Our puppies generally range from $3,500 to $5,000 depending on the parents and breeding.

Puppies go to their new homes at approximately 8 weeks of age.

After speaking with us and confirming that one of our litters may be a good match, a deposit will reserve your place on our list.

Yes. Our dogs come from lines with hip and elbow certifications and are DM (Degenerative Myelopathy) clear.

Our puppies receive early neurological stimulation and enrichment to develop into stable, confident adult dogs.

Of Course we do! But that’s a bare minimum. The A.K.C registration is nothing more than a piece of paper proving the dogs are purebred, and has a closed stud book. It is in no way a certificate of quality or a way for the breeder to comply with the internationally recognized breed standard. This matters because many, if not most, German Shepherds seen in the U.S are of poor quality and they often suffer from health and temperament issues. Therefore, please do your homework before buying a G.S.D. We don’t breed American Showlines. There are reputable breeders in the U.S who breed to a standard far in excess of the requirements of the America Kennel Club but they are relatively few in number compared to the many breeders who continue to produce mediocre dogs. Germany is the home of the German Shepherd Dog and its German Shepherds are universally recognized as the best in the world. Please continue in order to understand the difference between what is required in Germany to breed a German Shepherd and what is required in the US. That is why we focus on health testing of our dogs with O.F.A and perform the D.M test. That is why we have dogs directly imported from Germany or Netherlands, or one generation removed, from highly credentialed ancestors, to produce the finest dogs possible.

We are a small, private breeder of imported working line German Shepherds. Our goal is to produce a versatile dog that can work in the field of IPO and then lie on the couch and be part of the family at the same time, not kenneled dogs.

All of our dogs live inside and are members of our family, therefore we do not have a kennel building and keep a limited number of dogs. This small operation allows us to spend more individual time with each dog and focus on only keeping what we have the time to work and title. Each litter is raised indoors in our “puppy room.” We never have more than one litter at a time and not more than two litters in a year. This allows us the maximum time possible to focus on each litter and every individual puppy.

A Puppy-Kit will come with every puppy that goes to their new home. The Kit will have an “A.K.C” folder that contains, papers to register your puppy in your name, tips on traveling, training, diet etc. I offer an extended 9 year health guarantee as part of my contract of your puppy, if you stay on the food and supplements I recommend. The Kit will also contain a “Pet-Passport” in which I have been documenting everything from the day they were born. It will contain birth-date, color, sex, age, vaccine schedule, de-worming schedule etc. It contains everything you will need to keep everything straight for the rest of his/her life. I will also put in the folder a picture of the Mother and the Father and pictures of your puppy as he/she grew. I will contact you two weeks before the puppy goes home, so you can order the pawTree food that the puppies have been eating, so you can avoid diarrhea because of sudden changing food. You can keep the food the same, or you can change it. If you choose to change their diet, gradually change over to your new brand, this helps avoid vomiting and diarrhea. However, if you stay on the PawTree Diet, I add in a 9year health guarantee. If you change the food, the 9year health guarantee is null and void. I also include a housebreaking D.V.D to help you along the way to crate training and housebreaking. Lastly, they will come with a favorite toy; something they’ve played with since they were old enough to play. It’s comforting, it smells like mom, their brothers and sisters, and the home they came from.

The order of deposits has a role in the pick of your puppy. However, order alone is not enough and we also want to make the best temperament match for you and your family!

If you have read this website at all, you will have seen that via videos and text I went into a great deal of detail of the kind of dogs we produce, and that we work our dogs in the sport of I.P.O/IGP and try to remain as close as possible to the breed standard. I have explained the difference between West German Showlines and Working lines. As mentioned on our page, we don’t breed American Showlines. Our dogs are our family pets and live with us in the home and are not kenneled outdoor dogs. You will also have read that we do hip and elbow testing by an O.F.A certified veterinarian. You will have also seen that are dogs are directly imported from Europe, either Germany or the Netherlands. You will have seen we develop working line dogs with an excellent “off” switch that can settle in the home and be excellent pets and family members. so you should have some idea of the genetics we’re looking for. After having gone back and forth and side to side in trying to decide how to allow people to choose their puppies. I finally decided on a way that makes the most sense, is best for the puppies well being, and the people’s interest. Despite having your eyes set on a certain color or even gender, I discourage, and rarely allow people to choose their puppies solely based on color, however I do take it into deep consideration. There are several reasons for this. First off, color changes dramatically as young puppies age. Our puppies are either black, sable, dark sable, or black and tan. We don’t have black and red. The sable colored puppy at birth, could be brownish at 7weeks old, and dark grey at adulthood, and the dark black and tan puppy at birth, could be an tan-point bi-color several weeks later. Secondly, this puppy is going to be with you for the rest of its life, which could be 14+ years, wouldn’t you rather spend it with a dog whose personality fits your liking rather than its color? If you want the calmest, laziest, most laid back puppy, more often than not, the puppy you chose solely based on color, could end up being the craziest one in the bunch! I need to look out for the best interest of my puppies also, they need to be with a family that suits them as well. I can’t very well allow that crazy-hyper little puppy to go home to a family with tiny children who are afraid of rambunctious dogs, or a senior couple who do not intend to go on walks or actively exercise the puppy.

