I was wondering how many of the breeders out there take into consideration the number of litters that are "in the pipeline" when planning to mate their bitches. Do you try to coordinate the litters with other breeders in the area so that the "market" isn't flooded, or do you pretty much have to go by your own bitches cycle and your showing/working plans for her?

Quinn

I am very lucky
there are no other breeders within a 20 mile rad
Very good question i will be interested to see answers

i live in the north east and as most of you will be aware theres all sorts of litters being bred all of the time, you've only got to look in the yellow paper, if i had to wait until i felt there might not be any id wait forever,the breed i have- sharpei is one of the latest to be exploited up here, people are breeding anything to anyone and producing some very untypical dogs, these are advertised at quite high prices, often having been poorly reared etc, boasting fabulous pedigrees, so when i decide to have a litter its to get something good enough to show for myself,usually i have a certain amount of them booked but it terrifys me hearing the horror storys up here, underage bitches due pups -at 9mths, litters of pups not having there eyes tacked[ this is a temporary stitch in the forhead wrinkle until the head broadens enough to carry the weight of it,it sometimes prevents the pups opening there eyes when they should at around 12-14 days so theyd be tacked for around 10days]i know there was a litter up here had to be put to sleep as the proper care and attention ,and to be honest knowledge of the breed hadnt been in place so the eyes remained closed until it was time to sell them ,at which stage no-one would take them so treatment was sought, when the vet examined the pups they had to be put to sleep as there eyes where so badly infected and eaten away,another litter ,you had to contact a mobile ,you met the """"BREEDER""" at a flat which was unocupied ,you where shown the pups who where running around in there own mess, and when folk didnt want to take one the pup was slung back into the flat,and yet these people charge around the same price as i do for my pups, which are from very good lines, carefully chosen sires, lavishly reared and socialised, no expense spared, its so frustrating but not a lot i can do about it, ive only ever bred 3 litters in my whole life, my fourth is due next wednesday ,and already im dreading the calls from someone that might not be what they pretend to be, therefore all my dogs are endorsed -until i know the buyers and the dog is about 15mths then if it was agreed at the time the restriction would be lifted,someone saw one poor bitch that wAs overdue her pups and was being kept in a rabbit hutch, the rspca where notified but when they called by the bitch was out on the lawn ,although the rabbit hutch door was open they couldnt prove shed come from inside it, i could go on forever but wont,

Oh me to dizzy i share exactly the same feelings.
What would you do if you new that some were advertising on champdogs

id gather the proof of it up and present it to admin, hopefully theyd veiw it badly,

I too live in the north east and know exactly what you mean about the yellow paper. As my breed is GSDs I am particularly horrified by the number of litters of white german shepherds found in there, often very expensive and sometimes referred to as a rare breed. Although I have nothing against white shepherds, though I would always go for correct colouring myself I think it is terrible that the public are being mislead into thinking that these are a "rare breed" which is a strange way to describe a dog with an incorrect colour coat. Returning to Shar Pei a girl I know at work told me that she was going to buy one a couple of years ago and that it would cost £1500 because they are the rarest breed of dog in the world! She was only interested in the dog as a status symbol and thankfully changed her mind as she was not sure she could cope with the doggy smell in her house so at least one pup had a lucky escape!

the price of a sharpei has come down considerably since your freind was asked for that amount, however the breed now has RARE colours too and high prices are asked for these ,often with conditions attatched, they now come in blue and lilac .apricot ,chocolate, the prices for these are often around the same as the price your freind was quoted,-

We certainly know what is going on with other breeders (mostly, there are one or two who are secretive) but there are so few Griffons and so many enquiries that the market is never flooded (or even trickled!) Also Griffs have such small litters and the breeders keep at least one so the problem never arises. We therefore really go by our bitches cycle and our own plans.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

Hi, in answer to the original question about networking. It really doesn't come into my "equation" as I very rarely breed a litter unless I intend to keep one, and am breeding for myself, in the first instance, not puppy buyers. I hardly ever sell a puppy locally, sadly there are so many puppy farmers round here that most puppies are half the price of mine, and the majority of Joe Public buyers just want a KC reg puppy regardless of its actual pedigree or the way it has been reared. I tend to get the sort of buyer that has done a lot of research and realise that £250 is not enough to pay and want a better bred and reared puppy. I get a lot of requests from the Us for pet puppies, which amazes me - they have Westies there dont they? I dont export by the way -have done in the past to near Europe but found it too worrying and to be honest to much bother, and stopped doing it, although the few I exported all have wonderful homes.

The only networking I do as far as puppy sales are concerned, is not necessarily local, but if I have a litter and too many prospective buyers I do pass the enquirers on to other breeders that I know in the hope they can get a puppy through a recommendation.