I would like to attest the fulfilling and positive experience I had in choosing a Zauberberg GSD...

My neighborhood is not the safest, I was contemplating getting a gun for home protection when a friend of mine suggested "Just get a dog. A dog is more versatile then a gun!"  He was right.  So, I began my research.  Having owned a German Shepherd when I was younger, I was inclined to pick the breed I was familiar with, but also wanted to look into rottweilers and dobermans.

The more I read up, the more I felt in my gut that the German Shepherd was the best fit for me.  Next, I went through the avenues of getting one.  Rescue?  Local back yard breeder?  Full fledged papered dog from breeder?  Rescue, as noble as it is to save a dog, was not ideal...they had many dogs, but mostly mixed breeds.  The 2 back yard breeders I went to wouldn't answer my questions, which were pretty basic.  "How will the dog be with children, what is the disposition of the mother and father?"  Any answers I did get were not really satisfactory.  "Great" is too generic an answer for me!

So, it was to be a full fledged breeder.  Zauberberg was the first to come up on Google.  A few other local breeders came up, so I visited them first, to get a feel for what I was getting into.  Unfortunately for them, these breeders were more interested in having me buy an over-sized dog.  I knew the true male German Shepherd  should weigh between 65-90 lbs.  Not 120 lbs!

Having invested this much effort into my search, I figured a 3 hour drive will be worth it.  How I kicked myself for not going directly to Zauberberg!  Andreas immediately impressed me.  He is a true dog breeder.  He told me of his training methods, positive reinforcement, psychology, he recommended several different authors.  4 hours later, I felt like I was back in college with all the information I was getting!

He showed me the puppies, and I wanted a girl.  My son, though, would ultimately choose, and when we came out the following week, picked Kevin Von Zauberburg (nee Nevin).   At first, we were overwhelmed with the drive he possessed.  Andreas and Linda understood, and allowed us to return the dog for a week while we made up our minds if we wanted him back, or to choose another dog.  For a week, we debated.

We came back and got Kevin, and have not looked back since.  This dog is amazing.  He's energetic, playful, and is a part of our family.  Clicker training with him is uncanny, I had no idea a dog can understand what I am trying to teach him in such a short time.  In the past 2 days alone, I have taught him to jump up an a bale of hay, with a ball in his mouth, to drop the ball, to sit and stay, wait for me to throw the ball, then jump over an obstacle, retrieve the ball, jumping back over the obstacle, up the bale of hay, dropping the ball, etc.  It took him less then 5 minutes to learn this.

Anywhere I take him, I get complemented on how handsome he is.  I was more interested in getting a well balanced dog, so his looks are secondary to me.  Even TPD has asked if Kevin is a K9!  I am pleased with how accessible Andreas and Zauberberg is, and highly recommend anyone in the SW area to pick a Zauberberg dog.

Kindly,
John Kelly

At the age of twelve months Linden purchased Iris vom Zauberberg as a service dog prospect. Iris was obedience trained at that time. Linden, we like how you stay in touch with us about Iris' developements.

Linden wrote:
An update on how Iris is getting along.  I've starting back to work part time and Iris went with me today in her red Service Dog in Training (SDiT) vest.   She was very curious going inside the building, but she settled quickly in a sit while we waited for a private elevator.   We've done minimal elevator work, so she was a little unsteady going up to the 5th floor, but she recovered immediately.

I have obtained a collapsible crate to put in my cubical and Iris stayed in it during my short shift.  Absolutely silent, and most of the time sleeping.  This despite the fact that she is full of energy because she hasn't had a good run since she was spayed last Tuesday!  Impressive.  She isn't ready to go down a long flight of steps yet--we'll work on one day after work--so we took the elevator down.  She was more comfortable that time.

One slip that she made was to touch her nose to someone's hand who was walking the opposite direction in a sort of narrow hallway.  We'll work on that, too.  All in all, a very successful day as my SDiT.

Iris has completed blowing her coat, thank goodness!  If I had lost the amount of hair that she lost in just one day, I would be bald. 

One thing I have been so very pleased about Iris is her excellent good nature toward children, especially the little ones.  I don't go out of my way to have her meet up with toddlers and small children, but they seem to love her and sometimes come running when I do not expect it.   Iris and I have made progress together and will soon be participating in group obedience classes as well as private lessons with a private trainer. 

I could not be happier with her, Linda.  She has expanded my life. 

Very best,

Linden
and Iris
http://www.dogster.com/dogs/1001734

AMY HALM’S TESTIMONIAL -- SEPTEMBER 2009

I want to add my testimonial to the ones on this page. I came to Andreas Mueller seeking training for me as a handler and refresher training for my previously trained narcotic detection dog, Dargo. I had never done handler work, and Dargo had been doing therapy work with hospital patients but not drug work for the last year.

We spent five days at Zauberberg training with Andreas and also did several weeks of follow up sessions. Dargo and I are now certified to do detection work on a private basis.

Andreas trains both dog and handler, seeking the right “trick” that will work with the team, as each team is unique. Recognizing this and using methods that work, Andreas explains the dog psychology to the handler so that the handler understands the reasoning behind the method, which aids in retention. Andreas also reviewed and coached me on video clips and emails I would send him between sessions. This helped me as I reinforced and drilled during the weeks. Little tricks like having a small “ritual” before starting the work help so much, for example, Dargo gets so excited now when he sees me reach for his “work collar”, he knows what we’re going to do and can hardly wait to get started!

Andreas is fun to work with, but he does not allow slackers! We laughed a lot but the work is definitely serious and he makes sure you understand the implications of the serious work, which I greatly appreciated.

I would be happy to share my testimony with anyone considering Zauberberg for their dog training. It works!

Sincerely,

Amy Halm

Hi there,

Just thought that you would like to know that Jaeger received his herding instinct certificate today. The tester was very impressed and wants me to get him into herding once he's about a year and a half old.

Here are the comments that she put on the evaluation
Fetching style
Runs close
Loose eye
Shows no wearing
Force barks
Demonstrated a controlled stop or pause
Circled stock
Change of Direction
Shows interest in stock

A very strong dog with a lot of drive and interest. Need to stay on top of his training to be in control. Did very well.

Lisa Bergquist

I would like to recommend the grooming services at Camino Verde Pet Resort in strongest possible terms.  Angelika’s service and expertise go “way beyond” simply grooming, although the grooming is outstanding.  Her advice on the proper maintenance of our German Shepherd’s coat and skin between grooming visits has reduced Toby’s itching, scratching and shedding by a substantial margin. 

In addition to her professional competence, Angelika has always been pleasant and cheerful – a real joy to deal with. 

Frank Cope 

I have two standard poodles, Max and Blanca.  They are my "kids" so I am very careful about where I take them.  We have been going to Camino Verde Pet Resort since 2004, for both boarding and grooming.  My kids are groomed about every 5 weeks.  I did try someplace else before CVPR, and I have used someplace else in a pinch, if Angelika can't fit me in.  No one does as good a job, and no one is as good with them.  My dogs love going there, and love Angelika and Ron.  And you can see how gorgeous my dogs are when they're done.  I recommend Camino Verde Pet Resort whenever anyone asks me for grooming or boarding recommendations.
 
Jill Chamberlain