Parents temperment help?

If you do not like the parents, stay the heck away from the puppies. The parents make the puppies, so if you love the parents, chances are you'll like the pups.

If you want "just a pet," you probably want a dog with great temperament, trustworthy nature, good nerves, lots of intelligence, quick learner, good energy level, bred with health and brains in mind, right? In that case, look beyond the AKC registration and a simple pedigree- stop looking at classifieds and people who may happen to have GSD litters. Chances are low that you'll get an outstanding puppy just by hit-or-miss visits. Would you like some breeder recommendations for your area? We have tons of knowledgeable members on here and also some very experienced breeders who could point you in the right direction. It may cost more, but it could make the difference between a dog you have to put away when guests come over and a dog who becomes a family companion, who you can take everywhere and not have to worry about what he'll do next.

Below are links I Googled. The first is to a Working GSD club, the second an AKC Club, both in your area. Either of these organizations can steer you in the direction of breeders that are active in the breed and meet some kind of standards for breeders. It's a start. Talk to lots of people. See lots of dogs.

There's no reason to rush into this. Hopefully, you're choosing a puppy that will be a part of your family for 12 or more years. So taking a few months to find the right one will be time well spent.


http://www.cgswdc.com/


http://www.akc.org/club_search/index_mas...=1&club_id=1800


We can't really evaluate the puppy or the breeder you met over the internet. But the red flag for me is that it was an accidental breeding.

Remember: when you buy a puppy, you're buying a fuzzy little bag of DNA. It is pure potential. The temperament and health of the dog it will become is largely determined at conception. All puppies are not born the same.

Good luck on your search. Even if you end up coming back to this breeder and deciding this is the perfect puppy for you, at least give yourself something to compare it too. Visit a few others first.

Originally Posted By: Luca_stl
We can't really evaluate the puppy or the breeder you met over the internet. But the red flag for me is that it was an accidental breeding.

Remember: when you buy a puppy, you're buying a fuzzy little bag of DNA. It is pure potential. The temperament and health of the dog it will become is largely determined at conception. All puppies are not born the same.

Click to expand...

Oh, boy. Those are words for puppy buyers to live by.
Just my experience- I knew both my puppy's parents came from proven lines. By that I mean their parents had been temperment tested through Schutzhund and were all titled- even with champions in the line! This is not snobbish- it just tells me that the temperments from which my pup came were tested on both sides. No guarantee, but at least an attempt by the breeder at producing good pups with great temperments- perfect pets.
I met the parents-both. They showed me the temperment I hoped to have in my adult dog- they played with my eight year old son, and were nothing but gentle and great with him- even in the presence of the pups. That was exactly what I was looking for. I learned that my breeder had an extensive socialization program, which resulted in her being able to bring out the full potential of each puppy by exposing them to all sorts of people and things during important times in their development- this is a start that the pups need.
The result of this was that my girl is doing great in training, she's friendly to everyone, and so far she has the disposition I'd hoped for and that I saw in her parents.
Of course do look for the health certs as well. My dog has generations of dysplasia free hips, but I did not know enough to ask about elbows or other diseases.

From my experience, parents are important.

One puppy we looked at, the facilities were nice, but the dogs didn't stop barking, we saw the parents from behind a fence, and we were not invited to interact with them at all, and the parents were very aloof and not interested in us at all. We only saw the one puppy because it was an older puppy, 5 months old, it had some obedience and seemed in nice health, but something just didn't feel right about the puppy. We ended up passing on that dog. I'm glad we did.

A litter we looked at later that week, we got to see all the puppies together and Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad barked when we came on property, but quickly quieted once they saw we had been invited. When let out, Dad promptly ran around the side of the house and returned with a tree branch whining for someone to play. My BF played fetch with him for a solid 30 minutes, and he did all of his German commands instantly and with real enthusiasm. Mom was also very stable. You could play with the puppies, and while she certainly watched carefully, she never showed any problems towards people. At the time we wanted a pet, and both the parents were dogs we would take home. In the end we have been very happy with our dogs from these parents, they are super environmentally sound, and good with most animals and all people. And genetics are certainly important. They are many behaviors that my dog displays that remind his breeder ALOT of his father, so I'm glad the Sire was a dog I liked!

3 litters in one month at that Mystical House place?! Holy garbanzo beans, that is a LOT to concentrate on at once. I wonder if this is a regular practice and how they handle the load?

Though I love working lines, I'd caution against getting one. Even the lower energy/drive ones that are sold for pet homes can be very energetic and intelligent but unless you take them for a good RUN every day and, above all, work their brains with obedience and things to make them think, your dog's going to get into trouble! But a well bred working line that is provided with the proper outlets can definitely settle in to be a most amazing house companion. Perhaps German showlines would be a better bet for you? I hear over and over that they are very intelligent with a good energy level and are often suited as a beautiful, active companion.