What are your Long Coat
German Shepherd puppy prices?
Our Long Coat puppy prices range from $1300 to $1500 with
the average puppy being typically sold at $1400 U.S. dollars
per puppy. This depends on the litter whelped, the
parents / heritage, etc.
Less than 1 % of Vom Haus Dettmer
Long Coated German Shepherds are sold for breeding
purposes. Most all our puppies are sold as Companion Dogs
to family homes with limited or non-breeding restrictions.
We only sell breeding pups / dogs
to established breeders we know.
We sometimes have rescues just
looking for good homes from time-time.
Why do
other breeders charge more for their LongCoat German
Shepherd puppies than you do?
I take pride in keeping my puppy prices reasonable. I sell
most all my German Shepherd pups to family environments or
people who just want companion dogs, non-showing,
non-sporting canine friends.
I keep my clients in mind when
pricing my dogs, as well as the breeders from whom I buy my
dogs. If ‘they’ have spent a significant amount of time in
putting titles on their dogs, with OFA/testing and selling
show prospects and I’m over their rates , just trying to
‘outsell them’ with companions or dogs with lesser titles,
that would seem pretty ridiculous would it not?! As an
honest, ethical business person, I try to keep my dogs in
line with reputable breeders when selling (as not to hurt
their business), or ask some ridiculously unfair price for
the same breed or lines.
Most importantly, I’d rather place
my dogs with families that just want wonderful pets, who
will love and cherish them in forever homes than in homes
where money is not an option and things are disposable, or
breeding for profit is the only concern.
I never got into this hobby to make
a living and if I began to, I’d have to consider if I was
doing everything I should be for this breed.
I make money to support MY love of
MY Long Coat German Shepherds, to share this wonderful breed
with others, and the donations that I give to St Jude and
the Make A Wish Foundation.
I don’t breed Long Haired German
Shepherds to ‘survive’, ‘pay bills’, or as my ‘income’.
What minimum things can
I be expected (required) to do as a client of yours
purchasing a Long Coated German Shepherd?
♣ Pay a
deposit. Sign a contract.
♣
Pay for your puppy by 6 weeks of age,
in full.
♣
Be a responsible pet owner.
♣
Take your dog to the vet; provide
ongoing vet care, immunizations, as applicable.
♣
Fenced enclosure/yard.
♣
Proper food/nutrition/supplements.
♣
Exercise, but not overextended
exercise or activities.
♣ Attend a
min. of one training class.
♣ Socialize
your puppy/dog.
♣ Spay or
neuter your dog.
♣ Send
pictures of your dog and keep VHD updated on his/her
progress.
Can I name my puppy?
Vom Haus Dettmer registers ALL puppies in the kennel
name. If you have a deposit in, you can elect to pick
a 'call name' at the time VHD registers the litter - time
permitting. However, ALL puppies will be registered
with VHD in their name, until spay/neuter is completed.
Can we pick our Long Coat German Shepherd puppy?
Vom Haus Dettmer allows the client to provide input to the
selection process in choosing their puppy; however, VHD has
the final say as to what puppy is placed in what home. When
the selection process begins, the client can decide the
puppy they like based on the puppies available that ‘fit
their criteria’ based on the needs and temperament they
provided Vom Haus Dettmer at the time they were allowed to
reserve a puppy. If only one puppy ‘fits’ their needs and
environment, Vom Haus Dettmer will work with them on their
choice selection. If this puppy is not to their liking,
they can either move to another litter or forfeit their
deposit. Vom Haus Dettmer best knows the temperaments of
the puppies for the first 6 weeks of their life. Picking a
puppy based on a picture or looks at 6 weeks of age is not
the best ‘fit’ for any puppy or client. Puppies are all
cute but that don’t make them the best ‘companion’ for the
home they will live the remainder of their life. Vom Haus
Dettmer will not just place a puppy to place a puppy. And,
at our haus, we don’t place puppies by pictures alone!
Do you accept Paypal or
credit cards?
No.
Postal Money Orders only or cash. Puppies must be paid in
full by 6 weeks of age, no exceptions.
Do you ship your Long
Coated puppies?
Yes! We ship puppies within the Continental US. Outside of that, there are numerous tests and
quarantine periods that are needed for puppies to be shipped
to other countries. Although, I have had many an
opportunity to send puppies to other countries, this burden
I would rather not bear for myself or my dogs. There are
plenty of reputable breeders within these countries that can
fulfill these requests.
