How To Purchase A German Shepherd Puppy

Official German Shepherd Clubs

This is a great way to locate reputable GSD breeders. If you don’t know a vet to point you in the right direction, this is your best bet.

I prefer breed-specific clubs to national kennel clubs.

Here’s a handy map on the WUSV website where you can locate official German Shepherd clubs across the globe.

German Shepherd Puppies For Sale

A Home Where you can get the best Purebred German Shepherd Puppy for your Family. We raise all our puppies in a climate-controlled room but with 24/7 outdoor access to a fenced-in lawn with green grass. They spend a lot of time outdoors playing and have spent a considerable amount of time with our children. We feel this is very important for their development at a young age as they soak up the vitamin D and develop muscle tone in a puppys natural setting.

Should You Get A Male Or Female German Shepherd

While Male and female German Shepherds are similar in many traits, they are also different in a number of them, which might affect your choice when buying.

Consider what you want the dog for and your experience when determining whether to purchase a male or female German Shepherd. If youve never had a dog before, a female is preferable because shes easier to train. If you want a guard dog, go for a male because they are more dominant and aggressive.

Consider the following when making your choice:

• Male GSDs are larger in both weight and height while females are smaller . Please note, these are approximations as individual dogs will vary. To give you an example of this, my female KC registered GSD weighs 88lb , and she is very tall, standing 27/68cm.
• Males will portray a masculine build as opposed to the delicate features of the female.
• Females will be in heat twice annually. If you do not intend to breed your pet, you should consider spaying her.
• Female GSDs live longer when compared to males 9.7 years.

These traits may not be vividly pronounced in young puppies, but it is important to bear them in mind. Whether you choose to buy a male or female pup will depend on your circumstances, such as experience, lifestyle, and purpose for the dog.

You can check out this article, Male vs. Female German Shepherd: Which Should You Get? It has loads of info to help you decide which one will be best for you.

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Who Is The Best Human For A German Shepherd

German shepherds love being a part of a high-energy family or with someone who leads an active life. A sedentary lifestyle doesnt work for this herding breed, as they love to learn, play, and be a part of their human pack! German shepherd puppies can get distracted easily. Even though they love children and family life, while training, its best to have them focus only on the task theyre learning so as to avoid sensory overload.

German shepherds are a tried and true family dog. They love swimming , running, and romping in a big backyard. Theyre highly social and friendly dogs, so a busy household works well for them. They also need plenty of affection and snuggles. Due to their hunting heritage, they love to play fetch!

Determine The Coat Length And Color You Like

Afteryouve decided on the quality and sex of your future companion, consider thecoat length and color you want.

Certainbreeders and organizations will deal only in a certain coat length and color. So,its good to know your preferences before looking for a quality breeder orrescue.

Coat Length

The standard coat length is a short coat with double layers. Guard hairs on the top cover a softer underlayer of hair that provides warmth and protection. But there are many coat lengths available depending on your liking.

Major Coat Lengths

• Medium/standard length
• Plush
• Long hair German Shepherd with an undercoat
• Long-haired German Shepherd without an undercoat

All German Shepherds shed. While there are plenty of things you can do to help lessen a GSDs shedding, expect to spend time on brushing, grooming and bathing them, along with cleaning their fur from your home.

Look online at the different GSD coat lengths to get an idea of what type of fur you want your dog to have. The longer the fur the more grooming involved.

Also, consider adopting a German Shepherd mix breed if youre looking for GSD-cross mix.

Color

The color you choose is a matter of individual taste. Keep in mind the color of many Shepherds alters from their puppyhood to around 2 years of age.

Yourdog may become lighter or darker. Perhaps they will lose some of their markingsas the color fades into the adult pattern.

Also Check: What Colors Do German Shepherds Come In

Which Shots Has The Puppy Been Given

You will want to know for certain which vaccinations the puppy has had, and if its been de-wormed. A puppy will need a few rounds of shots, but it should have had its first round before it goes home with you.

