BREEDING "BALANCED" GERMAN SHEPHERDS
From Former DDR  Bloodlines

We are a small DDR/East German Shepherd breeder in Tampa, Fl. We breed working line shepherds from the renowned DDR bloodlines or "gene pool". The majority of people who come to us looking for a German Shepherd are looking for a pet or companion dog that gives them an added sense of "protection" in their life. Whether it is a family environment or some other working environment, everyone is looking for a great experience. We believe the most important aspect when choosing the new member of your life begins with EDUCATION. Our belief is that an EDUCATED buyer will choose from the dogs of  the Eickental breeding program for their family. This site is also designed to give you a "start" to knowing about the historic DDR German Shepherd. Read our articles and look at our breeding stock and you should see what a DDR German Shepherd is all about. Feel free to call and discuss  whether the DDR German Shepherd is what you are looking for.

What we at Eickental strive for, is a healthy BALANCED dog, and that is a stable, confident and loyal companion that you can trust AND easily handle. Breeding specifically for balance requires a certain amount of knowledge and experience to consistently produce the "Balanced" dog. This is accomplished through very selective breeding practices. We do not just put two dogs together that "look good." There is a carefully thought out plan within our breeding program to produce that "perfect" dog that individuals and families are looking for.  We do not breed for dogs that are only used in Sport Events with high drive or intense focus. However, we do get them from time to time due to the gene pool we are breeding from. These dogs are generally more challenging to handle. We breed for medium "prey drive" and high "defense drive" which are "safe" to have in any environment. It is our goal to keep a high level of quality in terms of health, pigment and working dog characteristics. It's our mission to provide the BEST dog for your specific situation and need. This puppy is "GEE"  Deohgee Von Der Riverhaus. She is, in this pic, a 10 week old daughter of Thor owned and bred by our great friends Ray and Kaye Tucker at Vom Riverhaus German Shepherds and our girl Dotty Vom Sucherquelle. She already knows what the bite sleeve is all about! The amazing young handler is my "mini me", Dominic, my oldest great grandson.

What Family Protection looks like

A great amount of this "natural" trait is in the blood of our dogs, however we have the ability to bring it to the forefront and increase the confidence of the dog.

What Advanced Bite Training looks like

Our dogs can be trained to protect you and your family members at home or in a vehicle. Through a series of commands given, your dog will "Turn On" when it is needed and "Turn Off" when the threat is no longer there or the command is given to "Turn Off". The dog should remain in a "Turn Off" mode until the command is given to "Turn On". This is necessary for the dog to be able to remain calm in all settings, but on guard. In order for a family dog to be trained for this service, your dog must be at least one (1) year of age, have a solid temperament and must be both Basic and Advanced Obedience trained.