How often do you have Long Haired German Shepherd pups
available?
TWO litters a year!
We pride ourselves on being a
small, hobby breeder. We whelp each and every litter INSIDE
OUR OWN HOME.
Our puppies are not pictured on
our site from other breeding homes, but OUR very own
puppies.
Occasionally, we might buy a puppy
from another breeder (disclosing such to a potential buyer)
for our breeding program, but later decide to sell it.
We also do not share any co-owned
dogs with this breed. We are not against this practice, we
just choose not to co-own at this time. We have enough to
keep our hands around here!
We have LESS THAN ten dogs at our home today. THREE of them
are retired!
My dogs are NOT bred EVERY heat cycle, REGARDLESS, of how
well they recover from a prior whelping. And NEVER before
the age of two.
When we say two litters a years, we MEAN two litters! We
don’t just ‘say’ two litters and produce many others
‘behind’ the scenes!
We also have NEVER multi-sired our
litters, intentionally or unintentionally. There is a
‘useful’ purpose for this, and an ‘accidental one’ most
commonly heard with puppy mill breeders.
We have had three litters in the
past, but that’s more than we ‘choose’ to have to ‘divide’
our time in the future. We have our ‘family’ of dogs whom
we are committed to; our first priority!
Regardless of puppies, we will
have our adult dogs. We are blessed to have this breed,
and the puppies are just a privilege that comes with the
‘blessing’. But, in order to give both our adult dogs AND
new puppies the devoted time they deserve, we keep our
litters small! This is VERY important to our breeding
program, the socialization and time that are necessary to
each and every puppy in the litter, and our adult dog’s
health and well-being. It’s also crucial to the Long Hair
German Shepherd breed.
We also know there are a few other
very wonderful Long Coat and short coat (or standard) German
Shepherd breeders to whom we can refer our clients to when
we don’t have puppies.
We don’t have to increase the
number of litters to make people happy or to promote this
fabulous German breed! We sell more puppies for other
people than we do for ourselves sometimes and we are VERY
proud of that concept!!
There always seems to be enough to
go around!
How are your
Long Coat German Shepherd Parents registered?
I am a member in good standing with the
American Kennel Club and have been for many, many years, as
well as the United Kennel Club.
I have dogs registered in the following clubs…
♣
AKC, ♣ ASVD,
♣ LSVD,
♣ SV,
♣ UKC.
We are VERY proud of all registries!
Some of our dogs are
multi-registered, both in the states and in German clubs
such as the SV, ASVD and LSVD, some which are ‘TRUE’ Long
Coat Founded German Shepherd Dog Clubs.
Some of our dogs Long Haired
German Shepherds are registered in the United Kennel Club
that also recognizes ‘rare’ breeds, as where many
‘specialty’ breeds are registered. This fabulous club has
been around since 1898 and is the largest all-breed
performance-dog registry in the world. It registers dogs in
all 50 states and 25 foreign countries today. It was
founded on the concept of ‘Total’ dog, where as the dog’s
intelligence and working ability was as important in the
ring, whereas the AKC was founded and operates on the
concept of ‘standard’ or ‘Conformation’, hence ‘looks’. The
UKC was the innovator of the DNA tool, followed after by the
AKC.
Both
registries (AKC and UKC) are very well known and respected
by most reputable breeders for various reasons. You will
find many VERY reputable breeders will have dogs registered
in both clubs due to different sports, breeding and showing,
and in instances of rare breeds and whites that might have
their own clubs, but are not allowed in the AKC club.
Both the AKC and UKC provide registration where you can
compete your dog that is not club descent; are born of other
clubs or foreign registries; or of mixed breed or
non-registered clubs for competition; by providing
appropriate documentation.
Some of our dogs that are UKC
registered are not AKC registered since the AKC will not
recognize German Shepherd imports from ‘TRUE’ long coat
founded German Shepherd clubs from foreign countries.
♣
See the AKC here…http://www.akc.org/
♣ See the UKC
here…http://www.ukcdogs.com/About.htm.
We believe there is a reason that multiple registries have
come about (some good, some not so good). HOWEVER, the
registration paper does not always determine the ‘quality’
of the breeder or the dog. JUST because a breeder ‘touts’
one registry over another don’t make their dogs any better
quality OR them a more reputable breeder. Do your
homework! Find a reputable breeder first, and then the
registration SHOULD follow!
