Hi... this page is getting very long so I have another page I am starting! click here to see the latest letters my pages now contain over 150 letters!!! click here for second page

Here are two pictures of Kate(one of herself and one with her and Bandit).  She is doing great and loves playing with our two dogs!  She is so intelligent.  I am sometimes mindboggled by that.  At her recent vet visit for her rabies shot, our vet was amazed at how great of a personality Kate had for a German Shepherd Dog.  Thanks again for Kate she is truly a blessing to our household.

Robin,
     I am sure you remember Sammy from Montana, son of Reno and Samantha. He is 3 years old next month. I have attached a picture of us up on top of our property in our ranch truck. He is a pleasant, dedicated, loyal animal who plays by the rules. He will chase his ball until he drops. He will swim in lakes until he drops. He is enthusiastic about most everything. He does not get mad unless he perceives immanent danger to either me or my wife. We were chased by an angry Bull Moose last winter. Very serious, as unfortunately people have been killed by them when they were caught. Sam turned and stood his ground until I could get up on a nearby porch, then I called him off and he joined me. You can’t teach that. 
Pete and Sammy,
Red Lodge Montana

Pete Critelli
Rock Creek Realty
pedro@vcn.com
406-446-2727

Robin,

How is everything down south with the doggy gang.  We are having a blast up here with Princess Zoey, she is everything we were wanting in a dog.  I have never seen a large breed dog that touchy feely she has to be with someone all the time and not just with them touching you.  Her and the boys are getting along great she is very gentle when playing with them.  I have been weighing her on my parents digital scale and at her six month day she weighed in at sixty-nine pounds and was about twenty-five inches to the top of her front shoulder blades.  She is a fun dog to be around she has her own little attitude just like my youngest boy, wow a match made there.

Well I have included some pictures of Zoey and will chat later when I get more time.  One question I have is do you know any trainers in my area, I’m looking at getting her trained to off leash handling.

Thanks, Todd

Brian and Dawn Boyd

I thought you would like to see a photo of Kaiser that I just took today.
He is 60lbs and only 5 moyhs old.
He is doing great and I am so pleased with him.
Please send these photos to the people who raised him. I got a letter from
them but I lost it.
Thanks so much.

Joe

Hi, Robin!

We've been so busy here, but wanted to send some recent pix of Gracie (a.k.a. Comet) and let you know that she is absolutely awesome! (Royalair's Amazing Grace - final name choice)

I've been keeping her socialized, and she LOVES everyone! She rides in the car just fine, and loves to go because every new place is an adventure to her. We have started the clicker training and she catches on to everything so quickly! Took only about 5 minutes each for her to learn "sit", "down", and "shake." She is very social and outgoing, but also very loving and works hard at being obedient (it's just that sometimes she can't resist the urge to chase a cat instead of listen to me ... needless to say, we're working on that). She "loves" the cats ... probably more than they want to be loved!

Her ears are erect and beautiful, went up early and stayed up! Her gait is smooth and she is very active, but doesn't have a high drive. Her coat is coming in thick and shiny, and she has more tan than silver markings.

She has a healthy apetite, but never overeats. Likes her dog food but LOVES people food! Cottage cheese is like her "ice cream" - likes cooked carrots and broccoli but won't eat them raw - and is absolutely nuts for apples.

When she is outside with me, she is my "shadow" following me everywhere and watching over my shoulder ... has to "inspect" everything! Her nose is incredible ... many times she will run over to me with a thin rim of dirt or mud across the top of her nose because she's been walking all over our acreage with her nose to the ground - literally! So many things to smell, so little time! She has an old soccer ball that is like her baby ... she carries it around all over the yard, will stop and put it down to sniff something, then goes right back, picks up the ball, and goes on her way!

I made the mistake of letting her up on my leather chair when I was in it ... she'd curl up right next to my legs (the chair when extended is all one piece, not just a footrest). Now when I'm there, whether working on my laptop or watching tv, she thinks she needs to hop up there with me! As she grows it is becoming more and more cramped up there! ;oD (The attached pix were all taken with her in the chair!)

