"Where are your Puppies raised? "
All Waldkonig Litters are born in our home,handled and monitored daily. At approximately 3-4wks of age they are moved to the Maternity area of our Kennel building.Still handled and monitored daily but now are being fed a gruel 2 times a day in addition to still nursing. When they're old enough to go for walks(5wks) they start spending time in the house and yard during the day.
"Do you socialize your pups?"
Yes,we do a ton of socialization here on the farm but We do not take them off the property as they are still at risk to contract disease.Our pups are handled from birth and exposed to different sound,site and environmental stimuli that is appropriate for their age at that time.More info on this can be seen below under "Puppy Aptitude"
"Can I meet the parents?"
Yes,you can definitely visit the kennel and meet my dogs and pups,if they're old enough.This is done by appointment only and we ask that you have not gone to any other kennel,Pet Stores or dog shows that day and do not bring any other dogs with you.If you want to interact with some of the adults or pups that are old enough,wear appropriate clothing.

" I read online that a Good Breeder will allow me to check out their facilities and to interact with the all dogs"
There's a lot of great info online and a lot of bad/incorrect info out there and for the lay person, its hard to decipher the difference. Anyone can write a article and post it online.That doesn't mean they have any knowledge or experience in that area.If they do have experience,remember that is only their opinion..Not every Breeders policies are the same. One of these articles says a Good Breeder will allow you to pet all the dogs,even the mothers with pups...These are German Shepherds folks, not Golden Retrievers!
I allow interaction with some dogs but definitely not the mom with pups,nor the pups themselves until they're 4-5wks old due to risk of exposing them to disease. Some of these sites say you should be able to go into the whelping area and check it out.Again, for the fore mentioned reason,No. It also stresses the Mother out and in her reaction to strangers in the area she may inadvertently hurt her pups by stepping or jumping on them. The health and safety of my dogs are first and foremost. Most knowledgeable,established Breeders will not give you cart-blanch of their facilities because they know the risk it poses .I have no problem showing people inside the kennel building if there is no young Litters inside and allowing them to view the adults dogs that they're potentially looking to get a pup from and I will answer any questions or concerns and I will have questions to ask also. I enjoy meeting people and love to share my knowledge of the greatest breed of dog on the planet. Some of my very nearest & dearest friends started out as a Client.

" Do You Perform a Puppy Aptitude Test? "

After 28 years of breeding GSDs and having used many of these tests in the past,
I have found them to not necessarily be a accurate gauge of the pups temperament and drive. Pups are changing and adapting daily and many things effect what you are seeing.Depending upon what time of day it is,when they were last fed, is it hot out? Are they tired? These Tests cannot factor these things in.We spend a great deal of time with our pups and are always evaluating how they react and adapt to the new stimuli and each other. My Pups are never shy so I'm evaluating such things as who is the most independent,who "owns" the toys, who runs up or down the stairs first, who likes to hang out with Me or who would rather explore.When I drop a metal pan on concrete in front of them,how do they react? Most of my pups will run to it but I note their reaction and who's the first to it.I start pups on scent work and note who's most interested and which pup will return to that area later still scenting. The current 'tests' will not tell you these things but this tells me much more about that pup.We live on a farm with horses,poultry,lots of cats both in the home and barn, 2 chihuahuas and 2 parrots. We have a large fenced yard where the pups can safely play and hang out with some of the other adults. To get into our house,you must go up steps,either wood or concrete so the pups learn to adapt to this very quickly. In the house they are exposed to cats,little dogs, people coming and going,vacuum,tv,stereo, all the beeps and buzzes of modern appliances & all the other common household noise plus 2 parrots that talk and screech loudly at times.We have a pond, a creek,open level pasture, steep hills and forest trails.We walk all of these areas with the pups.In addition to that we have a training area with large Metal culverts, Long plastic culverts,metal ramps, Rock/rubble piles, and much more.We're evaluating them all constantly with a keen eye factoring in parents temperaments,drives and in-depth knowledge of their heritage and the traits therein. We have a excellent record of matching puppies with our clients that meet or exceed their wishes.
" Isn't it Traumatic on Puppies to ship them? Is it Expensive? "
Many people worry that this will traumatize the pup or that it is too dangerous. This is not true. We have shipped pups for years with no problems .In addition to the socialization they received here,they come from workinglines selected for strong nerves. My Clients are always surprised that when they receive the pup it comes out of the crate happy ,social and ready to play!
I ship my pups at 8wks of age,use a 200/Medium crate and the cost is approx 275.00-350.00,depending upon the size/weight of pup and Airline.We typically use United and the cost is the same regardless of destination within the US. Delta is more expensive and does not ship in the Summer. In addition to the cost of flight there is a charge for the crate and the Health Certificate. A Health Certificate requires a Vet exam to insure the pup is healthy. It is required by law to ship animals and is good for 10 days. It is 130.00 for Crate and Health Cerf based on the pup being 8wks old, the older the pup is the more the crate will cost. We discuss with Our Clients the best day for them to receive the Pup,then we book the flights and email the itinerary to them.Pups cannot be shipped COD.

