The Good Breeder Spotlight Column: Emily

Good Dog: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background with dogs.

Emily Thornhill: I am a veterinary technician of 13 years and certified canine trainer & behaviorist. I have a passion for all animals. My whole life I've had dogs, and throughout my life working in the veterinary world and training community, I have found a passion for working dogs and their commitment and loyalty to their handlers and family members.

GD: What made you want to become a dog breeder?

ET: Given my background in both the veterinary and dog training world, I have seen just how detrimental unethical breeding and lack of knowledge can be. I made it a goal of mine to produce healthy and sound dogs for everyone, including active families who are looking for an intelligent, confident, protective, and sociable family member. It's also important to me to educate potential families and other Shepherd owners on health, training, and breeding standards.

GD: What brought you to Good Dog, and how has being a Good Breeder impacted your breeding program?

ET: I joined Good Dog in 2019 from an internet search, I was very impressed with their dedication to breeders, dogs, and families. They are a huge advocate for responsible and ethical breeding practices, and a source of education (which I love!). I have placed most of our puppies through Good Dog; it makes it easy to go through applications and find the best fit in families for our program. 

GD: Describe your program to us. What makes it special?

ET: We are a very hands-on and family-oriented program. We put our all into each puppy to ensure a healthy, stable, confident, and friendly temperament. We use the Puppy Culture program as a baseline in our puppy-raising protocol to help build confidence and nurture their critical thinking skills. Our dogs and puppies live in our home with our family. We spend a lot of time watching and analyzing each puppy's behavior. We temperament test each puppy at six weeks old to help provide each family with the most information possible before picking is done. This helps ensure each puppy ends up with a family that is the best possible fit. We are very involved with all the families to this day, and make a point to always be a resource to them for anything from health to training and everything in between. We stand behind them 100% for life. We take a lot of pride in our program and have put in countless hours and blood, sweat, and tears developing and shaping the program and our puppy-raising protocol to be one of the best available to families. Education is our favorite part of it all, next to the absolute joy of seeing the family's faces when they get to bring their new family members home.

GD: Tell us more about the unique history of your breed, and why it's important to you?

ET: German Shepherds were originally herding dogs, but they have since been used for a wide range of tasks from search and rescue, law enforcement, and military. Some even task train as service dogs due to their extreme versatility, trainability, and desire to please their handlers. It makes them extremely unique, easy to train, and you can build a bond with them that will last forever due to their extremely loyal disposition.

GD: How did you begin to learn about breeding? What were some of your resources?

ET: I learned a lot on my own and from the veterinarians I work with. I spent years researching and learning from other breeders I knew as clients at the hospitals where I worked. I also involved myself in training clubs & breed clubs to meet and learn from others who were passionate about the breed. I have been doing it for five years now and I am still learning new and better ways to do things - always striving to be the best we can be.

GD: Were there any challenges you had to overcome when you began breeding?

ET: The biggest challenges so far have been learning to accept that when it comes to breeding and raising animals, there is only so much that we can control. We can do everything right, but mother nature may have other plans. It has been a wonderful personal growth experience in that sense, as I've learned to accept things as they come. No matter what, we just continue to learn and grow from every experience. 

GD: Looking to the future of your breed, what do you hope it looks like in 20 years?

ET: I hope that more of the community is educated on ethical breeding practices. I hope I see less health issues in the German Shepherd breed through the community supporting ethical breeders who put so much into their programs and dogs by doing all the recommended health testing to ensure only the healthiest dogs are being bred. I would also love for more people to educate themselves about German Shepherds and their unique needs before deciding they'd like to one. They are not for everyone's lifestyle, and a lot of work goes into molding a well-balanced dog - especially a German Shepherd. 

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