Q: I'm thinking about getting a German Shepherd as a family companion protection dog. I want a dog that is family friendly, great with children and also has been trained for family protection. What's the difference between a German shepherd bred here in the USA and GSD bred in the EU?

Ted:The quality control standards in the EU have been in place for many, many years and as a result the overall quality of the dogs is superior to those bred in the United States in my opinion. I have been working with the same bloodline for years in EU. Breeders in EU are consistent and are bound to a higher standard of breeding thus lending itself to healthier and highly trained dogs.

Q:I have some neighbors down the road who breed German Shepherds and want to sell me a puppy, but I'm worried about health issues such as hips and the integrity of their breeding as they do not X-ray the hips, or test for other health issues.

Ted: In the United States, there is a lack of quality control regarding the breeding of German Shepherd dogs. Most domestic breeders do not require their dogs to achieve work or sporting titles. The German Shepherds of Europe are required to achieve recognized working titles before they can be licensed to be bred.

The working titles are a test of structural integrity, intelligence and trainability recognizing that form must follow function, and this insures that the dogs can work.  Many breeders in the US breed to show their dogs in confirmation (i.e.; Westminster Dog Show) and do not work their dogs. Their emphasis and goals are to breed championship show dogs not necessarily for intelligence or trainability. The dogs in the EU under the German rules are required to achieve working titles before they can be bred. In the USA all a dog needs are AKC registration to get papers. They also have what is known as a breed survey or a breeding license. Some of the requirements for a breeding license are that the dog achieves a working title, a show or confirmation rating, Hips, Elbows and Temperament along with many other items on a breed survey sheet. The quality control of breeding in EU produces a higher quality German Shepherd. This is why I have been importing my dogs for 30+ years and this is why my clients continue to return to GatorlandK9 for their German Shepherds.

Q. What does the term pink papers mean?

Ted: Pink papers mean that both parents and all the dogs in the pedigree have been licensed to breed so they are subject to the German Quality Control Standards.

Q.vDo these tests guarantee that all dogs produced by this system are perfect?

Ted: No. Not at all. A long time ago, a German breeder told me that there are no perfect dogs. Just like there are no perfect people, there are also no perfect dogs. Environment plays a huge role in the development of your dog. This cannot be over emphasized! I've been importing dogs for over thirty years and have been privileged to meet very knowledgeable breeders and trainers in the EU and have come to the conclusion that whenever you buy a living animal you must understand that they encounter issues that we cannot control. This goes for any living animal.

Q. I spoke to a breeder and he guarantees his puppies for life. Do you guarantee your puppies for life?

Ted: I believe guarantees are a sales closing tactic and in general are not worth the paper they are written on in most cases. I cannot guarantee the care given to a dog once it leaves my kennel. I cannot control what you do with the dog once you take it home with you. It is very possible that dogs can be ruined by poor environment or abuse. Beware of breeders offering lifetime guaranteess it is a red flag.

Q. What is the best advice you can give the new buyer when getting a new dog?

Ted: Educate yourself as much as possible regarding the care and training of your new dog. The importance of training cannot be overstated! A dog is only as good as the person holding the leash. You can obtain a world champion competition trained dog, but if the dog owner or “handler” isn't familiar with the dog handling or the training techniques used to train that individual dog, then that dog will function poorly and not meet the expectations one would expect from a properly trained dog.

We realize that all dogs are different just like people. The techniques we use to train are based on the quality of the individual dog.  No training is better than bad training and you must recognize and educate yourself as to what good training is.  

We hope that you consider GatorlandK9 International and we will listen to your needs and recommend a dog suited to your individual needs.

We had such a wonderful year with all of you we wanted to take a minute to share some of the highlights of 2014!

We started off with this delicious Red Sable Puppy.  Brad Hoppe is overseeing the puppy love!

 Thanks to your generosity we placed Service Protection Dog "Hero"

with Veteran Josh S. 

Singer/Songwriter Cory Singer performed on our behalf at an event in New Jersey to help raise funds for veterans.

We had some amazing puppies come through GatorlandK9 this year

on their way to new homes!

