Where are your puppies born and raised?
All of our puppies are born and raised in the home, some even sleep in the bedroom with us! We want our new mothers and puppies kept safe and warm, and we want your puppy to be exposed to all the sights, sounds, and smells of the home so he is a well-adjusted companion.
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Can you describe the socialization and care do your puppies receive?
Our puppies receive a variety of stimulation, socialization, and care beginning at birth. All of our puppies are born indoors, in our home. Our females have stable temperaments and allow us to handle and check on their puppies. Beginning the day after birth, we use early neurological stimulation aka Bio Sensor Program which involves handling neo-natal puppies in a variety of positions in order to help stimulate and develop their neurological systems, increase stress tolerance, promote stronger heart beats, immune system, and adrenal glands. We closely monitor the puppies' ability to feed and keep track of their weights. Puppies are marked with colored ribbons or collars so that we can monitor their individual progress. When the puppies are old enough, we allow a variety of visitors to play with them, handle them, and feed them. We introduce crates, solid foods, outdoor play time, and walking on various surfaces such as elevated planks and inflated discs. The latter helps the puppy learn body awareness and balance, as well as boost their confidence while interacting with a variety of textures and surfaces. We vaccinate puppies between 7-8 weeks with Fort Dodge Duramune 5-way (Distemper, Parvovirus, Adenovirus, Hepatitis, and Parainfluenza). Puppies also see an outside vet (other than Julie's husband, Dr. Mostosky) at 7-8 weeks and are de-wormed regularly.
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Do we get to pick our own puppy?
We encourage you to come visit the dogs and puppies. We will get to know you and assist you with choosing the best puppy for your goals and lifestyle. As you are researching German Shepherds and breeders, please jot down your goals for your dog (family pet, show dog, Schutzhund, agility or other dog sports, etc) and what you would like or dislike in your dog (do you like high energy or a more laid back dog? A dog with a lot of drive and spunk or a more mellow dog?). Since we spend considerable time planning carefully matched breedings, raising and training our dogs, and developing our puppies, we know our dogs and puppies better than anyone and strive to provide you with the dog that fulfill your goals and meet your criteria. It may not be the puppy you pick, the puppy may pick you!
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What's the difference between males and females?
Besides anatomy, not much! There is a lot of anecdotal evidence floating around as to which gender is smarter, more protective, more affectionate...but the most important thing is that you are matched with the puppy that best fits your lifestyle, male or female. We do not require spaying or neutering, but if you choose to alter your dog, we encourage you to wait until physical maturity. Spaying females is encouraged to avoid unwanted matings, pyometra infection, and certain cancers.
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What are your prices?
Our prices vary depending on the breeding but are generally $1800-$2500. Puppies with long stock coats (sometimes called long coats or plush coats) are discounted $1,200-$1800 depending on the breeding. The *only* difference with a long coat puppy is the length of the top coat; this fault is not associated with any other health or developmental issues and many people prefer long coated German Shepherds. NOTE: Change to the breed standard pertaining to the "Long coat/hair (LH) with undercoat. From SV General Meeting of 2009, the SV has requested the FCI to accept the German Shepherd Dog with "Long coat/hair with undercoat" as its own variation.
The FCI has approved this proposal to the breed standard, effective January 1, 2011.
This new ruling allows the German Shepherd Dog with "Long coat/hair with undercoat", as of January 1, 2011, to:
1. Participate in Breed Surveys
2. Participate in breed shows in their own class.
3. Accepted into the Breed Books. To be bred to the same coat type.
Unlike commercial breeders, we do NOT use elaborate pricing structures based on "pick order" or the registration status of the puppy.
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Are there waiting lists and or deposits/reservations?