"I see on all these sites "Taking Reservations" How can I pick out a Puppy that's not even born yet? "

Most Breeders that have quality Breeding dogs and a good reputation will have so many people interested in advance that they take reservations on their upcoming Litters and planned breedings. Our German Shepherds have excellent pedigrees from strong workinglines that are known for good temperaments&health and versatility.We get Clients looking for everything from Family Companion,SAR,Therapy dog, Schutzhund to other well known,established kennels looking for future breeding stock. The "Picking" process is something that concerns many people that have never been through it and can't understand why they cant just pick a pup at 8wks.This is usually the person looking for a family companion that was able to pick their last dog out of a Litter of 10 at 9wks old.And 99.9 % of the time they made their choice based on the pup that came to them first or crawled in their lap and stayed there the whole time.So it's understandable they think that's what they're going to be able to do again.They don't know bloodlines,titles,temperament,drive and don't even realize that the last dog they got was from a back yard breeder and they don't care because they loved that dog and want another German Shepherd.They assume if they cannot pick their own pup,it wont be a good dog or anything less 3rd pick is a shy little runts no one wants. Oh so many to educate and so little time to do it!Our Picking process is a mixture the Clients wants/needs in a dog...gender,their place on the list,if they're specifically wanting a certain color and which pup personality and drive best fits that Client. The final say is ours though.If we don't think that pup is right for you then you cannot have it.When the Litter is born we then obviously know gender&colors and if we even have a pup for you based on that.If We do,as the pups start to mature and develope distinct personality traits,I share my evaluations and photos with my clients. Typically We pick between 6-7wks but occasionally I will need more time. We are the experts here, knowing the parents, the bloodlines, the traits of the lineages and have raised and evaluated the Litter from birth,so it stands to reason We would know best which pup is right for which Clients needs.It is in Our Best interest and are Clients to match the pup to the Clients needs. Clients looking for Working/Sport candidates will get preference. If one is interested in reserving a Pup from Us,we require a phone call discussing your needs and experience in depth. Sometimes we have to begin this process via e-mails due to time zone/work schedules but will speak to the person at some point.If we approve you and your needs to the Litter ,to reserve your position on the Litter we require a 200 Deposit. The deposit is non-refundable unless there are no pups in that litter that fit your wants&needs either in gender,drive or preferred color.In that case you can be refunded the deposit or roll it over to a future litter. Before you send the deposits ,we will send you a copy of our Puppy Contract with all the pertinent info. It can be emailed or sent via regular mail .After receiving the Contract and filling it out,it is either mailed back with the deposit or can be scanned in to e-mail back and deposit can be made by PayPal or bank deposit.Personal checks are ok for deposits but for final pay-off we prefer bank check,bank deposit or money orders.On all PayPal transactions there is 3% charge in addition to price and no pups are ever shipped until the funds clear in our Bank account. Our Puppy Contract contains info on pup, parents,price,registration status,questionnaire on what you are looking for in a dog the terms of the sale,deposit receipt and the Hip&Health Guarantee on the pup and of course, e-mail,phone numbers and addresses of both parties. Our Guarantees can be seen HERE.

Waldkonig Puppy FAQS