Would this work to raise extra money???

[shari2shop]

I was talking to my husband's aunt the other day. She is only a few years older than I am and she has 5 kids that she homeschools. To raise money to pay for their homeschooling supplies they raise puppies . I think they are some sort of spaniel. She said they usually make about $4000 a year!!! ug: They have 2 females and one male. Each year both females have 2 litters that average 5 puppies each (20 puppies total for the year). They live in the North Dallas area and sell the puppies for $250 each (the last 1 or 2 left they sell for $200). She said that they usually get about $4,800 for the puppies and then use about $800 or so for puppy food, supplies, shots and ads. The cost of taking care of the adult dogs does not come out of their puppy money since they are actually pets and their care money comes out of the regular hosuehold budget. They take great care of the dogs. The kids play with them alot and they seem to be full of energy and healthy.

I know people all over the world raise and sell registered dogs. I wonder if I could devise some sort of a program and raise some puppies too??

Has anyone ever done this???

Thanks!

Shari

 

[MrsPete]

My parents raised and sold a few litters of puppies. They made some money, but I don't think it was a windfall. Mainly they did it because they and we kids enjoyed it.

Do you like dogs and think you would enjoy this enterprise on a personal level?

Do you have space to keep them? Your dog-area must be spotlessly clean, or dog-people will shun your pups; no one wants to buy a dog they think has been raised in squallor -- it raises questions on the dog's total care.

Does your city /homeowners association allow large numbers of dogs?

Do you have someone to take care of them when you go out of town?

Do you have a registered female dog? You can't skimp on the quality of the parent-dogs -- they must have all the most desirable traits for their breed: large or small size, best markings, nice ears, whatever's fashionable for your particular breed.

You can easily locate a male dog through the vet's office. You don't have to pay for the male dog's "services". A male dog owner will "bring his dog over to play" for a few days in exchange for pick of the litter. If he doesn't want to take a pup himself, the typical charge is the proposed cost of one pup.

You'll have to pay up front for the puppy shots, etc., but obviously you'll build this into the cost of the puppy. Once we had a puppy try to walk down the deck steps too soon, and she broke her leg; we had to pay for a vet visit.

In every single litter, we had one pup who remained long after the others were gone. We always ended up selling this pup for a very reduced rate; don't assume that every one of the pups will be scooped up for big bucks.

This is an uncertain business. Your dog might have three pups this time (and you have to give one to the male dog's owner), giving you a paltry pay day. But next time she might have eight, which -- assuming you can sell them all -- will pay well.

 

[Lyn5]

I have a lemon beagle that breed with my heeler and we ended up having 7 really nice puppies with about a dozen people/families who wanted them. I ended up giving some of them away and then on our next set of two puppies we sold them for around $50 each....just to cover some of the cost. We could have probable sold them around my area for $500-$1000 each to strangers, but I have a really soft heart about animals and was just happy to choose good homes for them. So yes, if you have a good market and demand I think you could make some $, but on the other side is that cleaning up and taking care of puppies is a lot of work. Also, when we had our second set of two it was really close to one of our family trips, so it would have been hard for me to find someone to take the extra care for feeding and cleaning up after the puppies as well as feeding my numerous other animals. Luckily, they were old enough to leave their mom before our trip. The biggest factor on why I didn't want to breed dogs is that my children get attached easily and so it was really hard to part with the puppies. Just things to think about.

 

[shari2shop]

I actually don't have any plans to raise puppies, right now. For some reason I was just thinking about my husbands aunt and our conversation. It just seems like an pretty easy way to make some extra cash. I was wondering if this was something that others had thought of or tried.

I know it would be alot of work. I know you would have to really love your dogs reguardless if they had puppies or not.

You'd have to have top quality dogs. I actually think that would be the easy part. I think finding the market to sell the puppies would be the hard part.

Actually, selling puppies might be a little hard on my kids too! *L* That would be my luck, we would have all these puppies and couldn't sell them because of the kids!

We live on a ranch with no people for miles, so I don't have to worry about neighbors or room being an issue.

We actually have kennels for my husbands dogs. I could have him add to the kennel area a seperate area for my dogs.

As for the cleaning, we have people who work on the ranch that clean the kennels that we have now on a daily basis.

