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Home of Von Hoffnung (of hope) German Shepherds.

Our dogs are the old line German Shepherds of carefully selected bloodlines: DDR (East German), Czech and Slovak, as well as old world West German bloodlines, bred for work, security, and companionship. We want sensible dogs, gentle around children and pets, friendly to guests, yet with the courage to offer security to our family and to handle work with confidence: intelligent, loyal, lovable, happy,–the sort of legendary dog many of us grew up only dreaming about.

At Candle Hill Shepherds, our goal is to produce a healthy, balanced dog, for work and companionship. We value temperament above all, with the understanding that even the best temperament is not of much value without good health and sound structure. We train and work all our dogs and from Therapy Dogs, to Search and Rescue, Schutzhund (protection work, tracking, and obedience), Obedience Competition, and Agility, our experience spans a wide range of disciplines.

Candle Hill Shepherds began with training Search and Rescue dogs, where temperament is critical. In those early days, we tried numerous different dogs that ultimately didn't meet the standard, it was painful. Eventually, we found one that did. At that point, we knew we had to preserve and continue those lines. Because we work our dogs, we know our dogs and can select for stable, high quality temperaments. Our bloodlines include the best of European German Shepherd bloodlines. We raise both long coated (or long haired) and standard coated German Shepherds. For us, temperament is what matters most.   We look for intelligent, confident focus with a tireless work ethic, joy, and deep loyalty. We treasure the relationships we have with these amazing dogs and wish to share that experience with others through our breeding program.

Our selection of animals for breeding is quite rigid. We have researched our dog’s pedigrees for health, especially making sure hips and elbows have been x-rayed and certified as dysplasia free over the generations, as well as all breeding pairs being DM (Degenerative Myelopathy) clear.  We’ve been breeding German Shepherds for over 20 years now so we know the health many generations back to our original breeding pairs. When we purchase an unrelated dog, we look into the health of that line before introducing it to our program.  After certifying their health, we consider the temperament of the dogs. Only dogs that have balanced temperament proven through work are considered. With the health and temperament of the parents in good order, the other key to the success of our program is our neonatal puppy care. We begin from birth with a biosensory stimulation program, followed by a puppy enrichment plan similar to that of the Monks of New Skete. We are firm believers that the care given these pups during the early weeks of their life and thereafter is key to assuring sound, balanced adult dogs later in life.

Be sure to talk to us about your ideal dog and the characteristics important to you. Based on our knowledge of the parents and their bloodlines we will match you first to the litter which best suits you, then to the pup out of that litter which will best fit your lifestyle. Let us know what you want to do with your dog and if you wish to train for a particular field of work and we will make every effort to match you with a puppy with the temperament right for you. Whether you are looking for a Police Dog, Schutzhund, Personal Protection, Personal Companion, Service Dogs, AKC Obedience, Agility, or Search and Rescue, we have done it and love helping pick just the right puppy for your goal.

Feel free to contact us with any questions. We love sharing about these exceptional animals and discussing training ideas.

Our Breeding Program Is Based on 3 Things