I’ve read horror stories
of unscrupulous breeders who have registered puppies with
AKC registrations from parents who were totally NOT related
to the pups! PAPERS DON’T ALWAYS MAKE A BREEDER OR
DETERMINE THE ‘QUALITY’ of your dog!
There are puppy mill breeders in many breeds who withhold or
misrepresent registrations because they have ‘multi-sired’
litters and don’t know WHO the sires of the litters are.
They might sell pups indicating the sire as “one of their
dogs”, but if they didn’t see it how do they know it was one
of their own!? It could be a ‘stray mutt’ that jumped the
fence, could it not?! Reputable breeders will DNA the
entire litter and find out who the parents are, not just
sell them at top dollar withholding papers as ‘pet quality’!
I know of breeders who ‘multi-sire’ litters for a
‘purpose’! There is a REAL ‘reason’ for this practice, it
should not be a common practice because you were not
properly supervising or ‘housing’ your dogs.
Do your homework! REPUTABLE
breeders should be first and foremost, they can provide
references to back up the dogs they have sold, not simply
base the quality ‘solely’ on the registrations they tout.
There too are many WONDERFUL dogs
found in shelters each day, rescued from puppy mills that
spin the lives of families AND come without registrations!
ALWAYS research the option to buy a
shelter dog before buying from VOM HAUS DETTMER! We SUPPORT
SPAY / NEUTER and RESCUE and REDUCTION OF PET
OVER-POPULATION!
A
ton of expense goes into breeding quality dogs especially,
if you are trying to do the ‘right’ things, like OFA and
other tests. Not just breeding litter after litter with a
registration to promote.
All Vom Haus Dettmer puppies are registered to Vom Haus
Dettmer, regardless of registry, until we are provided proof
of spay / neuter documentation by new owners by one year of
age.
Do you OFA your German Shepherds?
Yes.
We believe that any “reputable”
breeder should OFA their parents (at a minimum) of 2 years
of age. Not just rely on “well, it came from good
parents”. Some do Penn Hip, or other forms of x-rays,
depending on their area. Vet checks are common, but
this is not the same as an official reading, with
certification by an accredited organization like the OFA.
And, the OFA publishes their results to the general public!
Nothing is 100%, but reputable
breeders WILL go the extra mile, spend the extra money, do
all they can to identify a problem in a line by appropriate
testing – trying to make a difference!
Do you have any guarantees on your Long Coated dogs?
Yes! We have several, depending on the pups
or dog sold.
We offer a life-time
guarantee for return on all our pups sold. For whatever the
reason, you can return your dog. This is not always a cash
back return, but if for any reason you can not longer keep
your dog, you can return it. And, we require it prior to
sending it to a shelter! No Vom Haus Dettmer Long Coat
puppy is ever ‘unwanted’ or should end up in a shelter or
rescue club!
♣ We offer multiple
levels of cash back for training.
♣
$50 for the first completed training
class by 6 months of age.
♣
$50 for the completion of a CGC title
by two years of age. (new 2008)
♣
Higher titles at discretion of Vom Haus Dettmer.
(new 2008)
We offer a $50 cash back for spay / neuter until one year of
age. We require that you spay / neuter your pup by one year
of age, waiting as long as you can until one year.
We offer different levels of health guarantee to those
clients based on what they purchase (puppy, adult, rescue)
who uphold their end of our contract (s) in properly caring
for / raising their companion.
At Vom Haus Dettmer each and every
dog comes with a different contract. Not all dogs are sold
under the same ‘generic’ two-year contract. Puppies and dogs
are not ‘generic’, and neither are our contracts or our
clients.
At Vom Haus Dettmer, each of our
clients have different needs as do our Long Haired German
Shepherd puppies and dogs.
We pride ourselves in our
commitment in satisfaction to our clients.
We uphold our side of our
commitment to raising sound, healthy dogs. Although, no
matter how well you choose your breeding pairs, we know
nothing is 100%.
We stand behind our commitment to
ensuring our clients are happy and our dogs tested prior to
breeding, good heritage and hopefully, without genetic
defects. That requires a level of client responsibility in
care, as well!
If a problem should arise, we work to
fix it. If this warrants a level of refund, then that’s
what we provide!
