Breeder Websites

[ellz]

So I've asked what prospective puppy people would like to receive in your puppy packs.

This time, it is websites.

Now we all know that a schmick website is sometimes just smoke and mirrors.

Not everybody has the knowledge, time or money to have a really flash, fancy, professional website.

So....as somebody who might be looking to purchase a particular breed of puppy, what kinds of things would you like to see on a breeder's website?

What would turn you off a breeder immediately?

What would make you feel you have found "the one"?

Over to you.......

[Crazy Daisy]

I have been searching a lot lately and the two things that REALLY bug me is music and those annoying things that follow the cursor!

Ok, that's off my chest now

I am looking at a show dog so I like to see the pedigrees of the dogs they are breeding so I know where they come from.

I like to know a little about how they got interested in the breed and how long they have been involved with the breed.

I LOVE websites that have a breed standard and also the breeders who go the extra bit and explain the best way to groom them (if they are a coated breed)

On puppy pages if there are no current litters I like the ones that either say "we have no plans for puppies this year" "We have no future plans for puppies" or " we are hoping for a litter in the first/second half of the year" Then I think you feel like you can call them or email them at an appropriate time than ringing them and telling them your whole life story only to hear that they aren't breeding anymore/for a long time.

That's what I can think of for now

[Amika]

Along with information on themselves,breed, history and standard. I like to see lots of photo's of their dogs....not just professional stacked ones, not just photo's of show wins, I like to see candid shots. Photo's that show that the breeder and dogs have a personality and it's not just a business and all about show wins. And I like a little bit of "candid" information about each dog too, not just a list of their achievements and pedigree. Hmmmmm.....sounds like I prefer a "relaxed" environment to a "business" environment.

Don't you hate how banks are always sooooooo quiet?

[Gayle.]

I would like ease of navigation, no empty pages and good, clear individual photos of a decent size ofthe dogs you own, show or are breeding from. Full body shots and head shots and at least 800 pixels wide. Also if you have puppies for sale, clear pics of each pup.

[pipsqueak]

I have been searching a lot lately and the two things that REALLY bug me is music and those annoying things that follow the cursor!

Ok, that's off my chest now

I am looking at a show dog so I like to see the pedigrees of the dogs they are breeding so I know where they come from.

I like to know a little about how they got interested in the breed and how long they have been involved with the breed.

I LOVE websites that have a breed standard and also the breeders who go the extra bit and explain the best way to groom them (if they are a coated breed)

On puppy pages if there are no current litters I like the ones that either say "we have no plans for puppies this year" "We have no future plans for puppies" or " we are hoping for a litter in the first/second half of the year" Then I think you feel like you can call them or email them at an appropriate time than ringing them and telling them your whole life story only to hear that they aren't breeding anymore/for a long time.

That's what I can think of for now

Ditto to all of the above.

I also like to see photos of dogs and any past litters. Also, some basic info about the breed and grooming is very useful for a newbie like me to help me decide if the breed is "for me". Also, if you have a current litters page, please, please, please keep it up to date. It is very annoying to see "current litters" with photos and realise that these dogs are now 18 months old, because the website hasn't been changed.

[Nekhbet]

oh yeah I cant STAND music and funny cursors ... AND SPARKLES ... american websites seem to be drenched in it. Sparkly banners, little gifs everywhere jeezus it's like an epileptics nightmare

I also dont want to see just show photos. If thats all there is I leave. I prefer to see how the dogs are when running about at home/river/park etc to hint at their true shape and movement not just a dolled up, stacked to hide possible conformation faults photos.

What would turn you off a breeder immediately?

- blatantly butt ugly or sub standard dogs being bred from (especially bitches)

- no mention of dogs personality at all

- massive rants on puppy pages about how strict the breeder will be with their placing. Yes I know you care but a little tact goes a long way

- huge websites with minimal info spread over millions of pages

- no pedigrees or health scores see ya

What I like

- photos of puppies who have been sold now in their new homes

- achievements pages

- a friendly tone to the website

- spelling and grammar correct

- good assortment of quality photos

- not afraid of a bit of honesty in the website

- rainbow bridge pages ... I dont mind them at all

- easy to navigate, to the point but not drowning in drivell and rambling information. Enough to get the prospective puppy person interested

[t-time]

Hey Ellz,

I'm in the same boat as you - can't afford to have a professionally done website so I've been trying to figure out the most pertinent info to promote my dogs without breaking the bank!

Much as I like really complex website design (when viewing for myself!) - it's a bit beyond me.....

Which topics are on a need to know basis - "how to groom your breed" is information I provide to my puppy buyers....when they purchase a puppy..... (Crazy Daisy, someone like yourself needs to know how to groom your dog for show but the majority are buyers who will simply get a long-coat breed clipped off! So, that's kind of null and void ) If you want to know how to groom your dog - ask your breeder! "Coat care" as general info for the breed, can come under a "MY BREED" page.

I agree that it's a great idea to have candid shots of your dogs - I particularly love seeing the US and European sites with dogs in the snow - it's a novelty. but maybe those shots can go on the home page?