I think I would try to time the females cycle so that puppies were not due around the time of trips or just before.

My husband's aunt said that she started running ads when the pups were about 4 weeks old. She said that she usualy sold the first 1 or 2 for an extra $25 since they were the 'pick' of the liter. She would actually keep the puppies until they were six weeks old before letting the buyers take them home. Then, when the last 1, or sometimes 2, are left she sells them for about $50 less.

This actually might be an idea that I play with in my mind for a while. Maybe I could start with one female. I could 'borrow' and male. I could see how things went before I invested in a trio.

Thanks for the input. We actually sold Shelties when I was little but I was actually too young to remember much.

Thanks!

Shari

 

[swilshire]

I raised registered Australian Shepherds for a few years. They're great dogs, but it was a LOT of work. Selling them was a pain because you could spend HOURS with the people who come to look at them. At one point I had two females and 17 puppies about the same age. After that crew, I retired.

Vet bills and all the associated medical costs eat up a huge chunk of your profits.

Sheila

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I hope that you reconsider and do not decide to breed your dog with profits in mind. There are so many reasons not to.

First of all, just because a dog is a purebred, that does not me that he/she should be bred. If the animal was sold as a pet, chances are very good that it was done so because it does not meet the breed standard for conformation. People who raise and show their dogs breed female to male with certain expectations that it will enhance the line...A male with more bone mass, a female with a slightly better stance.

There are also genetic problems inherent to each and every pure breed of dog. A responsible breeder will take the steps to help ensure that they are not promoting a defect by having their both male and female checked. Will you pay to have your pet's hips and eyes certified prior to breeding?

Not every mating takes. You may have to bring male and female together thru a number of cycles before a litter is produced. If the female rejects the male, you may never be successful. In some cases, the owner of the male will charge you for each mating, regardless of whether it produces a litter or not.

There's possibility that you could lose your beloved pet if something goes wrong during the whelping. Puppies can get stuck in the birth canal. There can be excessive bleeding. Infections have been known to set in after the birth. She may need an emergency C-section.

Can you take off of work in order to help with puppy care until they've gone to their new homes? Mamma dog and the babies should not be left by themselves for 8 to 10 hours while the family is away. She's going to need to eat often. She'll need to be able to get out often. The crate will need to be cleaned daily. Puppies are noisy, dirty and can be very destructive by the time they reach 4 weeks of age.

What if mamma dog cannot nurse her litter? Are you prepared to hand raise each and every pup 4 to 5 times a day? Round the clock? Until they are weaned?

You will need to pay for pre-natal vet care for the mother, post-natal care, vitamins, increased food during pregnancy and nursing. You will need to pay for the puppies' first shots and wormings, possibly the second set as well. Are you prepared to cover the costs of 10 weeks of puppy care, since puppies should not be separated from their litter prior to that period? Will they need tail-docking or dew claw removal in the first few days of life? More vet bills.

What happens to the puppy whose new owner cannot keep it? Will you take it back? Will you refund their money? Most responsible breeders will stipulate in the purchase contract that any dog that they sell is to be returned to their kennel instead of being placed in a shelter of adopted out to another family.

What if one or more of the puppies does not sell? Are you prepared to give them a life-time home? Will you sell them to whoever comes up with the cash or will you choose their new homes with care?

There are so many unwanted dogs that are destroyed everyday. Please don't add to pet over-population. I doubt that you would make very much money, if any at all in your venture.

Edited to add: Sadie and Bentley are both "rescue pups" who were abandoned by their breeders when they were only 4 weeks old! These babies were actually left to fend for themselves by the side a road. I know that I may come across as a little harsh in my statements above but it is because of the mistreatment that these two adorable sweeties received so early in their lives. Pet overpopulation is a very sensitive subject for me.

AKA-Mad4theMouse (who will now climb back down from her soapbox and skulk into lurkdom again)

 

[DisneyFan09]

I hope that you reconsider and do not decide to breed your dog with profits in mind. There are so many reasons not to.

First of all, just because a dog is a purebred, that does not me that he/she should be bred. If the animal was sold as a pet, chances are very good that it was done so because it does not meet the breed standard for conformation. People who raise and show their dogs breed female to male with certain expectations that it will enhance the line...A male with more bone mass, a female with a slightly better stance.

