Lucky you! German Shepherd people are nuts no matter what stripe of the many varieties there are. Since I disappeared from the dog world for a while I’m not sure who started it. My sister (RIP) and I both got GS starting in the ‘80s and had no problems though I went to AmShow and she went WorkingGerman lines. 15 years later everything was a pain, though she was sort of lucky because she used the son of her old breeders who was still sort of laid back. But now every Euro and American type demands this and that, especially money. I refuse to down-pay on a non-existent dog I may not like and may never get, anyway. Why should I lose money when I find a real dog elsewhere I like better?
I am never going to run field trials, and I am never going to run the Grand or the Master Nationals, so there's no need for me to pay absolutely top dollar for a puppy from the best field triallers in the country. You can get a very nice Lab that will hunt well for you, and pass hunting tests up to HRCH and MH, for between $700-$1,000. I paid $250 for mine (a steal), she's a peach and roared through her HR title in 3 straight passes. Not quite ready for Finished yet at 3 years old, but we'll get there.
But even the best are not THAT expensive - you might get up to $2-3K for a really outstanding breeding.