the business of breeding

[darci]

Originally Posted by Bayoucorgi

Jane,
Duchess' breeder did what every breeder should do. She stood by the life she produced. She was there to protect Duchess and find her a lifetime home.

I am sometimes accused of being anti-breeding. I was a breeder for 25 years. I bred 5 litters of puppies. My Ch. UD, multi-titled stud dog sired 3 litters. I am very much against people who want to breed so their kids can see puppies, so their dog can be a daddy, so they'll make some money, and the million other reasons people breed.

I sold my puppies for $1000 each and my last litter was six years ago. They were all sired by Champions with all the clearances. All my dogs always had all their clearances. In the long run, I never "made" any money. Yes, in the month or two after the puppies went to their new homes, it looked good on paper, but if you looked at the red ink from hip x-rays, opthal exams, heart checks, blood work, shipping, emergency c-sections on two differerent girls the vets did better than me. And that doesn't count the stud fees, handlers, show entries, shipping, equipment, classes, or travel of showing because that was my hobby. And then the advertising, phone bills, postage, and a million other things that cost money.

I probably could have bred more puppies, but I felt strongly that I needed to be able to keep track of what I produced and to be there if someone needed me. I never had to take one back because I screened my potential buyers very carefully, had strong contracts, and gave a LOT of counseling and puppy Dr. Spock time. And I was very lucky. I sold my pets on spay/neuter and later on Limited Registration so I hope I none of them were part of the pet overpopulation problem. (But you can never be sure!)

No, if you do it right, with passion and commitment, breeding is rewarding in intrinsic ways but not financial. It is wrought with worry and heartache and there are a lot easier ways to make money.

Thank you so much for posting your story and history with breeding. I found it very informative.

[glencorgi]

Originally Posted by Michael Romanos

Peggy - those questions of yours maybe too hard to answer.

Not really, if one is tied into the breeding community.

Peggy asked:

1)Does NZ not do the health tests?

Not really. The US probably does the most testing of any country.

2) What is the average price for a stud fee?

As I understand it, as reported on the show lists for corgis and the all-breed show dogs list (all international in membership); same as here - average cost of a puppy.

3) Average price for a pet puppy?

As Michael mentioned "cost of living/raising/keeping" is lower there so most likely comparable to some of the lower end ranges in the US. I know several years back when we looked briefly into the prospect of importing from NZ; the cost of a proven, nicely bred corgi was VERY reasonable - really low end of our price ranges here. The major expenses were in the shipping, transport, etc.

4) Average litter size?

From what the breeders post to ShowPem and ShowCardi - comparable to out litters here. No difference really. AND, they also mention the same sorts of "complications" we run into here - c-sections, losing puppies. I know some of the Cardigan breeders down under have done the fresh frozen litters - so they encounter all those "trials and tribulations" I mentioned, with the addition burden of distance of shipping. I know of one litter that was bred with stored frozen semen shipped to NZ and that litter was undoubtably no "bargain" in cost.

Certainly, the conditions for healthy whelping and healthy puppy producing in NZ is excellent in comparison to most other countries.

Within the serious community of the dog fancy, conditions are about the same everywhere. Everyone faces the same type complications, obstacles, catastrophes and successes.

Debbie

[Mvons]

Originally Posted by glencorgi

Cost of expenses will vary in different parts of the country, but they will still be there. Try the math and see what you come up with.

Debbie

Thank you so much for the time of putting the price into perspective. Because I desire a puppy in a certain time frame (June) I will not have much choice on price.

I just found out our truck engine (91) is going and wondered about the price and timing of a puppy. But I remembered a past landlord who was a hobby breeder of shelties before they got so tiny, she said the price you pay for a dog is a drop in the bucket compared to all the money you'll spend on the rest of it's life.

She was right. We got a pet quality for $400 instead of show $500 only because it was the puppy we chose. 15 years is incredible return on $400. And the last vet bill alone was $200. With an average minimum life of 12 years, $1200 is great. I'm willing to spend $100/yr for a purebred. I want to support those who are breeding for qualities I agree with. The price is just a sticker shock because it is all upfront.

A vet bill is still less than an auto mechanic bill. It is all priorities on what we want to spend money on. I'd rather get a good quality dog, than have the money to spend on fancy dog beds, and accessories. Just as we bought the Veri-Kennel and I was able to replace the rusted door for less than the price stated in the brochure when we bought the kennel 15 years ago. Quality usually lasts.

Merrie