raz

Or wear a brightly coloured kimono and flash some sparkly g string. What I actually love is the name Grumpy for a big terrier. I think Sheridan needs to release him on the squealing kids. Go Grumpy!

;) Poor ruger will probably taser my ass for posting before I read the whole thread. Sorry, mate (not you, ruger...the other ruger)

It is a bit. It doesnt even look like ruger's posts. Sheridan, I totally understand where you're coming from. Nice neighbourhood relationshionships and all that. You'll just have to ask them to MOVE THE FRIGGING TRAMP - but not like that. Dont yell at them My god I've got a neighbour with a tramp and I really really want to kill them... eta wrong ruger.

Amazing, isnt it. You dont get a lifetime guarantee for a car or a fridge but suddenly you need one for a dog. Poor bloody breeders. Any wonder they're dropping off like flies

I know, what's the story, Jaxx? We get a puppy and we realise at some stage vet fees will be part of the package. It's part and parcel. I think what I'm sort of thinking about now is what asal touched on - the greyshaft situation. I dont know if you were on here when that happened. It turned me off getting into breeding because some people will take breeders for a ride, but you breeders should know (I'm sure you do) that most of us are reasonable.

No I meant the hysterical reaction of the buyer.

Gee you've been served a bum deal, asal. We puppy owners arent all like that so try not to let it turn you off. I hope to think that most of us take responsibility when we take on one of your dogs.

That's really sad but pretty rare, isnt it (the hysterical reaction I'm talking about)? My fave dog was given to me - her breeder entrusted me to give a little dog a nice home. When the dog got sick the breeder offered to pay the vet bills. I said no because that's my deal when I take on a dog. I think most puppy buyers wouldnt even think to ask the breeder to pay if the dog gets sick or am I totally naive?

I've struck a few of those as well but I'm happy to say they are few and far between (in my experience). Generally they're really chatty and great with a n00b who wants to buy a puppy.

Oh for goodness sake. How to wreck a thread - just throw genocide into the discussion. FFS Someone had to Godwin at some stage. yes!

Yep. This is actually a really big turnoff. I will support registered breeders until I am blue in the face but the crap and carry on in the dog world is really hard to blow off when trying to promote buying a purebred dog to a potential puppy buyer. Your bad press is right there in your own ranks. It's happening in this thread I dont think we need regulations or documentaries or anything else. We just need people being proud of their dogs and their breeders and spruiking it all.

Yeah I'd like the answer to this as well. I dont expect lifetime liability from a breeder.

I know I know and I've done it myself when someone raced up while I was in the marshal area. I felt really bad about it but I just didnt have the time or patience 2 minutes before taking my dog in the ring. Happy puppy buyers - now how to keep your puppy buyers happy and keep them talking?

I didnt say he was. Now I'm confused Just stick to the topic of addressing the bad press. What? I'm a puppy buyer and I'm addressing the issue of negativity against breeders.

I didnt say he was. Now I'm confused

Joe Blow doesnt want the ins and outs of how it's being dealt with. Look at the thread in news subforum. Do you think Mr Plod who wants to buy a puppy for his daughter wants to waft through all of that crap and infighting? Not really. He just wants to buy a puppy, and when he's happy with puppy and supernice breeder who doesnt talk scientific shit about genetics and health tests and ...I'm already going to sleep, he'll tell lots of people about his gorgeous little purebred dog and wonderful breeder who giggles when his daughter sends breeder email piccies of the dog. I think it was Jaxx who said - go back to basics and start with the puppy buyers. We spread the word about you guys.

Look I totally understand but I'm trying to look at this from the perspective of your everyday chap who just wants to buy a dog. All of that technical stuff, personality conflicts, dog world politics just goes whoosh. We just want a puppy and when we get a great puppy and a super cool breeder, we talk about it. We puppy owners promote you breeders. If you talk ad nauseum about all the other stuff, we glaze over. I know that's pretty abrupt and I dont mean to be rude, but you guys need to use us (the puppy buyers) to be ambassadors for purebreeds, and the only way to do that is to be really lovely mentors - which I know you all are because my breeders have been super nice people that make me proud to be part of the purebreed world, but so often you hear the same stuff about breeders being snobs. We've all seen it. someone rocks up to a show because we all say - go to a show before you buy a dog - and they walk away dumbfounded because someone told them off for calling a 'girl' rather than a 'bitch'. (yes I actually watched that happening. It was pretty bloody disgraceful and the person involved went and bought a mongrel from a puppy farm as a result)

And that's the sort of crap that your average puppy buyer doesnt want to be bogged down by. We dont care. Just sell us a nice puppy and keep all of that infighting to yourselves. Fight amongst yourselves about health testing etc - the average Joe on the street doesnt want to buy into that. We want a puppy and a nice, rational breeder. Nothing else. We dont want your first born child, a lifetime guarantee against a possible health problem, title deeds to your house. Keep it simple.

I'd be interested as well. Just on the pug issue though - is it because they're so food fixated that pug owners overfeed them? My pug is skinny and runs rings around my terriers. She's exhausting just to watch her but getting back on topic - her breeder gives me lifetime support and that's what I rave about when I talk to someone thinking of buying a purebred puppy. It's like when you find a really good vet - you talk and talk about them to other pet owners. As a pet owner this is what impresses me a happy dog who fits in with my family a breeder who will let me ring up and say Fluffy did something really funny today and I thought you'd like to hear about it, or Fluffy broke his toe and I need you to listen to me cry without making me feel like an ass Really basic stuff but when you get that from your breeder, you jump up and down and tell the world. eta and bad news travels faster than good news so if breeders dont do the basics for their puppy owners, you can be sure they'll talk about it

Just say - when she comes into season she'll like any canine that has meat and two veg. Just shock some sense into her

it's not really the point of this thread but I see where you're going with this. I agree - a lot of pet buyers think breeders are just breeding for that best in show ribbon. We dont actually care how many wins you have with each dog - we just want a healthy and happy puppy who is going to fit in with our family, enjoy drives in the car, romps at the beach etc.

Oh man. that's frightening but really funny.

And that comes back to the breeder in that when puppy buyers have a great rapport with their breeder, lots of backup etc, they rave and rave about great breeders, fantastic purebred dogs, all the mushy positives. It's really good fun to talk to people who are thinking of buying a puppy but I can imagine that when someone has a negative experience buying a dog, they're going to focus on crappy stuff.

I think you're right on the money. eta if you think about the average Joe who wants to buy a pup, they dont care about the standard - they just want to hear about the little fluffball who has a good temperament, a nice set of pearly whites, four legs and a tail.

How about a dog run? I lock my dogs up when kids come over. it keeps the dogs safe from kids and the kids safe from being knocked over by easily excited dogs.