. My 9 year old is heartbroken.
They are apologetic and let us know they have another dog that will give birth in a month or two. Then we would have to wait another couple months to take the puppy home. My son cant wait that long so we find another puppy from a different breeder.
We ask for our deposit back and the original breeder says nope, we dont refund deposits for any reason.

Is this standard operating procedures? It doesnt seem right at all. I get it if we backed out of the deal, but the puppy we chose died