How's Business?

[Doodlesville]

I dont ship either, it has little to no effect on me,,
I have people coming from all over the country, and out of the country as well
I am in West Va , near VA,Ohio,PA ,,

My prices are comparable to most reputable breeders in the country I dont loose sales ,
My Prices maybe a tad bit lower then most Reputable breeders on the east coast. not puppy mill prices of course,

I find no need to substantially undercut my competition in order to sell puppies

[Maureen]

I have increased my prices as I've tested my breeders, yet I simply can't see pups selling for much more than I ask in my area. Since I don't ship puppies, my marketing area is pretty much within a 4-5 hr driving radius.

hey Tink, way to go on starting testing! Which dogs have you finished? What do you have yet to do?
Or...are you finishing all Hip/elbow x-rays, for example, and then all cardiac, all PID, etc.??

Do you post the testing or promote it on your site? I didn't, initially, but found out it gave people the impression I hadn't done it.


pssst......when did the formatting of this forum change? I haven't gotten reminder emails in a while....

[Tink]

Maureen,
I've got Hana OFA(hips and elbows)/CERF/DNA
Misty OFA(hips and elbows)/CERF/DNA
Chip, Ava and Hickory DNA so far

Here OFA costs $175, so it's not near the expense Jac has to pay thank Goodness.
The vet who does my testing is just 3 miles away so that really helps.
I plan to have Hickory and Ava OFA/CERF this winter so they'll be done before I breed in spring.
Chip isn't 24 months yet, so will be done when he is.

I feel like comparing different generations is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. I'm well satisfied with the quality of labs and the Poodle that I have, and the buyers who meet them seem to be as well. So far they've tested well, the pups have done great and the buyers all seem satisfied. I haven't had to pay over $500 (already OFA/CERF tested) for any one of my breeders; but again, prices here are lower than in other parts of the country and I'm buying Labs and Standard poodles.

I can't set my prices based on what others are selling at. Living where I do, almost no one tests their dogs; and as you know, I have just begun to. I don't pay for ads either... I advertise on free local classified boards, state and regional specific ones, and most of my pups end up in Wisconsin, Minnesota or Illinois. While I do get people from around the globe checking out my website, most of them find it through search engines, which again costs me nothing.

I am not in business to destroy other peoples business. I am doing it because I enjoy it. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but don't know what I am supposed to do about it. I am able to operate at less expense, so it only stands to reason I don't need to charge as much; and quite honestly, if I did, there'd be no market for my pups in this area. The closest any of my pups have gotten to California is Colorado and the family who bought him were in Wisconsin for a family visit and drove home with him. The closest any have gotten to Virginia is Pennsylvania, and that family moved there from Wisconsin several months after having bought her.

I honestly don't see where my tiny little operation can have a major affect on anyone else's.

[Jac]

Hi Tink,

When I wrote comparing your breeding business to mine, I did it much in the same sense that the candidates talked about how their programs affect "Joe the Plumber" on the debates last night! LOL It is easier to put examples out to make a point...I did not mean to make a personal attack...but to point out very real differences in marketing values.

I honestly think that there are enough customers to go around... ...we're sorta like pizza parlors!

I am very pleased that you are testing...especially since many in your area are not.

What the testing means to me is that a breeder cares enough about the PUPPIES they are creating to forego immediate financial rewards in favor of insuring the good health and well being of their puppies. So, I commend you on your decision to test.

I also strongly believe that by acting responsibly in our breeding programs, we work together to "float the boat" of our dogs. The Labradoodle and Goldenddodle breed, in general, benefits. The more reputable breeders out there, the more the public will learn to concede that we are truly caring, concerned and reliable...as opposed to puppy mills and back yard breeders.

I agree that we are comparing apples to oranges...funny you said that because I had added that to my post and then deleted it before I submitted it. But my point is similar to yours, I think...that F1 Labradoodles are excellent dogs, they have hybrid vigor and exceptional temperaments and personalities (if bred by careful selection of parent breeds) and that F1B puppies SOMETIMES (not always) produce better, higher quality coats...and the higher the generation, the more consistently you can count on better coat quality...added to that original great personality and temperament of the F1.

So, your point and mine are similar...we have to look at the costs of producing the dogs we produce when we set prices...but, when I said that lower prices negatively affect higher priced dogs...it is true, it does. This does not indicate that the perception is intentionally driven to harm another breeder. It is merely a fact of life...and the problem arises, in my opinion, when uneducated buyers start looking for bargain priced puppies and overlook the quality of the higher priced puppies and when they think that they are all the same.

So, it is not breeders that my comments are directed to...but more to "joe the Plumber" who is looking for a bargain. As in all things, the buyer must do their research and realize that not all discount prices will buy them the quality dog they are searching for... not every time, that is.

Finally, I think that I am more fired up about this when I read posts from buyers who are looking for an inexpensive miniture multigen dog! LOL This just proves my point that they are not doing their research...and, to be a responsible pet owner, they should. Otherwise, they may well pay only $200 for their dog...only to watch it become ill or diseased due to poor breeding, paying thousands of dollars in vet care and corrective meds/surgeries, not to mention the intese suffering of that poor animal.

[Maureen]

Originally Posted by Tink

Maureen,
I've got Hana OFA(hips and elbows)/CERF/DNA
Misty OFA(hips and elbows)/CERF/DNA
Chip, Ava and Hickory DNA so far

I honestly don't see where my tiny little operation can have a major affect on anyone else's.

hey, way to go, Tink! That's a lot accomplished in what? a year?

I would just add - from personal experience - that if you you are using a dog for breeding, you really ought to consider a preliminary x-ray. And yeah, pass on the cost, if you want to! It's part of business. But from my old breeding of Labs without testing - there's nothing more heartbreaking than having a dog go to a family and finding out afterwards that the puppy has a genetic issue, and if I had screened more carefully I might have prevented that burden.

Secondly, when I did learn about the value of screening, dna, x-rays, etc. it was from a POODLE breeder who bluntly said they do NOT want to replicate the overbreeding that has happened through the popularity of Retrievers. I couldnt' argue with her, and it's a really big-picture-overview to see that our breeding DOES affect others. I'm not talking about your pricing affecting mine, I'm talking about the health and physical quality of Labradoodles. Sadly there are lots of breeders out there who DO have little regard for other than money. But when we care enough to get prelims, dna, CERF we're not contributing to the problem or risking that awful email/call that one of our dogs has developed Hip Dysplasia, or PRA, etc.

[Jac]

EXCELLENT post, Maureen...thank you.