Featured Puppies
German
Shepherd
The German Shepherd's Beginning - Shepherd's tending their flocks on the European continent in the 1850's needed a bigger, more intelligent, stronger, completely loyal dog to make protection of the flock and family their primary duty. These dogs needed speed, keen senses, strength and sheer courage in the face of dangerous killers.
In In the 1890's Captain Max von Stephanitz started a breeding program to perfect these herding dogs. At a dog show in 1899 he found a dog that completely fulfilled his dreams for the German Shepherd - Hector Linksrhein. Hector was so impressive Captain Max bought him on the spot! Renamed - Horand von Grafrath, Captain Max founded the "Society for the German Shepherd Dog" and Horand was declared to be the 1st true German Shepherd.
During WW1 over 20,000 dogs were in service. I is estimated that 50% of these were German Shepherds on both sides of the conflict working for the Red Cross and troops. These dogs sniffed out the enemy, found wounded soldiers, delivered first aid, messages and protected both their handlers and the men in their troop. The German Shepherd excelled in helping wounded soldiers off the field of battle. After the war, this ability lead to the formation of the first Seeing eye dogs.
At the beginning of WW2, The US Army Quarter Master established training programs for 32 breeds of dog. By 1944 this list had been reduced to seven and ultimately the German Shepherd dog became the only dog in the K-9 corps. The German Shepherd's now had official roles - They were trained as Sentry Dog's; Scout or Patrol Dog's; Messenger Dog's; or Mine Detection Dogs.
Only 3 dogs have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Two fathom are German Shepherds - Strongheart and Rin Tin Tin. Strongheart was the World's 1st Movie Star Dog, bring audiences to tears as He performed on screen. Rin Tin Tin was rescued from a WW battlefield and became the star attraction of a Saturday morning Kid's show, "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin". From 1954 thru 1964 166 episodes were produced and Rin Tin Tin's fame spread around the world making Him the most famous German Shepherd of all time.
Who
We Are?
Top Shepherd Kennel - Located in Temecula's Beautiful Wine Country, breeds Quality, Family Companion German Shepherd Dogs (GSD). With over 25 years experience working & trainning these intelligent loving family dogs we can help you find the perfect puppy. Our focus is breeding better GSD's, better genetics and healthier GSD's with direct imports from Germany.
Awards
Top Shepherds Kennel has over 25 years experience with German Shepherds. We have won various awards and accolades during this time. This speaks volumes about our dedication to quality, and our focus has been to breed beautiful, healthy, and easily trained dogs. Along this journey, we are also continually improving ourselves with feedbacks from our present and past customers.
Happy
Customers
Training German
Shepherd
High energy combined with lots of smarts lends itself to disaster when the dog is not properly cared for. It’s imperative that German Shepherds receive appropriate amounts of exercise, special food, bath, care and brain activities. Be caring and responsible.