A German Shepherd puppy should have specific vaccinations by a certain age. The table below will provide you will a full list of age appropriate vaccinations from puppy to adult:

Signs Of An Unethical Breeder

On the other hand, an unethical breeder may:

The best thing to do is to weed out such unconscientious people as soon as possible. Many ads provide helpful clues that point to a persons disreputability. If you know what to look out for, you might save yourself time and headaches. Be wary of any ads that:

• Cite American Kennel Club registration as a bonus: Reputable breeders will provide you with AKC papers or an application automatically. There is nothing special about a breeder who touts themself as having AKC-registered pups. That is only what they should have. Anyone who boasts of AKC registration may be trying to prey on ignorant buyers who are impressed by the mention of an official-sounding organization.
• Use superlatives: Extra tiny! Extra large! and other phrases that shout about how extra or super or bigger or smaller the breeders dogs may be, are red flags. If a dog is healthy, which is what any conscientious buyer like yourself cares about, theres no need for the seller to boast of its size. Plus, if the dog truly is under or oversized, chances are its unhealthy. Best to stay away altogether.
• Tell you that you can meet both of the parents: This one is a little tricky, but worth mentioning. It is unlikely that a breeder will have both the perfect sire and the perfect dam in their own kennels. Its a good sign if they have one parent, but two parents who are readily viewable begs the question: Did the two dogs breed unsupervised?

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What Socializing Have The Pups Had

This is an important question because pups go through some vital stages before they are 8 weeks old.

So you want a puppy that’s raised to experience lots of different situations. Things like walking on different surfaces.

Being picked up and handled. Playing with different people. And a variety of different smells, sounds, and sights.

All of this plays a big role in developing their self-confidence and their future training.

So tread lightly if you come across a breeder who keeps their pups in stark kennels until they are ready to go to a new home.

Common Health Problems In German Shepherds

German Shepherds are great dogs for the right owners, but they are at risk of certain conditions and illnesses common with the breed. Making sure the parents of your puppy have had the relevant health screening can reduce the chances of your puppy being affected by some of these upsetting conditions.

German Shepherds are in a group of breeds classed as Category Three by The Kennel Club, which is the highest category of the health concerns due to their conformation. This means that these types of dog have been bred over many years to look a certain way, but that these changes to the way they look have started to cause them health problems. For German Shepherds, this is mostly due to the shape of their back legs and hips.

Some of the conditions German Shepherds may develop include:

This list is not exhaustive, and there are many other conditions that German Shepherds have been shown to be prone to.

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How To Purchase A German Shepherd Puppy

German Shepherds, originally bred from a line of herding and farm dogs in Germany, are very popular working dogs, companions and protectors.German Shepherds love children and are full of energy.You will have a faithful family pet, wonderful guard dog, and loyal companion for years to come if you buy a German Shepherd.

Questions To Ask A German Shepherd Breeder / What To Know When Buying A Puppy

Heres my list of questions to ask a German Shepherd breeder when buying a German Shepherd puppy. Read these before you spend the money. By doing this due diligence you should hopefully get a puppy that not only fits your family and lifestyle, but also lives a long and happy life.

I hope you find these questions to ask a German Shepherd breeder helpful. Please do print them off before you visit the litter and decide to buy.

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What Experience Do You Have With The Breed

Some smaller breeders who’ve just started out will be working under the umbrella of a club, or under a more experienced breeder.

So if it’s their first litter, that’s okay. If that’s the case, find out which club they work under and who the breeder is that’s mentoring them.

Then get in touch with them to find out more about the breeder.

Do they show their dogs? What kind of breed-specific work do they do? You’ll be much better off with someone who’s been actively involved in shows and sport for many years even if this is their first litter.

Questions To Ask German Shepherd Breeders

Asking the right questions is part and parcel of the research you need to do before settling on a breeder and a pup.

The more questions you ask, the better. And the more easily you’ll be able to spot a breeder you don’t want to buy a puppy from.

So, don’t be shy!

Here are the top 10 questions to ask a GSD breeder.

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First Consider Adopting Or Rescuing As An Option

Although it can be tempting to go straight to a breeder, prospective owners might strongly look at adopting a rescue or shelter puppy, or adult dog first.

There are a few reasons for this:

Many perfectly sociable and loving dogs and puppies are euthanised every day in shelters and rescue centres

Over breeding/irresponsible breeding, and neglect by the owner once the dog starts growing are some of the major reasons

Many of these dogs already have the basic social skills, obedience and training, and are past puppy chewing so you dont have to deal with all that

Older puppies and adult dogs can suit some people better

They can have a calmer demeanour, more life experience, be better around kids and have less exercise requirements

You can read more about adopting a German Shepherd puppy or dog from a shelter or rescue here.

Having said that, some people want a new puppy from a breeder and dont want to adopt or rescue

If thats what they really want and they are committed to the dog for the long term who are we or anyone else to stand in their way?

German Shepherds Need Training And Exercise

German Shepherds arent the sort of dog breed that loves lying on the couch all the time. They are large in both size and activity. If they get bored then they are known to become loud and destructive.

