The trainers and staff at Vonwaldberg are extremely knowledgeable and patient with novice dog owners like myself. I originally came to see them about my dog's leash reactivity and ended up attending their group obedience classes. The classes are structured in a way that is easy to follow and interactive. Despite it being a group class I felt like the trainers spent equal time with each person/dog always providing constructive feedback and encouragement. They have also provided me with recommendations for various training tools. They really do look at each dog uniquely as some dogs may need a more stern approach to obedience while others, like my dog, need some encouragement. I also highly recommend the agility program! It is a great way to check out the dog sport world! There are only a few people I would trust to watch my dog Betty and the Vonwaldberg team is one of them. read more

Scheduled consultation, they said they could help. Called back twice after I was able to start the lessons. No return calls.

I'm giving a 3 because the transaction went well, I do have that the breeder used cascade animal clinic for a puppy health exam. But the 3 is because we purchased the puppy March 2017, she was born 19 January 2017. The 16th of May 2021 she died from Large cell lymphoma. Diagnosed in April, died one month later. She was 4 years old. I understand that animals as well as people age and due to age are at higher risk of cancers, but at 4? Our puppy might have otherwise had 8-10 years left. She was sired by Zarek vom Lubzer Eldetal and Damed by Luisa vom Essweiler Tal just FYI, in case any other puppies in that litter may develop lymphoma. Hopeful that no other puppies from that litter developed cancer at such a young age. read more

Von Waldberg German Shepherds - Sasha- 4 years old, RIP - Pet Breeders Near Me - Snohomish, Washington

I've known Kate and the amazing team at VWGS for over three years now. We did a ton of research in preparation for selecting not just a breeder, but a partner, in adopting, training, caring for and raising our dog. This organization feels like extended family to us now. Everything from making sure we adopted a great match for our family, preparing and educating us for the journey, and being our trusted partner in our dog's training and care. The facilities are world class. Our dog LOVES boarding and training there (maybe even more than he loves being with us!). We live a busy life with 2 little kids and we simply could not be the dog family we are without their support. I cannot thank them enough and highly recommend this impeccably and thoughtfully run organization. read more

I Have felt so comfortable to try the 2 week board & train to start with my 1 1/2 yr old GSD. Now I'm going to be scheduling some private classes with the behaviorist trainer which I'll be setting up a schedule up as some as possible. I hoping per goal to be to be able to do a small group class with working dog lines, as the 3rd step. read more

We bought our 4th German Shepard from this breeder. Upon being on the grounds, we quickly realized that there is not much kindness or care at this facility . We observed him being very disrespectful to his staff and the dogs looked thin and fearful. We wish we would have listened to our gut and left . What we learned : The owner is misleading about the quality of his dogs, Ours ended up having horrible hip dysplasia and behavior issues and the vet told us that the X-rays provided to us were not the same dog we bought ! After talking to two trainers locally ( who we hired to help us w our dogs behavior/ anxiety issues) , both reported that they have seen his dogs frequently in the past with the same complaints both medically and in behavior. Eek! Wish we had known this . We love our Shepard's and will continue to have them. But not from this breeder. read more

Can't say enough about how wonderful Von Waldberg is. The people at Von Waldberg were so helpful in guiding us through the process. They really care about their dogs and want to make sure a German Shephard is the right dog for the family and the family is a good fit for the dog. We brought home Becca in September of 2021 and she is quite simply an amazing dog. She has the sweetest disposition but is protective of us and lets us know whenever someone is approaching the home (or walking in our cul-de-sac, or when our ring notification chime goes off at 3:00 am). She has picked up her training without a hitch, and I'm amazed at how intelligent she is and how quickly she picks things up. But above all else, she is an amazing family dog. She has become part of the family, and even our two cats love her (well maybe tolerate her). If you are looking for a German Shepherd, Von Waldberg is the place to go. They will answer all your questions and help you figure out if a German Shepherd is the best dog for you. read more

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Our dog has received boarding and training at Von Waldberg's since he was a 60#, 6 mo. old puppy (he didn't read the breed standard and grew BIG!). When we turn the corner to the road to the site, he sits up and is alert that HIS place is coming up. He gets so excited that he is coming to visit his "peeps." It is such a comfort for the occasions we have to leave him to be boarded that he will be cared for in a loving manner and that he is happy to be there. He is allergic to many things so needs medications daily--this is never a problem when is her there as well. This facility is truly a 5* second home for our boy. read more

