West Coast German Shepherds

A note to my past and current clients: Please feel free to email us a testimonial along with a photo if you'd like, in order to share your experience with prospective family members of West Coast German Shepherds. Those searching for a new puppy find testimonials very helpful in their search for a breeder. Not only is it fun for them to read of your experience and see photos of your puppy from us, but it also gives them an idea of what to expect from us as well as from their new puppy. Thank you.

My husband Jeff and I can’t thank you enough for all you did to make Ava a reality for us. Initially, I had made arrangements with you for another older puppy and was disappointed and very sad when my husband was called away for business and we weren’t able to get that pup. ( I wanted Jeff to be there for the pup’s first few weeks) I remember you were so supportive and reassuring. You told me, “don’t worry, when the time is right you’ll get the pup that was meant for you”. And you were right! Several months later I contacted you and now we have Miss Ava.

Ava is wonderful, and just as you predicted, when people meet her they remark on her beauty. Recently, Ava graduated from her first obedience class. While on stage Ava took my command to “stay” and when I walked away she didn’t move a muscle. Actually, she sat there regally, her gaze slowly traveling over the audience taking it all in. Her instructor remarked “Ava is a Diva, she’s loving this” and the audience laughed and applauded. I was a proud Mom.

For any one reading these testimonies, please know that Barbie is the consummate professional. She takes the time to answer any questions and gets right back to you when you leave a message. I trust Barbie unreservedly and believe we were truly blessed to find her as we looked all over the country via the internet for a pup. I was very nervous about getting a pup from so far away and having the pup flown in. Barbie walked me through the process, assuaging my worries, and Ava arrived healthy, spunky and lovable.

Ava is a love who enjoys her toys, is so affectionate and it’s a hoot to see her playing with her big brother, chowchow, Zingfu. Again Barbie, thank you for everything. Fondly, Laura and Jeff Drury

Laura forgot to mention that her co-workers held a surprise puppy shower for her before Ava arrived, here is a picture of the cake they had made for that shower!

Thank you Barbie for caring so deeply about your dogs and their health. They really are part of the family. As I type this, Zaila and Bandit are sleeping at my feet. Zaila is a joy! I feel so blessed to have her as a new member of our family. When we first picked her up to bring her to her new home, she was very calm and peaceful. She made the 7 hour car ride with no problems. She was content to cuddle in my lap (and she still is and does) and never once complained. She is very smart and loves to sleep in her crate. She "breezed" through puppy obedience class even with me as a handicap. She easily adapted to our lifestyle and her new "brother" (Bandit, our 18 month old lab). Zaila is now 7 months. Right from the start, Bandit and she curled up together. They became and are great buddies. Of course, they can sometimes get each other into quite a bit of trouble - (tearing up their bed, digging a few holes, playing with squeaky toys when "daddy" wants to watch TV, or leaving muddy foot prints in the kitchen). But we love every minute of it.

I just want to share my thoughts on how lucky I feel to have found Barbie and her dogs. One evening, I was browsing the internet looking at German Shepherd puppies and debating if I were ready for a new puppy. It was important to find a breeder who had dogs with great temperaments and good health. I happened across this web site and was so amazed with how much information it contained and how important the health of the dogs was to West Coast German Shepherd. My last German Shepherd had Degenerative Myelopathy and it was heartbreaking for our family. I wasn't sure if I could go through that again, so it was important to me that I find a breeder who was deeply concerned about the health issues that can plague larger breeds. Her DM clearance and certified hips and elbows are a big plus.

That night, I read all the testimonials. Reading about other families and their experiences helped me feel that maybe this could be the right choice for me. The stories about how sweet her dogs' temperaments are were also endearing. For 4 or 5 months, I would check in on the happenings. It was great to see all the new photos and highlights. Barbie does a great job of updating the website and keeping everyone informed. I finally decided to contact West Coast German Shepherds and ask about the possibility of getting a puppy. Barbie phoned me back the next day and we had a great talk. She is so understanding, helpful, and friendly. Our conversation was so natural. It was as if we had known each other for ages and I felt that I could ask her anything about her puppies. She really does care! Even with her busy schedule, she takes the time to answer my questions and emails. She actually seems pleased when I bombard her with Zaila's newest photos and updates.

I just can't take enough pictures. We try to photograph her moments of poise and dignity along with the times of goofiness and hilarity. Zaila is growing so fast and people are constantly commenting on how beautiful she is. Zaila is so attentive to my whereabouts - she follows me from room to room and is great company. She has become my constant companion. When I return home from work or even if I have been gone only a few minutes, she greets me with so much enthusiasm and warmth that I feel loved through and through. It just makes me smile. I am so grateful to have found Barbie and her wonderful shepherds.