Thanks for such an awesome dog! I can't say it enough! I look forward to getting her OFA'd - she'll be 6 months June 28, so are thinking sometime in July would be ok for the prelim ... does that sound right? The Kennel Club in Sioux Falls has basic obedience classes and offers free CGC testing. I'll be taking her through that this fall, hopefully.

Thanks again, Robin, and I will keep you posted on Gracie's progress!

Cordially,

Julaine Stark

p.s. Could you forward this email to the Cizek's? I lost the letter they sent asking for info on the puppies, and I want them to see these pix and hear this update. They can contact me directly for more info and pix, but wanted them to know I didn't just ignore their letter. ... oh, by the way, Gracie wants to wish Sasha "Happy Mother's Day" ... LOL ;oD

Robin,

Just a note to say that I am so pleased that we decided to get a German
Shepherd puppy from you. We got a puppy out of Katie and Silver Mark and named
him Chance and let me tell you out of the three puppy's I have been around and
raised, Chance is the best. As a puppy he was high energy and also calm and go
with the flow. He knew when to be hyper and when to just mellow out. At 3
months of age we decided to take him to puppy preschool and we are glad that
we did. At first he was shy and timid and at the third class he was out
playing and having a good time. Chance was the youngest puppy there out of 6
puppy's but the biggest. During the classes at the last three classes we had
some competitions on who could have the puppy that would sit the fastest on
command and who would lay down fastest on command. Chance won both of those
competitions. During the last class we had an overall competition of what was
learned through the classes. Chance had to do a 30 sec down stay with all of
the puppy's in the class distracting him and go from me to my wife Amanda who
was all the way across the room on a come command while being distracted and
let me tell you we did both things. Chance was crowned as champion of the
puppy class.
Chance is now 5 months old and we are in an adult class, Chance weighs 50
lbs, solid muscle and smart as a whip. I have trained Chance to shake one day
in 10 minutes (no kidding and he has not forgotten) and have been working with
him for 2 days now on a front command where he comes over to me and sits
facing me right at me feet and from there i tell him to heel and he has caught
on really well. We are doing it off lead now with about 95 percent accuracy in
the house and about 75% of the time outside(he gets distracted outside, but
there is alot of puppy in him since being only 5 months).
Everyone in our adult class loves Chance because he is doing what his is
told when we tell him to do it and they are having problems with there dogs.
Its kind of funny two people in our class came over when we were doing out
commands and talked to there dogs saying, now watch Chance and take after him.
Sorry that the email was so lengthy but i just cant say enough how how
happy were are with Chance. He is such a people person dog also, follows me
and my wife everywhere. We will try and get some pictures sent over soon.

Mike and Amanda McTague

P.S. I see you are planning on breading Katie and Silver Mark again. In my
opinion good choice since i have seen what type of dog they produce.

Such a nice looking head and ears!  I love this one - calm, intelligent - everything a shepherd should be!  :)

Hi Robin,

It's been a long time since I have written and I just wanted to bring you up to date on my girl Mocha (from Falco and Tina). 

We have been training for Search and Rescue trailing for over two years now.  This has taken a huge dedication of our time and energy to get to the point where we are becoming  solid in the discipline of trailing under all conditions.  This has brought us very close, I did not realize how close the bond between a person and their working dog can become. 

In our training we work shoulder to shoulder with some of the best Bloodhound teams in the country.  I just wanted to say that Mocha holds her own and excels with these "trailing machines".  It is truly a testament to her breeding and bloodlines that she is as gifted a Trailing K-9 as she really is.

Thanks again for this wonderful animal.  She amazes me every day that we work together.

Bill Boots

Hello, Robin,

I wanted to send you some photos of Marco.  He is now 7 months old and weighs over 80 pounds.  We measured his wither height at 24 inches a couple of weeks ago.  How big do you think he'll get when he matures?

None of us can say enough good about Marco.  Strangers always comment on how handsome and calm he is.  He is very strong and agile.  He loves to jump over and onto things, or and carry things in his mouth for long distances.  I laugh as I watch him pick logs up from the fields, and bark from trees, then he carries those items for a while and drops them because he finds something else more worthwhile, leaving a trail of logs, bark and sticks behind him.  He has started trying to lead the horses for me when I turn them out, too.  He learns so quickly everything I teach him, and that which he picks up on his own,  just as my horses do.