Do you microchip your Long Haired German Shepherd puppies?
Yes!
Are any of your dogs Long Coats DNA tested?
Yes!
Why do you restrict
breeding on your Long Coat German Shepherds?
Although our dogs are all registered in one
club or another, we don’t feel ALL puppies or dogs of Vom
Haus Dettmer, or this breed are of breeding quality.
Most dogs should NOT be bred and not all people should be
breeders! Some folks will breed ANY dog thinking they will
make money. This is not the case either.
It takes a LONG time to establish a good breeding program
and the expertise to carry it out. Good breeders research
many dogs before they find good breeding pairs. A good
breeder will also establish a good breeding program with
goals in mind. They will watch their dogs develop, watch
their progeny grow as well as the lines in the heritage.
Should they see something they don’t like or a true issue,
the dogs will be taken immediately out of breeding. This is
not always the case with puppy mill breeders! They JUST
breed for two things, puppies and money! Sometimes size and
color! But, with no thought to health or longevity of the
breed. We don’t breed this way!
We work very hard to establish our
Long Haired German Shepherds at Vom Haus Dettmer and it only
takes one breeding by a careless breeder to mess it up.
Therefore, we simply ‘prefer’ to not sell our dogs with
breeding rights. Simple as that!
It
has nothing to do with competition, or taking away money
from our pockets (we’re not breeding for that anyway), it’s
just that not all dogs should be bred, not all people should
be breeders and we don’t want someone to mess up what we try
so hard to perfect!
We also know it’s a ‘job’ that
most people rarely stay in long, even if they ‘attempt’ to
take a shot at it for a year or two. Most will find it’s
not a job for them then quit and let the dogs go possibly to
a shelter or puppy mill, just to get them off their hands.
If you don’t have the means to
financially support your older dogs AND your new interests,
finding an older dog a home can be a challenge. Many will
just ‘dump it’ first chance they get. Sometimes into new
breeding homes, shelters or to whomever they can! If the
dog can still make them a ‘buck’, that will be their first
choice.
Another thing you will hear is
that ‘whelping’ is “wonderful experience for the family to
enjoy”. That’s one of the most ridiculous gimmicks most
often used. Just check out Leerburg – dvd on whelping
puppies…
http://www.leerburg.com/118.htm.
This might change your mind!
Here is another excerpt from the
internet from state law research…
“The
urbanization of America and consequent overcrowding and
overpopulation of pets has led to a series of pet-related
problems. Indiscriminant breeding by puppy mills and
backyard breeders, who think their children "should
experience birth," or who want a little extra money, or who
believe a neutered animal will be unhappy and overweight,
has led to a situation where it is estimated by the American
Humane Association that between 8 to 14 million dogs and
cats are euthanized in shelters and pounds every year”.
If you want to read about puppy
mills, laws regarding breeding, shelters, etc., subscribe to
different news letters.
Look at…
♣
Best Friends Animal Sanctuary
http://www.bestfriends.org/
♣
American Dog Owners Association
http://www.adoa.org/index.cfm
WE ARE NOT OPPOSED TO SELLING TO ESTABLISHED,
REPUTABLE BREEDERS!
How soon should I spay or neuter my Long Coated German
Shepherd Puppy?
We suggest not before 6 months of age and waiting to as close to one
year as possible.
Does the Long Haired German Shepherd breed shed?
Yes!
And, if anyone tells you otherwise, they are not selling
this breed or are just trying to sell you a dog.
The Long Coat German Shepherd tends
to ‘blow’ tufts of soft fluffy fur on occasion vs. a daily
stiff, prickly, single hair like that of the short coat.
They do blow their coats a couple times a year very large,
then only a smaller shedding through out the year. If you
keep them groomed a couple times a week, the shedding is
minimal.
Do you have a Foster
Program or offer free Long Haired German Shepherd breeding
dogs or puppies?
No. Unless, you are
looking to ‘take in’ an abandoned or abused puppy or dog,
provide for it food, shelter, love, training and medical
care and then rehome it. Maybe, even keep it after
rehabilitation! Otherwise, if you are seeking a
“free-for-breeding” dog, we don’t have an established
program like that at our Haus.
We sell what we breed and are able to care-for what we
keep. We are a small hobby breeder, interested in solely
‘sharing’ our lines. We have never had the desire to put
dogs into another breeding home simply to charge for a
litter in return, or to develop a larger ‘breeding’ line.
