Built for German Shepherd Dog breeders

A German Shepherd Program With a Paper Trail

Shepherd buyers want to know your lines, your parents' hips and elbows, and whether this litter is bred for a working home or a family one. Whelpify gives your program a website that answers that up front, an application that screens for the right homes, and deposits through your own Stripe account, with no marketplace cut.

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Typical litter6to 8 pupsBig, fast-growing puppies that need daily weights

AKC popularityTop 5Among the five most registered breeds for decades

Required by CHIC2clearancesHips and elbows, with DM DNA, cardiac, thyroid, and eyes commonly added

Go-home8weeksMost programs place at eight weeks, after a temperament evaluation

German Shepherd DogHerding Group

About the breed

A Working Dog First, a Family Dog Second, and Buyers Who Know the Difference

The German Shepherd Dog was standardized by Max von Stephanitz in 1899 from the herding dogs of rural Germany, with a breed club and a working standard from the first day. It became the world's police, military, and service dog within a generation, and the AKC recognized it in 1908. It has been one of the five most registered breeds in the United States for decades.

Shepherd buyers ask about lines before anything else, and the answer shapes the whole sale. West German show lines, West German working lines, DDR and Czech lines, and American show lines are bred for different jobs and different homes. Families also ask about coat (stock coat or long stock coat), color, and whether the parents hold working titles or conformation ratings. A breeder who states all of that clearly on the site saves weeks of back and forth.

Health is where the breed's reputation has been hardest hit. Hip and elbow dysplasia, degenerative myelopathy, bloat, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, and allergies all run in the breed, and the AKC lists the life expectancy at 7 to 10 years. Responsible programs radiograph every breeding dog, DNA test for DM, and choose pairings for temperament as carefully as for structure.

Breeding Shepherds today

What the Market Looks Like Right Now

Honest context for planning a litter. These are the ranges we see on public listings and in parent club guidance; your region, your lines, and your reputation move them.

Typical pet price$1,500 to $3,500Pet homes from health-tested American or German lines. Titled imports and working prospects from proven parents often run well above this.

Litter size6 to 8Averages around seven, and litters of ten happen. Big, fast-growing puppies make weaning and weights a daily job.

Gestation63 daysFrom ovulation. Progesterone timing is common, especially when breeding to a stud across the country or overseas.

Deposit norms$300 to $500Usually non-refundable and applied to the balance, with working prospects sometimes carrying a larger deposit.

Waitlist length2 to 8 monthsVaries widely by line. Sport and working homes often wait for a specific pairing; pet buyers tend to move faster.

What buyers ask firstLines and temperamentShow or working, German or American, then hips and elbows, then whether the parents have titles or a breed survey.

Raising Notes for Shepherds

Shepherd puppies grow fast. Most programs feed a large-breed puppy food and keep exercise short and on soft footing to protect developing joints and avoid panosteitis flare-ups during growth.
Ears usually stand somewhere between eight weeks and six months, often after teething. Tell families that floppy ears at go-home are normal and you will save yourself a dozen worried emails.
A temperament evaluation around seven weeks matters more in this breed than in most. Matching the sharp, driven puppy to a sport home and the softer one to a family is the breeder's real job.
Bloat is a real adult risk. Many Shepherd breeders include feeding guidance in the go-home packet and discuss a prophylactic gastropexy with families who plan to spay or neuter.

Why Shepherd breeders pick Whelpify

Screen the Home, Show the Proof, and Keep the Records Straight

Three things a Shepherd program spends real time on, and how Whelpify handles each one out of the box.

01 / Screening

An Application That Asks the Shepherd Questions

Experience with the breed, training plans, fencing, other animals, whether the family wants a sport prospect or a companion. Build the application once, show follow-up questions only when they apply, and review every submission side by side with the lead. Approve, follow up, or decline without losing the history.

01K. OseiIGP club member · two prior ShepherdsApproved · working

02Pereira familyFenced acre · first ShepherdFollow up

03M. DuarteFarm · wants a femaleApproved · family

04J. LindgrenApartment · no dog experienceDeclined

02 / Lines and coats

Say What You Breed Before They Ask

Coat, color, and line preferences are captured on the application so you know who wants a long-coat sable from working lines and who wants a black and red show puppy. Your site states the lines you breed clearly, and a program that also breeds a second breed keeps each one on its own pages.

Coat

Stock coatLong stock coat

Color

Black and tanBlack and redSableBi-colorBlack

Lines

West German showWest German workingDDR / CzechAmerican show

03 / Clearances

Hips, Elbows, DM, Beside the Pedigree

Attach OFA or SV hip and elbow results, the DM DNA result, cardiac, thyroid, and eye exams, and any titles to the sire and dam once. Every litter and puppy page shows the parents' screening next to their photos and three-generation pedigree, so the first question is answered before anyone emails.

