Our Mission

At Home Base Shepherd, we are a family-owned business that operates in the heart of the Midwest, the Great Lakes State, Michigan. We take great pride in breeding high-quality health tested West German Showline German Shepherds as family companions. However, we do prepare your puppy to have the foundational qualities for whatever preference you seek whether that be for show, workability, service, therapy, or companionship. We have a deep love for the German Shepherd breed and believe that they fit in well with our family's active lifestyle. We only want what is best for the breed. All of our family members play an active daily role in molding our dogs and puppies into healthy, well socialized, adjusted, and adaptable companions. These are key to having a well-rounded and "ready for anything" type of dog. All of our females have been carefully selected from all around the world as breeding prospects. Each of them have been in our family prior to their first birthday and some since they were puppies. We health test our females and outsource studs to ensure that our females are bred to the highest standards possible. All our dogs and puppies are AKC registered. Health, safety, temperament, well-being, and the breed standard are of the utmost priority. We are committed to providing the best care possible to our dogs and their puppies. We welcome you into our home to find the puppy that makes your heart achieve unconditional love. We are confident that when you meet our dogs, you will love them too!

Meet The Females

Easy Von Bad-Box

OFA Hips and Elbows, Cardiac Certification, Eye Certification, Embark Clear, DM Clear

Country of Origin: Romania

Easy, sometimes called Z or Easy E, was our first german shepherd. We were drawn to Easy because the breeder indicated that she had no bite or prey drive. She wasn't what the breeder was looking for as she could not complete training. We thought she sounded like the perfect first addition to our family. As soon as we got her, we fell in love. She is the sweetest, most easy going, and intellectual dog. Her name fits her perfectly. She loves the water and the sprinkler. She would lay in a kiddie pool for hours, if possible. Easy doesn't want any trouble. In fact, she tries to prevent trouble and/or mediate between our dogs if she feels something is off. Even if the dogs become too excited, she tries to settle them down. She has a kind and gentle soul and is so accepting and warm. We joke that if we had someone break into our home, she would lick the burglar :)

Ria Topolovnicka

FCI-KSS Hips and Elbows, DM Clear, Embark Clear

Country of Origin: Serbia

Ria, better known as Ree Ree, was our most recent addition. She chose my husband as her person upon arrival. They have a connection on a deep level. Ria is extremely obedient and has no problem off leash around other dogs as she is very much so in tune with my husband. She embodies the "Alpha" status role. She is very confident, at times overly confident. She is also very intelligent. Out of our pack, she has been the most easily trainable shepherd. She is bossy and doesn't care if other dogs like her or not. Her attitude is "I don't care if you like me or not, I am here to stay." She is a sweetheart, but is disciplined and can be protective. She needs physical and/or mental stimulation to live a happy and healthy life. She loves the sprinkler and will chase the ball over and over again without slowing down for about 30 minutes. Ria likes affection, but does not request of it frequently. She would prefer quality time with stimulation.

Arie Vom Sea Knight

OFA Hips and Elbows, Cardiac Certification, DM Clear, Embark Clear

Country of Origin: USA

Arie was our third addition. We got her with another puppy from a different litter. Once she made it to our home, our toddler son chose her. She was the submissive and more reserved, introverted little puppy. She enjoyed observing and watching our other dogs. Our son and Arie have been inseparable since she came to us. Everywhere our son goes, Arie follows. Arie is a dog that does as she pleases. She is stubborn, but loves to connect. Arie is very tuned in with our children, probably because of the connection she has with our son. She is so gentle and kind. When she leaves the house and comes home, she is the first to greet all of our other dogs. She loves our danes the most out of all the shepherds. She will constantly be found licking licking licking them on their faces.

Saskia Kabi

RETIRED

OFA Hips and Elbows, DM Clear, Cardiac Certification, Embark Clear

Country of Origin: Poland

Saskia, referenced as our "Saucey girl," came to us as our second german shepherd addition. We were drawn to her because the breeder stated that she was the sweetest and most submissive dog she had ever owned. Saskia is our sweet, but independent girl. She can keep herself occupied for hours with a little assistance. She will chase shadows of leaves, bugs, and bubbles. She also loves the sprinkler. She plays well with other dogs, but prefers to be on her own at times. Saskia knows who her family is and where her home is as she can become protective when strangers approach the home. She is intelligent and does well off leash. Saskia does struggle to chill if she has not be exercised or stimulated. Physical and/or mental stimulation is vital for her to be healthy and happy.

What Sets Us Apart?

*Indulge yourself by receiving a dog that brings your life closer to perfection*

1. We carefully select our females to make sure they will mesh well with our current pack and family. We strongly believe and want you to select a puppy that fits into your home and lifestyle as well. Is a West German Showline Shepherd right for you? What does it look like to own a West German Showline Shepherd? We welcome you to come to our home and see. We also recognize that each of our shepherds have unique personalities and temperaments. They all vibe differently, independently and together. It is important to stay focused on this and have that understanding to keep our home moving smoothly and maintained.

2. Our program is very Intimate. Our focus is on the select few breeding females we do have. You are receiving quality over quantity with our females. It's all about the connections we make. We form strong and deep bonds with our females and provide each of them our devoted time, energy, and effort. All of our females grew up and live 24/7 daily life with an infant, toddler, and special needs individual. They embody family living. Our dogs have to always be ready to trust our family and to endure whatever comes. Our dogs have to be flexible and adjust in a moment's notice. They are subjected to uncontrolled stimulus throughout the day complimentary of our infant, toddler, and special needs adult son. Examples of uncontrolled stimuli include, but are not limited to, crying babies, random drop bys from family, friends, neighbors, loud noises, throwing of toys, having a child get in their face to love on them, having every part of their body handled multiple times a day by different people, tantrums from a toddler and special needs adult, etc.

We take pride in the socialization we do with our dogs spanning across a wide variety of people (old, young, middle aged, disabled/special needs) along with other dogs (young, middle aged, old, and different breeds). Our dogs live alongside one another, day in and day out, so their lives intertwine together to become family. When visitors come over, our dogs are expected to socialize and engage just like every other family member. They are not tucked away from exposure to new things and new people, they are thrown in, to learn adaptability. This is how they learn to thrive in different settings. This is vital to how they react and respond to new stimulus. That's why it is of the utmost importance to start socialization early on and to make each new experience as positive as possible, so your dog does not associate new with fear or aggression.

When we take in new dogs or our dogs have a litter of puppies, our family is ready to incorporate them into our lives 100% of the time. The relationships and bonds our family builds with our dogs is built on a deep level of love and care. You can see this in our toddler son when the dogs go to the vet and they are taken out of the room for a shot or nail trimming, he immediately breaks down and thinks his dog is not coming back, the stranger is taking away his dog forever. This is very raw and real for him. You can see this in the gentleness our dogs provide our new infant child and the patience and tenderness with their actions towards our adult special needs son.

3. All of our breeding females are descended from well known titled parents and bloodlines

4. We specialize in low to medium drive. We do not breed high drive dogs

5. All of our breeding prospects are DM clear.

6. Our program chooses to outsource studs to ensure the highest quality puppies possible. We only breed our females to DM clear studs

7. You will not find our dogs in kennels. We are home base shepherd, not home base kennel