 Some of our German Shepherd Service Dogs became world travelers.  We have enjoyed the travels of Jessi the Service Dog this past year!  Here she is with her handler in Europe!

Country Music Star Sarah Buxton honored GatorlandK9 

by awarding our "Naya" the Service Dog of The Year Award

presented by Heart Songs for Veterans in Nashville, TN

Jill Pavel, Founder of Heart Songs for Veterans

Presented our Service Dog Program with a $ 2000.00 donation from the event.

 Endy Found a Forever Home with our new friend Jane Saul!

 We continue to celebrate Gatorland Malinois.  This is one of our alumni Mela.

We look forward to celebrating 2015 with all of you!!  Meet Taimon he will be arriving at GatorlandK9 International soon!

Contact Ted Hoppe (386) 337-0730 or email Ted at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Happy New Year!

Author: Jill Pavel 

When you think of a Service or Protection Dog, what comes to mind? A beautiful German Shepherd wearing a harness with a handle, guiding a blind person or an attentive Labrador helping someone who is deaf or in a wheelchair.  We DO cater to our female clients with physical disabilities however we also cater to women who live with anxiety, ptsd and other neurological challenges.  

Jessica and Fibi

Dogs have been known as man’s best friend for a long time. Now more than ever, this is true, as we become more familiar with the human-animal bond, we find more ways that the relationship between a human and a dog can actually help to heal the human. Dogs are now visiting nursing homes and hospitals and helping to bring moments of peace and happiness to someone who is lonely or in pain.

Jane and Endy

Any person who has been through a traumatic experience can suffer pain in the form of depression and post traumatic stress syndrome. Women who have been assaulted or abused can suffer also from repressed feelings of guilt and shame. These feelings can literally take someone’s life away. It becomes hard to perform simple tasks and going into public can become impossible without bringing on anxiety attacks. This causes the person to be isolated which aggravates the depression. A woman will also be afraid to go out alone because she can no longer trust her fellow human and she feels vulnerable.

A German Shepherd that has been specially trained to assist and protect a person can be a vital key to giving this woman her life back. The dog, if trained and certified as a Service and Protection Dog will be able to accompany the woman into all public places and help make her feel more comfortable and safe as well as being a friend to lean on if an anxiety attack should happen. The training is custom tailored to the individual client as each person has special needs and the dog will learn cues to help a person leave an uncomfortable situation.

Suzanne with Savannah and GatorlandK9 trainer RJ Hoppe

The trainer really takes on a dual role as trainer and handler of the Service Dog during the training process and must also be familiar in helping the woman learn to handle and trust the dog and will play an important role in helping the woman to make her first trips out in public. The trainer will need to be familiar with the psychiatric needs of a patient with post traumatic stress disorder and will assist the person if they need medication or experience an anxiety attack in public. It is a lot to learn to handle the dog and deal with all of the feelings of being out in public, so the handler/trainer must assist the person if needed.

The Service Dog will become extremely bonded to its new owner, as the German Shepherd has an uncanny ability to sense the needs of a human and will adapt it’s training to very specific needs of each client.

Client with Jessi

Contact Ted Hoppe This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

(386) 337-0730 Ted Hoppe

Author: Jill Pavel

Some Testimonials are worthy of their own place on our website!

Hannibal

Dear Ted,

Noro is doing so well!  Working with him every day without fail and I use RJs training techniques which have resulted in some amazing progress. I have to reiterate that without RJ's week here I would not have had the same confidence or knowledge of the building blocks that I have used.  Even the way RJ "petted" Noro was always given mimicking an alpha's grip on the scruff while being playful--at least that is what I saw and it is only one of many things I noticed and learned to do differently just by observing RJ. Noro will do a down stay indefinitely now. His attempts to alpha out in our household are pretty much non existent now. He is, at almost 2 (mid-March) shaping up to be a pretty magnificent dog.  His house protection is stellar and he will sound a nasty alarm but go to his control pad (right where RJ placed it) usually on first command but consistently on second.

Hannibal is doing great.  Grace is in India until May so I have both dogs until then. Because of his service dog status I enjoy taking him for all store based errands. I can't take him anywhere without people telling me what a beautiful, handsome and well behaved dog he is. He remains in top form and when walking with him I feel it is what I imagine driving a Rolls Royce would be like with regard to his attention to every slight turn, acceleration of pace, etc.  A joy.