I have always wanted a German Shepherd, and for years I scoured shelters looking for any shelter within WA State that would let me adopt a shelter GSD into my family but they all turned me down because they were all 'too aggressive to go home with children' or they 'couldnt be in a home with cats' So finally, I sat down with my family and we decided we were going to sit down and raise a puppy into our now growing family, and none of us regret this choice in the slightest. I have heard horror stories of getting puppies off Craigslist, and that most breeders on there are backyard breeders with lots of inbreeding and lack of care happening, and tons of health issues down the line, so I looked high and low for the best GSD breeders in WA state, and I 100% stand by Von Waldberg as the best breeder I spoke to. No one grilled me on the phone like Kate did, shes passionate and makes sure you know that if she doesnt think you'll love her dogs well enough, that you dont get one, and i LOVE that, that to me showed that she doesnt care about your money more than she loves her animals, unlike several other breeders I spoke to who just told me I could give them *$ this much $* and walk away with a pup, not a single one of the 4 other calls i made, made me feel like I was adopting more than 'just a dog' but that we were adopting 'a family member'. We adopted Gunnar, but honestly Gunnar adopted us, Kate and Zach are the most amazing people to work with, Kate let us come several times to meet the puppies and for the entire months leading up to be able to take the puppies home I was determined to adopt the puppy with the black collar, from the videos he seemed perfect! But then during the last visit before we got to take one home, the orange collared puppy came right over to me and laid on my lap, my heart melted and we knew we were adopted, and we brought Gunnar home when he got the sign off by the vet! Poor Kate has been mercilessly texted by me and my panics, this is our first family dog, so when anything looks even slightly weird, im texting her in a panic, and she always responds incredibly fast, and with nothing but kindness. I will always remember what she said when we first started planning to get a puppy with them and its that "When you adopt one of our dogs, you adopt the entire family too" and they really do mean it, you really because an actual member of Von Waldberg, the training classes are so incredibly helpful that my friend will be signing up there too with his new pup, the information, packets, and bundles of stuff they send home with your puppy is amazing, and helped us ensure we were ready for anything! We took Gunnar to the vet to get him checked out and have his shots done and everything was great! He has a small umbilical hernia (EDITTED because I used the wrong word, thank you for the correction!), but its so small that its just a tiny 'blemish' and something they will repair fully when he is fixed, mama just got a little carried away when she chewed the cord off is all, and no one plans for these things! He is so incredibly smart and energetic and we love him so much, hes our family and so is the rest of Von Waldberg. So yes, even if the price may seem high, remember that you're not just getting a beautiful GSD, but youre getting an entire community of family members, and a giant support group. 10/10 I would adopt Von Walberg a second time! read more

Von Waldberg German Shepherds - Gunnar and his floppy ears he has yet to grow into! - Pet Breeders Near Me - Snohomish, Washington

Updating my review since management has changed. I haven't bought a puppy since then but it's not fair to leave my previous review about Kim and the old management. For people that I see post reviews about puppies with heart conditions... I was told ruby also had a heart issue and was going to need meds and surgery! She was only 3 month old. It was at Woodinville animal hospital. Be careful because puppies heart can have random beats and are not stable until they fully develop. Ruby is 5 and a half and obviously didn't have a heart condition. Go get a second opinion. There are many vets out there that just don't know. Back to Von Waldberg German Shepherds I will be contacting them about training for ruby. Now that there is a new owner I am hopeful. read more

Our 6-year old German Shepherd was born at Von Waldberg so of course we would trust no one other than Von Waldberg to board her when we travel, and we have since she was a puppy. We recently added a Golden Retriever to our family and we board him at Von Waldberg as well! Both are happy staying there. Beautiful facilities, including access to an on-call vet if needed; an amazing offering of grooming and training services, but the most comforting has been the professional, nurturing and experienced staff, especially Kate the owner and Bryan the facilities and training manager. The staff, the breeding, the training and the facilities are exceptional! read more

