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Our history
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Our first German Shepherd was a carefully chosen acquisition in 1996. We were looking for an animal that was intelligent, strong, loyal and athletic. After extensive research into many breeds, we decided that the German Shepherd was the right choice. We sought out a kennel that bred for solid structure, health, and temperaments. Our search brought us to Live Oak Kennel and we brought home our first GSD, Jagermeister. Jager was everything we hoped for and more. With almost human-like intelligence, there was nothing Jager could not do! He learned sentences of instructions and eagerly would carry out any task asked of him. He was gentle enough to be trusted in any situation, but also excelled at Personal Protection and scored well in competitions. He set the bar high for our future dogs, but also cemented our love for the breed!! After purchasing several more dogs from Live Oak Kennel and finding that their quality was consistent, we decided to start producing our own German Shepherds to replace our dogs as they grew old (why don't they live as long as people??) After that first litter, many people who bought puppies from us asked us to breed again as they saw what we saw- an exceptional quality of animal! The rest is history and we continue to strive to produce dogs that are an excellent example of the breed with the same goals in mind as our first dog: superior health, temperament, intelligence, and train-ability.
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How we raise puppies
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Puppies are a product of their genetics and their environment, just like people. We strive to breed only the best quality dogs with healthy genetics and then raise up the puppies with the best care and environment possible. Mothers are fed a raw meat diet with plenty of calcium supplement in the form of bone throughout their lives. Before getting bred, mothers are given deworming medication and supplements are started to ensure optimal health. Birthing is done in a quiet, clean bathroom in the house and the mother is given assistance as needed with delivering the puppies (which often means me sleeping on the floor of the bathroom with her!). Puppies are weighed at birth and daily for the first week to make sure all are gaining well. Soft, absorbent bedding is changed several times daily and puppies remain in the whelping box until 2-3 weeks of age with elevated side rails to make sure no puppies get accidentally laid on by the mother. Once they are old enough, puppies are moved to the sunroom where they will stay until they go to their new homes. This is a climate controlled room with an adjoining small private yard that puppies can access through a doggie door that they learn to use. Puppies soon figure out to go outside to use the bathroom and go home with housebreaking already well started! Puppies are fed meals in a large crate at first and then smaller crates as they get older. The doors are shut while eating and this starts the idea of crate training for the puppies without being traumatic. Puppies are fed a combination of dry and raw meat-Diamond Naturals Large Breed Puppy and Blue Ridge Beef Puppy Mix). Puppies receive constant interaction from multiple household members to start socialization early. They are exposed to loud sounds, vacuum cleaners, and cats to help prevent future fears. At 6 weeks of age, we have visitors start coming for more socialization. With all the interaction and constant evaluation of the puppies we have a pretty good idea of temperaments to help them find the best homes for dispositions. Dewormings are done every 2 weeks from birth and first vaccines are given at 6 weeks of age. Puppies are each given a microchip which is preregistered through AKC Reunite for life. New owners register their information through the website and the kennel contact info is listed as a permanent secondary as well. This is a safety feature that keeps the puppies safe from ever winding up in a shelter and helps them find their way home if ever lost! Cacao puppies are always Cacao puppies and we provide lifetime support for any questions that may arise for their new owners. After all, they are a part of our family!
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How our dogs live
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First and foremost, our dogs are part of our family, which means they live where we live. We have 13 acres which are fully fenced for them to run and they get free run of the house as well. We do a lot of vacuuming! :) We keep them happy and healthy and put their needs before our own. German Shepherds like to work, and a well-trained German Shepherd is a happy dog! Shiner and Cali are currently in training for their Schutzhund titles. Schutzhund (now called IGP) is a sport that tests the tracking, obedience, and protections skills of a German Shepherd. Read more about the sport here! We have also trained our dogs in the past in Personal Protection and AKC obedience and competed at events. We are members of the Fort Worth German Shepherd Dog Club and the Dog Training Club of Dallas County where we have helped with teaching obedience classes. Our dogs love going hiking at a nearby state park, walks at the park, and for trips to dog friendly stores. We fill our dogs lives with as much interest as possible so they are never bored and live full, happy lives.
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What we feed our German Shepherds
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We strongly encourage feeding raw meat to our German Shepherd dogs. Dogs are carnivores. As such, they should be eating a diet of predominantly meat. Equally as important, it should be raw. Animals don’t cook their foods. Your dog needs raw muscle meat, organs, fatty tissue, and bones.
Read more about Blue Ridge Beef at their website here. Available from local distributor, email [email protected] |
