A: We maintain a waiting list for our puppies, up to three deposits for males and three for females. What you can do is look through our website, get acquainted with our philosophy and dogs, and visit our kennel and meet us and the dogs in person, distance permitting. We will ask you some questions and may also ask you to fill in our puppy questionnaire. We will need to know about your plans and hopes for your puppy, your experience with dogs, and what kind of living situation your new puppy will have.

If you like what you see and determined to get a puppy, we ask you to place a deposit. The

deposit is $500 and is not refundable. Once we have a suitable puppy available, we let you know and make arrangements about shipping or picking up. If you don't like the puppy offered, you can move your deposit to the next available litter. You can do it twice. If the third puppy offered is not what you were hoping for, we consider that perhaps there are other things going on, and you will forfeit your deposit. Of course we make every effort on our part to offer the most suitable puppy for your needs.

A: The total price for a puppy is $2,500 - $3,500 for a show quality puppy. Sometimes we have pet quality puppies available, and they are $1,500 - $2,000. The most common reason for a puppy to be considered "pet quality" is when a male puppy has testicle(s) that did not descend by the age of 9 weeks. Other reasons could be too much white, a tail with a visible break, an umbilical hernia that is too large and has to be repaired, etc. But these things are very rare. A show quality puppy is a healthy puppy with outgoing temperament and no visible faults for his/her age.

A: It can take anywhere from a couple of weeks up to 6 months.

A: When we can, we will offer you a choice of puppies from the litter, but sometimes it's not possible. From my experience, often people are overwhelmed when looking at puppies, and it's not easy for them to make the best choice. I spend so much time with puppies that I usually can make a very good recommendation on which puppy is the best for you.

A: If the puppy is of show quality, we are more than happy to still place him in a home where his main job is to be a companion and where he will be loved and spent a lot of time with. However, it doesn't change the quality of the puppy, and the price remains the same.

A: Usually our puppies leave our kennel when they are 8 - 10 weeks old, after they’ve been tattooed in their right ear, wormed, and have received all necessary vaccinations according to their age.

A: Puppies are very susceptible to disease and if a virus is introduced, an entire litter may be lost. Visitors may have been visiting animal shelters, or other kennels prior to coming to Kennels von Lotta, and could transmit viruses quite easily. Also, the mother of the pups is usually very protective at this point, and will get nervous knowing that there are strangers near her puppies. In addition, it is very difficult to evaluate puppies at this age, so the best time to come, look at the puppies, and pick up your puppy is after they are at least 7 weeks old. At this age they have received their initial vaccinations and their personalities and structure can be evaluated much easier.

A: If a customer lives too far away, we will ship the puppy. We will take care of all necessary paperwork and arrangements with the airline. This will include a health check by the vet prior to shipment.

A: Shipment cost for an 8-10 week old German Shepherd puppy is $450 anywhere in the US. This includes the crate that the puppy will be shipped in, which is yours to keep, and the cost of the Health Certificate. The cost of shipment of an older puppy may be higher due to increased weight or if a larger crate has to be used.

A: We will confirm shipping arrangements with you 1-3 days before shipment and will inform you of the airline, flight number, confirmation number, and arrival time. You will need to go to your airport's cargo facility where you will be picking up the puppy. We will stay in touch throughout the shipping process.

A: No. The paperwork necessary for obtaining an AKC registration certificate and a pedigree will arrive separately. We forward AKC paperwork to our customers as soon as we receive it, but it usually arrives when puppies are older than 8 weeks.

A: There are two main things to consider if you want your puppy to develop well: socialization and diet. Please do not take them lightly! While your puppy is growing, you need to make a special effort to take him/her different places where he/she can meet people of different ages, other dogs, see traffic, hear different noises, etc – almost every day! Look at this as an additional responsibility that comes with owning a puppy. Making such an effort for a short period of time (just a few months) will dramatically impact the entire future life of your dog. As far as the diet goes, I have an article on this website on how to feed your puppy – please read it.

A: To safeguard our puppies and kennel name, we have a special policy when it comes to breeding dogs from Kennels von Lotta.