We miss you all and look forward to seeing you when we get down to Florida this year.  Please give the family my very best-

Stephanie

Author: Jill Pavel

Here are some GREAT reasons a Malsatian is a Good Choice of a puppy breed from GatorlandK9.

• Low Maintenance - less shedding
• Super healthy, this is a cross breed.  Meaning there is no common ancestry, minimizing the chances of geneticallay inherited problems or health issues malanois/german shepherd cross
• Medium sized dogs are easier for service work, they can get into tight spaces
• Highly trainable for ALL types of Service work
  

The Malsatian is a cross (malanois/german shepherd cross) done frequently by trainers & police agencies in Europe & produces a superior working dog that is easier to handle & trains very quickly.
Our Malsatians come from outstanding genetic backgrounds.

Ted Hoppe has bred & trained Malinois for over 20 years & traveled to Europe to Import his original breeding stock, creating the Gatorlandk9 bloodline, a working bred Malinois. These are crossed into the finest Imported German Shepherd bloodlines in the World.

Temperament tested, super socialized & evaluated so that they will go to suitable homes.

Author: Jill Pavel

After researching protection dogs on the Internet and feeling totally confused, people often ask what level of protection training my dogs have? It’s like they are trying to compare the deluxe model with leather interior, power windows and all of the bells and whistles vs. the basic model. Buying a dog that you can trust with your family is something entirely different than buying a car.

You should ask yourself ‘What is my handling ability/experience?’ ‘What do I need in a dog?’ ‘What is the right dog for my situation?

Communicate your needs and describe what you expect from the dog. A good trainer will take the time to listen to your needs and try to get a feel if he has the right dog for your situation.

Most people and families need an excellent quality animal with a good obedience foundation and basic protection that is useful and practical. A trained dog is not a vicious dog. It is confident and approachable. You don’t want a dog that is aggressive to the point of being a liability. You need a very forgiving dog, your children can pet it and it does not feel threatened. In the Military and Police K-9 schools, the handlers are matched with the right dog for that individual. The same will hold true for matching a protection/companion dog with the individual needs of that person or family.

The proper temperament for a family protection dog is something a dog is born with. Dogs, like people have their own personalities, i.e. a very alpha/aggressive dog is not a good choice for a family companion dog. It is possible to find a very well trained dog that looks good and acts good in its training environment but is entirely different when you bring it home.

You need a good instructor to show you how to maintain a protection dog’s training. You need to acquire training/handling skills. This is all part of our service. So when selecting a dog for family protection, be less concerned about levels or bells and whistles, and more on individual personality and traits of the dog.

When we train & handle dogs, we establish pack hierarchy or being a pack leader through obedience. Dog training is communicating with your dog, so when we learn handling skills or training skills, we learn communication skills.

When a Veteran or a close relative or spouse contacts our company, they are hoping to find the safety, service therapeutic companionship of having a PTSD Service Protection Dog.

We are so pleased to share that GatorlandK9 International has placed a German Shepherd/Malinois service dog puppy with Veteran James Morton.

Meet Kira!

James and his family are from Fayetteville, North Carolina. James is an 18 year Veteran in the US Army.  He was medically discharged in January 2012.

James suffers from PTSD and other neurological disorders as well as Joint Disabilities from being airborne.   We look forward to Kira growing and training to be a working Service Dog so that James can live an easier life with his PTSD.  His family came to visit us last week, to pick up Kira.  Here is a letter that James Wife Jennifer Shared with us upon arriving home.  Remember to Support our Veterans!  

Ted,

Thank you so much for helping my husband James and "Kira" find each other.  The day we spent with you is definitely a milestone for James recovery and management of PTSD.  The time you took for us meant so much.  The whole family enjoyed the demonstration we saw with Tebow too!

We arrived home safe and Kira is getting used to her forever home quickly.  The two of them are already bonding well.  We will continue to keep you updated on their progress.  Here are

Thanks Again! 

Jennifer Morton

Author: Jill Pavel