I just wanted to take a minute to say thank you for all the joy you have given us with Bella and Uberlin. They are amazing! Bella is a love and is great around kids. Uberlin is a bundle of energy and is proving to be quite the mischief maker and very protective already. They are such a part of the family, we are enjoying training them with our trainer, going for walks, playing Frisbee (their favorite), and in the summer lots and lots of swimming. Everyone comments on how beautiful they are...I have to agree they really are beautiful!! Once again thank you! Happy New Year from the Gibby Family and Bella and Uberlin too!

I just wanted to give you a little update on Apollo. We named him General and he is amazing! We love him so much. He knows sitz, platz, bleib, hier, paw, and kisses! We all go every Saturday to puppy preschool at Zoom Room where he loves being with other dogs. He also loves to dig! He loves his crate and anytime we say crate he runs in his crate! He is so smart and intelligent. He weighs 28 pounds already and he is getting so big!  Here is a video from his first week at home:

I've sat down a number of times to sing the praises of West Coast German Shepherds and Barbie in particular but it's difficult to do justice to how much joy and love she has brought to our lives. After much searching for an exceptional breeder and not having much luck, we finally came across Barbie with West Coast German Shepherds. We were immediately impressed with her warmth, her knowledge, her passion and her love for her dogs. She was patient with us as we asked countless questions and we walked away from speaking with her knowing that she was as committed to finding her puppies a loving forever home as she was to providing us with a dog that would fit our family perfectly...and she did just that.

When we met Barbie in person and had the opportunity to play with her wonderful puppies, we knew we had found the only breeder that was right for us. On that first visit, we spent hours playing with the puppies and speaking with Barbie. While all of the puppies were special, there was one that captivated our hearts from the beginning and has kept hold of our hearts ever since, "Ula" Sansa. She was playful, inquisitive, sweet, smart, affectionate and happy and we just knew that she was meant to become part of our family. Sansa has brought love and happiness to our lives each and every day and our lives our better and fuller and happier with her in them.

From day one, Barbie has been there to support us and help us, and whenever we've had any questions she's responded to us immediately and given us the guidance we've needed. I can't thank Barbie and West Coast German Shepherds enough for giving us such a wonderful gift. ~ Megan & Seymond

Wanted to send you some pictures of Luca (Arex). He's doing so awesome! He just got his second set of vaccinations on Thursday and is already 17lbs and in perfect health. His ears are up now and he's gotten so tall. He is very brave and not scared of anything. We have been socializing him like crazy and he loves people. We've already had him in the pool with us holding him and he seems to like the water and is learning to swim. Just yesterday he started climbing the staircase and now loves to run up them with us. As you can see in the one picture, he takes a break on the 2nd landing before he climbs the rest of the way. Its the cutest thing to watch!. We wont let him go down the stairs yet even though he wiggles in our arms and thinks he's big enough to do on his own. Loves his crates and sleeps thru the night now and he's been potty trained for a few weeks. He is so smart and the love of our life!

After having a very unpleasant experience with an out of state German Shepherd breeder I was a very antsy second time buyer of a GSD. We decided that any breeder would have to make an exceptional impression on us and that their dogs must look happy and healthy and that the breeder must be knowledgeable and quick to respond to any questions or concerns we might have.
     I am so happy we found West Coast German Shepherds. After meeting Barbara and her beautiful dogs we must have spent several hours playing with the puppies and talking about our concerns and about her dogs and experience. We instantly fell in love with Loki. He was adventurous and boisterous and just a happy little puppy. We have never been happier than we are now to have such a great little guy as part of our family. He is extremely intelligent and already understands multiple commands, usually "nein" (we're training him in German) and "sleepy time" which means run as fast as I can with my ears back like a bunny rabbit into my crate for a bacon treat! He also has amazing prey instincts!
     Barbara has answered all our emails and questions within minutes of us sending it. She is absolutely amazing in that respect and her dogs are wonderful and we are just so happy we found her and Loki!
Thank you West Coast German Shepherds! You have made us very happy with the new addition to our family! ~ Dimitris and Candi

In my opinion Barbie is a great breeder. She takes pride in what she produces and makes sure each pup goes to a great home. I'm very proud to say that Barbie is Junii's  breeder. Barbie took time out to send me pictures of my Junii and even tattooed Junii upon my request. I'm very grateful for such a wonderful breeder who've brought such joy into my life. If you don't understand something and Barbie knows it, she'll do her best to help you. Whenever I have a question about anything dog related, she always provide a prompt answer. Her dogs are stunning and have an impeccable pedigree. I hope to use her Zamp into my breeding soon and that soon I'll purchase a puppy from her kennel again. A++ Breeder!! Thanks Barbara for everything you've done to help me and my Junii! I'm SUPER satisfied with my girl

