My new dog is on his way from Germany!

[Mrs.K]

The dog, OP got, shouldn't have been more than 1500-2000 Euro.

[qbchottu]

Here is the dog's pedigree (don't know if same dog, but breeding is the same):
Freak vom Halley'schen Komet

For this young dog, with the level of work he has, also that he is male, and the fact that nobody will sell a dog that is worth keeping, I would pay 3k at the most for this dog. Shipping will cost 500+ more. But 10k for a green male is quite steep!

[Mrs.K]

Originally Posted by KLZ86

seitz - YouTube

platz - YouTube

Foundation work. That's all it is.

If you translate it into Horse training... not a horse you would put a child on, yet because it's still to green. You still sit in a light sit, slightly leaning forward, giving the horse a lot of help. You start taking it out into public and you get ready for the first "young horse" show but nowhere near ready for competition level training or a horse that you can rely on in public places yet.

This is a dog that is just beginning to learn, he still needs the help of his stimuli which is the ball. Wait until you get that dog, have him for two weeks and then see how good his commands will be, without any kind of continuing training. It'll be mediocre at best, if he responds at all. That is why everyone is says that you will have to continue to work him. Make it solid. Not for competition but as a pet owner. You have a dog that has a nice starting and that is promising to be a good pet, but you will have to put more work into it. It's not a finished dog.

[dbrk9]

Originally Posted by KLZ86

To answer everyone's questions I bought Dino as a personal family dog, we are not looking to do any competitions or tests. I show horses competitively and I would not have time to do that with Dino. I do have other videos of his obedience of him sitting/staying and laying/staying while the trainer walks away and he does not move until she calls him (off leash). It took this breeder 2 weeks to get back to me with a dog that they thought would fit the mold. I was told that his commands are sharp and on key and he is good with children and small dogs. Put through various tests to make sure of it and taken in public around large groups of people. I also called many of his references.

Dino just turned 2 in November. I told ____ exactly what I was looking for over the phone and Dino is what he came up with over testing 6 different dogs to make sure he was the right fit. If I do have an issue with the dog I will send him back but he has a lot of positive feedback and I don't think I will be disappointed. Remember I am look for a family dog that will be on guard if only we are in danger and listens well. Something that my 2 chihuahuas are not capable of doing.

EDIT: my "bueller bueller bueller" comment was not meant to be rude, I was referencing the movie because no one had commented on my thread.



One more thing. I called a lot of US breeders before I called the one in Germany and I was not comfortable with any of them nor did they seem okay with the fact that I had a child and other dogs. Their starting price for the GSD was about 10K and that is what my friend here in TX who also has a GSD ended up paying for his so I figured that was about the standard rate for what I was looking for. Give me a second and I will upload some of his obedience training.

I show horses too (Hunter Jumpers)! He is really nice. I love his conformation. How tall and how much does he weigh now? I am having so much fun training my puppy. I got her from another horse person who breeds protection dogs. She is all East German and Czech her relatives were imported. You may be surprised how much fun it is to train him further. He is off to a good start! It's a blast. Although I am just in the beginning obedience now. Do you think you will ever breed him? I guess it's all too soon. But you might get hooked working with him. Best of luck, keep in touch!

[robk]

The purchase price is not relevant at this point. The dog has already been purchased and the OP is excited about bring home their new family member. I think it is a very nice dog that is showing some nice potential. I do want to encourage the owner to find a way to keep the dog in training so that he can develop into the finished dog that they are wanting.

[Castlemaid]

If you are mostly looking for a family dog that will alert bark and will act as a deterrent, with some basic obedience, then Dino sounds like a good fit for you. As long as you understand that this is NOT a finished protection dog, and the training shown in the videos is foundation work in prey drive with no real pressure.

It might be a fun and rewarding thing for you to take him to an IPO/Schutzhund club and finish him yourself (big time commitment though). You will learn a lot and really deepen your connection and bond to him.

[x0emiroxy0x]

I am confused about one thing...you said if he turns out to be "not what you thought" you will just return him.

How can you just return a dog to Germany? If I were a breeder selling a dog that already had its hips OFA certified and the dog had no health or temperament problems, I would not accept "refunds".

If the dog is green as the experienced people are saying, but you think he was completely trained from these videos, what happens when you get him and he requires more training in order to be the "perfect family dog".

Will a breeder really allow you to just send him back because you didn't have enough previous experience to realize what you were getting into?

This is not meant to put you down, I am inexperienced as well. I am just wondering how the breeders handle a situation like this because I can completely see families importing GSDs then realizing they are too much to handle and wanting their money back.

[qbchottu]

From what I have heard and from what I have been told by German breeders, you buy it and that's it. I never heard of refunds or anyone taking a dog back. Most of the time, when you buy from Germany or Czech Republic or wherever, you buy what you buy. That's it. Many do not give guarantees either.

It will run 700$-1k to send it back - I will be surprised if they are willing to pick up that cost!

[qbchottu]

Originally Posted by KLZ86

I will send him back but he has a lot of positive feedback and I don't think I will be disappointed. Remember I am look for a family dog that will be on guard if only we are in danger and listens well.

I might be wrong, but is the impression I get. A PP dog that will get along with the family and require little training/upkeep. If there is danger or a threat, the dog is expected to defend the home and family like a PPD. This is unreasonable to expect from this dog that is still young, green and untested. It will be naive to expect PP from a green dog and possibly dangerous if you put too much stock in the dog protecting your family from legitimate threats.

[x0emiroxy0x]

I would bet it is going to cost you a couple thousand more to train him in personal protection. I read a previous post on here about "would your dog protect you" and there were many expert handlers with awesome dogs that said their dog wouldn't attack someone without a sleeve on because they had not been trained to.

Is it correct to assume that the average dog that undergoes shtz training will not attack an intruder that comes in the door with a treat? They are taught to attack a sleeve, not a person, right?