Rare Tips to Maximizing Profits in my Dog Breeding Business

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How can a responsible dog breeder maximize profits in her dog breeding business?

The best way to sell puppies for a good price is to produce quality puppies!

Buyers can tell the difference between a top notch, loving, honest, hardworking breeder and the scum that run puppy mills.

How Should I Select My Price?

Don’t price high if you haven’t earned it.

If you’re a new breeder with no reviews and a high price, customers are going to overlook you based on price alone… UNLESS you can prove to them that you’re worth it. Very few people can pay top dollar, and you could miss the perfect family for a given pup just because of money.

Don’t price too low. People will assume you are low quality.

Don’t give away puppies for free- there are sketchy people who may mistreat them.

How do you know what price is right?

First, put in some time to research what other breeders are pricing at. This is market research at its finest. Be sure you’re only comparing to pups who are similar to your own litter- same breed, same size, similar health testing, similar breeding program, etc.

I recommend creating a list to compare. Create columns for each ad/breeder/litter that you find and fill in the following information:

• The price
• How long the breeder has been working
• If the parents are health tested or not
• If the parents are titled or not
• If the pups have ENS, ESI, Desensitization, Socialization, or other training
• If the pups have aptitude testing
• If the pups have vet health checks, vaccinations, deworming, etc.
• Where the puppies are raised (in home, outdoors, etc.)
• Any other factors that seem to increase or decrease the price. Certain desirable traits could be included here, including color, size, temperament, etc.
  • For some breeds or breeders, a certain gender is worth more money than the other, such as selling females for higher prices than males.
• Registration- Is the pup being sold with breeding rights or as a “pet only”? This can change the price drastically.

Now that you can see all this information laid out side by side for several breeders, consider how your program measures up. Don’t price higher or equal to programs that are better quality than your own. Don’t price lower than you’re worth either.

Having completed this step, when customers ask about your price, you’re prepared to show them exactly why your pups are worth every cent with data to support yourself.

Occasionally, a competitor breeder may overestimate or underestimate the market. That could throw you off if they’re included in your list. If there is a person who seems to be quite high or quite low compared to the others, throw their data out of consideration.

14 Ways to Easily Increase Your Sale Price

Next step, now that you know the average sale price for your puppies, how can you competitively increase the dollar amount per pup?

Here’s a few simple steps to raise the best puppies EVER- which will guarantee sales- and even increase your sales price!

• Choose amazing parents. Parents should be the absolute best examples of the breed that they represent. Learn more HERE
  • Health test both parents before breeding. This is different than genetics testing- both are important and necessary. Some breeders ONLY genetics test their parents, which is not enough.
• • Be sure your parents are registered with the most appropriate Kennel Club for the breed and be sure you own breeding rights so that your puppies can be registered by their owners.
• • Showing your dogs can provide titles to show how amazing they are.
• Be knowledgeable about your breed. Be ready to answer any questions about the breed.
  • If the breed standard requires tail docking, removing dew claws, etc. be sure you complete those steps at the appropriate age (usually within the first few days of life).
• Speaking of being knowledgeable- be knowledgeable about BREEDING in general. If you can answer your customer’s questions and explain WHY you do what you do, you’ll prove the quality of your program and the quality of your puppies.
• Complete ENS/ESI exercises. These early exercises were designed by the US military and provide long-term benefits for every puppy. Customers care about that! It will impact their whole life with the dog! Our Whelping Kit will teach you how to complete the exercises, as well as provide documentation records.
  • Learn about how these exercises can increase a pup’s success as a therapy/service animal!
    • Don’t lock those records away in a drawer- show them to potential buyers to explain how each pup received the best beginning to their life! It’s one thing to claim it, but having actual proof of your puppies’ incredible start is next level!
• Socialize. Puppies need lots of time with humans of all shapes and sizes. A puppy who plays with kids, adults, people of all colors, people with glasses, people wearing hats, tall and short, men and women, old and young- that puppy will be well rounded and confident. A puppy who has limited experiences is likely to be scared by new things he encounters (glasses, wheelchairs, hats, even people of a different race than the puppy is used to) so give the puppy the exposure he needs now!
• Maintain good health for all puppies.
  • Have a thorough vet check for each pup. This way, you’ll know if they have any problems that a customer should know about (share these honestly and openly- and decrease the price if a pup has a medical need).Understand puppy development and know how to navigate each developmental stage.You’ll also want to keep up on vaccinations and deworming based on the puppy’s age. Provide records to each family using the Vaccination/Deworming chart in your Whelping Kit.
  • Handle any diarrhea quickly! It could be a symptom of something worse. You could even use the documentation from a vet stating that your puppies are free of parasites to prove how healthy your babies are!
• Complete aptitude testing. A personality test can measure each puppy’s strengths and weaknesses, helping each family to choose a long-term companion who will be just right for them! Remember- there are no bad results, there is a family that is looking for each puppy and knowing their temperament inside and out helps to find that perfect match.
  • Volhard’s Aptitude Test is simple and can be completed by anyone. Just print online and follow the instructions!