This is why I decided to place puppies based on the new strategy: Each person or family on the waiting list needs to tell me exactly what they are looking for in an adult dog. What’s your ideal pet? If you could pick a dog ‘Subway Sandwich Style’, what would you add and what would you leave? Tell me about yourself and your family. Other pets? Kids? House or Apartment? Are you active, or chilled out? All these details are important. Many people think they need to ‘mold’ the truth and tell me what they think I want to hear. They think that if they tell me they’re at work 10 hours a day and the dog will be alone, I won’t think that’s a good environment for a puppy and therefor not let them have one. If that was the case, I wouldn’t have so many German Shepherd dogs of my own! Everyone is different, that detail just lets me know that the craziest, loudest most active puppy, probably isn’t a good fit for you. As long as you provide enough exercise and socialization and love, is what is important. If you are looking for a yard dog to protect your property we are not the breeder for you.

From birth, I keep track of how each puppies temperament develops, their habits and new occurrences in behavior. Every single week, I observe each puppy , and write an individual weekly ‘bio’ of them. When the puppies are 6 weeks old, I will have a pretty good feel for their personalities. My goal is to make it like you were actually here! Then, I’ll take all my observations and apply it to what you’re looking for in a family pet, and your initial desires for certain colors and genders. Depending on litter size, I will then narrow your choices down to 2-4 puppies and then I let you decide which puppy you would like to take home from those. I also believe in the Volhard Personality profile, a well known scientific test, can be a valuable tool.

So, here at VonGontaHaus, I made choosing your new addition a group effort. It’s between their current ‘family’ (us) and their future ‘family’ (you). The phrase, ‘it takes a village’, doesn’t just apply to people!

Remember, your puppy is only 8-10 weeks old when you take them home. They have a lot of developing to do behaviorally, let alone physically. Environment, enrichment, socialization and so much more have a huge part in developing your puppies personality. I have done my best to choose the puppy whose personality I thought would be suit you and your preferences, but so many things change due to so many factors. I’m sure you’ve raised many puppies before so this is old news, but just remember, they’re learning and are going to change as they grow and develop.

I always post the current litters ‘Waiting List’ on my Facebook page once the puppies are born. It shows the order in which people stand to choose their puppy, where they are located, and if they prefer a male or female. I keep this list current so people know where they stand. I post on my Facebook page. Nothing can take your place, or move you down on the list. Your deposit holds your place and other families will be turned down because you have your deposit in place. If your deposit is in, you’re golden! Puppies are placed in order of deposits, with earlier deposits having more selection choice over later deposits.

We focus on temperament first and color and gender second. If not enough males or females are born in a given litter, and you specifically want a specific color or gender, we can’t control that, and therefore, if don’t wish to take an existing puppy, your deposit transferred to another litter of equal value in our program or you have to wait another 6 months for the next heat cycle.

I’m always taking names down for people who want a puppy in the future, but aren’t quite ready for one. I also take information from people who want a puppy, but there is not more room on the waiting list, or all the puppies have been spoken for. There are also situations where I don’t have a litter available yet and people inquire. All of these situations are handled the same. I always have a waiting list. To be on the waiting list I require your name, phone number, email and city and state you reside in. I DO NOT accept deposits until the puppies are born. This ensures I have the gender and color preferences people want, and numbers. Once they are born, I re-contact everyone on the waiting list to determine if they still want a puppy, I f so, then I accept the deposit (see above paragraph), and make you sign a puppy contract.