Evaluating a breeder

[Raven bauer]

Hi,

I thought I had narrowed down my search for the right breeder, but I think I may have to start over. Regardless of what type of GSD I am looking for, how important are the following to you:
1) Dam and stud OFA certs and other health tests
2) Titles earned by dam and stud.
(1 and 2 are there for the dam and studs parents, grandparents, but not for them)

I should add that temperament is important and I planned on spending $1,550.

Thanks for your input.

[onyx'girl]

the above is important, but titles don't mean everything(depends on how they were earned) and how the breeder is actually raising the litter is important to me. This is one of the best descriptions I've found for getting pups off to a good start. (Wildhaus Kennels Raising Working German Shepherd Puppies)
And I've seen first hand how well it has been proven with many of the dogs from the kennel.

[Jag]

Word of mouth is important, too. So is the breeder's ability to match pedigrees. Lack of titles may mean that the breeder walked away from that for many different reasons. Doesn't mean the dogs aren't still evaluated, trained, and worked to prove 'breed worthiness'.

[meldleistikow]

OFA is important to me. I like titles, but only when the breeder is the one working their dogs. I would not by from a breeder that sends all their dogs off for a couple months to get a quick title. I want the breeder to actually know how their dogs work. if you have the money you can get titles on a dog that still has a not great temperament.

If I didn't have any interest in doing schutzhund, I don't think I would care so much about the titles.

[Shelly Chip]

I could care less about titles because my dogs are just pets. I do want to see well behaved parents and I want to see a breeder that really has a bond with their dogs. Don't just rely on reports from happy customers. Check the Internet for unhappy customers too. There are complaints about breeders on sites like the better business bureau or ripoff report.

OFA and health certificates are extremely important to me. I want the healthiest dog possible, though there are never any 100 percent guarantees.

[mego]

Health tests super important + I look for a breeder who is open to communicate with any and all questions I have

[onyx'girl]

Originally Posted by Shelly Chip

I could care less about titles because my dogs are just pets. I do want to see well behaved parents and I want to see a breeder that really has a bond with their dogs. Don't just rely on reports from happy customers. Check the Internet for unhappy customers too. There are complaints about breeders on sites like the better business bureau or ripoff report.

OFA and health certificates are extremely important to me. I want the healthiest dog possible, though there are never any 100 percent guarantees.

Just because your dog will be a pet, doesn't mean the parents shouldn't be proven to be breedworthy. And that is where titles are important. If the breeder has both parents on site, are they breeding out of convenience, or looking to see what traits they can best bring out?

Do they understand pedigree matching to balance the strengths and weaknesses they've seen while training the dogs for the titles that they work hard for? Or do they just breed their male and female companions that they are bonded with, and hope for the best outcome. It may not really matter, because they are just breeding for the pet home?