Dog Breeding as a Profession

[Julie]

Originally Posted by Julie

I think one should get some experience with a pet before even asking questions about breeding.

Dollar Signs are how every puppymill or byb starts.

I think one should get some experience with a pet before even asking questions about breeding.

Dollar Signs are how every puppymill or byb starts.




I think one should get some experience with a pet before even asking questions about breeding.

Dollar Signs are how every puppymill or byb starts.



I think one should get some experience with a pet before even asking questions about breeding.

Dollar Signs are how every puppymill or byb starts.




I think one should get some experience with a pet before even asking questions about breeding.

Dollar Signs are how every puppymill or byb starts.




I think one should get some experience with a pet before even asking questions about breeding.

Dollar Signs are how every puppymill or byb starts.

[elle]

No, good/responsible breeders DO NOT make money.

Any breeder I would consider personally buying a dog from is probably investing (or losing, if thats how you want to view it) THOUSANDS of dollars per litter. Breeding is also a VERY large time commitment (dedicate most weekends to traveling around the country to show -- also be prepared to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars per year on showing). To be a good breeder, you also need experience with a specific breed and an idea of how you can improve that breed. You need dogs from good stock (again, thousands of dollars). To find "good" dogs you need to spend years attending shows, etc, and learning how to analyze strucutre, temperment, conformation, etc...

Overall, to become a breedr you need to develop a critical eye, develop a critical mind to decide how you want to improve the breed, invest years of your life (all your spare time, weekends, holidays, etc) in getting to know your breed, spend thousands on the dogs that you might want to eventually breed, spend thousands on showing said dogs, spend thousands on vet care for proper testing and THEN breed. Once you breed, be prepared to again spend thousands of dollars on veterinary care for the pups.



Before you think about breeding, why not get some experience. Find a rescue dog, train that dog, put obedience titles on that dog, get to know people in the breed you're interested in through shows, etc.


In the meantime, if you have some extra money lying around, why not invest it in something like a CD so that in 10+ years when you might be ready to start thinking about breeding, you'll have slightly more than you started with?

[Red_ACD_for_me]

[Boemy]

Originally Posted by elle

No, good/responsible breeders DO NOT make money.
In the meantime, if you have some extra money lying around, why not invest it in something like a CD so that in 10+ years when you might be ready to start thinking about breeding, you'll have slightly more than you started with?

Government bonds are a great way to earn money and don't poop!

[Zoom]

In a word, NO.

In a few more words: If you have enough time, money and patience to spare to even contemplate breeding, do roses instead. Shorter turn-around time and no poop to clean up! Plus, think of how much money you get on Valentine's Day!

[iheartsammy]

If you like puppies instead of breeding, you should foster pregnet or homeless litters of puppies. If you can handle that, then you should start asking about breeding...

[Mordy]

Originally Posted by zaidoo

So you can be a good responsible and eventually a reputable breeder and make profits? or you think seasoned and reputable breeders can't make profits?

If you manage to
- buy healthy breeding stock,
- invest the money to train and show them in performance as well as conformation
- have all the required health testing done, and
- are financially able to provide
--- veterinary care,
--- clean housing,
--- high quality nutrition
--- appropriate socialization and training, etc.
to all of your dogs (adults as well as puppies before they go to their new homes)

and manage to sell the puppies for a high enough price, then, maybe, you can be a good, reputable breeder and make money. It's not very likely though.

[Mordy]

Originally Posted by Julie

Dollar Signs are how every puppymill or byb starts.

Excellent point.

[bubbatd]

I echo Mordy !!!! I would say that with breeding my own line and siring 6 litters over 40 years ... I cleared about $300 ( about 100 pups involved ... all spayed or neutered ) . When you care about a breed , you don't do it for money !!! If you do it for $ ... you CAN'T put in the time and $ that's involved for GOOD litters !!! If you don't care about testing etc.... sure, buy anything and breed it to anything and charge $1000 ...... but stay away from here !! Check with Championship lines and their offspring. None make money !

[iheartsammy]

off topic but,
grammy, you only had 6 litters in 40 years? am I reading this right? not that I think its wrong, I would just think you would have more litters then just six in 40 years??? but again, I might have missed something...