10 Best German Shepherd Breeders in the USA

Are you looking for German Shepherd puppies for sale? This article will help you locate the 10 best German Shepherd Breeders in the USA.

We have listed details such as their breeding processes, facilities, and health guarantees for each of the breeders below.

German Shepherd Breed Standards

General Appearance: German Shepherds should appear strong, agile, and well-muscled. They carry an alert demeanor and are full of life. These dogs have a harmonious development of the forequarter and hindquarter.

Temperament: The breed has a distinguished personality characterized by direct and fearless, but not hostile, self-confidence. A German Shepherd must be approachable, while confidently standing its ground.

Size: Males stand 24 to 26 inches at the top of the highest point of the shoulder blade, and females stand 22 to 24 inches. German Shepherd Dogs are longer than they are tall, with an ideal proportion of 10 to 8.5.

See the in-depth, American Kennel Club Official Standard of the German Shepherd Dog.

How Much is a German Shepherd Puppy?

If you’re buying from a breeder, the price for German Shepherd puppies is $600-$1,500. The average price is roughly $1,000. Expect to pay an amount closer to $1,500 with a good breeder. They tend to charge more since they put more time and effort into their dogs.

1. Mittelwest German Shepherds

Phone: (815) 653-1900 | Location: Wonder Lake, IL

Located in Wonder Lake, Illinois, Mittelwest German Shepherds is a world-renowned German Shepherd breeder offering litters of German Shepherd puppies for sale.

Breeding Process: All of the puppies come from high-quality purebred German Shepherd pedigrees. All dogs are bred for intelligence, temperament, and conformation, and puppies for sale make excellent show and working dogs as well as companions.

Health Guarantee: All of their puppies’ parents are X-rayed and have good hips and elbows as certified by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) or the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde (SV) in Germany.

Facility: The breeder owns a more than 150-acre facility and is very well-respected in the industry. They offer top-notch German Shepherd puppies for sale and club training and private training, grooming, and boarding for the whole family!

Furthermore, these German Shepherd breeders can ship their puppies to wherever you are – they ship worldwide.

2. Vom Ragnar German Shepherds

Phone: (773) 552-0808 | Location: Harvard, IL

Located in Harvard, Illinois, Vom Ragnar is owned and operated by a licensed veterinarian, Natalya Babenko.

Breeding Process: All Vom Ragnar puppies are bred to the SV standard, and all dogs are raised in a home environment and socialized with children and other dogs.

Dogs bred by this breeder have won many prizes at various shows, including but not limited to the GSDCA Sieger Show, Zion, IL 2018; the USCA Sieger Show 2019; and the OG Edgerton Conformation Show 2019.

Health Guarantee: None, as far as the website is concerned, but the breeders fed high-quality meals to the puppies to ensure good health.

Facility: This German Shepherd breeder has a small kennel and only offers a couple of high-quality litters a year.

3. South Florida Shepherds

Phone: (305) 904-9796 | Location: Miami, FL

Located in South Florida, South Florida Shepherds has been a top show line German Shepherd breeder since 1996 in the United States and since 1980 in Germany.

Breeding Process: All of their puppies’ parents and their ancestors are imports from Europe. Their puppies are working line German Shepherds from East Germany and the Czech Republic and show line German Shepherd puppies from West Germany.

South Florida Shepherds is a hobby breeder and only breeds German Shepherds to improve their health, temperament, and conformation.

Health Guarantee: All dogs are DNA tested and have OFA or FCI certified hips and elbows and rich colors. This breeder also offers a genetic health guarantee, lifetime breeder support, AKC registration papers, and a puppy starter pack.

Facility: Like Vom Ragnar, these German Shepherd breeders have a small kennel, and German Shepherds live inside the owners’ home, in a clean nursery inside their house.

4. Heidelberg German Shepherds

Photo: (281) 350-3732 | Location: Spring, TX

Located in Spring, Texas, 170 of Heidelberg German Shepherds’ dogs won prizes at shows such as the Westminster Dog Show (2018) and BOB at Kentucky K.C. (2018).

Breeding Process: Heidelberg Shepherds are larger than most German Shepherds and are very deep-chested, which matches the standard for the German Shepherd breed. The chest extends well below the elbows, and there is a slight tuck-up to the stomach.

Health Guarantee: None, as far as the website is concerned, but the breeders fed high-quality meals to the puppies to ensure good health.

Facility: The facility is large and includes boarding and training. They also have three shady, half to one-acre lake runs that allow dogs to exercise and swim. Dogs at Heidelberg are well-socialized and given natural diets rather than dry kibble.

5. Ruskin House of Shepherds

Photo: (941) 321-2305 | Location: Ruskin, FL

Ruskin House of Shepherds is AKC inspected and approved and offers puppies in all colors and coats. This breeder is located in Ruskin, Florida.

Breeding Process: Ruskin makes sure never to in-breed or line-bred. Their shepherds are large-boned, straight-backed, and have long, standard, or plush coats that come in combinations of various colors, such as black, liver, red, silver, sable, tan, blue, panda, or simply solid white and solid black.

Health Guarantee: All of Ruskin’s pups are AKC registered and are healthy (neither inbred nor line-bred).

