Q. How do I get approved for a puppy?
I start with a puppy questionnaire so I can see what kind of home you would provide and what you are looking to do with the puppy- sport, working, and what kind of drives and temperament you seek. I ask for at least one professional reference, ideally a vet or someone who knows you in a professional setting.
After the application is approved, we will have phone conversations to get to know each other better and discuss the litter. If all continues to go well, I will add you to the waitlist and keep you posted on puppy progress. At about 8 weeks I test the puppies for best placement. At that point I will be able to place the pups in the most suitable home for each individual.
You will pick up your puppy at 10 weeks. I register each pup on AKC limited registration. I require pups or dogs be returned to me if you can no longer keep them for any reason- no judgement, just return the dog to me.
I seek puppy owners that will maintain lifelong contact, so I can follow the pups progress and keep track of each pup from a given breeding. I am not a sell and done type breeder. I love each puppy I raise and enjoy hearing about their lives and achievements.
Q. Do puppies come AKC registered and microchipped?
Yes. All puppies will be AKC registered with limited registration. Pups are microchipped with AKC Reunite with me, the breeder, as a permanent first contact. This makes sure I will be notified if the puppy or dog ever ends up in a shelter or other situation.
Q. I’m a new handler, and want to a puppy I can take the World Championships in Mondioring. Do you have the puppy for me?
There is a reason puppies are called “working or sport prospects”. When it comes to world-level dogs, there are so many pieces that must all come together. You must get proper helper work to develop that individual dog to the best of his ability. You must raise him properly and shape him into a dog who loves to work in that sport. You must have the money and time to devote to building the dog up. You must be willing to adjust training based on the dog and who he is, not on your expectations of what he should be. Mondioring values dogs who carry extreme prey drives, so if the dog carries more defense or natural aggression, you must find a decoy who can bring out the best in this dog. There are so many pieces that must all come together (along with some luck), that even the very best genetic prospect is unlikely to make it to the world level with an experienced handler, much less someone new to the sport. I can tell you what I think this puppy will excel in and what I expect based on the pedigree but I will also be very honest- no breeder can tell a prospective owner that a puppy they are selling will most definitely be going to world-level championships. At 10 weeks old there is simply no guarantee. Let the puppy grow and develop and learn to work with you and to love the sport. See if you, as a handler, have what it takes, and the devotion to the craft to get to the very top. Love and value the dog first. I will be honest with you regarding expectations of a young puppy.
Q. Can I buy two puppies to raise together- I’ve done this with other breeds and it was great!
A. No. I will not sell two puppies from the same litter to a household. It is very likely neither pup will be successful in this situation, leading to no end of heartbreak for the dogs, the owners, and the breeder. I will happily sell a pup from a future litter to a home that has successfully raised a puppy from a previous litter.
Q. Can I chose my puppy?
A. I select the puppies. I have gotten to know each puppy very well and place each puppy based on best fit. If there are two similar pups, I will tell you about them and may give you a choice between the two, but almost always, I will chose your puppy based on my extensive knowledge of their drive and temperament. This ensures them the highest level of success in their new home.
Q. We have several children under the age of ten and are seeking a dog who will play with the kids and protect our family. We’ve heard Belgian shepherds make great protectors!
A. A fully trained “family protection dog” costs upwards of $15 K, and there is a reason for that. If this is honestly what you are seeking, I recommend buying a “green dog” from a reputable, proven trainer/broker who has already determined the dog has what it takes for this extremely difficult role. It is nearly impossible to test a puppy at the age of 8- 10 weeks and tell you conclusively that he/she is suited for this demanding job. Far more can be seen at 7-10 months. If you are interested in a trained protection dog, look into Shield K9 and Ivan Balabanov. “Elite” protection dogs are mostly a thing of the ultra-rich, so make sure to do your research very thoroughly because it’s a tricky business and you must practice due diligence. A “personal protection dog” is a massive liability if handled incorrectly and/or if the dog doesn’t do what the seller claimed he/she would when encountering a threat. In rare cases I may have a relatively “green” dog I raised aged 6 months to a year that shows suitable drives for protection or police K9. In this case I will be honest about what I see as their potential, however, any future training will be the responsibility of the new handler. I am not going to be selling any dog as a “personal protection dog”.
Q. I want a highly civil dog, with high defense, high fight, extreme prey, that is not remotely handler-aggressive, can live with kids, is friendly to other dogs, and can go to the dog park, but is a great judge of character and will innately know to protect me at the drop of a hat.
Such a dog does not exist. It’s important to be realistic in your expectations of any dog or animal.
Q. I’m interested in breeding. It’s a great experience for the kids. I am sure that the local Police Department, State K9 agency, and many of my friends and family will take a puppy!
Selling an 8 week old cute working tervuren puppy may be relatively easy. Making sure that puppy and quickly dog stay in the home is very difficult. All top “reputable” breeders have gotten dogs back (sometimes in very poor condition) when they are no longer cute and are not getting worked, trained, or exercised properly. These are working dogs and I do my utmost best to place any puppy I breed in a working and/or experienced home that will love and value this dog for his/her life, not just the working life of that dog.
Even with careful breeding and placement, sometimes a puppy ends up in a bad situation.
Breeding is not an easy pursuit. Working Belgian tervuren do not make for family-friendly puppies. They are extremely mouthy and bitey, drawing blood by 5-6 weeks and relentless in their pursuit of moving objects (including children). This doesn’t stop, and some are more driven than others- it is certainly in these bloodlines. There is a range of drives and intensity in any litter- some puppies may be suitable for a family home while others would absolutely not- all in the same litter. This is where placing certain puppies gets difficult and why so many young Belgian shepherds end up in rescue or euthanized for perceived “aggression”.
Poorly bred working Belgian shepherds are not suited for either working or pet life which puts them in an incredibly difficult and often for them deadly situation. This slide occurs when all critical factors- the breeding dogs themselves, the genetics behind the dogs, and how those genetics will match up- are not considered or tested by an outside party.
This is a reason so many young Belgian malinois have ended up in shelters over the past year, and numbers continue to rise. This is partly due to Covid puppy buyers, and partly due to the breed’s image in movies and the press. Dogs are produced for profit as a result of poor breeding combined with poor placement. This is not a breed to be bred lightly, or without a lot of research.
It’s unlikely a Police K9 or Military K9 program will take a puppy out of unproven breeding stock. It’s also unlikely a dog that was bred out of untested parents would produce a puppy capable of the work.
Genetics matter. I know my lines inside and out. I know my dogs. I study pedigrees. I health test and title and work all my dogs. There is far more to breeding than just having a “nice dog”. You need to know the dogs behind that dog, the siblings, the mother, father, grandmother and grandfather. Traits often skip a generation, so knowing the dog’s parents and aunts and uncles is very critical. And working the breeding dog, knowing how she or he responds to stress, pressure, training is important when deciding on a mate. No dog is perfect. If one dog in a pair is weak in one area, ideally the other is strong in that area. Temperament is a very complex trait. There are many elements to consider, and some can only be tested through working the dog in protection sport.
For those seriously interested in learning more and thinking about breeding, I am more than willing to mentor, advise, and work with them as I am interested in promoting working Belgian tervuren in this country. As detailed above, minimum requirements for breeding a dog out of my program are working protection titles (minimum titles IGP1, MR1, FR1), OFA hips/elbows (good or excellent), and full Embark.