Dogs Need Jobs! Walburga German Shepherd dogs are dogs that need jobs. Not looking for a dog for any of the above jobs that were described? No worries. We firmly believe the best job out there is beloved family companion! Not every puppy in the litter is destined for the high energy work demanded of police, search and rescue, or top sport, etc...
That being said, remember, we really don’t have couch potatoes, either! Don’t get me wrong, our dogs can typically settle in the house but they will need some type of job, even if that job is being your running partner, rounding up all the balls in the yard with you, or doing the best down stay ever. It is critical for GSD’s to have a job to focus on so that they don’t, ahem, create their own jobs, which might not be as satisfactory to you as if you wrote the job description!
Puppy Selection Process
Please ensure that you take the time to thoroughly read our website section on puppy testing. We understand that puppies are cute and that it is easy to fall in love based on a certain “cuteness factor”. We do not believe in allowing people to simply choose a puppy based on looks. We will never sell a puppy based on a photo. We do not place puppies by first come first serve. We keep your application and identify the traits that are best suited for you. We have a sort of profile that we are looking for each person based on their needs, desires, experience, skill level and plans with the puppy. Rarely are there two people looking for exactly the same puppy. As we go through the puppy testing, we build a profile of each puppy. This profile is based on years of this standardized testing and follow up. It is usually pretty clear which puppy is best suited for which homes. We work WITH you to guide you through this process. We encourage your attendance at each of the puppy tests, though we know that not everyone can make every test.
As discussed above, we focus on temperament when making puppy “profiles”. Color is really a last consideration, however we recognize that if “everything else was equal” sometimes there are color preferences (I am personally in love with a dark sable, but I have every color of dog out there, as temperament and work ethic are my number one considerations); if you have any preferences (no guarantees that the right temperament would be the right color) please let us know.
We are often asked “but what if I fall in love with a certain puppy?”. That depends on why you fall in love. We believe chemistry is important and that is a factor...however, if this happens, we will discuss at length the profile of the puppy; your profile; any discrepancies; the probability of success or how to overcome those discrepancies. We will make the decision with you, however, if I know that it is absolutely a poor choice with a poor probability of outcome, I cannot in good conscience make that placement. I have to say, that is pretty rare, as most people seem very open to the process and there isn’t a huge surprise as we are narrowing down the choices.