There are also genetic problems inherent to each and every pure breed of dog. A responsible breeder will take the steps to help ensure that they are not promoting a defect by having their both male and female checked. Will you pay to have your pet's hips and eyes certified prior to breeding?

Not every mating takes. You may have to bring male and female together thru a number of cycles before a litter is produced. If the female rejects the male, you may never be successful. In some cases, the owner of the male will charge you for each mating, regardless of whether it produces a litter or not.

There's possibility that you could lose your beloved pet if something goes wrong during the whelping. Puppies can get stuck in the birth canal. There can be excessive bleeding. Infections have been known to set in after the birth. She may need an emergency C-section.

Can you take off of work in order to help with puppy care until they've gone to their new homes? Mamma dog and the babies should not be left by themselves for 8 to 10 hours while the family is away. She's going to need to eat often. She'll need to be able to get out often. The crate will need to be cleaned daily. Puppies are noisy, dirty and can be very destructive by the time they reach 4 weeks of age.

What if mamma dog cannot nurse her litter? Are you prepared to hand raise each and every pup 4 to 5 times a day? Round the clock? Until they are weaned?

You will need to pay for pre-natal vet care for the mother, post-natal care, vitamins, increased food during pregnancy and nursing. You will need to pay for the puppies' first shots and wormings, possibly the second set as well. Are you prepared to cover the costs of 10 weeks of puppy care, since puppies should not be separated from their litter prior to that period? Will they need tail-docking or dew claw removal in the first few days of life? More vet bills.

What happens to the puppy whose new owner cannot keep it? Will you take it back? Will you refund their money? Most responsible breeders will stipulate in the purchase contract that any dog that they sell is to be returned to their kennel instead of being placed in a shelter of adopted out to another family.

What if one or more of the puppies does not sell? Are you prepared to give them a life-time home? Will you sell them to whoever comes up with the cash or will you choose their new homes with care?

There are so many unwanted dogs that are destroyed everyday. Please don't add to pet over-population. I doubt that you would make very much money, if any at all in your venture.

Edited to add: Sadie and Bentley are both "rescue pups" who were abandoned by their breeders when they were only 4 weeks old! These babies were actually left to fend for themselves by the side a road. I know that I may come across as a little harsh in my statements above but it is because of the mistreatment that these two adorable sweeties received so early in their lives. Pet overpopulation is a very sensitive subject for me.

AKA-Mad4theMouse (who will now climb back down from her soapbox and skulk into lurkdom again)

Scoot over because I'm jumping on your bandwagon!!! I totally agree!!

 

[thelionqueen]

My brother breeds Bull Mastiffs, but they don't get nearly that kind of money. I would consider other avenues that maybe don't take as much expertise...but that's just MO.

 

[goofyforlife]

I'm with mad-4 mouse too....

If your selling puppies for the money and not for the betterment of the breed...that's almost the same motive as a puppy mill...

You may take better care of them than a mill would but the results are the same... (extra puppies into the pet chain while there are unwanted dogs needing rescues)

I have a purebred Bernese. Sure I could have bred her. However, my vet gave us an awesome talk on why we shouldn't...

Your husband's aunt seems to have gotten extremely lucky at only having to spend $800..... So much more could always happen....so as your female having trouble with birthing and needing a middle of the night emergency c-section (that could cost well over $3,000) and you may end up losing your pet even after all that cost..... Shots and the series of wormer alone for the pups to keep them healthy is alot of money (more than $800 in this area)

Don't take this the wrong way but there have to be other ways to save money than this...

 

[MommyBoo!]

I hope that you reconsider and do not decide to breed your dog with profits in mind. There are so many reasons not to.

First of all, just because a dog is a purebred, that does not me that he/she should be bred. If the animal was sold as a pet, chances are very good that it was done so because it does not meet the breed standard for conformation. People who raise and show their dogs breed female to male with certain expectations that it will enhance the line...A male with more bone mass, a female with a slightly better stance.

There are also genetic problems inherent to each and every pure breed of dog. A responsible breeder will take the steps to help ensure that they are not promoting a defect by having their both male and female checked. Will you pay to have your pet's hips and eyes certified prior to breeding?

