Links & FAQ's

Is a German Shepherd right for me? See if you can say "Yes!" to the following:

Are you active (single or family)?
Would you be able to include your new puppy in many of your activities?
Will you be able to commit several times a week for grooming, exercising and training your new puppy?
Are all the members in your household in agreement about the purchase of a puppy?
Are you ready for a 10-14 year commitment?
Have you researched the German Shepherd so that you know what to expect? If not... check out Dog Owner's Guide and Internet FAQ Archive - GSD

What makes a German Shepherd a "good" German Shepherd?
We follow the standards set by the German Shepherd Club in Germany (the SV - Verein fur Deutsche Schaeferhunde) to ensure that our dogs are not only "good" in our eyes but they are proven "good" to the eyes of the entire world. In Germany, puppies cannot receive papers and are not even considered purebred unless both of their parents meet all of these standards. The standards set by the SV are very important to promote proper health and temperament as well as to produce correct conformation and structure in the German Shepherd. Most importantly we use these standards to ensure we produce dogs with both a sound mind and body. In order to meet the SV standard and be considered breed worthy, a dog must:

Be titled at least to a SchH1 in the sport of Schutzhund. Schutzhund is a sport involving tracking, obedience, and protection. - More about Schutzhund
Possess a breed survey (Koerklass rating) to prove the dog is correct in temperament as well as in structure (height, weight, teeth count, etc.) - More about Breed Surveys
Have an AD title - a 20 kilometer bike ride that tests the dog's endurance, conditioning, and physical structure
Have hips and elbows certified free of dysplasia by the German "a" stamp program - there are three passable ratings in the "a" stamp program: "a" normal (excellent), "a" fast normal (almost excellent), and "a" noch zugelassen (still passing).
Have a German Show Rating of either "VA" (Vorzugliche Aulese - Excellent Select), "V" (Vorzuglich - Excellent), "SG" (Sehr Gut - Very Good), or "G" (Gut - Good) - More about German Show Ratings

I just want a good house-pet and a family guardian... why should the German standards be important to me?

The standards set by the SV are very important for someone looking for a German Shepherd as a housepet. Why? Because these standards are used to weed out dogs that shouldn't be bred. It guarantees that the dogs that are bred have good temperaments, solid nerves, courage, adaptability, healthy bodies, and correct structure. These are the very attributes that most people are looking for in a housepet. Unless you are looking for a dog that has inherant separation anxiety issues, fear of strange people or dogs, chronic allergies, ear infections or crippling hip dysplasia, you should be looking for a housepet that is well-bred! How do you know the dog is well-bred unless you can see that the dog has been held up to the standards.

What's the difference between a show-line German Shepherd and a working-line German Shepherd?

Show Line German Shepherds are bred with physical structure and conformation as the primary focus. Show Line dogs are always black/red in color. Because they are not bred primarily to be working dogs, they have an outgoing, but calm temperament and make great home companions.
Working Line German Shepherds are bred with trainability and good drives for work as the primary focus. These dogs can be black/red, sable, or solid black in color. Working line Shepherds have high drives and lots of energy. They are perfect for someone who wants to compete in Schutzhund, agility, or obedience. They are also in high demand for Search & Rescue dogs as well as Police Dogs. These dogs require more time and attention from their owners, but can fit well into an active family.

At My BodyGuard, we breed both working line and show line dogs. We never mix the lines, but look for the best dogs in each and work to produce show line dogs with correct structure, but that also have good drives and trainability as well as working line dogs that are suitable for police work or Schutzhund competition but have correct structure and fluid movement.

What colors are your German Shepherds?

Black/Red

Black

Sable

What makes a "good responsible" breeder?
When looking for a breeder, consider the following... You should establish a good relationship with the breeder first by phone, then, by visiting the kennel. The breeder should be willing to show you the entire facility, including whelping areas. The kennel should be clean and all dogs should be appear in good, healthy condition and should not be fearful of visitors. The mother of the puppies should be available for you to greet. The breeder should be available to answer your questions at all times. A good breeder stands behind their dogs by offering a written guarantee.

How are your puppies raised and when can I take my puppy home?

Our puppies receive top-quality care from the moment they are born. The Mom dog and her puppies have private whelping rooms away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the kennel.
Starting at 3 days of life, each puppy is exposed to Early Neurological Stimulation. ENS is a set of short exercises which serve to stimulate the neurological system in a young puppy and has been proven to strengthen the heart, increase resistance to diseases, and produce greater tolerance of stress.
As the puppies become older they are introduced to more and more new things around the kennel and are socialized with many people, young and old.
Our puppies are routinely wormed and receive their first vaccination before they go home.
At 49 days (7 weeks) of age we conduct a temperament test to evaluate the individual character, drives, conformation, training potential, and temperament of each puppy.
Puppies can go to their new homes at 8 weeks.

What food should I feed my dog?
We recommend FROMM All Gold (also packaged as Nutri Life Solid Gold). You can purchase these foods from us. If you live too far to pick up food, then ask us about shipping or visit FrommFamily.com for retailers in your area.

What vitamins and supplements should I give my dog?
We recommend the following supplements:

What veterinarian do you recommend?
We recommend Pet Vet Animal Clinic in Huntley, IL.

We are members of the following organizations:

Verein fur Deutsche Schaeferhund - SV

United Schutzhund Clubs of America

GSDCA - Working Dog Association

Some of the photos on our web site are courtesy of Gile Meyer (gilem@comcast.net).

My BodyGuard German Shepherd Dogs
Marty & Julie Saso
msaso@dls.net
Phone: 815-568-0484 - Fax: 815-568-1402
7213 Blissdale Road, P.O. Box 304, Marengo, IL 60152