Help the unexperienced decide whether this is a good breeder

[melissa246]

I'm planning on getting my german shepherd soon. Now, im very inexperienced when it comes to stuff like that and i've only started reading about german shepherds, of course i have plenty of time to do this until my puppy arrives so hopefully i will be ok.

Back to the topic, personally i consider the task of finding a reputable and TRUSTWORTHY breeder on the internet(i dont know anyone who knows much about dogs or gsd) is .. well, kind of confusing, i mean i really cannot spot who's legit and who's just a backyard breeder or someone whos only in it for the money. This is where you come in, I'm really liking this breeder over here:
Broomeacres German Shepherds
Keep in mind that i live in BC canada and i got this webpage from
www.canadasguidetodogs.com/germanshepherd/gsd_breeders.htm


For those of you who are afraid to click the links for whatever reason here are some quotes, please help me determine whether i should proceed with it or not.


" We are very proud of our "kids". Here are some of their accomplishments:
AGILITY TITLED
RCMP CERTIFIED SEARCH AND RESCUE DOGS
MULTI SCHUTZHUND HIGH IN TRIAL
MULTI CKC "HIGH IN TRIAL"
CKC TRACKING DOGS
SCHUTZHUND TITLED DOGS
CKC OBEDIENCE TITLES
CKC CHAMPIONS
WORKING CERTIFIED POLICE DOGS
CITY BYLAW DOG
THERAPY DOGS
PRISON VISIT DOGS
ASSISTANCE DOGS
PERSONAL ASSISTANCE DOGS
A CALENDAR BOY
AND THE BEST FAMILY COMPANIONS

We were the only certified civilian search and rescue dog team in Canada to have been Certified for 13 years consecutively, with two of our dogs, owner trained and handled, Scandal and Sheena. "


"All of our dogs are OFA or OVC certified clear of hip and elbow dysplasia. All puppies will be CKC registered, micro-chipped, tattooed, de-wormed, vaccinated, vet checked and come with a written guarantee, as well as 6 weeks insurance. You will also receive a 5 generation pedigree along with a photo album, lots of fun info on puppy stuff and a health record of the puppy. We provide continuous after sales support and assistance to all of our shepherds and puppy buyers. "

" Our puppies are born in our house where we can constantly watch over and monitor their growth and development. We have a video camera in the whelping room so we can watch the mother and puppies without always disturbing them. There is also a live cam so that people anywhere in the world can go on the internet 24/7 and watch the puppies play and grow. Once they are 5-6 weeks old, they are allowed to be outside in our big covered kennel runs so they get to interact with the adult dogs and see the big wide world. We believe that lots of handling, attention, love and socializing is essential for our pups. We spend many hours walking down Main street Courtenay and standing in front of busy stores with our pups! "

My thoughts:
They listed quite alot of accomplishments but i'm guessing not all of their dogs possess all those qualifications which means that i could get a pup that doesnt carry those skills in his bloodline? (im not sure if i'm wording this right and i'm probably wrong as well hehe)
I've read the sticky on here and tried to follow the advice of other websites when it comes to choosing a breeder and they seem ok to me.. but im still not sure

[Emoore]

Personally I'm not real thrilled that they admit Boss is "just a baby and he needs to mature" but they're breeding him already. Several dogs x-rays "look" great, but have they sent them in to OFA or Penn-hip for evaluation? I would think more highly of them if they did that before breeding. They might have and just haven't mentioned it on their website, or their website could be behind. Something to ask them if you're interested in their puppies. Also I'd like to know what they do with their dogs besides breed. How do they evaluate drives, nerve, and temperament? "We live with them" isn't a good answer, they need to work their dogs in some sort of pressure situation to evaluate them. I see they do SAR and that is good, but are all their dogs SAR? Do they do something else?

This is not saying they are a good or a bad breeder, just some questions that were not answered on their website. You'd want to know the answers to these questions before going forward. Their dogs look nice; some working line dogs and some show line. I'd ask them why they chose those specific dogs and what is their goal in mixing the lines.

[Whiteshepherds]

Originally Posted by Emoore

Also I'd like to know what they do with their dogs besides breed. How do they evaluate drives, nerve, and temperament? "We live with them" isn't a good answer, they need to work their dogs in some sort of pressure situation to evaluate them. I see they do SAR and that is good, but are all their dogs SAR? Do they do something else?

Yes, they do other things, read their brag page, lots of info about what they do.
http://www.broomeacresgermanshepherd...rag%20Page.htm

I don't know anything about the bloodlines but these clearly aren't sit on your butt and just produce puppies kind of breeders. To the OP, are these breeders you can go visit in person? (might have missed that in your post?)

