When visiting a breeder, there are some important things regarding the conditions of the kennels and care of dogs to look for:

1. Does the breeder provide enough attention and play with their dogs?
2. Do the kennels feed healthy food and provide clean water?
3. Is the shelter adequate for the number of dogs?
4. Are the puppies given needles before you pick them up?
5. Are the puppies given the proper de-worming and medication?
6. Are the puppies cleaned and groomed as they get older?
7. Are the puppies given exercise?
8. Are there enough times for socialization? (e.g. play, interacting with new people, interacting with other puppies)

As for the breeder itself, look for the following signs:

1. Belongs to a national or local breeding club?
2. Tests the breeding stock for any genetic diseases (especially Hip Dysplasia)
3. Do both the stud and bitch have excellent temperaments?
4. Are the breeders very knowledgeable about GSDs?
5. Why did the owners get into breeding? What is their history?
6. Provides a warranty or other guarantee for their puppies regarding Hip Dysplasia and other common genetic disorders.
7. Does the breeder show their dogs? Do they win?
8. Agrees to take the puppy back if it doesn’t work out.

It is never recommended to purchase your animal from a pet store. These dogs often come from puppy mills, no matter what the store owner tells you. This is a very low-quality experience that does not provide you with the opportunity to meet the breeders or breeding stock.

Kolenda's backyard

Kolenda Kennels breed attractive German Shepherd dogs from West German lines. Suitably, Kolenda Kennels are also located the western Michigan city of Dorr, just half an hour south of Grand Rapids. All of Kolenda’s males have been imported from Germany, with high marks from German shows and are Schutzhund trained.

My girlfriend and I were interested in getting a German Shepherd, and so looked online at various Michigan breeders. After browsing Kolenda’s website, we were impressed by their beautiful German Shepherds. We thought their males were the best looking we had seen in Michigan, with show-quality features.

Because of our interest, we visited Kolenda in April 2009. The kennels appeared very clean, with staff onsite that would regularly monitor and take care of the dogs. Both John and Susan Kolenda seemed very well informed about German Shepherds, and the two staff people on site were nice.

The German Shepherd’s on site were also very impressive. We were interested in a litter between Rooney vom Salzgitter Milleau and Frizi vom Kolenda, while Frizi was not imported from Germany but bred on site, both of her parents were imports with impressive records. Frizi was well tempered, and despite being with her litter allowed us to approach and pet her. Rooney also showed no aggressive or dangerous tendencies, and was quite playful. This contradicted our experience with another breeder who was scared to let us near her German Shepherds because they could harm us (?!).

Kolenda Puppy at 5 Weeks

We also were allowed to spend some time with the puppies at 5 weeks. They seemed wonderful for puppies, no whining or barking for attention, but very calm yet playful. Both the puppies and breeding stock appeared to be taken care of quite well. My girlfriend was very pleased with how cute all the puppies were. The great German Shepherd looks and wonderful temperament made us sure we wanted a Kolenda puppy.

After we got home, we looked online for critiques and more extensive information regarding Kolenda. On the Kolenda website, there are extensive testimonials from satisfied customers. Outside the website though, we did not find much information. Suprisingly, the little bit we did find was mostly negative, but all half-rumors that made us more suspicious about the poster than it did Kolenda. These claims included “bad temperment” and “I heard from so and so whom talked to so and so that the dog was bad” with no proof backing it up, and people willing to share their stories only through private messages. Were they really too scared to share their stories in public, or was it simply that the stories were unfounded? We suspect the later. The stories contradicted the well-behaved and attractive dogs and puppies we met at Kolenda.

The final sticking point was the price. There were many posts saying “too expensive.” We agreed to some extent, a well-bred and attractive German Shepherd is quite expensive! We found most of the other breeders we looked at with dogs we found not meeting what we desired. Kolenda appears to have the best looking dogs we’ve seen in Michigan, from West Germany, which we prefered. When looking for comparably attractive dogs with good lineages out of state, most breeders were asking for more than $2,500. Some breeders in Michigan with dogs we found less attractive and from American lines were asking “only” $1,500, but we settled with paying more for what we desired from Kolenda ($2,500), as we were very happy with both the dogs their close proximity to us.

Rittmeister Max Emil Frederich von Stephanitz

The German Shepherd Dog was originally bred by Rittmeister Max Emil Frederich von Stephanitz (1864-1936). While at the Karlsruhe Dog Show in 1899 he saw a dog which he felt possessed all the ideal qualities in a perfect dog: ability, beauty and intelligence. He purchased the dog and began his program to create the perfect dog breed.

The German Shepherd has a wonderful temperment. He is supposed to be fearless, yet not aggressive. He should stand is ground and be willing to defend his family with his life. The breed description states that he should be “steady of nerve, loyal, self-assured, courageous, and tractable.”

German Shepherds are easy to train because they are extremely intelligent. Certainly one of the most intelligent dog breeds in the world. His intelligence also means that he requires work, such as herding, police work, drug sniffing, or other entertaining tasks to keep him occupied or his smarts could get him in trouble through exploration and other “fun” things the owner may not enjoy so much.

The dog also sheds fairly regularly. Frequent brushing can help alleviate this. His coat should not be shaved though, as it would both be a detriment to his work and would harm his coat’s natural function as insulation and weather-proof. The German Shepherd is able to stay outside guarding his flock of sheep if required!

Also, the GSD will bond closely to his family. This is similar to the instinct which would help him to protect sheep from wolves and other predators. He will learn to love you and protect you, and is both gentle and protective towards children. However, this also means he can be attached and if left alone or without attention can become depressed. They thrive much better when in close contact with their handler/owners. Imagine police work or herding, where the dog would be in constant contact with its handler or flock all day - this is the environment the dog prefers.