The ‘true’ Foster Program was
created some time ago by Leerburg, although there have been
many ‘branches’ of it existing throughout the years. Forms
of it exist today with reputable and not-so-reputable
breeders ‘tweaking’ it to fit their personal needs.
At
Vom Haus Dettmer, we feel the way it was developed was
always in the best interest of the German Shepherd. This
was to better develop someone’s breeding lines, not to
create a monopoly and make gazillions of money with no work
involved! The puppy or dog was well cared for, the
expectations were high, the contracts were detailed, the
people ‘screened’, the distance from breeder to foster home
VERY minimal (not HOURS), the breeder not mentoring breeder
‘wannabee’s’, foster dogs are brought back to the breeder to
whelp the pups in THE BREEDER’s HOME where the experience
and responsibilities lie, and registrations are not
withheld. You can read about the Leerburg way here…
http://www.leerburg.com/foster1.htm
Sometimes, you will see deviations
to the original intent or program. Lack of thought to these
changes by non-caring breeders could result in puppies being
placed in the hands of uneducated people who were never
breeders to begin with.
These results run the risk of
unwanted puppies in shelters when these folks ‘quit’ or
‘issues’ arise between foster and breeders;
or a dog or litter dies when a
crisis happens during whelping due to lack of education or
‘management by phone’;
or when it’s not brought back to
the breeder to whelp (even when the breeder may ‘claim’ they
might);
and overpopulation of a breed
takes over because money becomes the motivating factor to
building an empire.
We
choose to raise our own pups and do our own business.
We
feel we can honestly say we know best how our pups are
raised in our own lines.
We can’t say how another person
will raise pups we would put in their home unless we are
there to witness it.
We don’t work by phone calls or
once a month ‘maybe’ visits.
A
person’s word is JUST not good enough for our business - we
have to be close to the dog!
We
MUST see how the dogs are living, treated, how the
temperaments are developing and we simply just will NOT
breed by a picture!
We
won’t guarantee something we don’t raise. Simple as that.
To
do this program right, I would have to follow it as intended
by Leerburg.
I
just don’t have the time to do it as “I” think it’s best for
all involved.
We have co-owned dogs in the past
with other reputable breeders and that has worked quite
well. That is always an option.
I
don’t foster here and that’s my choice, just as it is to do
so by other breeders. I have enough to wrap my arms around
here, let alone worry if someone else is socializing the dog
I gave them, making appointments to visit the conditions it
is living in, going to training, etc. I simply can’t do it
and worry about my own front porch! Period! For those who
have that amount of time, that’s fantastic!
If
we “retire” a dog, we retire it from breeding - period!
We also do NOT give away
free dogs to we can’t sell, retired dogs we don’t want, or
by simply putting them into a foster breeding program.
Sometimes, I have dogs that are
rescued or drop-offs, etc, that I try to ‘rehome’ that might
be free or of a reduced rate.
We
know of one or two very REPUTABLE breeders who have
wonderful FOSTER programs that we would recommend. They
have well run, written programs, and the dogs are REALLY
‘fostered’.
Find
a reputable breeder if you really can’t afford to buy this
breed, for a Foster Pet. BREEDING, HOWEVER, IS NOT CHEAP!!
LOOK in a rescue or shelter. Unfortunately, THERE ARE Long
Coat German Shepherds there quite often! I can help find
you a rescue or a reputable Foster Breeder!!
How are your Long Hair German Shepherd puppies raised?
My puppies are whelped inside my home, with much love and
daily attention.
See my Puppy Information
Page for ‘specifics’.
Are you a
‘certified’ dog trainer?
NO!
By ‘certified’, you’re asking if I have a piece of paper
from any number of organizations that offer dog training
classes? If so, than NO, I’m not ‘certified’!
There are a number of places that
you can attend classes that will pass you after a number of
‘hours attended’ on THEIR training techniques, applications
and such. Each ‘program’ is different.
I
have is a ‘hands on’ number of YEARS in the dog training
ring.
I’ve been a dog handler, at the
end of a leash since I’ve been old enough to walk. For a
number of breeds, so many I can’t name them all!
EXPERIENCE handling dogs means
more to ME than a piece of paper.
