What a VST German Shepherd puppy costs

How payment works

A deposit reserves your place in a litter. The balance is due before your puppy goes home at eight weeks. We'll confirm the exact deposit amount and accepted payment methods when we speak — it isn't a number we like to quote before we've talked, because we'd rather you didn't send money before we've both decided this is a good fit.

What's genuinely not included

Being straight about this matters more than padding the list above:

• Ongoing food after the starter bag
• Veterinary care after the initial exam and first vaccinations
• Spay or neuter
• Training classes
• Travel to collect your puppy

Why German Shepherd prices vary so much

You'll see German Shepherd puppies advertised in Georgia anywhere from a few hundred dollars to well over five thousand. The gap is mostly explained by four things: whether the parents have verifiable OFA hip and elbow certification, whether genetic screening was done, whether the pedigree contains titled dogs, and how the puppies were raised in the first eight weeks.

Health testing in particular is expensive and slow, and it's the single easiest corner to cut — because a buyer usually can't tell for two years, by which point the breeder is long gone. Ask any breeder for the OFA numbers. A good one will send them without hesitating.

We've written more about this in German Shepherd puppy costs in Georgia.