I did everything you told me to do about forced-come work with him.  I only had to do it twice and he got the idea.  I felt as if I had been really mean to him, but sometimes I have to do similar things with my horses, so I knew how important that was.  He thought I was the meanest person in the world when I had to drag him -- he lay down on the ground as I was dragging him and whined, yelped, tried to bit me--to the area where I called him.  I never had to do that to any dog I had, so I felt really bad.  But, as you said, he has to learn to come for his own safety, if nothing else.  Thank you very much for everything!  He is a super dog!  He even drops the horse manure when I tell him to do so.  :=)

I'll talk to you again, soon!

Best regards,
Suli

P.S. We will get his hip x-rays ASAP and let you know as soon as that is done. Marco recieve a prelim OFA EXCELLENT AT one year picture is at 7 months


Here are the photos most recent:

Here is Kate with Benji our Golden Retriever.  All is going great!

Thanks,

Brian & Dawn Boyd 

Evening.. Just a quick note to tell how much we love our Dama (1/7/06) .  She adjusted just fine to our home and our other dog.  Just as you told us she is smart as a whip and into everything!  Multiple toys and daily training have caught her attention and she is minding wonderfully. 

Dama weight was 15.7 lbs the day I brought her home on March 6th  – today she is 29 lbs. 

Attaching a photo taken today..

Thanks so much for the work you do and the pups your dogs produce.

Merle Butler
Cannon Falls, MN

Robin,
 I just wanted to let you know that we had to take Cade to the vet this morning for a sore place on his skin that had to be shaved. The vet wanted me to let you know what a wonderful job you are doing with your breeding program. Cade just stood there while she shaved a very sore area that she said they usually have to sedate the dogs before they can do it. I just talked and loved on him while she worked. Davey, the dog we got from Judy also had to go and we had the same results with him. Our vet said she wished all her shepherd clients were as well behaved as our dogs. I told her it was the breeding, of course we work with them but I think it stills comes back to breeding.
When we brought Davey home he was 3mo. old and Cade was so good with him and still is, they never fight and will even eat out of the same bowl. I think that says so much about you and Judy.I tell everyone about coming to pick Cade up and you had about 3-4 males in there just walking around and not fussing or growling at each other.
Thank you so much for this wonderful dog, he has made us so happy and our grandchildren love them so much and they love the grandchildren.
I'm thinking about therapy class, they both did so well in obedience class. We knew they would. Cade was the star! Everyone comments on how beautiful he is.
Thank you again Robin for this wonderful loving dog,
Janice

If people every need proof that the large old style shepherd lives longer here it is bothe the grils below in there prime were 28 and 29 " and both over 100 lbs

This is ALI.  She will be 11 in July.   Doing very well.

Here is Heather on her 13th birthday.  Although Grey I think she is still one of the most beautiful creatures on earth.   Her disposition is still the sweetest and kindest dog I have ever met.  She has never snipped at any dog, woman or child in her life.  Even at this age, she still has not.  How do you do it Robin?

Fonzie is 40lbs at 12 1/2 weeks.  He is getting bigger, taller and more muscular every day. 

Bob and Gail Malina

Hi Robin,
Just thought I'd send a picture of Nala for you!  She's 9 months old and about 85 pounds (or more by this point).  She's a great dog-wonderful with our 2 year old and our greenwing macaw parrot.  Our vet says that she has plenty more room to grow too!  Nala is the perfect fit into our family.
People compliment her personality and looks everyday.  When we get our ranch in the country, we'll come back for more dogs!
Thanks and hope all is well!

Hi Robin, I just wanted to give you an update on Timber, from the Kody/Tina litter.
We made the flight back to Idaho just fine, Timber was like stuck to me like glue and didn't leave my side for 2 days straight!