Since we are not a commercial kennel we only accept reservations after you have been approved for an Alta-Tollhaus puppy. Reservations are $500 which will be applied to the total price of the puppy. The balalnce is due at the time you pick up your puppy or one week prior if the puppy is being shipped. All reservations are non-refundable. If for some reason we do not have a suitable puppy for you, your deposit will be transferred to the next available litter. We make every effort to best match you with a puppy that fulfills your dreams. Final decisions on who-gets-what- puppy is not made until the puppies are over 7 weeks of age. The pups are physically and mentally ready to leave their littermates at 8 weeks.
Our puppies are raised with love and affection, our puppies are companions, not commodities.
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Can we come visit our puppy?
Of course! We encourage you to come visit the puppies and adult dogs. We have many people routinely visit our puppies to ensure that they enjoy handling and are well socialized. However, please remember our dogs live in our home and we appreciate making an appointment ahead of time.
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Where do your dogs live?
Our dogs live primarily in our home. We have 108 acres where our dogs can run and explore, as well as several secure yards and runs for outdoor activity. We have a large indoor training building, a dedicated trial-sized Schutzhund training field, and an outdoor trial-sized agility/show ring.
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What do you feed your dogs?
Our dogs and puppies eat a raw diet alternating with a variety of premium foods. The commercial dog food we use is high quality and contains no corn, wheat, soy, gluten, or other unnecessary grains and fillers. Some of the brands we have used include Nature's Variety Prairie, Innova Evo, California Natural (limited ingredient diets), Fromm, Orijen, Taste of the Wild, and Wellness Core. The Dog Food Analysis web site is a great resource for comparing commercial kibbles. We do not use "puppy formulas". Since German Shepherds are a large breed and are slow to mature, we recommend using a proper "all life stages" diet from weaning through adulthood in order to promote slow growth and development. Some puppy foods can be too high in calcium and other ingredients. We also encourage BARF (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food), raw, and/or home cooked diets. We do not require that prospective owners use a certain food or supplement, however if you would like suggestions we are happy to help. For training treats and tracking bait, we use and recommend chopped "food roll" such as meat rolls from Happy Howie's.
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What vaccinations do your puppies receive?
We vaccinate puppies between 7-8 weeks with Fort Dodge Duramune 5-way (Distemper, Parvovirus, Adenovirus, Hepatitis, and Parainfluenza). Puppies also see an outside vet (other than Julie's husband, Dr. Mostosky) at 7-8 weeks. We encourage you to bring your puppy to your own vet within 48 hours to make sure you and your vet are satisfied with the health and quality of your puppy. The puppies are also de-wormed regularly.
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What health certifications do your dogs have?
All of our breeding dogs (and the males that we breed to) have the appropriate hip and elbow certifications, either through the OFA and/or the A-stamp program in Germany and are certified clear of hip and elbow dysplasia. While health problems can crop up in any litter, we stack the deck in your favor by breeding away from lines and dogs known to carry genetic disorders such as hip dysplasia, mega-esophagus, EPI, etc.
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Do you offer a guarantee?
Yes, we have a contract and offer guarantees against certain genetic conditions. In the event that we need to provide a replacement or refund, we do not require that you return your dog.
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What training and activities do you do with your dogs?
Our breeding dogs are all trained and titled to the German standard for breeding. They all have Schutzhund and/or HGH (herding) titles. They also have German conformation ratings of "V" and the highest level Koerung (Breed Survey), the Koerklasse 1. The Breed Survey involves a qualified judge closely examining the physical structure, temperament, and working abilities of the dog. The dog must already have a conformation rating of SG or higher, a Schutzhund or HGH title, and certified hips and elbows. Our home also hosts Taking the Lead Dog training which offers training in obedience, agility, and conformation, and the Working Dog Club of Michigan which offers training in Schutzhund.
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What are dogs from your breeding program doing?
Progeny from our breeding program have trained and competed in obedience, Rally-obedience, agility, tracking, conformation (“showing”), dock diving, sheep herding, Schutzhund, pet assisted therapy, and several are leader dogs for the blind. Our dogs serve as family companions, service dogs, and performance dogs all over the country.
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[Herding]
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