The Mission.... at JayDee's Proud-Haus Shepherds is to produce emotionally, mentally & physically sound and well balanced quality to breed standard German Shepherd Dogs (well, with the exception of some white coats!), and to educate everyone I can possibly reach out there about finding the right dog for you (even if it's not a Shepherd!), and to help people find a good breeder when it's time to find your new friend. The most important aspect of our breeding programme is good temperament tied with good genetic health and knowledge.   "Good temperament" means to us that a dog is willingly biddable, easy to live with, cooperative, confident, intelligent, having versatility to cope with strange situations and resilience when placed in such, loving, aware, a good and happy worker, and above all, a companion whether or not they ever enter a show/working ring!!    Our dogs as our family pets are the most practiced function they ever have!!  Remember, good temperament means different things to different breeders! We strive to breed dogs that are genetically healthy.   I belong to a number of genetics groups, one specializing just on the genetic diseases/defects of the White Shepherd, and my own dogs are a part of this ongoing study, in addition to others, as would I like for all my pups to be surveyed and added, too. There are so many things that we as breeders have an amount of control over ,,, such as:   hip/elbow dysplasia, luxating patellae(prevalent especially in small breeds), generalized DJD, cardiac & thyroid and so many others can be tested for and certified free by the OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) . PennHIP is a newer screening tool for testing 'joint laxity' in our dogs' hips; many breeders prefer this testing method over the traditional OFA view. Eyes may be tested and registered by CERF (Canine Eye Registry Foundation), which cooperatively lists their results through the OFA website. Eye problems, though not prevalent in the GSD/WS, are prevalent in many breeds; both large and small!! We as breeders can take care to use only properly screened dogs, proven to be free of those prevalent genetic diseases, as our breeding stock!   Breeders, an ounce of prevention is worth a TON of cure when it comes to other people´s hearts.    Just because these tests cost money to do, and yes, they do cut into your profit margin, doesn't make them not worth the trouble there is nothing measurable to doing the right thing!!!   The caring breeder will be truly interested in the health, temperament, welfare, longevity and preservation of their chosen breed. Please see our page titled, What Do All Those Health Clearances Mean? for more information on the above listed health clearances, along with many more. Buyers Beware:   If it doesn't seem like they do care, don't buy from that person! Make sure the parents of the puppy you're looking at have the appropriate genetic certifications-I have known many people who have to agonize over their 1 or 2 year old GSD being crippled with hip dysplasia; and then agonize some more about the $5000. Financial decision to fix or not to fix the dog... Any good breeder will provide you with a written contract, with some kind of WRITTEN guarantee concerning the health of your dog.    I do. Granted, there's never any 100% guarantee for anything in life, that's what written contracts are for-even in this modern age of science, I've seen pups OFA dysplastic come out of parents being rated OFA Excellent.   Genetics are still very much a crap-shoot, but---the odds are much more in your favor that your puppy will be healthy if its parents are certified to be healthy too. "Breadth" (siblings/aunts & uncles, etc)of pedigree is often thought as more important than the results of a puppy's parents...    The happiest moment in the puppy-rearing for me is when I get to see families' faces light up when they they get their JayDee's Proud Puppy!!    And, that's when all the poopies and all the food and mess and work and time and financial investment become all worth it, knowing that the work I started will be enriching another family's lives as my dogs have mine.

About Us... Proud members of The German Shepherd Dog Club of America and United German Shepherd Dog Alliance