I took him for his well puppy checkup and shots and the vet gave him a clean bill of health. She also said he had a GREAT temperment for a GSD pup. Also let me know he was going to be a "LARGE" GSD! He is fitting in well with our Golden Retriever, and they are starting to play together. Potty training is proceeding just fine. Timber is letting us know he needs to go outside most of the time, so we are well on the way. We are taking him everywhere with us. Even when surrounded by a dozen teenagers who all want to pet him, he doesn't get upset or nervous. I'll keep you posted on his progress from time to time.

Thanks for everything!

Take care,
Randy from Idaho

Hi Robin,

Just an update on Hero (Kody son).  Here is a pic of him at ten months (damp and ungroomed) and 95 pounds enjoying his first snow in Virginia.  He continues to be the talk of the neighborhood and can't wait until the spring baseball season brings tons of kids to play with.  He is protective in the yard and around the house but a cupcake out in public.  Thanks again for a great dog and please pass his picture along to his brother Jordan.  We're hoping to receive a Pic of Jordan in return to put in his scrap book.  Have a great day!



V/R
PERCY ALEXANDER   
CW3, QM
CASCOM Training Directorate

hey robin ! hope all is well.

this was during our afternoon walk (in the lake merritt neighborhood
of oakland, california). as you can see, lacy's very sweet and gentle
with all creatures great and small.

shubha

Robin,

Just a brief note to let you know that Dakota Bear, born May 2005 is now 104 pounds.  9 months. He is such a lover everyone is his friend.  We are feeding him Royal Canine German Shepherd Blend and he seems to be doing very well on it.  We noticed that on the puppy formula, his stomach seemed to rumble and growl after he ate, but once we switch to the German shepherd blend the stomach noises ended. 

I do have a question, that is none of my business, but I don't see Bear's mom among you current moms, Tiger Lily.  I hope she is alright and not having any health problems.

Al always, Bear' mom and dad,

Randy and Peg Cox

Hi Robin,

         Tessa and Luke are doing great. We are feeding them a raw diet now and they love it. Luke's elbows were starting to give him a little trouble
so we switched from the tablet form of glucosamine to a liquid and it helped quite a bit. I'm attaching pictures of them. They are wonderful
dogs - thanks.
     Michael and Sharon Messina

                                         Remember this one?      

Hi Robin,   Here are my beautiful babies out for a walk with my son.  Jackson is now 120 pounds and extremely handsome, Willow is 90 pounds and absolutely beautiful.  I take them everywhere.  I get tracked down in stores by people wanting to know where I got them.  Yes, they actually enter the store and yell,  "Whose shepherds are those in the car outside?"  They are an absolute joy to have around.  I was sorry to see Willow's mom for sale.  I'm sure she is just as sweet as Willow is.  Whoever buys her will be very blessed.  I wish I had room for her here.  My husband said he didn't think Jackson would want his mother-in-law moving in. I tried to convince him we needed her but with no luck.   Your puppies are beautiful of course.   Jackson and Willow said to say hi to you and all of their relatives in Iowa.  Marcia

  Hello Robin, My name is Don from SE Michigan and I drove to Iowa to pick up one
of the male pups born on 4-6-04 to Kody/Tina. Hemi is so special and there is
not a day that goes by that I don't feel so blessed to have him. I take him with
me whenever I can and he just loves to go with me. We have been on so many great adventures together and People just love him. He is so Beautiful, very friendly, very well mannered and listenes very well and did great in beginning and
advanced training. I check your website often and noticed Katie is Hemi's sister
and from the same litter, she looks great! I wonder if Indy as also from the
same litter. I just wanted to keep in touch and send a few pics. Hemi is 110
lbs. I love this dog so much! Thank you Robin, and I will keep in touch. Don.

Dear Robin,

 Ripley is now almost 8 mos. old and I can't tell you how beautiful and smart she is! I am so glad I took your recommendation as to which puppy to choose because you were right! She's calm and obedient and loves the kids! I know it's only been 6 mos. since she arrived, but we can't imagine life without her.You truly do breed magnificent dogs. And we show her off at every opportunity. Whenever anyone asks where we got such a beautiful  dog I tell them to check out your website. Finally, a breeder who practices what she preaches! You are truly to be commended!

Sincerely,

Doris Heard

Anaheim, Ca.

i, Robin!

