I've been lurking on this board for a few weeks, and am finally deciding to post. Hi. 
I'm in the process of purchasing a home, and, once that happens, I'll finally be able to have a dog of my own. It'll be the first dog that's actually mine, but not the first dog that I've had in my family. (Mostly, we had labs when I was young, but I've always loved the looks, smarts, and personality of GSDs, so that's what I'm going to get.) Though a 'new' dog owner and a new GSD owner, I've been around dogs all my life and have helped friends and family to train and raise various dogs, from mini-pins to bulldogs to golden retrievers, so I'm not a clueless noob as far as ownership goes; I know the work that goes into raising a puppy and maintaining a large, active dog. (I'm both looking forward to and dreading getting a puppy, which is probably the only rational response to looking forward to the awesomeness of PUPPY!!! and the dog it will hopefully become, tempered by weeks or months of the oh-god-how-long-will-I-have-to-keep-getting-up-twice-a-night-to-let-it-out and the my-hands-are-a-mess-of-scratches-but-he's-getting-better! blues.)
I plan on training the dog intensively, in obedience and in various tasks around the house as it gets older. I'm also thinking about doing some agility work merely because it seems to let you get a lot of active work in on the dog in a relatively small space, and the backyard isn't huge. I'm an utter n00b to the world of dog shows and highfallutin' purebred stuff but I figure that, since I expect to be training my dog up to these standards anyway, I may go for titles just because I might as well. I can't at this time, however, say how deep into the 'dog world' I'll go.
I'm thinking that a lower-activity (but not necessarily lower-drive; I want a puppy that's very motivated by what it's motivated by but who also isn't bouncing off the walls all the time) puppy out of east or west-german working-line dogs is what I'm looking for. Breeding for health and temperament must be the top priorities of the breeder; I would also vastly prefer a breeder who brings the pups up in a home-based setting as opposed to a kennel one. I prefer sables, particularly the light ones, and blacks to the other colors, but that's not a great consideration. I also do want to get a female -- primarily for reasons of temperament and trainability (yes, I know it's not a guarantee, but I also understand probability, and have had great experiences with female GSDs IRL,) and aesthetics. (Yes, it's sad, but I'm not a great fan of dog wieners. Maybe it's envy -- why should they be able to show theirs in public if I can't show mine?)
I'm also looking to actually get the puppy in the next 3-4 months. (Need time to close on the house and actually move.) I definitely want a young puppy, not an older dog or rescue.
Anyway, to make a long post ... longer ... I was hoping that some of you might have some recommendations for me regarding breeders near the NY area. I live on Long Island and am looking for a breeder within a half-day's drive. So far, I haven't found one that I really like closer than Maine, and, unfortunately, they don't seem to be doing any breedings until late summer; I'd prefer to avoid such a wait.) Though I would prefer not to ship, I keep coming back to Wild Haus kennels, and they have a moderate-priced breeding of two dogs both of whose looks I really like scheduled for spring. Any recommendations/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I'm in the process of purchasing a home, and, once that happens, I'll finally be able to have a dog of my own. It'll be the first dog that's actually mine, but not the first dog that I've had in my family. (Mostly, we had labs when I was young, but I've always loved the looks, smarts, and personality of GSDs, so that's what I'm going to get.) Though a 'new' dog owner and a new GSD owner, I've been around dogs all my life and have helped friends and family to train and raise various dogs, from mini-pins to bulldogs to golden retrievers, so I'm not a clueless noob as far as ownership goes; I know the work that goes into raising a puppy and maintaining a large, active dog. (I'm both looking forward to and dreading getting a puppy, which is probably the only rational response to looking forward to the awesomeness of PUPPY!!! and the dog it will hopefully become, tempered by weeks or months of the oh-god-how-long-will-I-have-to-keep-getting-up-twice-a-night-to-let-it-out and the my-hands-are-a-mess-of-scratches-but-he's-getting-better! blues.)
I plan on training the dog intensively, in obedience and in various tasks around the house as it gets older. I'm also thinking about doing some agility work merely because it seems to let you get a lot of active work in on the dog in a relatively small space, and the backyard isn't huge. I'm an utter n00b to the world of dog shows and highfallutin' purebred stuff
but I figure that, since I expect to be training my dog up to these standards anyway, I may go for titles just because I might as well. I can't at this time, however, say how deep into the 'dog world' I'll go.I'm thinking that a lower-activity (but not necessarily lower-drive; I want a puppy that's very motivated by what it's motivated by but who also isn't bouncing off the walls all the time) puppy out of east or west-german working-line dogs is what I'm looking for. Breeding for health and temperament must be the top priorities of the breeder; I would also vastly prefer a breeder who brings the pups up in a home-based setting as opposed to a kennel one. I prefer sables, particularly the light ones, and blacks to the other colors, but that's not a great consideration. I also do want to get a female -- primarily for reasons of temperament and trainability (yes, I know it's not a guarantee, but I also understand probability, and have had great experiences with female GSDs IRL,) and aesthetics. (Yes, it's sad, but I'm not a great fan of dog wieners. Maybe it's envy -- why should they be able to show theirs in public if I can't show mine?
)I'm also looking to actually get the puppy in the next 3-4 months. (Need time to close on the house and actually move.
) I definitely want a young puppy, not an older dog or rescue.Anyway, to make a long post ... longer ... I was hoping that some of you might have some recommendations for me regarding breeders near the NY area. I live on Long Island and am looking for a breeder within a half-day's drive. So far, I haven't found one that I really like closer than Maine, and, unfortunately, they don't seem to be doing any breedings until late summer; I'd prefer to avoid such a wait.) Though I would prefer not to ship, I keep coming back to Wild Haus kennels, and they have a moderate-priced breeding of two dogs both of whose looks I really like scheduled for spring. Any recommendations/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
