All purebred dogs are predisposed to certain illnesses and health issues. This arises from the selective breeding that originally took place to produce the purebred dog. Unfortunately, all large breed dogs, including the German Shepherd are at risk for developing hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia is a congenital malformation of the ball and socket joint of the hip. A dog may or may not become lame because of the disease, depending upon it's severity. Although there is no guarantee that a puppy will not get hip dysplasia, we are making every effort to avoid such an occurance with proper testing of our breeding stock and selective breeding. Genetics, proper nutrition and weight control share the role in the development and occurrence rate of dysplasia. Puppies have growth plates in the elbows that do not seal until after 6 months of age and should therefore not be expected to participate in extended walks, runs or hikes until these plates have sealed. Undue stress upon the joints prior to 14 months can contribute to environmentally produced dysplasia. All GSD puppies under one year of age should be kept somewhat lean in mass to allow for proper hip development to occur naturally without the undue stress of excess fat. As a breeder of GSD's we acknowledge and accept that we can only do our best and to breed dogs that are at least 5 generations clear of dysplasia and that breeding dogs themselves that are of course free of dysplasia. Even with these efforts, we cannot guarantee our puppies and dogs to be completely free of Hip Dysplasia however, no one can completely remove the risk however, we can and have greatly reduced the risk through our selective breeding practices!