Here's Biscuit's latest picture--I thought you'd like it because it shows off her gorgeous head structure!

She is a natural poser--this picture looks posed, but she was just hanging out in the yard. I walked outside, told her to STAY, went inside and got the camera, came back outside, and took a few pictures. (How handy to have worked on her STAY!)

Have a great Father's Day,

Betsy

Among our more tangible summer accomplishments:

Our neighbor Mariam is no longer afraid of dogs! In fact, I think she's considering becoming a "dog doctor" when she grows up--but first she has to go to kindergarten. Earlier this summer, Mariam wouldn't come within 25 feet of Biscuit, but Biscuit (as usual) won her over.

I thought you'd enjoy something to smile about this afternoon.

:-)

Betsy

Robin

This is Katie, a Kira-Falco daughter we got from you in May, 2001.

She thinks we're tops, and we adore her.

The dog house in back is unused as she lives in the house with us.

Just thought you might like to know how she's doing.

Alvin & Nancy Arnold

Humeston, IA

Just a note to let you know I took her to the vet yesterday to check on last

two remaining baby teeth and ears...they're still not up most of the time and

I thought it was time to glue. While she was lying on the floor in the exam

room, she put up both ears and kept them up most of the time she was

there...he said leave them alone....they're going to come up.

Anyway, she now weighs 55 lbs (gained 23 lbs since I had her there in July).

She is still averaging a 1/2 lb/day rate of gain. I think she's almost 24" at

the shoulder -- don't know how this is for 5 mos., but if she continues as she

is now, she'll probably be around 75 lbs by the end of September.

We're going to start Basic Obedience on September 12...she's smart so I think

it will go well. I'll keep you posted.

i Robin, it's Renee Lustig with Dax from Mason City. I haven't checked in with you for awhile, hope all is well with you guys. We're all doing good! I came across an article that really hit home about dogs and the way some are being bred with abnormalities just to create a "certain look." Of course, the first thing I thought of are the sad show Shepherds that walk on their hocks and drag their feet. The article is in this months issue of Whole Dog Journal. I didn't know if you are a subscriber or not, but it's worth a read. I especially liked the paragraph that stated " the more a dog looks like a wolf or coyote from whence he came, the less apt he is to have debilitating skeletal problems. Anyway, I certainly know that you already knew this stuff, but just another pat on the back for taking the time and care to breed healthy, sound dogs, that actually look like dogs! :)  I also wanted to ask if there is a trainer here in Iowa you could recommend for Dax and I. We have been through and passed advance obedience and he has gotten his CGC so we are ready to move on to the next step. Unfortunately, that's about as far as they go around here. I think I need the direction more than Daxie! :)   Any advice you could provide would be much appreciated, Tom, Renee, & Dax Lustig.

Hi Robin,   Took some pictures of Jackson and Willow playing in the backyard with my son.  He hits them tennis balls.  They get so excited when he picks up the baseball bat, we can hardly get the backdoor open before they run into it.  Also are pictures of them relaxing after a day of play.  They are both fine.  Marcia

Dear Robin, just a line to let you know that you have succeeded in your aim to breed intelligence in your Shepherds.  Here in Northern Calif we have had one of the hottest summers on record with temperatures of a hundred degrees and over for virtually all of July and Aug.  Jed has decided that the best way to survive the worst of the heat is to lay, not only in the shade, but in a mud hole as well. 

However, since my nice yard and rose garden do not provide mud holes, he has had to make his own.  Digging hole in our rocky soil is not easy but he manages it--then gets the hose which is watering the roses or the fruit trees, and pulls it over to his hole and proceeds to fill it with water so he can lay in it.  So far, fortunately, he has chosen sites near the roses or the trees so that my lawn is still intact.  Why he prefers this to laying under the air conditioning in the house is a mystery, but perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he is not allowed to play with the other dogs in the house . . . .  Each to his own, though I can't help hoping that he will outgrown this before he goes to work or keeping him clean will be a real project.  Just thought you'd get a laugh out of this--I did.  Kay    

Hi, Robin!

Biscuit and I have just signed up for our first tracking class--we're driving all the way to Madison, WI for them! I'll let you know how it goes.

