What Makes a World-Class German Shepherd Breeder? Inside the Haus-Neufus Program
"World-class" gets used a lot in German Shepherd breeding. Almost every breeder website says it. But the German Shepherd world has something most breeds don't: a clear, international set of standards that separates serious breeding programs from everyone else.
Those standards were set by the SV, the breed's parent club in Germany, and are followed by German Shepherd clubs around the world. They ask every breeding dog to prove itself on health, temperament, structure and working ability, in front of independent judges.
Here's what those standards are, and how the Haus-Neufus program in Johnstown, Ohio, measures up against every one of them.
Haus-Neufus by the Numbers
65 recorded show ratings, titles and evaluations
27 first-place finishes
16 Excellent (V) ratings, including 7 V1 results
2 Regional Sieger titles in 2026, for Zitan and Jerzy, plus a Regional Vice Siegerin title for Zenzi
12 active breeding dogs, every one holding an IGP working title
Every active sire and dam with hips and elbows rated normal
More than 18 years of hands-on training and showing by Jana
Standard 1: Every Breeding Dog Must Prove Its Working Ability
Under SV rules, a German Shepherd isn't considered breed-worthy on looks alone. It has to earn a working title. IGP (formerly Schutzhund) is the international working dog standard for the breed, testing tracking, obedience and protection.
Every active sire and dam at Haus-Neufus holds an IGP title:
Sires: V Fuchur vom Wanakon (IGP2), V Zitan vom Haus Neufus (IGP2), V Mailo vom Haus Neufus (IGP1)
Dams with IGP2: V Jolene von den Bären, V Zenzi vom Haus Neufus, SG Tallulah vom Tuchscherer
Dams with IGP1: V Jessie Best Of The Gods, V Genevieve vom Wanakon, V Khalessi von der Tempelhoeve, SG Alfi vom Aldamar, SG Sasa Team von den Hohen Berg, SG Quadra von Magikos-Land
Most also hold the AD endurance title (a 20 km endurance test), the BH-VT temperament and traffic safety title, and the WB character assessment.
Standard 2: Health Proven, Not Promised
Top programs don't just say their dogs are healthy. They show the results. Every active Haus-Neufus sire and dam has hips and elbows evaluated normal, most under the SV "a" stamp system, and every dog's DM status is published, including carriers.
Many of our dogs also carry a ZW (Zuchtwert) breed value. ZW is the SV's genetic score for hip health based on a dog's own results and the results of its relatives. 100 is the breed average, and lower is better. Every Haus-Neufus breeding dog with a published ZW scores below 100, and several of our dogs, including Zitan and Zenzi, score 78.
Read more in German Shepherd Hip & Elbow Dysplasia: OFA, SV Ratings & Health Testing and Degenerative Myelopathy in German Shepherds.
Standard 3: Structure Judged in the Ring
Conformation shows under SV rules rate each dog against the breed standard: VP for puppies, SG for young dogs and V (Excellent) for adults, with VA (Excellent Select) reserved for the very best at major Sieger Shows. Haus-Neufus dogs have competed at national Sieger Shows, regional shows, breeding evaluations and club shows. Highlights include:
Zitan vom Haus Neufus: Regional Sieger and V1, 2026 USCA South Central Regional; V1, 2026 USCA Breeding Evaluation in Ohio; V3, 2025 USCA Sieger Show
Zenzi vom Haus Neufus: Regional Vice Siegerin, 2026; V1 and Best American Bred, 2025 Breeding Evaluation; Highest American-Bred Puppy at the 2023 Sieger Show
Mailo vom Haus Neufus: V1, Working Long Coat Male, 2023 USCA GSD National Championship / Universal Sieger
Jessie Best Of The Gods: Siegerin, 18 to 24 Month Long Stock Coat Female, 2023 GSDCA National and Universal Sieger Show
Jolene von den Bären: V1, Working Long Coat Female, 2025 Fall Show in Seville, Ohio
Herros aus Gerstbrei: IGP3, High in Trial, High Obedience and High Tracking at the 2023 OG Landshark Trial
See every result on our accomplishments page, or read Zitan vom Haus Neufus: Regional Sieger, IGP2 and the Long Coat Male Behind Our Program.
Standard 4: Breed Survey Approval
The breed survey (Körung) is the final step before an SV-standard dog is approved for breeding. A judge evaluates the dog's structure, movement, temperament and working ability, and a dog that passes earns its KKL. Zitan, Zenzi, Fuchur, Mailo, Jessie, Jolene, Tallulah, Alfi and Sasa all hold a KKL, and Zarah dei Precision earned hers for life.
Standard 5: Bloodlines From the Best in the World
World-class dogs come from world-class pedigrees. Haus-Neufus has built its program on bloodlines from respected European kennels, and has bred to some of the most accomplished males in the breed:
VA Ursus vom Welsetal: VA-rated sire of our Q litter
V1 (BSZS) Yumen vom Messina: V1 at the German Bundessiegerzuchtschau, the breed's world championship show in Germany, and sire of our W and X litters
VA Zitan vom Repetition, IGP3, KKL: an 11-time VA-rated male and the sire of our homebred Zitan and Zenzi
Standard 6: Homebred Success
Buying titled dogs is one thing. Breeding them is the real test of a program. Haus-Neufus homebreds Zitan, Zenzi and Mailo have all earned V ratings, IGP titles and breed surveys, and Zitan and Zenzi became Regional Sieger and Regional Vice Siegerin in the same year. Today, all three are part of our breeding program.
Standard 7: Competing Beyond Borders
In 2026, Haus-Neufus dogs Onri and Jerzy each earned VP1 and Champion Puppy at the Canadian Sieger Show. Our dogs have been judged by SV judges from Germany, and they are titled and evaluated to the same SV and WUSV standards used by German Shepherd breeders around the world.
The Trainer Behind the Program
Behind every result is Jana. She began training German Shepherds in 2004, moved into Schutzhund and the conformation ring in 2008, and has spent more than 18 years training, titling and showing dogs in obedience, tracking, endurance, conformation and Schutzhund.
That hands-on experience shapes every decision at Haus-Neufus, from choosing complementary pairings to evaluating each puppy's temperament, structure and potential.
What It Means for Your Puppy
All of this matters for one reason: the puppy you bring home. A program built on titled, health-proven, breed-surveyed parents gives your puppy the best possible start. Our puppies are:
Raised in our home on 20 acres in Johnstown, Ohio
Placed in pet, sport and working homes based on each puppy's qualities
Microchipped and covered by a two-year genetic health warranty
Supported by us for life, with a first-option return commitment
Available with transport throughout the continental United States