I always question why you don’t see
these ‘certified’ trainer folks in the training ring or with
titles on their dogs?? Or, even with a professional dog
‘handler’ taking their dogs thru the circuit obtaining
titles??
I have titles on my dogs to the
level that I ‘choose’ to achieve. Although, I have dogs
with the ability to achieve higher, I don’t have the time to
seek these levels. My family reminds me that I have another
life outside my dogs.
Since this is not a ‘business’ to
me, I do what I want to have ‘fun’ with my dogs and in the
amount of time I have to achieve that.
Currently,
some of my dogs have Canine Good Citizen titles and I’m
happy with that. I am looking into another sport with a
couple of my dogs for future mind expansion though!
You can see my pictures on the
site of my dogs in training, or you are welcome to come
watch me anytime! ANYONE that has seen my dogs in the ring
or have been to my home can attest to it!
I DO train, certified or not, and love every min. of it.
I learn new things and it keeps me
and my dogs at a higher level.
People who train their dogs develop
a deeper bond with their dogs. If you truly care about your
dog, what more can you ask for??
EVERYONE
has something new to learn each and every day. EVERY
professional trade certificate requires minimal on-going
educational hours, usually every two years!
I
certainly don’t claim to know much, but I do know that I
strive to do my best in handling my own Long Coat German
Shepherds! That’s most important to me!
ALL
VHD dogs are required to attend ‘obedience’ training,
including my own!
I practice what I ‘demand’ of my
own clients. Only fair, would you not think???
Why do you require a
$300 non-refundable deposit?
Deposits are a commitment from a responsible
client to purchase a puppy.
Putting down a deposit tells me you are serious about buying
a puppy, and also puts another client out of the opportunity
for buying a puppy they might want, or on to a future
litter.
We have found that some folks will
call around many breeders wanting to be added to a ‘list’
and then take the first opportunity at a puppy that becomes
available, if a deposit is not required. This is time
consuming for the breeder as well as a great loss for other
folks who might have really wanted into that litter but held
off and put a deposit onto a future litter.
Vom Haus Dettmer requires a $300 deposit to hold your
puppy. Once the deposit is received, a reservation contract
will be sent.
If the puppy is already born, ONE
HALF of the puppy purchase price is required as a deposit to
hold said puppy.
Often times, UNLESS I’m SURE or
CLOSE to a breeding and/or the breeding has taken place, I
DO NOT even accept a deposit.
I’m not a financial institution
and I don’t like holding client money hostage. I ONLY like
a deposit when I KNOW I’ve got a litter coming. Otherwise,
people can use their money for living expenses.
How large are your Long Haired dogs?
It varies. At this time of writing, our dogs
range from 70 lbs to 140 lbs.
You can’t guarantee how
much any pup will weigh full grown, and many breeders tell
you their dogs are larger than they are anyway, so to
compare is senseless!
At Vom Haus Dettmer we DO NOT breed our German Shepherds for
size, nor are size the ‘only’ consideration for keeping dogs
in our breeding program.
We have dogs from standard to
large.
When folks contact us strictly
about the size of our dogs, rarely will they get a
response.
There are SO MANY other factors in
a breeding program that are much more important that should
be considered prior to size.
Most our dogs have level top
lines, or straight backs, some tall and some short,
depending on the lineage.
All our dogs have big bone
structure, large heads, deep chests and large frames.
We like the Old Fashioned German
Shepherds like my grandmother had; with a structure when
Shepherds were built a little less ‘fragile’ and without the
over-exaggerated American show-line angulation, solid and
steady and tough enough to work!
We also own dogs from breeders who
breed strictly to ‘standard’ too! We like a variation in
size, with a preference to a ‘good size’, just as we have
variation in clients, needs and sports!
We DO NOT “JUST” breed for
OVERSIZE or simply LARGE German Shepherds.
We breed for TOTAL DOG!
Depending upon your sport, we have
something to fit just about every need.
If
you are seeking a very large German Shepherd, we know of
REPUTABLE breeders that we would suggest who have been
breeding for years. They OFA their dogs and they breed for
large size, but with health and longevity a HUGE
consideration. NOT JUST SIZE AND COLOR OR COAT or the
latest ‘flavor’ of the month!! If size and coat are your
only options, keep searching! You’ll find it!
What Long Haired German
Shepherd colors and coats do you have?
We own Long Coated German Shepherds of black and red, black
and silver, black and tan, red mahogany sable, silver sable,
and white.
