🚀 go-pugleaf

hello.  i'd like to buy a german shepherd puppy this spring, and i need
some tips from all of you shepherd lovers out there.  i've never owned
a dog before, but i've talked to lots of people and i think a g.s. dog is
perfect for me (big, smart, communicative, non-yappie, non-hyperactive).

i live in st. louis now but i'll be moving to chicago this
summer.  i want to bring my puppy home in mid-may, so the litter should
have been born last week or so.

i've gotten some info of breeders from a recent issue of Dog World, 
but so few of them are in my area.  i have called two breeders so far,
both of whom have 1-week old litters.  one was offerring puppies for $200,
the other for $350.  they both offerred guarantees (one for 1 year, the other
for 2) against hip displacia (sp?) and other genetic defects, and pedigrees.
the breeder whose puppies were $350 seemed more professional and knowledgeable.

so here are my questions:
   1) is a female dog usually more trainable and more friendly?
   2) is it true that hip displacia shows up within the first year?
   3) should both parents of the litter be OFA certified?  what if the
      breeder says the dam's x-rays looked ok but she's not certified,
      or if the breeder says they're not OFA certified because they're
      under 2 years of age?
   4) how much should i pay?

thanks much, and i appreciate any other information you can give that 
you think would be helpful.  please respond via mail.

jane mack.

p.s. have you read the book by the monks at new skete?  i think its great.
-- 

-------------------------
Jane Mack 	Washington University in St. Louis, (314) 889-6102
UUCP:		jane@wucs.UUCP  or  ..!{ihnp4,seismo}!wucs!jane
ARPANET:	wucs!jane@seismo.ARPA
CSNET:		wucs!jane@seismo.ARPA%csnet-relay