Hey folks,

I won't be getting a puppy until next Spring, but I'm antsy and want to start figuring out what my options are. Does anyone know of a good breeder of working line GSDs or Malinois (I haven't made up my mind yet)? I'll be particularly looking for a puppy to do ring sports with. I live in south central Indiana, so I can reasonably drive to northern Kentucky, Ohio, and Illinois.

any point in the right direction will be VERY helpful!
Thanks!

I'd be looking for a breeder whose dogs are the lines that I am looking for & who trial their own dogs in the venues that I am interested in partisipating in.

I would not limit myself to any particular area of the contry, but rather be more concerned about the dog that meets the requirements that I am looking for.

Thanks Anne, part of my problem now is that I'm not sure how to find those breeders. Is there a registry I could look to? Or should I look to competition results and try to track down breeders through the dogs? Also, if I go with someone not in my part of town, do I not go and visit the breeder before getting the pup? Or would you suggest I make one trip to pick up the puppy or two to make an earlier visit to see the breeder? In terms of well-titled dogs, could I assume that I don't need to pay a visit to the breeder just to check out their facilities?

This will be my first working dog, and I've got a good handle on what I'm looking for just not where to look yet or a lot of the details! so Thanks!

FWIF.....Mals are not the best idea for a 1st time working dog owners.

There are some breeders here of w/l GSDs. Betty Waldron, Becky Shilling to name a couple. There are folks here that have pups from them.

There are also mal breeders.

I would suggest that you decide on a breed first & what traits you are looking for & then go from there.

Others may have additional input.

This may be a dumb question; Have you identified some clubs in your area that train in the sport you are looking to get into?

This would be a concern of mine, as there are no ring sport clubs in my area (at least that I'm aware of). There are only a few SchH clubs, so that is the venue that I train in.

I am cautious of getting a Mal, but I'm just keeping an open mind as I look around at this point. Duane, not a stupid question, because you're partly right that the only clubs around me do primarily Sch. I'll definitely train in that, but I'm a little more fascinated by French ring, but we'll see what happens. One of those clubs is hosting the national AWDF trial championship this upcoming weekend. I wonder if the members of that club like a few particular breeders. I'm going to try and make it up to watch a few trials and maybe I can talk to a member or two. The world of where these breeders are and how you find them is still a mystery to me.

Anne, forgive my ignorance, but when you say selecting the traits I'm looking for, do you mean specific things like high defense or good nose work? Or sport dog lines versus working PPDs?

Find the sport you want to work with, look up trial results for that sport, and look up the kennel names of the winning dogs

Katie, seems so obvious now that you say it! I often need that =)

Unless you have done quite a bit of working dog training, I think I'd steer you away from a Mal to start with as well. Of course, I'm biased for GSDs!

The primary traits for a working (in your case, sport) dog that you are considering are prey drive and sound hips/elbows. As Katie said, a good indication of this is titling/scores. A secondary consideration will be liveability (ability of dog to socialize and coexist with family and other pets). Often a over-the-top high drive dog can play hell on the household, and this is why a lot of US (billboard, flashing lights, dancing girls!!) recommend GSDs over Mals, or as a friend recently put it "Maligators are a trip until they mature, which is usually about 9yo.". GSDs are a little more liveable, as they typically have more aloof, reserved personalities.

Look up the pedigrees of the parents of your candidates, regardless of the source. A reputable dealer will gladly provide them, but verify them if you have any qualms. Learn the abbreviations (easily found on the internet) and check the pedigree for dysplastic dogs. Additionally, a good sport dog will have titles on all ancestors, and advanced titles from the grandparents back. The dams may only have a BH, but their hips will be certified.

It's really neat that you have this much time to prepare. NO excuses!!!