First let me introduce myself. My name is Chris Gaumont. I have been a veterinarian for 27 yrs, own a small animal practice in southeast Massachusetts, and have been a hobby breeder of German Shepherds for approximately 18 years. I have also been involved in the sport of Schutzhund for over 15 years. I originally started with a home bred shepherd that I titled to Sch3, American Kennel Club UD and the German FH or long distance tracking title. From there, I purchased my first German bred shepherd, Yambo vom Haus Fahrig, the foundation sire of my kennel. The name vom kleinen Teich, translates into "the little pond" and my kennel is registered with the United Schutzhund Clubs of America. Most of the dogs in my kennel now are descendants of Yambo. With the exception of four of my dogs, all have been handler owner trained. By training and attaining the titles on my dogs myself, I feel that I have a better idea of the mental and physical make up of each dog that is in my breeding program. All the dogs that enter my breeding program must have attained at least a Sch1 title and must have a breed survey. To attain a German breed survey, a dog must have a working title, passing hip xray, conformation rating and the AD title. The AD is a 12 mile distance run that is split into 3 phases followed by a short obedience test. This test shows the physical soundness of the dog as well as the dog's willingness to work after strenous exercise. The breed survey is given as either Kkl 1 or 2 (recommended for breeding or still premissible to be bred). All of my dogs to date have been given Kkl 1. In addition, all of the dogs in my breeding program have been certified free of elbow dysplasia by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA).

I feel that such a rigorous pre breeding program serves to provide the best chance of producing puppies that are sound in both mind and body. I do however guarantee against crippling hip dysplasia as I have learned through the years of breeding that there are "no lifeguards at the gene pool". I hope you enjoy seeing my dogs on this web site and please feel free to contact me either by phone or E-mail.

"Chitty" Training Director