In the last 3 weeks, 4 breeders have posted puppies for Sale that I am interested in that breed. Have sent messages to them (sometimes more than 1 message) and I have not received one single reply. I find this very odd. Is this to be expected? Then a couple of days later the 'all puppies are reserved' message comes up.

I make a point of replying to all messages but there are a lot of them at the moment and I don't have any puppies! It can become a bit of a chore but I do it anyway.

The problem at the moment is that breeders are inundated and may not have the time to reply to everyone once a litter is reserved.

I would suggest not waiting until a litter is advertised to contact a breeder. Find a breeder you like and get in touch with them. Give them some info about yourself and ask for more info about their dogs, breeding practices and how to go on to a waiting list. You are more likely to get a reply to a message like this in my book than if you are contacting only when a litter is available. Most good breeders will have waiting lists and you could be waiting over a year for a puppy to be available.

Thank you for your reply

You're welcome, it is a very difficult time for breeders and buyers at the moment. Just a bit of a waiting game I'm afraid but it will be worth it in the end.

I reply to all messages, even though I won't be in a position to breed for some time.

I do find the messages sometimes go into Spam, and some email providers may filter also.

I always reply even if it's just to say i don't have anything sorry. Although some breeder are bad at replying either by happenstance or because they don't want to.
As well as the above advice I would also say consider what your message says  just incase that is putting them off. For example some people when they message a breeder will just say 'hi have you got puppies' or hi how much for a puppy' and that's it. No information about themselves or asking anything about the breeder. This sort of first contact in my small experience is normaly the people who when you spend time writing back with plenty of information about the dogs and breeding and ask them about themselves they never reply so these sorts of first contacts can be more likely to be forgotten or ignored by some. It doesn't have to be war and peace but a bit about yourself and your lifestyle and why you want that breed/puppy can go along way.

Hope u find a breeder/puppy soon.

I allways try to reply even though I have very few litters. I do usually give advice on how to contact breed clubs and trustworthy people in the breed who may be able to help. However I have been getting so many and often they are just the " have you got any " " how much are they "  basic questions with little or no information. A nice chatty informative request will always get a informative  answer

Do Breeders reply to messages;

I am quite selective when it comes to replying nowadays mainly due to the number of enquiries now being received since March this year.
I only ever had 2 Puppies available from my last litter which was clearly stated however over a weekend I had just over 180 enquiries by email, landline & mobile.

For sanity reasons I unplugged my landlineline, turned off my internet hub and switched my mobile off. 

Bearing in mind that each enquirer will want further pictures/videos, important and detailed information sent regarding Parents & Litter health.
Then the long conversation (2 way I may add) on questions of suitability etc and before lockdown, viewings arranged (probably twice from possible New Owners- but certainly at least one).
One of my chosen Breed has Litters of 8 or more so imagine the time and effort spent vetting those who you initially feel would meet the criteria never mind the hundreds who don't.
Now that most interested Parties are being advised to get on a reputable Breeders waiting list, the volume of calls have again spiked and there are only so many I can reply to in a day as I work too as Dog Breeding isn't my annual income.  Sorry if anyone feels snubbed or breeders are being rude - not the intention - just overwhelming responses at this time and only a limited number on a list at any one time...hope this highlights the current situation.

Sometimes it depends on the email I get. If it just says "do you have any xxx puppies available" or similar, I tend not to bother to reply.

I've had a lovely response from one breeder, found on the boards here - though to be fair, I did take my time to compose our email and they responded within a couple of hours - my wife and I have since been invited to join their facebook group which we've done. And whilst nothing is promised nor expected, I'm sure we will get to know one and other and when the time is right then maybe we might be fortunate to have one of the pups.

However, a number of other breeders chose not to respond but hey, we're in no rush :)

CrashWilliams: Excellent!  Being accepted is a huge push forward! It might be a bit of a wait but you're now on your way.  Good Luck!

Thanks Hoggie, we're still very much at the start of our journey - small steps and all that - I'd be kidding if I was to say we wasn't too excited mind 

CrashWilliams>  Excitement is very much a big part of having a new addition! Very much sounds that you will brilliant New Owners...