OFA hipsGood

OFA elbowsNormal

DM (SOD1)Clear

CardiacNormal

ThyroidNormal

Eyes (annual)Due Oct

Health testing

Hips and Elbows First, Then Everything Else

Hip and elbow radiographs are the non-negotiable screenings for a German Shepherd, whether read by OFA in the United States or stamped "a" normal by the SV in Germany. Most programs add a DM DNA test, and many publish cardiac, thyroid, and eye results too.

CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) issues a number when a German Shepherd has hip and elbow results on file with OFA; cardiac, thyroid, eye exam, DM DNA, and a temperament test are listed as optional components. German-bred parents often carry SV "a" stamps and a breed survey instead.

Each dog record has a health section for results, registry numbers, titles, and uploaded certificates. The public parent page shows what you choose to publish, and every puppy from that pairing links back to it.

Hips

OFA evaluation at 24 months or older (or PennHIP), or an SV "a" stamp (HD normal, fast normal, or noch zugelassen) on German-bred dogs. Fair, Good, or Excellent are passing OFA grades.

Elbows

OFA elbow radiographs at 24 months or older, graded Normal or by dysplasia grade, or the SV elbow (ED) stamp.

Degenerative Myelopathy (DM)

DNA test for the SOD1 mutation. Two copies mean the dog is at risk; carriers are not affected and can be bred to clear partners.

Cardiac

Auscultation or echocardiogram by a veterinary cardiologist at 12 months or older, recorded with OFA.

Thyroid

OFA thyroid panel through an approved lab, screening for autoimmune thyroiditis, ideally repeated through the breeding career.

Eyes

Exam by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, recorded through the OFA eye certification registry, watching for pannus, cataracts, and retinal disease.

Everything under the hood

Set Up the Way a Shepherd Program Runs

The full platform is included on every plan. Here is how the pieces map to a Shepherd breeder's week.

Applications That Screen for the Right Home

Eleven question types, follow-up questions that appear only when they apply, and the option to require the application before a family joins the waitlist. Review answers next to the lead and decide.

Clearances and Titles, on Every Parent Page

OFA or SV hips and elbows, the DM result, cardiac, thyroid, eyes, and working or show titles live on each dog's record and show where buyers look for them.

Three Generations, Drawn for You

Link sire and dam and Whelpify renders a pedigree with photos and registration numbers on every parent and puppy page. New litters inherit the lineage automatically.

Contracts Families Sign From Their Phone

Your purchase agreement, health guarantee, limited registration terms, and any training or return clauses become a signable form attached to each family's file.

A Private Portal for Every Family

Families get an account on your site where they accept offers, pay deposits, sign forms, and see their own payment history. Accounts stay exclusive to your kennel.

Heat Cycles, Tracked Per Female

See where each female is in her cycle, get an email and dashboard alert before the next heat, and plan a breeding to an out-of-state stud around the estimated fertile window.

How a Shepherd program actually runs

Screened Homes, Documented Parents, and a Pairing Chosen on Purpose

The rhythm of a Shepherd program is particular. These are the numbers the workflow is shaped around.

Typical litter

6to 8 pups

Every puppy gets its own page, status, weights, and deposit record from birth.

Lines to explain

4main types

Line, coat, and color preferences are captured on the application and used for matching.

Screening

required· before waitlist

Require the application first so nobody joins the list without answering your questions.

Health focus

hips· elbows · DM

Core clearances attach to parents and appear on every puppy page automatically.

Temperament

week 7

Evaluate first, then offer specific puppies to specific homes with a response window.

Deposit strategy

per-pup· $300 to $500

Offers with a response window, automatic balance requests, and receipts for every payment.

German Shepherd Dog FAQ

Questions We Get From German Shepherd Dog Breeders

Can my German Shepherd website explain the difference between my show and working lines?

Yes. Your site is fully editable, so you can describe the lines you breed in your own words, and each dog's page shows its registration, titles, and health results. Family preferences for line, coat, and color are captured on your application.

Can I require an application before a family joins my waitlist?

Yes. You can make the application a prerequisite for the waitlist, show follow-up questions only when an answer calls for them, and review every submission beside the lead before you approve or decline.

Can I show OFA or SV hip and elbow results and the DM result for each parent?

Yes. Each dog record has a health section where you enter results and registry numbers and upload certificates. What you publish appears on that dog's public page and on every litter and puppy page that descends from it.

Can I show titles and a pedigree for my dogs?

Yes. Dog profiles show registration numbers and titles, and linking sire and dam renders a three-generation pedigree with photos and registration numbers on every dog and puppy page.

Do I have to use Stripe for deposits?

No. Stripe is built in if you want card payments straight to your own account, and you can also send invoices for Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or check and mark them paid yourself. Whelpify takes no cut of your sales either way.

Can the contract include my limited registration, return, and training clauses?

Yes. Your contract becomes a signable online form with your terms shown word for word. Families sign with a typed legal name and date from their phone, and both sides keep a signed copy.

30-day free trial

Set Up Your German Shepherd Program the Way You Actually Run It

Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial and includes the full platform. Most breeders have a site up in an afternoon.

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