Well here is the latest photo of Daxx from the Y-Litter at 4 months old. He is huge!! He is so freaking handsome we are so happy. He is just what we wanted as far as his coloring and his mask is so striking. He is doing very well with other dogs, kids and people. He is not aggressive at all. We will be starting his initial training this week since he has had all of his shots completed as of last Thursday. We found a great vet close by our house and he is wonderful with him. Every time we go in he comments on how handsome and striking Daxx is. We are so happy with him, he now sleeps on our bed full time and he has become quite the mama's boy. I was very sick last week with a high fever and he was up on the bed with me the whole night right by my side. Now I know what everyone says about the bond humans have with dogs, it was so special to have him there so worried about me. He is such a good boy! We thank you for taking such care with the breeding of your dogs. It is crazy how much he takes after Sissy's side as we look through the photos of his grandparents, and uncles. It is really cool to be able to make the comparisons. Anyways just thought you would like this photo he looks so amazing and is the picture perfect example of a German Sheppard. Thank you again! PS He is very popular in our neighborhood, people stop their cars to comment on how beautiful he is! ~ Kirtlye

I had been looking and researching German shepherd pups for quite awhile. After talking to several top breeders and allot of owners, it came down to who really cares about the German Shepherd breed and owners of their dogs. Barbie has some of the most beautiful German Shepherds in this country and still makes time to talk to each person like they are the only one who needs her help. I asked tons of questions and made lots of phone calls to her, all were responded to quickly. Even after a few breedings where a male was not available she still promised to find me "my perfect pup", no matter what it took. Now my favorite part of West Coast German Shepherds, Zamp's offspring, namely my 4 month old male pup named Gunney. I don't want to brag, well yes I do, He has always slept through the night, crate training was a breeze with a few treats, Sit, come, and down were easy. Heeling and retrieving a ball came almost naturally to him. Did I mention how roguishly handsome and beautiful he is? I have had 7 German Shepherds in my life that I loved, but none were like Gunney for manners and trainability. As you can tell I am very happy to be part of the West Coast German Shepherd family. If you want a sound, well breed, intelligent GS pup look no further, just call Barbie DiBernardo. Feel free to call me at 406-544-6481 if you would like to talk further about West Coast Shepherds. Great People, Great dogs, Great experience. - Mark Hermann - Missoula, MT

Trying to figure out how to put my sincere heartfelt thanks for being a member of the West Coast German Shepherd family has been quite a challenge. Paxx came to join our family last June after the loss of our gentle giant Roscoe. I grieved for him quite some time as he was what I thought was a once in a lifetime guy.
When the time came for me to look for a new family member I began searching the internet, talking to breeders and even trying the rescue route to no avail. We live in Northern California so I thought my search would be much easier but I just could not find the right fit. Then I ran across the West Coast German Shepherd website. I sent off an info request and was shocked when Barb called me back immediately. She took the time to understand what I was looking for and had answers to my questions and concerns. After having spent nearly 10K in vet bills over the last year (no joke), it was important to me to get some health information on the litters she had. Her DM clearance and certified hips and elbows is a big plus to me personally. Temperament was also a big factor in what I was looking for in my GS. I have felt (as well as been advised by our trainer) that good breeding is a key to ease of trainability and the overall good nature of these dogs. This was also one of the elements that intrigued me about WCGS. Barb actually home raises her dogs with her family. They are off to a good start from the time they are born. So the key items I was looking for: health, temperament and an awesome looking dog were all available to me with WCGS. Since Barb takes a lot of time and effort in her family breeding program, I had to wait a short time for my Paxx to be born and be ready to arrive at our home. The wait was worth it! Paxx surpassed my dreams as the perfect guy for our family. From the very start he was loving, smart, playful and incredibly easy to house train. We actually even took him to a show in Malibu when he was four months old where he received a VP. He goes everywhere with us and we constantly receive complements not only on his beauty, but his gentle behavior. He loves everyone he meets and gets along great with other dogs and cats. He doesn’t bark much unless it’s something he really thinks we need to know about. Yes I think he is awesome and could not have asked a better fit. Mark and I would highly recommend WCGS for someone who is looking for a quality GS …feel free to give us as a reference! Mark & Gina Waters - Green Valley, CA (Bay Area)

Vita, Vita, Vita. My princess girl. Vita is Paxx’s mom. We were lucky to add her to our family as she recently retired from breeding at WCGS. She is amazing! At 8 years old she acts half her age. I suppose this is due to her being from a very strong line of females. (Vita’s mom was the 2003 BSZS Herding Siegerin in Germany, and was placed first in the North American Sieger Show Veteran Females in 2011 at 11 1/2 years of age). Vita is energetic and loves to play with Paxx. She prances around here with her big smile and doesn’t give me a moment of trouble. I don’t know if she realizes he is her son, but they get along so well, they share and play and nap together all day. I am still amazed at how they share. They will even eat out of the same bowl together if I would let them. There is absolute harmony between them. WOW, how lucky are we, first to get our awesome boy Paxx, then to be able to have Vita join our family in her retirement years. Her job is to play, relax and generally have a good time. She is excelling in all those categories. WCGS is amazing…I never dreamed I would be able to get such a fine senior dog that eased into our family so easily. We love her so much! Thank you so much Barb! All the best, Mark & Gina Waters