Not every mating takes. You may have to bring male and female together thru a number of cycles before a litter is produced. If the female rejects the male, you may never be successful. In some cases, the owner of the male will charge you for each mating, regardless of whether it produces a litter or not.

There's possibility that you could lose your beloved pet if something goes wrong during the whelping. Puppies can get stuck in the birth canal. There can be excessive bleeding. Infections have been known to set in after the birth. She may need an emergency C-section.

Can you take off of work in order to help with puppy care until they've gone to their new homes? Mamma dog and the babies should not be left by themselves for 8 to 10 hours while the family is away. She's going to need to eat often. She'll need to be able to get out often. The crate will need to be cleaned daily. Puppies are noisy, dirty and can be very destructive by the time they reach 4 weeks of age.

What if mamma dog cannot nurse her litter? Are you prepared to hand raise each and every pup 4 to 5 times a day? Round the clock? Until they are weaned?

You will need to pay for pre-natal vet care for the mother, post-natal care, vitamins, increased food during pregnancy and nursing. You will need to pay for the puppies' first shots and wormings, possibly the second set as well. Are you prepared to cover the costs of 10 weeks of puppy care, since puppies should not be separated from their litter prior to that period? Will they need tail-docking or dew claw removal in the first few days of life? More vet bills.

What happens to the puppy whose new owner cannot keep it? Will you take it back? Will you refund their money? Most responsible breeders will stipulate in the purchase contract that any dog that they sell is to be returned to their kennel instead of being placed in a shelter of adopted out to another family.

What if one or more of the puppies does not sell? Are you prepared to give them a life-time home? Will you sell them to whoever comes up with the cash or will you choose their new homes with care?

There are so many unwanted dogs that are destroyed everyday. Please don't add to pet over-population. I doubt that you would make very much money, if any at all in your venture.

Edited to add: Sadie and Bentley are both "rescue pups" who were abandoned by their breeders when they were only 4 weeks old! These babies were actually left to fend for themselves by the side a road. I know that I may come across as a little harsh in my statements above but it is because of the mistreatment that these two adorable sweeties received so early in their lives. Pet overpopulation is a very sensitive subject for me.

AKA-Mad4theMouse (who will now climb back down from her soapbox and skulk into lurkdom again)

ITA!!

 

[pearlieq]

There are some real ethical gray areas here. Pet overpopulation is a real problem--every animal you were to breed to make money takes away a home for an animal in a shelter in danger of being euthanized.

If you're thinking of doing this purely as an easy way to make some extra cash, please reconsider. Dog breeding is not a "plug and play" industry. It takes a lot of knowledge and experience to become a good breeder--you can't just expect to get a male and female, have them do their thing, and sell off the results.

There are many better ways to make money that don't play God with living beings.

 

[mainewmn]

I hope that you reconsider and do not decide to breed your dog with profits in mind. There are so many reasons not to.

First of all, just because a dog is a purebred, that does not me that he/she should be bred. If the animal was sold as a pet, chances are very good that it was done so because it does not meet the breed standard for conformation. People who raise and show their dogs breed female to male with certain expectations that it will enhance the line...A male with more bone mass, a female with a slightly better stance.

There are also genetic problems inherent to each and every pure breed of dog. A responsible breeder will take the steps to help ensure that they are not promoting a defect by having their both male and female checked. Will you pay to have your pet's hips and eyes certified prior to breeding?

Not every mating takes. You may have to bring male and female together thru a number of cycles before a litter is produced. If the female rejects the male, you may never be successful. In some cases, the owner of the male will charge you for each mating, regardless of whether it produces a litter or not.

There's possibility that you could lose your beloved pet if something goes wrong during the whelping. Puppies can get stuck in the birth canal. There can be excessive bleeding. Infections have been known to set in after the birth. She may need an emergency C-section.

Can you take off of work in order to help with puppy care until they've gone to their new homes? Mamma dog and the babies should not be left by themselves for 8 to 10 hours while the family is away. She's going to need to eat often. She'll need to be able to get out often. The crate will need to be cleaned daily. Puppies are noisy, dirty and can be very destructive by the time they reach 4 weeks of age.