We have plush coats to very long
coats.
We may have a short coat or two,
as well.
Long hair is a fault in
Conformation with the AKC, as is size with several of our
dogs.
Do you have certain feeding requirements if we buy a German
Shepherd from you?
We suggest that you feed your dog a certain ‘brand’ of dog
food, however, you must feed a good,
quality meat-based food. Not too high in protein or fat.
Large breed after 4-5 months of age. This is critical
for overall health and longevity. Feeding less
than a 'premium' dog food will jeopardize your dog's
long-term health!
We also feed our dogs and puppies NuVet Wafers.
We require that all new puppy clients feed these
wafers/supplements to their pups for the first two years, by
ordering online with Nuvet (1-800-474-7044 (code 12076).
These are all natural human grade supplements used as a
daily treat or to be mixed with the dog's kibble, that is
formulated to maximize the longevity and quality of their
life.
Feeding is critical to good bone development and overall
health. A too fat of a puppy will put too much stress on
growing legs and joints, thus a greater risk for bone
issues.
We don’t support free-feeding any
dog, but also don’t support starving your young puppy! If a
dog gets plenty of good exercise and enough to eat, they
will maintain a good weight. Feeding your puppy three
times a day until five months of age, and then twice a day
thereafter should be fine for most pups. Most pups
should eat three to four cups of food per meal, or three -ish
cups per meal eating until they leave a few pieces of kibble
left in the dish.
We do feed
one of the best foods on the market, also promoted and sold
by the AKC – Solid Gold Pet Food!
We also grind our own raw chicken,
bone and all, salmon and other canned veggies on a regular
basis. We feed daily supplements, as well as Vitamin C.
We ‘suggest’ a protein of never4 higher than 26 and a fat not
higher than 14. Protein at 24 and fat at 12 is better.
We prefer our new clients feed only Solid Gold food.
It's available in most places, however, if you can't find
it, other premium foods are ...Flint River, California Naturals, Chicken
Soup, Blue, Innova, or things of that nature.
Check out this list of foods on our
friend’s site at Royalair!
http://royalair.org/gooddogfood.htm
Do you offer short coat German Shepherds for sale?
On occasion!
Where can I find a good dog trainer?
Many of your local pet stores like Pet Smart,
PetCo’s, etc. have puppy socialization classes in your area,
and through advanced. If this is ALL that is available, USE
IT!
It’s best for the puppy to have some form of socialization
of people, places and other dogs vs nothing at all.
You can have people come to your
home, neighborhood kids and other ‘safe’ pets for play-dates
if they are fully vaccinated. However, your puppy STILL
needs to go out and about.
You can call your local police
department and ask them if they are aware of dog trainers in
their area.
Check the internet for trainers in
your region.
Ask local veterinarians.
Check with other breeders, even if
it’s a large breed, but not a Long Haired German Shepherd
breeder for training references or trainers.
Go to a local dog show, talk to
people who handle their dogs, they attend training classes
too! Look up dog handlers!
Ask the local humane shelters,
they are a good source for many dog-related activities and
many have training programs themselves.
You may have to drive to the next
‘larger’ town, or hire a one-on-one trainer to come to your
home.
Even if you don’t have the best of
the best training programs, go and watch a training class
and assess the program. Enroll for the socialization. MOST
of the training is done at home anyway. The ‘techniques’
are what is taught in class.
You need to have your pups/dogs
exposed to the training environment and other people and
dogs. There are TONS of ways to socialize your dog, and you
MUST do this.
You can take up a ‘sport’ such as
agility, or herding, (age appropriate), or drive and sit
outdoors at the bus stop each day to let your dog chat with
the ‘kids’. However you do it, training builds a greater
bond between owner and dog. It’s a MUST DO!
Do Long Coat German Shepherds like to travel?
Absolutely!
Our
dogs LOVE to ride in the car and go places with our family.
If you start your puppy out right,
taking them for short trips when they are young (properly
protected), you will have a traveling partner for life!
Soon, you will have a hard time putting on your shoes or
getting your keys without your dog racing you to the door.
Our dogs know the ‘routine’, run to
the pasture and potty while momma gets out the car and back
to hop into ‘their seat’.
Most of our Long Haired German
Shepherds begin going places at a very early age, from vet
visits, to visits to friend’s homes, to family member’s
houses, to play dates with other people. We DO get out and
about!