Biscuit is doing GREAT--this summer, we've been building a deck and have had all kinds of workers in and out of the yard and the house. She barks at them until she can sniff them, but after they pass her "inspection" she is just as friendly as can be. Everyone comments on what a great dog she is.

I'm attaching two pictures--one of her in a rather stiff down-stay, and the other of her being typically gentle with our carpenter-friend's 3-year-old son. We don't have kids, and they don't have a dog, but the two got along like old buddies.  :-)

Robin,

Here's a couple pictures of Shelby (born January 10, 2004)  from Dubuque for you.  She is a wonderful dog and she is so smart.  Sometimes we think she is smarter then us.  Thanks for a wonderful dog!!

Kelly and Scott Klein

Hi Robin!

I was just wondering how tall Knicki is and how much she weighs( when she isn't pregnant) ? I have Gracie, who is a Knicki/Kody puppy. Gracie will be 9 months old on October 8 and she already weighs 76 pounds and is about 24 1/2 inches tall. She seems very long too. Everyone thinks she is going to get bigger, but I can't tell! I already thought she was big for a girl! We have completed one course of obedience and are looking forward to the next one coming in October. She learns so fast! She also learned agility quickly! We have tons of fun together! She has also proved to be a good guard dog. I had her just outside my house one night and my fiance tried to sneek up on me and she stood her ground and barked her deep bark! She didn't leave my side, she just made sure he wasn't coming near me until she figured out it was just Pete! I am so happy with her! She does seem to have some problems with other dogs except the ones she knows. I hope going to classes helps her be less aggressive with them! At her last class she didn't get to be around them off leash and I think she just wants to play, but I'm not sure. Nobody wants to take the chance with a german shepherd and a smaller dog! Hopefully she will have big dogs in her next class and we can see how she behaves. I hope you, your family and all the royalair gang are doing great!

Take Care,

Denise Koestner

Hey Folks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harley at 15 weeks & 45.2 lbs already !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Robin,

Just wanted everyone to know what they have to look forward to from a mating of Kody/Lilly.(Sorry to hear she's not PG) Hero is the talk and joy of his Novice obedience class, the neighborhood, and the local ball park. We can't go anywhere without people asking to pet him. They can't get enough of his thick plush coat and great temperment and he just rolls over and takes all of the tummy rubs he can handle. Thanks for a great dog.

Puppy letters 2005

Hi, Robin!

It’s been awhile so I wanted to check in and let you know that we’ve begun our fourth round of obedience training with Biscuit. She is awesome—so beautiful and EXTREMELY pleasant personality. Last night, our instructor confided to me that Biscuit is actually FAR better behaved than her own dog (a lovely Bernese Mountain Dog, 5 years old) was at the same age (14 months). We were working on stuff like maintaining a sit-stay while I threw a tennis ball, and not running after the ball until she gets released from the stay. Seemed like hard stuff to me, but Biscuit caught on fast!!!

Also, her health has been terrific—any “poopy puppy” problems went away for good once we transitioned her off puppy chow and onto Royal Canin Maxi German Shepherd kibble when she was about 5-6 months old.

I hope the spring bring you some lovely new pups!

Betsy Lane

Hi Robin, it's Jenni Lloyd. Just wanted to show you a

picture of our baby that we got from you in August.

Her name is Bell and she is the best addition to this

family that we could've ever asked for. This is a

picture of her last month when she turned 8 months

old! She is the daughter of Emma & Kody from the June

25th litter. She just completed her basic training

last week with flying colors and we are going into

advanced classes at the end of April. She is soooo

smart it's unbelievable. She currently weighs 85 lbs

and is still growing like a weed. I'll send you

another picture once she gets a little older. Thank

you so much for bringing her into our lives. We have

no children so she is a real blessing for us. Thanks

again.

Sincerely,

Jenni Lloyd

Hi Robin,

Hope you're well.

I thought I'd better give you an update on our female pup, Ursa

(Tina/Hawkeye).

She's 19 months now, and has been a real joy--everything you promote on the

site! I think she looks a lot like her mom, but has some of Hawkeye's

redness. She's about 78lbs now, so not enormous--but a perfect size for us.