What if mamma dog cannot nurse her litter? Are you prepared to hand raise each and every pup 4 to 5 times a day? Round the clock? Until they are weaned?

You will need to pay for pre-natal vet care for the mother, post-natal care, vitamins, increased food during pregnancy and nursing. You will need to pay for the puppies' first shots and wormings, possibly the second set as well. Are you prepared to cover the costs of 10 weeks of puppy care, since puppies should not be separated from their litter prior to that period? Will they need tail-docking or dew claw removal in the first few days of life? More vet bills.

What happens to the puppy whose new owner cannot keep it? Will you take it back? Will you refund their money? Most responsible breeders will stipulate in the purchase contract that any dog that they sell is to be returned to their kennel instead of being placed in a shelter of adopted out to another family.

What if one or more of the puppies does not sell? Are you prepared to give them a life-time home? Will you sell them to whoever comes up with the cash or will you choose their new homes with care?

There are so many unwanted dogs that are destroyed everyday. Please don't add to pet over-population. I doubt that you would make very much money, if any at all in your venture.

Edited to add: Sadie and Bentley are both "rescue pups" who were abandoned by their breeders when they were only 4 weeks old! These babies were actually left to fend for themselves by the side a road. I know that I may come across as a little harsh in my statements above but it is because of the mistreatment that these two adorable sweeties received so early in their lives. Pet overpopulation is a very sensitive subject for me.

AKA-Mad4theMouse (who will now climb back down from her soapbox and skulk into lurkdom again)

I agree %100!

No way would I ever treat an animal as a way for me to raise extra $.

 

[DiznEeyore]

I'm with mad-4 mouse too....

Me, too.

 

[Braque]

There are some real ethical gray areas here. Pet overpopulation is a real problem--every animal you were to breed to make money takes away a home for an animal in a shelter in danger of being euthanized.

Volunteer some time down at your local animal shelter before you consider breeding dogs again, please.

Mid Hudson Animal Aid

 

[mamalle]

my inlaws breed king charles spaniels and its alot of work. granted they make a couple thousand everytime they sell one but IMO its not worth it. One had a hip dysplasia, another one had a eye problem.. they now have 5 dogs. its crazy over there with all of them..

 

[shari2shop]

I'm the OP!

First of all.... I don't have 'pet' dog that I'm planning on breeding.

Also, this is not something that I'm saying that I'm going to do. After talking to my husband's aunt I was amazed at the amount of money she was able to make. As mentioned in my first post, I was just curious if anyone was a breeder and was able to make the extra money.

I guess alot of people feel that dogs should not be breed and ones from the pound should be rescued. That causes me to wonder..... if people who breed dogs are discouraged from breeding then where will the breeds be in 50 years? 100 years? Will the only pure breed dogs around be ones from puppy mills?

 

[goofyforlife]

Will the only pure breed dogs around be ones from puppy mills?

Please don't take this as sounding harsh....

If better laws are enacted and people don't support puppy mills or pet stores...then they won't have a business...

 

[MandM-Mom]

I don't breed puppies but I do breed and raise Lion-Head Rabbits..... It is so much more work than I ever expected and alot of heartache when we lose a litter or even just one from the litter. But I do love doing it, they are our babies! We are very selective about the homes and have an open door policy for returns, if at anytime they don't want or can't take care of them they know they can drop them off or we will pick them up. We always deliver our bunnies to the home, they must have adequate housing set up before we leave them!

I don't see anything wrong with families raising animals that they will later sell I would rather buy an animal from a loving home than a pet store because you have no idea what that animal has been through which can affect its behavior, its especially important when its going to be around children.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

I guess alot of people feel that dogs should not be breed and ones from the pound should be rescued. That causes me to wonder..... if people who breed dogs are discouraged from breeding then where will the breeds be in 50 years? 100 years? Will the only pure breed dogs around be ones from puppy mills?

No. If we eliminate backyard breeders who mate ***** to dog for the sole purpose of realizing a profit, then what we end up with is responsible breeders who are more interested in improving the quality of the breed they love than they are in enhancing their bank account.

 

[Wish I lived in Fl]

A website on breeding responsibly. I thought about breeding my dog just because he is the best Golden Retriever temperament but reading this was enough to rethink it.

http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/breeding.html