Training is a great activity to do with your German Shepherd. It not only helps to ensure they behave correctly but also keeps them entertained and can provide good exercise. Especially if you do training such as agility training.

When thinking about training your German Shepherd to remember that police forces throughout the world use German Shepherds for a wide variety of tasks, which helps to show their flexibility to training.

Wherever possible try to choose training that also exercises them. Similarly to humans exercise not only helps keep them physically well but also mentally well.

If you havent trained a dog previously then it is worth looking into local dog training facilities. Most dog training facility provide classes that you can sign up for, where a qualified trainer will walk a class of dogs and fur parents through training of your dog. A great added benefit of these classes is that you will meet like other local fur parents who have a love for dogs.

Classes also provide a great way for you to socialize your German Shepherd. By introducing them to new dogs and different environments you will be able to train them on how you expect them to behave in that situation and also to help them understand that they dont need to be afraid of other dogs.

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German Shepherd May Or May Not Be Affordable

If youre planning on buying a German Shepherd from a breeder and havent already looked into the price then you might be in for a bit of a surprise.

Theres a common misconception that buying a German Shepherd will be cheap. Unless youre buying it from a friend/family this isnt going to be the case. As weve already said, German Shepherds are one of the most popular dog breeds in the US and dog breeders know this.

If youre looking to try and pay a little less for your German Shepherd puppy then, rather than finding the less reputable breeders, look for rescue groups. They still wont be free as the rescue groups need to be able to keep themselves running but they may be cheaper than going to a breeder. Youll also be helping to give a dog a better life.

If you go to buy it from reputable German Shepherd breeders then prepare yourself for the price. A German Shepherd puppy can range between $550 and $1200 in price. This will be higher if youre looking for a certified purebred.

Even after youve bought the German Shepherd puppy that is not the total cost, you will need to buy other things like food, a crate, bowls, and many more everyday lifestyle requirements. The ongoing costs can be $1,200 $1,600 a year for feeding, insurance, and other ongoing costs. So make sure you have a certain amount of your salary set aside to cover the costs of your new German Shepherd dog.

Where To Get A German Shepherd Puppy

Never buy a German Shepherd puppy from a pet store or from an Internet site that will ship a pup to you without asking you any questions beyond “Check or charge?” These puppies come from puppy mills. They will not only be sickly, but they will have missed a major learning period for basic training and will be harder to train and more uncontrollable.

The best German Shepherd puppies come from breeders, animal shelters, or rescuers. German Shepherds are most often abandoned when they are six months old and past the cute stage.

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Training And Exercise Needs Of A Black German Shepherd

German Shepherds are fairly easy to train. They are extremely intelligent and devoted to their owners. Unlike some dog breeds, they will listen to their owners in most real-life situations. They can learn a variety of different commands very easily and will actually do them when asked.

However, these dogs do need the training. Without it, they can be overly protective and even potentially dangerous. Their ease of training does make fulfilling this need quite easy, though. We do recommend puppy classes starting at a very young age. These classes provide the extra socialization that your dog needs, as well as allows you to jumpstart their training.

As long as you properly socialize these dogs when they are puppies, you usually dont have to worry about private classes. We only recommend private classes for dogs that are too reactive around strangers and other dogs to thrive in a group class. Usually, only German Shepherds who were not properly socialized as puppies will fit into this category.

If you adopt an older German Shepherd that seems in need of socialization, we recommend taking private classes with an experienced trainer. You can work your dog through some basic commands and then work on socializing them with safe people and dogs. The trainer should be able to help you in this regard.

Other Ways To Find A Puppy

Other ways of finding German Shepherd Dogs to buy include:

Google Search for German Shepherd and Breeder Search

You can search Google for terms such as German Shepherd dogs for sale or German Shepherd breeders. Be cautious, however, with this method and follow the ethical breeder guidelines given earlier to assess the breeder or seller before making a purchase.

Dog Blogs and Websites

Outbound links that direct you to GSD breeders or puppies for sale on blogs and websites are also options. As with the Google search, here too, you need to evaluate the reliability of the linked breeder and the quality of the German Shepherd puppy using the ethical breeder guidelines.

Consult Vets, Groomers, Trainers, and Owners

Veterinarians, groomers, and trainers are experts in their own right considering that they interact with German Shepherds on a day-to-day basis. They may also work for breeders and will, therefore, know which ones have high breeding standards.

German Shepherd owners who have a positive experience buying their pet from a reliable breeder would also be dependable sources of information on where to buy a GSD.

In all cases, ensure that there is no conflict of interest with people advocating for breeders on other factors rather than quality.

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