Here are a couple of current pics from a trip to the beach:

Take care, and thanks again for the ultimate shepherd!!

Best, Dirk

Dirk Kaufman

Hi, Robin!

I don't think I sent these to you before--they're pretty recent (about a month ago, at 14 months of age). One is of Biscuit being a nice, well-behaved doggy, and one is of her being totally happy and relaxed after her first swim of the season. She loves the water!

Do you ever hear from her mom, Rainy Daze?

Thanks again--we LOVE Biscuit more than we ever imagined possible!!!! What a great temperament!!!! And every time we go out, people comment on how beautiful she is. Of course they all think she's a boy, but we take the compliment just the same--she doesn't seem to mind!

All the best,

Betsy Lane

Hello Robin,

I just wanted you to see my Princess Grace (Gracie) from your Knicki/Kody litter. She is so beautiful!!!! Her ears were standing a few weeks ago in these pictures, but have now flopped over inward and one outward. I hope this is normal and that we won't have to tape her ears because she is rather energetic! She has become my elkhounds best friend! They do everything together and he is so good with her, he adores her! So do we! She will be 4 months old on Mother's Day. I just wanted to thank you so much for her, she is the most loveable girl! She is learning quickly too! I already have people asking me where I took her for obedience, when I tell them she hasn't been yet they are so amazed at how much I taught her myself! We will be going to obedience soon though also. You were right about her retrieving skills! She already fetches! She learned that in 1 week! Sometimes she likes to play keep away with the ball but eventually she brings it back to throw. She does have some food aggression issues, she trys to bite us if we go near her when she is eating or has a dental bone. I am working on this and wish I could leave her food out, but Hershey would eat it all up and be as big as a house! He is on a light diet because he needs to lose wieght. If you have any suggestions I could use the help. I have been putting goodies(turkey) in her food when I go near her bowl so she will learn it is a good thing! I wasn't sure if she would grow out of this once she realizes nobody is going to take her food or if this will only get worse. She is never aggressive about anything else, just food. I do feed her 3 times a day and she is usually good except at night, I'm not sure why she acts up at supper and not during the day. She loves being outdoors and going for long walks and we plan to take her swimming this summer, because she seems to love water too.

Thank you so much for raising such a beautiful dog with great personality, we truly love her!

Denise Koestner & Pete

Robin,

Just wanted to say thanks, we both were very impressed with the size, calmness, and the all around quality of all your dogs.  You have a very impressive quality of German shepherds.  The internet pictures do not do any justice for the size of Cody and silver mark.  There size was very impressive; I loved the color of silver mark.  I also liked the size of Shadow.  My wife was very impressed with the dogs’ acceptance of us to come in and not bark or show aggression.   

If and when puppies are available I would like to have your help in picking one out, I feel I have learned a lot about shepherds from your site.  I just don’t think I’m ready to look at a pup and say that is what I want in color, size, and temper. 

Any time you want or need the other $400.00 dollars, anytime after the first of the year we should be able to get it to you.  We are all very excited about getting a new addition to the family.

Thanks again for all the help, Todd

Hi Robin,

Just visiting and seeing pictures of new puppies and thought you might get a

kick out of a picture of Blinky. We took it during the recent hurricane, the

winds were blowing very loud and we could not find our son, we found him

sleeping with Blinky in the hallway. When we took the picture he woke up and

said he was scared and Binky is his security blanket. Blinky was 8 months

old in the pictures.

Thanks,

Joe Lorenz

Dear Robin,

I don't have a recent picture to attach to this note but I just wanted to let you know that our boy is just wonderful.  We have completed basic obedience and he did great.  Every one in the class couldn't keep their eyes off him.  His gate is mesmerizing.  There was a groomer and an Afghan breeder in the group and they immediately wanted to know where he came from.  The class instructors were so impressed that they rave about him all the time.  They loved how calm and easy going he was and how he seemed to learn so easily.

He has the most beautiful long hair that has a gentle wave.  We measured him this weekend and he is 28 inches which equals his mom Lily and still has massive joints so I think he will grow even more.

