Most good breeders of purebred dogs breed dogs for one reason… they absolutely love their breed. Their goals are the constant improvement of the breed from litter to litter. When you purchase from a concerned breeder, you can be sure that everything that can be done to ensure correct and typical temperament, good health and conformation has been done.  Many good breeders will be actively involved in showing, training, and competing with their dogs.  The breeder will be aware of  the genetic problems associated with their breed and will have done appropriate testing with documentation to support this testing.  Breeders who care about the breed and their puppies don’t lose interest in you and your puppy once the check has been cashed. They remain available to help and guide you with any questions, problems, or concerns you may have.

 

At vom Vollkommen Shepherds all of our breeding adults must meet or exceed the exacting German Standard which includes:

(1) Training for and competing in a temperament and basic obedience test (BH)

(2) Attaining a Schutzhund working title, consisting of tracking, obedience and protection phases (SchH, IPO)

(3) Completing a 12 mile endurance test (AD)

(4) Having hips x-rayed and certified as normal and

(5) Participating in an advanced evaluation of the dog’s character and conformation performed by a German Koermeister (Korung or Breed Survey).

 

When our dogs meet these criteria then and only then are they used in our breeding program.  This ensures that the puppy you get from vom Vollkommen Shepherds will be the product of parents of the highest quality.  We remain available at all times to help our puppy buyers with any questions, problems, or concerns they may have.

 

When you arrive at the kennel facility notice the conditions… are they clean, organized and well kept?  Where are the puppies kept, do they have opportunity to experience a variety of  different people and life situations.  To be well adjusted, puppies need to be socialized and handled consistently and gently from birth.  They need to see different kinds of people,  adults, children and men.  You should be able to see the parents,  although it isn’t uncommon for the sire to live elsewhere.  Many breeders will use the services of an outside male for their females; one that is the most correct for that particular female.   The dam should be clean, outgoing and friendly.  If she has a large litter, she could be a bit on the thin side and her coat won’t be in top condition. This is related to the demands of the puppies, and the changing hormone levels caused by pregnancy, whelping and nursing the litter.

 

At vom Vollkommen Shepherds our breedings are planned with great care to ensure that the resulting puppies will have the best the possible genetic advantage.  Females are given a through examination prior to being bred to ensure that they are in top physical condition.  About 10 days prior to the due date the female is introduced to a specially equipped room in the house where all litters are whelped.   The whelping is monitored constantly to ensure the best outcome for the puppies and the mother.  The puppies are handled daily and weights are monitored twice a day for the first week. The mother and puppies remain in the house until they are 4 weeks old.  Then they are transferred to a climate controlled house in the kennel area where they have access to an outside run.  Having the opportunity to learn to use the outside facilities for elimination results in a puppy that is 90% “House-broken” when the new family takes their puppy home.  During these early weeks the puppies are exposed to a variety of natural stimuli including; radio, television, slick floors, carpeted floors, grass, gravel, and all the normal activities of a household.   The puppies have interaction with a variety of people, including men, women and children.  Our buyers are welcome to come and visit our kennel facilities so they can see first-hand the temperament and condition of our dogs.

 

The individual puppies in the litter should be quite uniform in size, body structure and temperament. The puppies should be happy, outgoing, social, eager to meet new people, and interact readily, while showing no signs of fear or apprehension. They should be clean and healthy, with no evidence of discharge from eyes, nostrils or ears. The puppies should be wormed on a regular schedule starting at 2 weeks, and immunized against the canine diseases starting at 6 weeks and kept current on all vaccinations.

 

At vom Vollkommen Shepherds, because of our breeding practices and careful attention to the selection of the best breeding partners, you can expect to see very uniform litters. The puppies in our litters are like little “peas in a pod”.  In fact, we must put color coded collars on the puppies so that we can tell them apart.  At birth the puppies will range within a few ounces of each other (approximately 1.5 pounds). This uniformity continues all through the early weeks, males will usually weigh a few pounds more than the females at 8 weeks, when they go to their new homes (males approximately 16 pounds and females 14 pounds).   Our puppies love life and are extremely outgoing and social, they run to greet us as well as visitors with great enthusiasm, getting under-foot,  hanging on to pant legs and untying shoe laces constantly.   To ensure that the puppies remain in the best possible health they are wormed at 2 week intervals starting at 2 weeks. Vaccinations are begun at 6 weeks and repeated at 3 week intervals.  As an additional precaution, prior to being sent to their new homes all of our puppies are given a through physical examination by a licensed veterinarian.  You can be sure that the puppy you get from vom Vollkommen Shepherds will have had every possible advantage to guarantee it will attain its full potential.