 

Just wanted to touch base with you and brag how awesome of a puppy Zyra (Uzyra) is!!!! So the only thing I dreaded in getting a new puppy was the crate training (lack of sleep). But wow....Zyra whined for only 10 minutes and slept through the night her first night with us. Since then....nothing out of her! It's so awesome. For potty training, we had maybe 2 accidents in the house, but now she will wait by the door to go potty and 95% of the time, does her business in the same area. She has learned to sit, lie down, and we are working on "stay" now. That one is a tad difficult because she wants the treat right away!! Her rock eating has gotten a bit better but her curiosity with plants, my shoes, etc...is much more intense. She took an entire toilet paper roll out of the bathroom into the kitchen which was hilarious that I wasn't even mad. She makes us laugh every day and we are loving her so much. She is so spoiled and even my husband is waking up early with her just to play!!! As you can see in the pictures, she is growing so fast and beautifully. I am soooo happy that I did more research for other breeders before I committed myself to another. Thank you so much for your help and especially for having gorgeous and very well tempered dogs to have these awesome puppies! I will keep you posted as she grows. Her vet says she is in perfect health. Thanks again! - Cynthia

So about 2 1/2 years ago we had to put our beloved German Shepherd Shelby to sleep after 13 1/2 years with her, this was the hardest thing to do. We knew we wanted to get another German Shepherd but we didn't know where to start to look, to find a good breeder. We searched the web and found West Coast German Shepherds, after looking through the photos and reading all the testimonials from VERY happy customers , we contacted Barbie. We set up an appt. to come meet her and her dogs. So we could wait for the next litter to be born, Barbie had told my husband she had a puppy that was 12 weeks old that was available. When we got to her house we got meet her dogs and loved them, we then got to meet the puppy that she did have. Of course our kids fell in love, she was so cute. But we left with out her, cause we wanted to think about it. I got home and had my husband call Barbie right away, I had to have her, I had fallen in love. It seemed like it took forever for Barbie to call us back, but was only a few minutes. Then we went and picked her up the next day. We named her Tegan. Tegan is now almost 3 years old. Hummmmm how to describe Tegan ? Tegan is VERY VERY playful . She LOVES to play in the water, really good with kids and is very SPOILED. Tegan goes every where with us and people are always talking about her personality and tell us how beautiful she is. Tegan recently won the Christmas photo contest with West Coast German Shepherd this last December. As for Barbie she is the BEST, I don't know how many times I call, text or email her with questions and she always goes out of her way to help you with what you need. I have and will continue to recommended her to anyone looking for a German Shepherd.

We got our dog Zero in June of 2010. When looking for a breeder we did not care how far we would have to travel, only that we would get a great dog. We chose Barbara because the testimonials were great, the dogs were all gorgeous and they had a tried and true background. We also really wanted a GSD with shorter hair and a lineage of no hip issues. After emailing and talking on the phone with Barbara I knew we had found our breeder. She kept us informed about everything and sent pictures an updated constantly. When it came time to pick up our little guy he was ready to go. It took us literally two days to potty train Zero which I found amazing. He is one of the sweetest dogs you'll meet and absolutely LOVES to play rope pull and chase the ball. This is the first dog I've had that would rather play than eat! Also, he is quite possibly one of the most handsome GSD you will see. I'm being 100% honest when I say that every single time we take him for a walk someone comments on how great looking he is. We are very happy with our little (big big big) guy!

We got Madsen almost two years ago from West Coast German Shepherds. We adore her. She is loyal, fun, smart and SO athletic! She really keeps us moving! She is wonderful with my grandkids, and will stay right with them when they are outside. She is like having a perfect babysitter. Barbie is also amazing. She answers are questions, is always right there to help, and has even helped us set up our own breeding program. I am certain we couldn't have done it without her. As far as we are concerned, she is PERFECT!! I can honestly say you could never go wrong with her or one of her dogs.

Hi, Just wanted to update you on Dante (Sirius). He's doing really well here in his new home. My other dog has warmed up to him quite a bit. They play tug of war with each other, and Dante is able to outlast him even though my other dog is 6. At 12 weeks he knows how to come, sit, lay, play dead, shake, speak, and go into his crate on command. All we need to do is work on these commands in different environments with distractions, and he'll be perfect. I've attached a picture for you. I love his ears in this one. Hope all is going well! - Nico