Heath62 Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 (edited) I have only recently joined this group, after previously having had a bad experiences off buying a puppy and finding out the he had a untreatable bleeding disorder and we lost him at 13 mths. We have now decided we are ready to find a new forever fur baby and decided to do it through here, even though we expect to pay a lot more it will be worth every penny not to go through the heartache off loosing another puppy so young. i must say so far I have found the experience rather frustrating. I have sent email applications to three different breeders 2 with litters due within the next 3 months and one with a 6mthold pup due now and have yet to here back from anyone, I find this really frustrating, especially the 6 mth old as it is still being advertised. If this gorgeous pup is no longer available or if for whatever reason they have decided we are not suitable a simple email saying they already have a lot off applications or it is no longer available would be nice so I could stop thinking about this gorgeous pup. Edited November 26, 2018 by Heath62 Forgot to click notify for replies Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 3 hours ago, Heath62 said: I have only recently joined this group, after previously having had a bad experiences off buying a puppy and finding out the he had a untreatable bleeding disorder and we lost him at 13 mths. We have now decided we are ready to find a new forever fur baby and decided to do it through here, even though we expect to pay a lot more it will be worth every penny not to go through the heartache off loosing another puppy so young. i must say so far I have found the experience rather frustrating. I have sent email applications to three different breeders 2 with litters due within the next 3 months and one with a 6mthold pup due now and have yet to here back from anyone, I find this really frustrating, especially the 6 mth old as it is still being advertised. If this gorgeous pup is no longer available or if for whatever reason they have decided we are not suitable a simple email saying they already have a lot off applications or it is no longer available would be nice so I could stop thinking about this gorgeous pup. Some breeders, especially the well known ones, get so much email they throw up their hands. It's not like they are commercial enterprises, and often they have more calls for pups than they can handle. Try phoning... or the relevant breed club. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 I’m drowning in Christmas puppy emails at the moment. I will follow them all up with a polite reply but it is hard work! And yes, I breed once every few years and clearly state on my website that I have nothing available until mid 2019. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Also many emails go to the junk pile or if like us had no end of issues with NBN & no working internet far too often. Plus many are away showing ,judging ,have life commitments yes it can be frustrating but selling puppies isn't there full time job . Email them again or phone . We get alot of emails,many with no heading,strange headings & they often end up in junk mail or the email address is deemed junk with our system . I agree Christmas is a bad time so many emails wanting christmas puppies that you do need to walk away from the computer some nights . For the DOL advertised pup make sure the heading clearly states older dog on DOL but not saying this is you but we have advertised the odd older dog CLEARLY outlining the home & other important info regarding the dog & get umpteen emails from people replying who want the dog BUT the complete opposite to the dog in question which is very frustrating for us as well or the emails that sound so pushy that this is the right pup for them you get alarm bells .Granted all should be answered but time sometimes gets away from us . Dont be in such a rush ,when you find the right breeder things will go great ,at present it sounds like you are just sending emails in all directions but not actually getting to know the breeder ,the ideas,beliefs & finding out if there the right people for you 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asal Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Yes, phone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Yes, remember that the best ANKC breeders are not just producing puppies for the cash, and won't consider you a customer as such - they are looking to place their babies in the right homes with people who will treasure them for life and can give them the best things in life too. Look on this as a major life decision rather than a buying choice - after all, this pup or older dog will be a member of your family for possibly fifteen years or more. Not something to rush headlong into - better to build a rapport with breeders than to expect them to act like used car salesmen eager to make a sale LOL. Even when breeders do have a pup available, there is no guarantee that they will think they have a pup exactly suitable for you. Especially in the less common breeds (and certainly with quality breeders of the really popular breeds) you may have to court the breeder - sell yourself to them as someone worthy to own one of their precious pups. LOL it is almost the opposite of buying from a puppy farm or pet shop! 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HunterDoggy Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Like everyone else is saying, they are probably busy and will eventually get back to you. When did you email them? I emailed a breeder myself on Monday and haven’t heard back yet but I understand that it takes time and as stated above, people are probably scrambling for Christmas puppies so this time of year is busier than usual! Although for us (who have emailed) we can’t wait to hear back and are always checking for replies but for the breeders they have our emails plus a ton more to reply to! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heath62 Posted November 27, 2018 Author Share Posted November 27, 2018 Thank you for all your replies and advice, maybe I’m being a bit impatient and have not really thought about it from the breeders points off view, off course they would only want their puppies to go to the best possible family, and I will look forward to eventually getting our new little fur baby. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRG Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Heath62. Don’t be disheartened. In my opinion, some breeders do not make enough effort. We talk a lot about “get to know the breeder” but not enough about the breeder getting to know the potential buyer. It cuts both ways and breeders, if they seek to get the trust of the general population, should make an extra effort to be understanding and helpful. now I will get off the soapbox! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 I agree , I emailed breeders and had no response from 4 . The only way I actually got a dog was through someone here who knew a breeder and told me who to contact and to text or call not email , I personally think it’s rude to not reply . 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 (edited) Many who do the puppy email forms often just have them there for the stage when pups are born,sexes known & basic outline of what your after. Some reply often it does state on there pages the process . What breed are you after ?? Edited November 28, 2018 by Dogsfevr 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two Best Dogs! Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Good luck! It is very disheartening and a hard slog. After a few failed litters and getting impatient when the next litter wasn't due for 6 more months, I switched to a similar breed that had some puppies already ready for visiting and purchase. It worked out, he's a lovely dog and pretty close to what I wanted. Next time around it will be 50/50 if I will go with a registered breeder or rock up at the pound and take the first one that seems healthy. I don't particularly want to "court"* more breeders (I laugh now but it was such an upsetting process, even though none of the fails were the fault of most of the breeders. I've just no desire to repeat such an experience) If you are really set on the one breed, keep at it! You will eventually find a breeder you click with who also has puppies on the ground or coming soon. Don't be afraid to email, or post in your local *insert breed here* facebook group to hear about those who are more "word of mouth". Not all of them get listed on dogzonline even though they are registered breeders. You might also want to consider older pups at 4 or 5 months that get returned for reasons not their fault (don't want this to happen, but sometimes it happens!) *Courting is the right word Ruralpug. I think i was about ready to buy some wine, book a restaurant, meet the parents, maybe stand outside a house playing music. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 So...my last 2 litters, pups have sold for $1750 each. First litter I just broke even on costs (not including my time and travel). The second litter I had 7 pups with 2 still born and 1 put to sleep at 5 weeks after x-rays. Surprise, surprise I didn’t break even with that litter either. An honest question - would puppy buyers prefer I doubled my prices so I could treat breeding like a business and answer emails within 7 days? Personally I’d like to breed affordable pups, raise them to the best of my ability and place them in the best homes possible. Truth be told no-one is privileged to have any idea what’s going on in someone’s life at any one time. Yes, I’ve slipped of late in terms of getting back to people but sometimes things happen that you can’t control. Trust me, if I could change my current circumstances I would. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 What breed are you after?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 10 hours ago, The Spotted Devil said: So...my last 2 litters, pups have sold for $1750 each. First litter I just broke even on costs (not including my time and travel). The second litter I had 7 pups with 2 still born and 1 put to sleep at 5 weeks after x-rays. Surprise, surprise I didn’t break even with that litter either. An honest question - would puppy buyers prefer I doubled my prices so I could treat breeding like a business and answer emails within 7 days? Personally I’d like to breed affordable pups, raise them to the best of my ability and place them in the best homes possible. Truth be told no-one is privileged to have any idea what’s going on in someone’s life at any one time. Yes, I’ve slipped of late in terms of getting back to people but sometimes things happen that you can’t control. Trust me, if I could change my current circumstances I would. I think most people would be okay with slower replies, as long as they actually get a reply. It's frustrating and very disheartening to spend an hour writing an email, introducing yourself, your family, your situation, only to not hear back at all. As if the breeder read everything you had to say and then dismissed it so carelessly that they couldn't even be bothered with a reply. Threads like these are not all that uncommon. And when you consider that these threads are just the people who found the forums and decided to ask, there are probably plenty of people experiencing the same things. If buying a puppy from a registered breeder is so difficult and unenjoyable, people may end up looking elsewhere, and honestly, who could blame them? I can understand that sometimes life happens and things fall by the wayside, but if breeders expect puppy buyers to jump through endless hoops to get a puppy, there has to be some effort on the other end. (This isn't aimed at you, TSD, given you do actually reply.) I think a lot of the problems stem from the fact that the transaction between breeder and buyer is very one-sided. No breeder wants to see it as simply a commercial transaction- money being exchanged for something- they see it as finding homes for members of their own family, and want the control of where puppies go, whether or not they'll be desexed, etc. But money is exchanged, and it's usually a considerable amount. So puppy buyers get the short end of the stick: they pay a lot of money for something they have to be judged "worthy" of getting. I'm sure plenty of breeders would consider that to be perfectly fair, but when they're getting the better end of the deal, of course they'd consider it fair. I'm not saying that breeders shouldn't vet potential puppy buyers for the basic stuff, or that they should charge less money; but that breeders should be aware of how one-sided it is, and work to make the experience as good as they can for their puppy buyers- the people who are paying upwards of $2,000 for the privilege of giving one of your babies a good home. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 I return emails pretty much as soon as I see them if only to say I'll get back to you, I'm in the middle of a run of night shifts But as I get so few enquiries for my breed it's hardly a strain. I can imagine having a popular breed and getting many emails or calls per day could be tiring, especially when so many of those would be the one liners. (got pups, how much type emails) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malamum Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 (edited) Breeders who tend to get inundated with puppy enquiries could set up an automated response that acknowledges the email, explains that they do indeed get a lot of emails and that it takes them some time to read them all and respond so expect a response in xxxx and give an estimated time frame. I get that the one liner type emails would be tough and somewhat soul destroying but for those you could have a template response that provides a bit of information about the breed, what you expect from puppy buyers and a set of questions you would like them to answer. If you have that saved - then it's just a quick copy and paste rather than typing individual responses each time. I think part of the issue is that breeders or "dog people" i.e. people like us who frequent places like DOL have an expectation of what the process generally is but the general public really have no idea and their expectations are wildly different. There needs to be a way to bridge that gap. I had someone ask us recently how one even goes about finding a breeder and my OH laughed and said "be a part of every dog forum known to man" in reference to me, but it wasn't far from the truth. I was lucky enough to get a puppy from a highly regarded breeder and I couldn't have asked for a better puppy buying experience but me even knowing about the breeder and then getting an introduction came about due to connections I have made via DOL and I've made a 16 year investment in being active on DOL but that is not what the average person does so they don't know what they don't know and cold calling/emailing is tough when you are not aware of the unwritten rules that go with enquiring about a puppy. Edited November 29, 2018 by Malamum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, Rebanne said: I return emails pretty much as soon as I see them if only to say I'll get back to you, I'm in the middle of a run of night shifts But as I get so few enquiries for my breed it's hardly a strain. I can imagine having a popular breed and getting many emails or calls per day could be tiring, especially when so many of those would be the one liners. (got pups, how much type emails) For people who get a lot of emails, there are still fairly easy ways to handle it: set up an email address for puppy enquiries, set up an automated reply (something along the lines of "Thanks for contacting us, we'll get back to you as soon as possible.", job done. From there, sort emails into those that can be answered quickly ("Do you currently have puppies for sale? Want puppy.") and those that need time to read and reply to more fully (like those where the person has clearly put time into it). For the latter, send off a second email, letting them know that you appreciate their enquiry and want to give it the time it deserves, but that may take a few days. The short enquiries can be answered with equally brief info ("Yeah, see info on litter here. Thank you for your enquiry") and that way, effort is not wasted on those who don't seem that interested, without actually writing them off completely. As a rescuer, I get a lot of similar stuff- everything from "Can I have a free dog? I need it delivered here by XX date. Thanks." to hefty essays on their breed research, family life, financial situation, feelings about children, feelings about life, dogs, whether onions should be on Bunnings sausages and how high their fences are- so I found it helpful to knock out the quick stuff first, reducing your perceived workload, before moving onto stuff that requires more thought. For common questions, maybe keep a notepad document with some quick copy/paste replies. For example, I get a lot of enquiries from parts of Asia (god knows why) and I have a generic copy/paste reply that thanks them for contacting us and explains that we do not adopt dogs overseas. Saves a lot of time. Edit: probably should have checked for new replies before finally remembering to hit enter Edited November 29, 2018 by Maddy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 On 29/11/2018 at 1:54 PM, Maddy said: For people who get a lot of emails, there are still fairly easy ways to handle it: set up an email address for puppy enquiries, set up an automated reply (something along the lines of "Thanks for contacting us, we'll get back to you as soon as possible.", job done. From there, sort emails into those that can be answered quickly ("Do you currently have puppies for sale? Want puppy.") and those that need time to read and reply to more fully (like those where the person has clearly put time into it). For the latter, send off a second email, letting them know that you appreciate their enquiry and want to give it the time it deserves, but that may take a few days. The short enquiries can be answered with equally brief info ("Yeah, see info on litter here. Thank you for your enquiry") and that way, effort is not wasted on those who don't seem that interested, without actually writing them off completely. As a rescuer, I get a lot of similar stuff- everything from "Can I have a free dog? I need it delivered here by XX date. Thanks." to hefty essays on their breed research, family life, financial situation, feelings about children, feelings about life, dogs, whether onions should be on Bunnings sausages and how high their fences are- so I found it helpful to knock out the quick stuff first, reducing your perceived workload, before moving onto stuff that requires more thought. For common questions, maybe keep a notepad document with some quick copy/paste replies. For example, I get a lot of enquiries from parts of Asia (god knows why) and I have a generic copy/paste reply that thanks them for contacting us and explains that we do not adopt dogs overseas. Saves a lot of time. Edit: probably should have checked for new replies before finally remembering to hit enter Maddy, sorry to head off topic here, but do you know what the deal is with the Asia thing?? The Australasian animal registry, for example....what IS that?? Are the dogs expected to stray and swim to Bali? Or are we allowed to import pets from Asian countries? (Which doesn’t make sense to me given that to the best of my knowledge even dogs coming from the USA have to sit in quarantine, so why we’d be open to dogs from Indonesia where there are random Rabies outbreaks is kinda beyond me...). In your case at least, is it a matter of you don’t export dogs or can’t (legally)? I know importation is a whole other topic but the Australasian thing really has me thrown.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted December 3, 2018 Share Posted December 3, 2018 Dogs from Asia do quarantine the requirements are just the same as any other country except NZ . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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