Just have:

a home page which is about your hobby/dogs/kennels/breed and use the candid pics;

a My Breed page

a puppy/litters page with up-to-date availability and obviously info on the parents of the litter;

"my show dogs" page with profiles for each dog including a link to pedigree, maybe health-test results and extra pics of that dog.

Past Champions and your previous dog history perhaps with other breeds, could also be considered another necessary page.

All up - that's 6 pages plus pedigree/photo page for however many show dogs you have. And I think it should be very simple with navigation! I hate broken links, blank pages and music has to be THE WORST!! LOL

"Grooming", "Breed Standard", "Breed History", "Diet", "Health" etc can be in links to the best information you can find. For my breed, I know there are several sites who do it better than I will ever be able to!

Hope that gives you some ideas

Edited March 16, 2010 by t-time

[Bjelkier]

Funny this has come up as I am in the process of making my own website, handy tips for me here

What I Hate

*Sparkles, music or anything moving, hard to see and it hurts my head

*Out dated web sites, now I understand that everyone is busy but it dosn't take that long to put up a new photo of the dog or keep the litter notices current, I am not interested in what a dog is like at 8 weeks if I can't see the adult version too 4 years down the track!

*Sites that take forever to load due to the huge amount of crap that a breeder has dumped on, (this often goes back to sparkles). I am on broadband and even I have issues with some of them so I get bored waiting around and leave.

*No pedigree's listed for the dogs, I am after something, lines that work well with my dogs, lines I like.

I don't care if the dog is three times world champion if I can't see the pedigree and get an idea of what is behind the animal in question.

* Tiny photos I have to squint to see, take something nice, this is you and your kennel on display, make it look good! It dosn't have to be the worlds best photo, I just want to be able to see it.

What I Like

*Neat, tidy and clear to read.

*Information about the breeder themselves, how long they have been in the breed ect...

*Clear profiles for the dogs, pedigree, health tests and scores, height (if there is a height standard), age, pet name and a little personal info about the dog itself

* Current litter notices and information on if and when they are breeding next

*Advice on the breed itself, what kind of home is good, how much work is required for things like grooming, exercise and training

*A section on grooming if it's a coated dog

*Standard

*And photos of dogs they have bred in their new homes if possible, I would love to be able to see what a particular breeding has thrown before.

I think thats about it

Edited March 16, 2010 by Wolfsong

[sparkycat]

I agree with all that has been said already -especially re fussy websites with lots of things moving around the screen and music -really dislike them.

What I do really like is photos of the breeder/s with some of their dogs. Then I have an idea of who I am talking too when I make contact.

And photos of past litters in their new homes with little comments from the new owners.

Also approx price because most people have no idea that a pedigree dog can cost $$$$$$$$$$$$

[GoldenWei]

I HATE music as well, same with those cursor things. When I was looking at goldens, I really wanted to see about their health check status on each of the dogs profiles. So, for goldens I wanted to know their hip and elbow scores, if they hadn't been tested yet then something saying to be tested once dog reaches a certain age, also heart and eyes, ie. clear heart/eyes. I also liked looking at show news, but that is where my interest would lies.

Nice colours on the eyes, nothing really bright ie fluro etc, nothing too dark, although if you have the correct text colour, dark colours can work well, make sure you can see everything clearly.

[~*Shell*~]

So....as somebody who might be looking to purchase a particular breed of puppy, what kinds of things would you like to see on a breeder's website?

I would like to see information on the dogs you own, not just all the show information but if they do other dog sports as well, something about their personalities and a bit of a backstory about them. I've found a lot of the time (I've reseached quite a few breeds lately and looked at a lot of breeders websites) all the show information is given but when it comes to personality, some of the time it's non-existant and what endears a dog to you more than some funny stories about silly things they've done!

I'd like to see some breed health information (like tests that should be done prior to breeding), maybe a little bit about why the breeder chooses to breed a certain breed and information about breed traits. Dogs like sibes for example need a certain kind of owner - they are independent, aloof and think for themselves all the time but after seeing movies like snow dogs and 8 below, a lot of people think they're a border collie in a wolf's body - I'd love to see that kind of information on a breeder's site, telling people that they're definitely not for everyone. The same can be said for any breed I can think of - they all have their quirks!

Things like the grooming needs of the breed and maybe a bit of information about other upkeep information too - is the breed prone to eye problems, ear infections, grass seeds etc - hopefully any perspective puppy buyers will take the time to read the information you give!

What would turn you off a breeder immediately?

Websites with music on them or websites with moving backgrounds! Nothing annoys me more! I know a couple of breeders sites that play a sound effect when you log on, i have no problems with that but those shitty wav files that people put on them hurt me.

That and someone who doesn't seem to know their dogs past "They're a multiple best in group winner" or who doesn't health test - I would hope someone who is breeding from the dog would want to produce the best puppies possible to improve the breed!

What would make you feel you have found "the one"?