[melissa246]

First thanks to all those who responded.

@Emoore Thanks for those suggestions, I will definitely ask them the next time i speak with them and I will report back.

@Whiteshepherds Sorry my bad. Yes they are breeders I can visit, it is a 5 hr drive from my place to their place... now since I don't have a car and public transportation can't reach certain routes i will have to take the taxi ... and taxis in vancouver are overpriced .... but I guess it's definitely worth it to make sure my puppy comes from a good environment and obviously it is something im willing to do. I can't guarantee the frequency of my visits but I imagine I will visit them at least once

[dawnandjr]

Their web site is outdated. Pedigree database is outdated. Go see the dogs and ask about OFA/PENN HIP/OR A-stamp hips/elbows. They could actually show you the certificate that is mailed to them. Ask about reasons for mating certain pairs (what was the goal to produce). And did it produce. Do they offer you references to check them out?
Do you know someone with a car to go with you or you can borrow one from? How do you plan to get to dog training classes and vet. Maybe they are within walking distance from you. Or public transportation accepts pets.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Whiteshepherds

Yes, they do other things, read their brag page, lots of info about what they do.
*Brag Page

I don't know anything about the bloodlines but these clearly aren't sit on your butt and just produce puppies kind of breeders. To the OP, are these breeders you can go visit in person? (might have missed that in your post?)

Their brag page is absolutely worthless until they start showing something to back it up.

Personally I couldn't care less about all the "instructor" titles if the dogs don't have titles to back it up, and the whole deal with having trained two SAR dogs (I think it was SAR, I looked several hrs ago at the site but didn't have time for a reply at the time) is hogwash given that those aren't the breeding dogs. All the sires I looked at were too young to be bred, and thus too young for proper hip/elbow x-rays, I didn't even bother to look at the females after seeing that. The breeders claim that they've done more than anyone elses is absolutely ridiculous, and their grand claim to fame on at least one of the dogs is that the dog came from Germany. Germany breeds crappy dogs, just like America. So just where it came from doesn't make it a better dog, despite what some of the average joes think.

[GSDElsa]

Hmm I dunno. It could go either way with these people I think. I'm not impressed by the stuff on their website--it seems kinds of like a lot of fluff. They claimed to have many SchH HIT dogs, but there isn't a single SchH title on any of their dogs now? I would definitely want to research and check out everything they have to say about that.

I'd also question their lines. It seems like a poorly thought out hodgepodge from what I see on the website. Some working lines. Some West German Showlines. Some that may be American Show Line (didn't look at all the pedigrees, but that's what a few looked like to me). Outcrossings can be good. They can also be bad. Why do they have so many and such a variety of dogs? How are they making sure the different lines are pairing correctly?

I also think it's a little odd that they seem to brag about really bizarre things like a dog being a great escape artist.

I also gag when people brag about themselves to the manner they seem to....No other trainers and breeders in the WORLD have done as much as you?? REALLY? Are they seriously making that claim?? GAG me. Seems like they are trying to make excuses for themselves being a "jack of all trades, master of none."

I would also ask about the SAR claims. How long ago were these dogs SAR dogs? Certianly doesn't look like any current dogs are.

I really would like to know--other than having a boat load of dogs without titles and breeding them--what they are really doing with their dogs TODAY.

[GSDElsa]

Originally Posted by Whiteshepherds

I don't know anything about the bloodlines but these clearly aren't sit on your butt and just produce puppies kind of breeders. To the OP, are these breeders you can go visit in person? (might have missed that in your post?)

Kind of. They have an awful lot of brags about what they do, yet the majority of those brags have nothing to do with the current dogs they have as breeding dogs.

[melissa246]

thank you so much to everyone who have replied. I'm glad I took it to the forums and asked people who are more knowledgeable than me concerning this breed. Some of the questions you've asked seem very reasonable and has made me curious as well. Which is why I'm second guessing my decision right now. As for their website, it seems like it is _not_outdated_ i've been checking the website regularly and i've noticed they are updating their "puppies"/ "litters" section. So if the brags they provided are outdated, they did nothing to change it. Are they bragging over nothing? I guess....

[trudy]

Melissa, I have heard nothing but really good things about this kennel, try to give them a call, often good breeders may not match what you want but they have a wealth of info and often are happy to help. I am in Ontario but the word is they are reputable and honest and have real good dogs, or so I've heard.

BULLINGER SHEPHERDS Breeder of German Shepherds Canada