Nadelhaus German Shepherds - Corning, California

River Jensen

Traci’s shepherds are beyond the most beautiful dogs I have ever had the experience of having. She puts a lot of work into providing the absolute best for these dogs, from training, food, toys, grooming, and bringing them home. Traci is very proficient at matching the dog up with the owner, it’s almost as if me and my shepherd were made for each other. If I ever have any questions or concerns, I always go to Traci! As I’ve said, she is super knowledgeable, and having that clear cut trust in a breeder is very important. My nearly two year old pup, is active and responds well to training and handling. Her incredible genetics stay true when I started getting her trained in protection work, herding, and scent, great workability all around for everything. Nadelhaus German Shepherds will always be my go to for high quality West German Showline German Shepherds!

Andrew Stinson

Absolutely amazing people. Best red and black purebred GSD you will find in the USA!!! The training program is amazing also my Moose spends a lot of time there in the boarding/training program Moose absolutely loves them at Nadelhaus!!! If you want the best of the best Nadelhaus is where it’s at!!!!

Christian Griset

I got a female GSD import from Traci two years back, and this pup has been the love of our lives. Our GSD is beautiful, smart, trainable, and incredibly well behaved, we've never had a single issue.Traci was kind, sharp, knowledgable and amazing at helping think through different options, litters, etc. We for sure got the pedigree including details on the sire and dame, and everything else checked out. Getting our pup from Traci was the best decision I made in 2022.

(Images are puppy pictures and at 18 and 24 months).

barca71017

My wife and I picked up Sonja (cuteness pictured below) from Nadelhaus back in April of this year when she was 2 months, and she has been an amazing dog. Extremely smart, very well behaved, has a huge please-drive, and is a bit goofy at times as well. The wait to get her seemed excessive, 6 months from the time we paid the deposit until we were notified she was available, but this probably had more to do with the high demand for pandemic pups. Tracy was upfront about picking a puppy for us that matched the lifestyle we described on our application, and to that end she did an amazing job! Tracy initially described her as a "sweet girl" when we picked her up, and almost 5 months later she is still a sweet girl. We spent about an hour with Tracy and the new pup, asking as many questions as we could (first GSD puppy ), and Tracy answered them, along with providing advice a month after we had taken Sonja home. I will not pretend to know that I have any idea about how well-bred she is, having no expertise in the matter, and since this is the internet you can take this with a pinch of salt, but I have to mention that at least once a week, bizarre as this sounds, some stranger will look at her, stop what they are doing(crossing the street in some cases), tell us how gorgeous she is, and after meeting her remark on her mild temperament, and funny personality.

Julie Gibson

It makes me very sad to have to write this review; I wanted so much to believe in Traci and her breeding program. I purchased a beautiful puppy Sept 2023. He was my gift to myself after enduring the horrific tragedy of losing my entire immediate family in 2021. He gave me a reason to get out of bed and face the world. He died in May at 12 months old of a genetic condition that spelled his fate from the moment he was conceived. A condition that Traci was well aware of.

In retrospect, the symptoms of renal dysplasia were all there from the beginning. Among other symptoms, Zeus was a cryptorchid (he only had one descended testicle) which is a huge genetic fault in purebred dogs. The one testicle he had was profoundly underdeveloped. I later found out that Renal Dysplasia and underdeveloped reproductive systems often go hand-in-hand. I tried to take Zeus to the vet, but she convinced me that "vets are incompetent and stupid". I asked her about the missing testicle three times, sending photos and videos, and she insisted they were both there. (She sold him to me with full breeding rights) It was later confirmed by a vet that he was indeed a cryptorchid.

These genetic conditions are not flukes. They are flaws in the bloodline. Xavier carries the genes for both these conditions and should not be bred. She has kept breeding him over and over again. I can't imagine how many puppies are out there with the same fate as my Zeus.

In my communication with Traci, there has never been a hint of an apology from her. When my puppy was actively dying she actually told me "He doesn't need a vet or tests. He just needs Fido Fuels and he'll be just fine." Trying to push her overpriced dog food on me while my dog was at death's door.

Her responses were dismissive and do not convey the urgency that they should. Over and over again, I have requested a copy of the well-puppy exam she promised that he had, a vaccination record, anything. She said I must have "lost" the paperwork. She also never transferred his microchip out of her name. And apparently she's changed her mind about the skill of vets, because suddenly she wanted to see all the vet records from Zeus' illness before she would take accountability. I finally sent all the records from my vets, hoping she would reciprocate. In addition to the copious notes on Zeus's condition and bloodwork that spelled out his inherited disease, I sent the two sets of x-rays and ultrasounds proving he did not have the bowel obstruction she insisted he had. Traci blew me off at every juncture.

After requesting the promised "health guarantee" and puppy exam multiple times, she finally replied. She said they had just had a death in the family (I don't believe anything she says at this point but I never would wish that for anyone) and will be ready to go to her office to get my dog's file (her office is only steps away from her main house) "in a week or so so I can converse with the vets and rectify the issues". Rectify what issues? Zeus is dead.

After threatening to expose her terrible breeding practices, Traci gave me back the $3500 I paid for my puppy. (There never was a puppy exam prior to Traci selling him for top dollar. It was all a lie.) She refused to contribute to the enormous medical bills. I've reported her to three major GSD organizations and she has yet to see the fallout from this. I hope the consequences to her business are equal to the damage she has done to dogs and owners over the years. Traci Needles needs to be held accountable for breeding and selling sick dogs.

And, Traci, you know better than to leave a comment on this review. You know there is much more that can be exposed. You and I know the truth. And so does Zeus. He deserved better from you.

Terry Shay

I wish I could give more than 5 stars! I got my GSD from Nadelhaus a few weeks ago and Ike is more than what I expected. He is a 4 month old pup who is very intelligent and a true joy to my life. Keep up the excellent work you must be very pleased with your beautiful animals. God bless.

Angela Mullins

My husband and I have been going out the Nadelhaus kennels for over ten years. Traci is very knowledgeable and very kind. Before I met or knew Traci, my husband and I had gotten a German shepherd from down south. She was eight months old and when we got her home she was very skittish and had no confidence. Again and again we would work with her and take her to the dog park to get her socialized with no success. Then there was a day a man with a senior German shepherd approached us and told us about Nadelhaus German Shepherds. We started to see Traci for training and our shepherd could not be happier. She has gained all the confidence she needs and has been comfortable in her life ever since. We now own a Nadelhaus German Shepherd and he is a beautiful well tempered dog. We will always get our shepherds from Nadelhaus going forward as all come from great lineage. We board our dogs there which the kennels are always clean and well maintained. Nadelhaus takes a lot of pride in their kennel and dogs; Traci is very professional, honest and above all puts the dogs first. I would highly recommend her dogs to anyone, her kennels for boarding, her training program and even go out there to get your dog part of Fidoletes.

Jilai Zhou

We got our GSD puppy (Dapper) from Tracy in 2020 Aug. To get the puppy faster (yeah, the waitlist is sooo long), we paid additional to get Dapper from Tracy’s partner in Euro. Despite the initial “puppy blue” we had in the first 6month (Tracy also gave us a lot support during that time!), we really love our puppy now! We live in South Bay Area and frankly every time (3-4 times in the past year) when I saw a classic, handsome “black and ten” GSD outside, they all come from this breeder ?

Tracy also mailed the pedigree of my dog after 6months to us. I sometimes still text her when I have any questions about my dog. She really knows GSD and way better than some vets I met.

Honestly, the cost of a puppy is nothing compared to the overall cost you will pay later. So if you really have determined to get a GSD, I highly recommend here.