I don't think you can get that through a website but having easily accessable contact information, being open and honest on your website and letting people know that you're not just interested in selling them a puppy (saying that you're happy to talk about your dogs anytime!) is probably a good start!

[casowner]

I like to see where the dogs are housed and litters are raised. I would like to see pictures of the dogs just being dogs interacting with their family and other animals not just stacked photos.

[benshiva]

You can have all the sparkles you want but PLEASE keep you websites up to date Shites me to go onto websites that haven't been updated in a long time.

Phew rant over thanks for listening

[16Paws]

We had our first experience with breeders while looking for our labrador pup last year. My OH and I are both in IT so we may have slightly higher expectations then the average Joe.

Negatives

• You can't tell how old the information on the site is or there is no current information (i.e. one site said "Our next litter is planned for 2007").
  
• There is little information about the breeders (I don't just want to know your location, tell me a bit about why you breed, what your background is, etc)
  
• It is hard to navigate around the site
  
• There are very few photos of the dogs
  
• The site looks very unprofessional (to be fair I tried not to judge a breeder on this as I understand that many would be DIY sites)
  
• Information about purchasing a puppy is unclear or confusing
  
• Site is too formal (ie. there is no warmth or friendliness to the site)
  

Positives

• Lots of good and useful information about the breed, how to care for the puppies, how the purchasing process works, about the breeders, about the dogs (the breeder we originally chose didn't have a fancy site but it was written in such a way that you felt like part of the family already, she had little profiles and photos for each of her dogs, she had past stories and updates on pervious litters, she had a bio section about herself).
  
• Candid photos of their dogs (I loved one site which had gone to the trouble of creating a gallery and adding humorous comments to each photo) - personally I'm looking for a companion animal not a show animal so I want to see the dogs in family/fun environments not in their stiff show poses.
  
• Easy to navigate
  
• Contact details easy to find
  
• Professional looking site (this doesn't necessarily mean professionally designed, it just means it didn't scream 'dodgy' when you were looking at it).
  

[ellz]

Should add here that I do my own website and have done for the past 12 years or so.

I really just wanted to throw the question out there so that others who don't have their own site can perhaps get some ideas about how to maximise the potential of their sites.

[Gayle.]

One other thing I have come across on breeders websites is the demand in how contact is made. NO EMAILS or NO CALLS Retuned to mobiles is bound to turn me off. I prefer email as initial contact and only have a mobile phone.

[ellz]

One other thing I have come across on breeders websites is the demand in how contact is made. NO EMAILS or NO CALLS Retuned to mobiles is bound to turn me off. I prefer email as initial contact and only have a mobile phone.

I prefer email contact initially and I don't reply to mobile numbers because I can't. If somebody contacts me via my website, doesn't leave an email address or landline number and only leaves a mobile, they don't get a return call.

[lappiemum]

If you are looking for a cheap AND easy option, I recommend the DOL sites. Less than $90 for a year, and its very very easy to work it out. Best part is that you decide on the content and can put up/take down what you want, so that saves big $$$. Troys's designs are quite simple and clean and are fine for an initial website, esp if you are learning how to do it. If you get stuck, or the website does something weird with the coding (and that does happen) you can give Troy a quick email and he will sort it out. For value for money, its unbeatable - esp when the fee includes the domain hosting too. And I haven't had any problems with people finding my site, it gets several hits a day usually!

[KnucklesDutchnUs]

You know, you can have a functional, easy on the eye site without being a designer or developer.

My comments are on two things (like most people):

1) DESIGN

So you're not a designer, nor can you afford one.

So don't try to be one. Don't go overboard with default Windows curly fonts, animated gifs, sparkles or that funny image someone once sent you in an email.

These things are unnecessary and really ugly. (as someone mentioned before, I have seen a lot of this predominately on US sites)

Clear navigation with a simple, open design, calming colours and easy to read fonts is what you should aim for.

OR - hire a web designer.

For the amount of money you outlay, it will save you a lot of time and heartache to have a professional do it. And they can also set it up so you can update it yourself down the track.

2) INFORMATION

I agree with most of the information points raised above.

Plus photos, give me photos! Show photos, home photos, dogs from your litters in their new home photos.

Just make sure it's up to date.

A good way to combine keeping things up to date AND having a good design is to have a blog integrated into the website. It's super easy to do, and you can use templates.

Look at Wordpress and Blogger to start with.

[ellz]

If you are looking for a cheap AND easy option, I recommend the DOL sites. Less than $90 for a year, and its very very easy to work it out. Best part is that you decide on the content and can put up/take down what you want, so that saves big $$$. Troys's designs are quite simple and clean and are fine for an initial website, esp if you are learning how to do it. If you get stuck, or the website does something weird with the coding (and that does happen) you can give Troy a quick email and he will sort it out. For value for money, its unbeatable - esp when the fee includes the domain hosting too. And I haven't had any problems with people finding my site, it gets several hits a day usually!

Pssst....My current site is template based and hosting and domain cost me less than $90 per year. But yes, I agree that for somebody who doesn't want to go it alone, the DOL sites are cheap and easy.