Taylor Made Working Dogs

We found Taylor Made Working Dogs through a post on Instagram and after reviewing the available dogs on their website, got in touch about a dog they had available. Ottilie was a 9 month old GSD who wasn’t cut out for protection work (much of Taylor Made’s business) but whose temperament was more suited for service work or as a family dog. Kris Taylor, the proprietor who has a Ph.D. in Biology and is a 3rd generation dog breeder, promptly responded to my inquiry with voluminous info about the dog. He answered every question I had and even had many questions for us to find out if we would be a good match for the dog. The more info he shared, the more it became clear that this particular dog might be a good match for us. After sending freshly recorded video clips of Ottilie showing her obedience training and sweet temperament, we decided that this is the dog for us. We made arrangements to travel to SoCal to retrieve the pup but when Kris discovered he would need to travel to NorCal for other business, he offered to bring her directly to us. We accepted and just over 3 weeks ago, we met Kris, his lovely caring partner Suzie and our newest family member, Ottilie. After an introduction, Kris showed us in detail how the dog’s training works and what we would need to know to continue training on our own. Ottilie has been with us for a while now and has settled in quite nicely. As we got to know her, it became clear that she was exactly as Kris had described in our conversations. She is super sharp, absolutely loves to train but has a very calm energy and is very easy going around the house. As I’d read in other reviews, Kris has proven he is fully available for questions and guidance, even with issues as simple as potty training. I have the utmost faith in Kris as a breeder and trainer and can enthusiastically endorse Taylor Made to anyone looking for a working line German Shepherd. Thank you Kris & Suzie!

Kris is a great communicator and I truly appreciate that as I was going through the process of obtaining a puppy from him. He’s also a real upstanding guy, California resident aside :-), and I had a wonderful experience in getting my puppy. Now, to the crux of the matter-the puppy. We couldn’t be more pleased. While we are only 9 days after receipt, our puppy has settled in very well. He was nearly crate trained completely and only whined the first night for a short time. He is smart—very smart—and confident and driven. He’s mastered “sit” and nearly mastered “down” as well and that’s only a few days of effort. I couldn’t be more excited to see what the future holds. While he’s not super cuddly, he’s no terrorist. I wouldn’t look for a great shepherd anywhere else. 100% recommend, and I will be recommending him to anyone locally searching for a great balanced dog who is able to turn off the drive and be chill at home. Kudos to Kris!

I don't have enough words to thank Kris Taylor, Akena, and Taylor Made Working Dog. I have been following Kris and his organization on Instagram for a while now and was impressed with the dogs he features on his page. I have a 4-year-old GSD who is very reactive and with whom I struggle to walk on a leash. He only listens to me when he feels like it and is very rowdy. I signed my dog up for a 10-week behavior modification training program and got a “new” dog compared to what I had dropped off for training. I now have a dog excited to go on walks and listen to commands. Thank you, TMWD team from Sargent and me.