I was just about to start a similar thread to this so it's good to find this one for a bit more perspective.
We've been on the lookout for a good Labrador breeder and it's certainly proving difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff on some other websites.
I've contacted around 8 local breeders on here to check their availability and had zero responses so far.
I've been wondering if it's an etiquette issue on my part however it's difficult to know how to begin the conversation beyond have you got any pups available or planned and what is your expected asking price.
In my head after those two questions have been answered we can then begin the discussions around suitability etc as I wouldn't want to waste anyone's time for no reason.

Breeders get 100s of messages at the moment with everyone wanting puppies, so might not be possible to reply to everyone.

You've got to get yourself to stand out from the crowd. Most buyers are looking for a puppy on the ground rather than a good breeder.

You're introduction of 'have you got puppies and how much' reads like 90% of buyers that are mass messaging several breeders. It can give the wrong impression about you and you commitment to getting a puppy from them specially. Many breeders don't bother to reply to these types of messages as 90% of the time they've already found a puppy on the ground.

Look for a breeder, not a puppy now. Read their website. When messaging maybe refer to their dogs by name. Ask how long their waiting list is. Tell them a bit about your lifestyle, what you're plans aree with the puppy. Mention if you've had dogs before or currently. It'll give the impression that you're a serious buyer and not a time waster. You can ask about health testing (if not on their website) and the price of a puppy once they get back to you

Thank you for that and I'll definitely shape my emails more along these lines in the future. I think I was more focussed on not wanting to waste anyone's time reading about us if for example they have no more plans for any litters.
I'm of the mindset that it's imperative that I find a respected breeder and not a dog and even more so with the recent pandemic I fear it's just brought out a lot of people looking to make a profit rather than the well-being of the breed.

You have to understand that breeders are flooded at the moment with enquiries. I'm even receiving enquiries just for breeds I'm listed to have OWNED on CDs, and have never bred!

You also have to understand that if a breeder receives 2 emails, one which is friendly and explains why they want the dog, the life they could give a dog, their experience with previous dogs, their love of training/showing/working a dog and involvement in dog activities and finally why they have been selected by the buyer - what it is which appeals to the buyer - and a second email from someone else which just says 'do you have puppies available and how much?', it's going to be the first email which gets a reply and offer of a pup if there are any available.

It's not a buyer's market at the moment. It's the breeder's market. You have to sell yourself to the breeder.

I understand, I've made the same mistake before and only realised that was the impression I gave off after someone pointed it out. Now I've changed my first contact I'm on the waiting list for a little next year.

Don't think of it was wasting anyone's time. Many breeders have contacts in the breeding world. Even if they've stopped breeding if you email is good they might point in the direction of a breeder they know.

Also sometimes messages can become lost if they receive multiple messages or they could have something going on in their life that means that they couldn't check their messages for a while.

Hi Shure, just my own experience but I took my time composing my own introduction email, outlining who we are, our current home situation - that and whilst we're not looking right now (we're planning to move house in three years, which is when we want our new family addition), we would like to introduce ourselves and get to know you etc. We had one lovely message back asking to stay in touch (and to join their facebook group), another responded to say that she'd retired but thanked us for our getting in touch. And no responses from several others - not sure if there's any rhyme or reason as to why some do or don't - good luck though :)

Yes would definitely try and include as much as possible about you and your situation. I do look out for, or ask if they haven’t mentioned, the time the owners will have - a full time job is a no from me and to get an email from someone who’s already thought about the time it’ll take in raising a pup and not leaving him on his own for hours on end at the beginning is an immediate like and reply to hear more etc. It’s also never a waste of breeders time to email them, at least not in my opinion. I always take the view that if someone enquires about a pup and or future litters when I don’t have any current pups to sell and they stay interested once I inform them then it’s a very positive sign and I add them to my list. For example someone on my current list has been on for 4 years now, the timing wasn’t right with my last litter for her and now her girl is getting old so is wanting to wait at least another 2yrs, although most people currently have waited 1-2 years. I would send the emails again, if at all like me then my intentions have been to get back to everyone who sent an email but I know that some I’ve missed because, like everyone, I’ve had so many. Think a lot of breeders are playing catch up with emails still - especially as its now Christmas and COVID!

Thanks for the advice guys! I'm pleased to say not too long after posting this I did get a response from a really friendly breeder who now has me on their list with a litter expected soon.
I don't want to get too ahead of myself so early on but really looking forward to the prospect now.
It certainly helped just putting some feelers out there and choosing the breeder first.