We have been working with this fine kennel and picked up our little bundle of joy earlier this week. We loved the attention and dedication of the staff and how happy and people friendly all the puppies were. This being our third German Shepherd we learned soooo much that will make the early training more fun and enjoyable. The facility is very clean, the reference material top drawer, and the animals so sweet and attentive. It is always a joy to peek in and we did a lot. But I suspect that if you are a casual owner, you know one who leaves the dog in the backyard most of the day, you probably won't like or appreciate the devotion and care that this kennel requires from prospective owners. We will be making recommendations for the Von Waldberg German Shepherds to anyone looking for a stellar new addition to their homes. Thank you for taking such good care of our sweet Shelby and us. read more

We have two gorgeous dogs from this breeder. I trust them completely when I need to board the dogs. When a dog is bred here or trained, this team is supportive and knowledgeable about helping you get the type of dog that works in your situation. Highly recommend for the dogs temperaments and this community. read more

Von Waldberg German Shepherds - Niko at 5 months - Pet Breeders Near Me - Snohomish, Washington

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I have had only one experience with Von Waldberg German Shepards. Last November our family lost our 1 year old German Shepard female puppy. Now I must admit, we did not buy Luna, our first GSD from a reputable breeder and she had a lot of health issues. After we recovered from losing her we decided to seek out another GSD but this time we dedicated ourselves to seeking the services of a professional breeder. Being very analytical in my approach to just about every purchase, I research over a 1/2 dozen breeders in Washington and Oregon. I reviewed their websites, online reviews and talked to the ones I was seriously considering. After careful deliberation, we decided on Von Waldberg and scheduled a site visit about 4 weeks ago to see the Dams and Sires and the facilities. There we met Kate and Zach, the owners and trainers. We also met Greg and some of the other staff. After receiving a very thoughtful tour of each dog by Zach and seeing the extremely well built and clean kennels, we sat down with both Kate and Zach for a discussion about why we were wanting another GSD. See, they were interviewing us at the same time we were learning about them. We met some of their personal dogs and met some dams to recent litters. We were able to see the female and male puppies that we were interested in. It quickly became apparent of the love for all German Shepards both Kate and Zach shared and their dedication to the breed and their customers. While waiting for the puppies to mature enough to go home we decided to take both the male and female puppies available from Hetty's litter. When we went to pick up the puppies, Kate had a wonderful care package complete with food, treats, lots of toys and a high quality leash and collar. The paperwork was extensive; even included a cute birth certificate Kate made with our puppies name and ours on it. Nice touch. Health paperwork was thorough and our vet, who performed the puppies first exam was impressed. So far the puppies have shown great temperament and took to crate training immediately. After 10 days of having them home, they are already 85% house trained. They are both very smart. I attribute it to their parents which both scored very high in obedience testing and show standards. To wrap this long review up, I find it difficult to find fault with Kate, Zach or any of their staff at Von Waldberg. Some may falsely label them as a high end puppy mill but they would be highly mistaken. Yes they have a lot of dams and sires but this means that no dam is over bred and the genetic diversity is preserved. Kate is very conscientious of the health and welfare of the older dogs and retires them at an early enough age where they can still have a rewarding and loving life in a new home. All their breeding stock comes from Germany and comply with strict German breeding standards so if your looking for a 100-120 pound big GSD to go with your huge SUV then these dogs are not for you. What you will find are the quintessential German Shepard, beautiful in build, smart and with great temperament. That being said, I know there is no such thing as the perfect puppy or full grown dog. Good luck in you adoption of a new GSD puppy from Von Waldberg. You will not regret it. read more

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Our dog is completely indifferent to humans, she is not mean, but could care less where we are, she also has a huge prey drive and never comes when called. She keeps coyotes mostly out, but is sometimes aggressive with us and always has been. We took her there for training for the first year, or two, but I would never get another dog from them she is about 5 now, and it is a love/hate relationship, I bought her when my other shepherd whom we loved very much and loved us back, was hit by a car. Every time I mentioned her personality issues with them, they just would say it was all our fault...so she is a work dog for us, not much else. read more

Terrible breeders. Sold us a dog with a severe heart condition that needs daily medication. Vets say that we are lucky she has made past the first week. read more

After a year of research of German Shepherd breeders in the Seattle area, I decided to purchase my dog from Phil and Kimberly at Von Waldberg Shepherds. Kimberly was extremely informative and helped us chose the perfect companion for our family. Zeus is almost a year and a half old with no temperament or physical issues. We receive compliments everywhere we go on his behavior and good looks while children run up to pet him with no worries. I recommend this breeder to anyone looking for a quality German Shepherd Dog. read more

