We feed raw to our dogs.  Two excellent books on the subject are  Give Your Dog a Bone by Dr. Ian Billinghurst and Raw and Natural Nutrition for Dogs by Lew Olson, PhD.  

I don't have the American style German Shepherd.  I like the West German showlines and the working lines for their stability, drive, and trainability.  

I've found you learn a lot about your dogs through training and competition.  As a breeder, it's important I understand how my dogs act under pressure.  That stability is important for pets with families, too.  

Each litter starts with the same letter of the alphabet von Holtgrew.  This is the same naming style as breeders in Germany.  Deposit holders can help with names.

Our contract includes a clause that requires at least 2 obedience classes (6-8 weeks are typical of a class).  It's important for dogs and owners to uderstand basic obedience.  It may save your pet's life someday.  It also makes vet appointments much easier.  It's so much easier to bring up a puppy with odience training than have a grown adult that is out of control.  

At 12 months of age, the puppies can obtain the German SV hip certification or OFA hip prelim.  

Later hip issues typically are due to over exercise, poor diet, and/or over feeding. 

The dog does not have to be returned to us to honor this guarantee.  

Yes!  Please check out our recommendation page or contact me.  I don't bash other breeders.  Often times I will decline to comment if I can't say anything nice.  

If you want a pet with full registration, you'll find plenty of backyard breeders that will do it.  Quality breeders don't want dogs bred without hip/elbow ratings and show/working titles.  

I've had over 25 years of selecting puppies for families.  To make those choices, I use what I see every day and the puppy test done by an evaluator.  Careful breeders want the right puppy in the right home and are willing to decline a placement if that can't be done.  

I really like the Volhard Aptitude Test done by a tester who has never been around the puppies.  The puppies are also tested in a setting that is completely new to them off my place.  I couple the test scores and the tester's opinion with what I see with the puppies as they grow.

Yes.  When we have a litter, we limit visitors until after the puppies are 3 weeks of age. 

If you want an imported puppy or dog, we have some contacts overseas that can assist you with that.  

Puppies can leave at 8 weeks, pending any health concerns. They are vet checked and puppy tested during their 7th week.   It's important that puppies interact with their littermates after weaning.  It helps with dog aggression and pack order.  We also have our puppies interact with other older dogs in our home.  

I love to hear about how our dogs are doing with their families.  I'm not sure how anyone can evaluate their breeding program without seeing how the dogs do as they grow into old age.