Robin, he is everything you said he would be.  I must compliment you.  How you could correctly predict his gentle temperment, attitude, friendliness and of course size is beyond me.  He is everyone's friend and is so self assured.  We have never had to tie him, as you said, he wants to be with us and nowhere else.  I only wish we had found you years ago.  You dogs are the best!!

Happy Holidays,

Randy and Peg Cox and of course Dakota "Bear"

collage of three s&r certified dogs

Robin,

Here are some pictures of our girl. She is 15 months
old, and she is bigger than the other mature female
GSD's that I know. A bit higher energy than we
expected, but I'm glad for it now. She wouldn't be
near as much fun if she wouldn't chase a frisbee,
which happens to be her passion. Tonight she caught
12 in a row. She'll chase her frisbee wherever I
throw it, whether out into the middle of a lake, up a
steep embankment, or over a chain-link fence (she
finds a way around).

A little while back a friend watched in awe as she
easily and repeatedly scaled a steep 15-foot, dirt
embankement to get her frisbee each time I threw it up
there. My friend commented that none of his three
Labs would have had a chance doing what she did with
utter ease.

We think she is a truly beautiful dog. Others seem to
agree. People have pulled over in their cars when I'm
walking her to tell me how pretty she is.

She is super-friendly and loves everyone, except
people she doesn't know who put their hands on our
boys. My dad calls her a lolly-pop - relative to his
Doberman, which is pure Tobasco.

And except for her lack of appreciation for her own
size and strength, she is great with the kids. The
other day, one of my boys tripped and fell on her
while she was laying down, and she just turned around
and licked him. She sits, comes, lays down, and stays
for the boys as well as she does for me.

She knows more commands than any dog I know personally
(see below). She is 90%+ obedient with almost all of
them (except the last one, which I am working on) --
and virtually 100% if there are no distractions. She
will obey the commands whether I yell, speak, or
whisper -- as long as she can hear me. I've trained
her to:

Sit
Come
Lay down on her side ("Down")
Lay on her back ("Die")
Go in her cage ("Cage")
Go into her outdoor kennel ("Go")
Stop walking/running ("Ho")
Stay where she is, in the position she is. ("Stay")
Stand up ("Rise")
Heel, off leash and on. ("Heel")
Drop something from her mouth ("Out")
Find her frisbee and bring it to me ("Frisbee")
Stop doing whatever she is doing, whether eating,
playing, etc. ("Ha" or "No")
Go to the corner of the kitchen and stay while we
eat("Corner")
Release from any command and do whatever she wants
("Free dog")
Kiss
Shake
Look at me / change her direction (I whistle)
Keep going in the same direction (I say "Good, good,
..." as long as she is going in the right direction)

When all of the puppy is finally out of her and she
settles down a bit more, she will be a truly great
dog.

Thanks,

Dustin Waide
Charlotte, NC

Hi Robin,

Attached is a picture of Chance, son of Hawkeye and Roxaine.  He will be 3 years old this coming March and gets more wonderful everyday.  He loves everyone and has only ever met two people he didn't care for and they were strangers !  He loves to be petted and chasing his ball is his favorite pastime.  He weighs a little over 100 pounds and is 30 inches tall at the shoulder.  As you can see, he has that beautiful red color.  He is standing beside an oil portrait I had done of him for my husband's Christmas present.  Needless to say he loves the portrait.  Thanks again for breeding such wonderful German Shepherds.

Thelma Longgrear
Lacey's Spring, AL

  Prinz is three this month and thoroughly enjoying life in
Minnesota. He and our female black Lab, Buddi, are best friends as
you can see from the Thanksgiving photo. It was a lucky day when we
visited you and brought Prinz home with us.

        Our best to you and your family. Have a great Christmas!

Brian and Peggy Alley

5/20/2005

ROBIN-

HERE IS A PICTURE OF ROYALAIR'S PUMA[SITTING] AND LEXY MY FEMALE LYING DOWN.

ISN'T HE MAGNIFICIENT, THANKS TO YOUR BREEDING. HE'S JUST TOO HANDSOME AND SMART.

THANKS (this sitting dog is from me )

BRENDA