ATTENTION!!! READ BEFORE YOU BUY. Beware of a breeder who says you have to turn in your sick pup, in order to get a replacement.Why they would want the sick dog that you have already formed a bond with to be given back?Because they are banking on it.Also, at Von Waldberg they offer false advertising on the quality and the health of the puppies,just to make a sale.In addition, they promised me they would give me a healthy pup, if my pup gets elbow or hip dysplasia. The pup they sold me was claimed per their sales guarantee to be healthy at the time of purchase.I took the pup straight to the vet for a well-exam check up,a stool sample was provided,and pup was diagnosed with intestinal parasites Coccidia and Giardia.It took 6 months of repetitive,back to back treatment for the pup to get healthy again,while putting me and my children at health risk.I contacted them,and they said the puppy got infected from my yard-an obnoxious lie,because my previous dogs from 2 years ago,had never had intestinal parasites,and I had taken the pup straight to the vet for an exam.A common denominator among all complaints on the internet is that people get pups with Coccidia and Giardia,customers are blamed for whatever the health problem is,and the owners blame the vets for not being competent. At the time of purchase,I specifically inquired about them guaranteeing agains elbow dysplasia, as well.I was ASSURED that they cover not only elbow dysplasia,but any genetic disease that affects the life longevity of the dog.Only 3 months after the purchase,at 6 months of age,puppy was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia.They said that I caused the dysplasia by feeding my pup with bad food, and trauma.Even though the vet surgeon specifically indicated in the diagnosis that this is a polygenetic inherited disease,owners act like they know better,and refuse to acknowledge that they knowingly import pups of lesser quality and health.They claim to be a "breeder of distinction",but refuse to stand by the product they sell. My pup was advertised to be of superior lineage,with a certain father and a certain mother.As you may know, you have to go by their word,because you don't get the birth pink papers at the time of purchase,you receive it in the mail months later.Months later,when I got the pink birth papers,it listed a completely different father than what was advertised.In the world of selective breeding,this is super important.Also,the pup was advertised to have both mother and father certified as "VA" rating,AND with 8 grandparents in the first 3 generations,something they claimed to be very rare.When I received the pink papers,months after the purchase,it indicated that only the father has a "VA" rating,not both mother and father as advertised,and only 5 grandparents in the first 3 generations had "VA" ratings,not 8.The reason they priced the puppy at $4,500 was for that supposed "superior" lineage,which turned out to be a lie.Beware of their advertisements,they are false,and by the time you find out,they won't refund your money,or adjust the sale price. Now,we have a dog who can't run,can't play with the kids,and is in pain. If you type "von waldberg reviews" you will see many complaints against them.One customer was sent a dog with an overbite,and they didn't even disclose it to him until after the sale.When he talked to the owner, she told him that the pup will outgrow it-what a complete garbage-how do you outgrow a genetic disease or a congenital defect?They will say anything to get you off their back.Now the pup has a lifetime of serious dental problems,among other health issues.What about the woman who bought a pup that was guaranteed to be healthy and of good quality-A quality KK1a (highly preferred-no faults) puppy.The puppy she got is missing a toe,has umbilical hernia,and has bad hips and elbows.What about the puppy they knew was sick,but sold him anyway to a customer,saying that it couldn't walk properly because she is the runt of the litter,and doesn't get to eat as much,but when she goes to a home,she will get better.That puppy was shortly after diagnosed with bone cancer, and owners refused the test findings.There are countless more examples. Don't look at the BBB rating.It doesn't reflect the truth. I sued them in court in October 2015.Unfortunately, owners got away with murder--so did O.J. Simpson.Because of the many lies they threw at the judge, the judge didn't realize the importance of the advertised lineage,vs. the lineage in reality.Also,at the court owners backed out of what they had assured me,the judge stuck with what was in the contract.They tried to scare me into not leaving a bad review,because they would sue me for defamation of character. I told them that when it is true and factual,it isn't a defamation.They counter-sued for defamation and loss of income.The judge dismissed the case.The judge confirmed that it is my constitutional right to speak my opinion. read more

Ask around, these dogs have issues. Our dog is well exercised and very happy. She has an issue chasing her tail and chewing parts of it off. The owner and daughter of the owner said she is bored and needs training. We had already trained her ourselves with the basics. Three years later she still neurotically turns in circles and bites at her tail. They were of no help and were very rude to us when we brought up the problems. read more