There is a written guarantee that says any puppy bought from Ruskin is free of any severe congenital defects for one year from the date of sale.

For this guarantee to be valid, the purchaser must take the puppy to a licensed veterinarian within 10 days of picking up the guarantee. Additionally, the purchaser must also agree not to spay or neuter the puppy until it is 24 months old.

Facility: Ruskin offers basic training classes with a certified trainer at no additional charge so you can get to know your new family member better. The facility is moderately large, and dogs have a lot of space to run around and play.

6. Kolenda Kennels

Photo: (616) 681-2825 | Location: Dorr, MI

Located in Southwest Michigan in the Grand Rapids area, Kolenda Kennels is dedicated to breeding and producing purebred German Shepherd puppies. They offer to ship nationwide.

Breeding Process: The German Shepherd breeders use imported German Shepherd dogs out of the top-producing West German Sieger Lines to breed puppies. Puppies come with all of their shots and are microchipped.

Health Guarantee: All dogs are AKC registered, and there is a written guarantee with the names of the puppy’s parents, the puppy’s date of birth, and the microchip number.

In order for the guarantee to be valid, the buyer must agree to buy the dog primarily as a personal or family companion and must understand that the dog is not guaranteed for show or breeding.

If the dog develops crippling hip dysplasia before the age of five, Kolenda Kennels will assume the risk if confirmed by x-rays by a licensed veterinarian.

Facility: The facility is large and clean. The company encourages you to visit the kennel so you can interact with the puppies and their parents and see the overall looks and conformation of the breeding dogs.

7. Southernwind Kennels

Phone: (787) 509-8857 | Location: Brooksville, FL

Located in Brooksville, Florida, Southernwind Kennel offers high-quality German Shepherd puppies for sale year-round.

Breeding Processes: All of the puppies’ parents are either European imports or bred on American soil. Every puppy that leaves this kennel has been subjected to their specially designed puppy desensitizing routine. All dogs are selectively bred for assertiveness and top performance.

Health Guarantees: None, as far as the website is concerned, but dogs are fed a healthy diet and encouraged to socialize and run around.

Facility: Well-maintained and clean, Southerwind’s facilities also offer training courses and seminars such as “Basics in Puppy Handling.”

8. Regis Regal

Phone: (847) 721-1908 | Location: Spring Grove, IL

Located in Spring Grove, Illinois, Regis Regal specializes in producing world-class German Shepherd puppies.

Breeding Processes: All of the puppies here stem from the top two kennels in the world. They produce West-German Sieger dogs. They specialize in family companion dogs, therapy dogs, service dogs for veterans, and medical detection dogs.

Health Guarantees: All of this breeder’s dogs come with a lifetime guarantee with regards to training, temperament, and health. Dogs from this breeder are known for their gentleness and attentiveness and are perfect for families and people with special needs such as autism and Asperger’s syndrome. All puppies come with a full year of shots and comprehensive training.

Facility: This breeder’s large and clean facility offers comprehensive dog training as well as dog boarding.

9. Von der Otto German Shepherds

Phone: (214) 232-3194 | Location: Rockwall, TX

Von der Otto German Shepherds are German Shepherd breeders located in Rockwall, Texas, and specializes in breeding puppies produced by the world’s best studs.

Breeding Processes: This breeder works hard to keep the breed’s integrity and only breeds the highest quality German Shepherds.

Health Guarantees: The puppies’ parents and grandparents have all been tested through degenerative myelopathy (DM) and DNA tests and passed. They are also hips and elbows certified, AKC registered, and breed surveyed in Germany.

All puppies come with a written guarantee. If the puppy develops crippling hip dysplasia anytime from purchase to two years of age, the puppy can be returned to this breeder at the expense of the buyer.

Facility: Von der Otto has a large, clean, friendly, and professional facility where you can go and see the dogs in person.

10. Jagermeister German Shepherds

Phone: (201) 873-8496 | Location: New Egypt, NJ

With over 30 years of experience in breeding, importing, and training world-class working German Shepherds, New Jersey-based Jagermeister German Shepherds is run by Carlos Rojas, who has bred many award-winning dogs. They are popular German Shepherd breeders and you should contact them or fill in their form to reserve puppies.

Breeding Processes: This breeder produces puppies for companionship and personal protection, as well as dogs for canine sports, law enforcement, and therapy.

Health Guarantees: All German Shepherd puppies have a guarantee on crippling hip dysplasia up to 24 months.

Facility: Large and accommodating, this breeder owns a 12-acre training facility, which is 4 miles from New Jersey Six Flags Great Adventure. They also offer training courses for puppies starting at 5 months and older, as well as all kinds of training programs to fit your personal needs – such as basic/advanced obedience, personal protection, and Schutzhund competition.

There are two fenced-in play yards, which boards can use during training courses and visits to get to know the dogs. The facility also has an Olympic-sized training field, which has everything you need to train your dog.

Conclusion

We hope that this guide has helped you locate the best German Shepherd breeders in the USA for you. You deserve a new furry family member who is healthy and will give you and your family many moments to remember.

Remember, this article simply acts as an aid in your search for German Shepherd puppies for sale. Make sure to ask the breeders plenty of questions, and search for additional reviews online before making a purchase.