Alec Swan
Well-Known Member
"Profit" is so often the ugly word, and all so often justifiably. As I see it, those who breed dogs, fall into two categories:
There are those who are experienced, approach it with conscience, and have a better than rough idea, of what they'll end up with. They will all so often, show or work their dogs. They will also live in the real world, and work out for themselves, that there is no direct money to be made from a litter of puppies. They will almost certainly have secondary incomes, perhaps from training, boarding kennels, or other than canine interests.
Then we have the person who buys a near exotic breed, at around £1000, expecting to make money from it. Bitch puppies are generally more expensive than their male siblings, for a very good reason. It would be her perceived future value. These very same people, who all so often haven't the faintest idea what they're doing, and who are then laughingly described as "Breeders", who dispense advice to the future buyers of their puppies, and who wouldn't recognise a dog of the correct temperament, if it bit them. How often have others asked for my advice, given me their reasoning, and when I've looked at them askance, the reply has been, "Well that's what the breeder said"!!
Simply because someone calls themselves a breeder, is no automatic passport to the right to talk rubbish; rubbish born of complete ignorance. As a footnote to that, I'm not referring to everyone who breeds a litter of puppies.
Where is there money to be made, in breeding dogs? If a bitch produces one litter of puppies a year, let's say they would average 7. Then at an average of £350? each, and considering the stud fee, the cost of keeping the bitch for a year, and the cost of rearing the puppies, one would need 30 or 40 brood bitches to be able to earn a living, and it wouldn't be much of one at that, considering the work load.
I suppose that there are the puppy farms, as a third option, but generally they're no better than the second!
Sweeping statements? Perhaps so, but "Fools walk etc...."
Alec.
There are those who are experienced, approach it with conscience, and have a better than rough idea, of what they'll end up with. They will all so often, show or work their dogs. They will also live in the real world, and work out for themselves, that there is no direct money to be made from a litter of puppies. They will almost certainly have secondary incomes, perhaps from training, boarding kennels, or other than canine interests.
Then we have the person who buys a near exotic breed, at around £1000, expecting to make money from it. Bitch puppies are generally more expensive than their male siblings, for a very good reason. It would be her perceived future value. These very same people, who all so often haven't the faintest idea what they're doing, and who are then laughingly described as "Breeders", who dispense advice to the future buyers of their puppies, and who wouldn't recognise a dog of the correct temperament, if it bit them. How often have others asked for my advice, given me their reasoning, and when I've looked at them askance, the reply has been, "Well that's what the breeder said"!!
Simply because someone calls themselves a breeder, is no automatic passport to the right to talk rubbish; rubbish born of complete ignorance. As a footnote to that, I'm not referring to everyone who breeds a litter of puppies.
Where is there money to be made, in breeding dogs? If a bitch produces one litter of puppies a year, let's say they would average 7. Then at an average of £350? each, and considering the stud fee, the cost of keeping the bitch for a year, and the cost of rearing the puppies, one would need 30 or 40 brood bitches to be able to earn a living, and it wouldn't be much of one at that, considering the work load.
I suppose that there are the puppy farms, as a third option, but generally they're no better than the second!
Sweeping statements? Perhaps so, but "Fools walk etc...."
Alec.