Since we DO want them to be well
socialized (and YOU SHOULD) we do take them to other homes
and allow them to ‘visit’ dog friendly people and experience
overnight play dates so that when we HAVE to be away for
extended hours of time we have someone who can care for them
in a ‘home’ setting. This is extremely important for our
dogs who are always indoors. Leaving them in a kennel would
be more of a shock for them, as they are always around
people and used to human interaction. Being ignored at our
house just doesn’t’ happen.
German Shepherds at Vom Haus
Dettmer are born and bred to be ultimate companions and
thrive on human interaction. They are not bred and left
outdoors to bond or be ignored with their dog ‘pack’ to keep
them company! They enjoy the great outdoors, but they enjoy
their humans too and that includes traveling!
What if I live in a high-rise home or have a lot of steps to
get into my house? How can I make the steps safe for my
Long Haired German Shepherd puppy?
Puppies should not incur constant impact due to
climbing up and down numerous steps for the first one to two
years of life (bone development).
Long Coat German Shepherds are large breed dogs and will
grow fast, be very heavy and it will be impossible for you
to carry them much after four years of age. You WILL have
to devise a ramp or retrofit the steps so that they do not
have to climb up and down so many ‘steps’! This is the same
for jumping in and out of a vehicle.
Any large breed dog should not have constant impact on their
front legs from jumping, running, biking, agility, extreme
impact sports, long, excessive walks, etc., things that will
impact their fast growing joints, elbows (critical) and
hips.
Here is a great picture of how a client made a ‘ramp’ for
their back steps that their puppy uses from time-to time to
take the impact off their legs from going up and down the
steps! Great job, Lucy!!
Where do your Long Coat German Shepherds live after
retirement?
Depends! Most of my dogs all remain living at
my home.
My policy is that if I keep a puppy/dog for breeding and my
intentions are to retire it after a couple litters (which I
normally do), I MAY have ‘offered’ said dog to a friend or
family member before/after I retire it. They might ONLY
want a dog that is older, trained and well past the puppy
stages. It might be ‘preplanned’. The rewards for all
could not be better!
That is one reason I rarely allow family
members or friends to ‘over extend’ themselves with buying
my Long Coated puppies. Although, I do have a few family
members that own Long Coated Shepherds from me, some are
only allowed to pick their ‘favorite’ dog of Vom Haus
Dettmer and become ‘pals’ with it.
IF I choose to allow them to have a dog, when/IF the time
comes they MIGHT care for their ‘buddy’ when I retire it.
That way, they have already gotten to know her/him; it’s
been to their home, spent time with their family and is
familiar with their surroundings. It’s a win/win
situation.
We have aunts, uncles, brothers, friends etc., who are
single, living alone, or are in families that are just plain
dog-less or dog lovers! These ‘matchings’ are well thought
out wonderful ‘companions’ for everyone involved! The dogs
are always returnable, stay here when/if they vacation or
have ANY lifestyle change that would not permit them to keep
a dog, just as if I sold it to any other client! And, they
might only “visit’, if they even do leave my home, only for
a vacation! Not to live!
Otherwise, all my dogs live right
here at my home. I own a large acreage and I have room
inside and outside for ALL my dogs. I have an outdoor
kennel run for EVERY one of my dogs if they need to be
outside for long periods of time and ALL my dogs are crate
trained as pups. Although, I feel a kennel where a dog can
exercise is best when they have to be ‘kenneled’ for
extended periods. This keeps them ‘active’ and without
hindering bone structure.
In all my years of breeding, I’ve
never had to ‘make room’, at the expense of any dog, simply
due to not giving thought to my accommodations while I was
over-extending my breeding wealth or overgrowing my pack;
nor due to my inability to care for them after the fact as
some so often find themselves thinking…
What do I do as I’m looking
amongst the many ‘used up’ faces that I now envision as
‘useless’, now past their years, no longer monetarily worthy
to stay as my ‘companion’, hoping not to be replaced by more
‘cuter’, younger blood, due to a financial situation and the
lack of space - something I now choose to not endure, as I
also fear the new laws continuing to place their ever
demanding noose around my once not so visible boundaries!
A reputable breeder ALWAYS has a well, thought-out breeding
program, a “PLAN” with this in mind. NEVER just having to
‘make room’ for new interests!