• Keep things clean and sanitary. There is no faster turn off to your puppy, your program, and to YOU as a breeder than a poop-infested living space. Besides, the dogs deserve better than that. Keep everything spick and span and smelling nice!
• Desensitize the whole litter at once. Desensitization is awesome and can be done for the entire litter in about 5-20 minutes per day. It builds up a puppy’s confidence and decreases anxiety.
• Begin training.
  • Kennel training, potty training, “sit”, leash training, “lay down”, bite inhibition, even just learning to wait patiently for the food bowl- any positive behaviors you can teach the puppies will wow your customers. You could also discourage biting or barking if those are traits that your customers prefer.
  Note that you do not have to do ALL these training suggestions- just pick one or two!
  • The puppies don’t have to be experts- any help in the difficult task of training is appreciated by the puppies’ forever families.

This puppy is learning early potty-training skills using the Misty Method

• Love the puppies. You can earn more if you do. Buyers can tell the difference.
  • Raise the puppies in your home, not out in a shed or barn. That will mean a lot to your buyers.
  • Give the puppies real names. This is a pro tip, based on real human behavior. Puppies are more likely to be selected if they have real names, not just “Mr. Blue Collar”. Easy to do, and it shows that you love the puppies. Don’t worry- the buyers can change the name if they want to when they bring the puppy home.
  • Pay attention to your language when you talk about your puppies. Are you talking about them like they are a product? Puppies are not a product. They are a loved companion. Adjust your language to give them the respect that they deserve. Customers will notice.
• Take great puppy pictures that show those adorable eyes. Don’t snap quick or cheap images and hope that will do. In our day and age, so much online shopping requires images that stand out from the crowd. If you don’t take awesome pictures, buyers will scroll on by- never even looking at your ad.

A great picture captures eyes so that families can see your puppies

• Great customer service and communication both before and after purchase will go a long way! Show the family that you are invested in their wellbeing as a forever companion to one of your fur babies. This relationship continues after puppy goes home.
• Keep reviews and referrals from previous litters. Ask the families who adopt your puppies to write a note explaining what it is like to work with you or their favorite part of adopting a puppy from you. Store these in a safe place and share them with customers who are considering adopting a puppy from you.
  • If your business is on google, families can leave you a google review.
  • If you have a website, you can post reviews here and add more as you get them.
  • If you have neither, you can keep a word document or google doc available to send to potential customers at any time.  

Keep Your Expenses Low

If the end goal is profitability, it’s advisable to keep your expenses low.

However, as we are raising babies and not producing a product, it’s important to prioritize your expenses.

A few nonnegotiable expenses may include:

• Quality food
• Exercise and play equipment
• Vet expenses
• Dewormer, Vaccinations
• Safe living area
• Training equipment
• Cleaning equipment
• Emergency preparedness equipment (such as can be found in our Whelping Kit)
• Educational materials (such as can be found in our Whelping Kit)

Many of these expenses are one time purchases that can be reused for all your litters. For example, you may purchase outdoor play equipment, toys, a whelping box, whelping mats, puppy fencing, puppy potty trays, etc. which are reusable as many times as you need.

Here are a few expenses that may be decreased:

• Puppy treats- Some puppy treats are quite pricey. Instead, purchase the cheapest package of hot dogs at Walmart and cut them into small pieces to use as training rewards.
• Use free desensitization experiences by using things around the home- such as the TV, garbage disposal, vacuum, rides in the car, etc.
• Save money on ESI by using things around the home with a strong smell, such as spices in your cupboard, essential oils, or even a smelly shoe.
• Make your own homemade whelping box using inexpensive materials such as plywood.
• Search for used puppy materials on Facebook marketplace or garage sales. Kennels can often be found second-hand if you choose to kennel train your puppies.
• Decrease vet bills by proactively caring for the health of your puppies. Keeping a clean living area decreases the rate of illness. Preventative deworming decreases the chances of a worm infestation.

What are Puppies REALLY Worth?

In the end, the puppies are worth as much as the right family is willing to pay. Don’t be too caught up in finances- this IS NOT a get-rich-quick scheme (in fact, it’s not a get-rich-at-all scheme).

Remember that the puppies are living things with souls who need the perfect match for a home- not just a product to be sold. Dollars aren’t as important as a happy life for our babies.