014. Finding And Dealing With Puppy Buyers
Description
This article is from the Breeding, Whelping, and Rearing Puppies FAQ, posted to rec.pets.dogs newsgroup. Maintained by Liza Lee Miller.
014. Finding And Dealing With Puppy Buyers
Finding good homes for your puppies should be one of your highest priorities. This is not an easy task but it is a very rewarding one. Matching the right dog with the right family is a great feeling! Responsible breeders try to have a list of interested buyers before they do the breeding -- or at least before they whelp the litter. As stated before, there is a serious pet overpopulation problem in this country and no litter should be bred without a purpose. That purpose should include providing wanted puppies to good homes.
The most effective way to find homes is by connecting into the network of breeders in your area. This is best done by finding a breed or kennel club in your area, joining, becoming active, and taking advantage of their resources. Many clubs publish litter listings in their newsletters and then club members refer callers to those litters. This is another way that your active participation in showing, training, and working your dog makes you a better breeder. By building a network of resources doing these activities, you open yourself up to puppy referrals.
Advertising can be useful but should be done with care. Many breeders advertise upcoming litters in breed publications. Newspaper ads should be considered a last resort as you should have homes lined up before the puppies are born.
When word gets out that you are doing a breeding, you'll probably start getting phone calls from potential buyers. You should carefully screen these buyers over the telephone and ideally in person before putting them on your puppy list. The type of information you should be trying to get from the buyers should focus on their potential as dog owners. Try to evaluate their intentions and their understanding of what is involved in raising, training, and caring a dog. You should try to evaluate their home in terms of things like whether or not they have a fenced yard, if they will be able to provide the type of exercise appropriate to the dog. If your breed has special grooming considerations, you should make sure that they understand these as well.
Part of your job as a breeder is acting as a counselor of sorts to your puppy buyers. In addition to the above information, you'll want to make sure they understand all the health concerns for your breed. If they don't ask the right questions, you should be prepared to fill them in on the information while explaining everything you have done to avoid these problems. Also, make sure that a puppy is the right choice for them. When I'm screening puppy buyers, I end up referring a lot of them to Rescue organizations if I don't think that they have the time or energy to raise a young puppy.
Most breeders provide a packet of information with their puppies. These packets include the bill of sale, any health guarantees (as discussed below), details on what the dog should be fed, details on what shots and worming the dog has been given, etc. Puppy packets can also include descriptions of the breed, pedigrees, photos and health clearances on the parents, information on training, and other items of interest.
A breeder should be willing to make a lifelong commitment to the puppies they produce. They should be willing to answer questions or concerns at any time in the dog's life. Many breeders make a further commitment to take back a dog at any time in the future should the owner's be unable to keep the dog. People's lives can change with little or no notice and dog's sometimes suffer. Rather than seeing one of their puppies end up in the pound, breeders often put a "right of first refusal" into their contracts.
The AKC has recently started offering limited registrations. This is a great option for breeders who want to ensure that the puppies they produce don't get used in the future to add to the pet overpopulation problem. Limited registrations mean that the dogs so registered can't be shown nor can their offspring be registered with the AKC. The breeder can change the registration in the future should the owners decide they want to show or breed it. The breeder is the only one who can make that change. If you go with this option, you'll want to explain this carefully to the pet buyers so that they don't misunderstand or have a problem with it when they come to collect their puppy.
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