Hi everyone,

Happy New Year! I am new to The Forum, new to breeding but have had my Labs for a while. I wanted to get some opinions about selling "leftover" puppies from a large litter.
I have 2 puppies left from a large September litter. Some of my deposits were for yellow puppies, some wanted to wait till the Spring. Nonetheless, the 2 that are left are now 16 weeks. I have advertised minimally in our local feed and tack shops but I am reluctant to go any further with my advertising for fear of running into the wrong people. And, as I am new to breeding, I don't want to appear as though I am just like the other backyard breeders in the area by advertising in papers and the local grocery store!!(we are in the south and irresponsible breeding is all over!) And we are in an area where people are not educated about well bred purebreds and will purchase a puppy with little or no paperwork just because of the reduced price.
Of course everyone and their brother will "take" a puppy off my hands but not only would that devalue the ones I have sold but that doesn't seem like a good practice to start.
Anyway, any thoughts on what to do at this point? Anyone run into similar situations? Of course they are welcome here, continue their shot, worming and Heartgard schedule and continue to thrive. Just wondered where I go from here without appearing desperate!!

Thanks

It's a poor time for selling puppies for most everyone. I would definitely drop my price enough to place them now condsidering their age. The older they get, the harder it will be. Of course letting them go to good homes only. I don't see that it devalues the ones you have sold at full price at all. Times are tough all over.

Is there a service dog group in your area who would accept donated puppies? I like to do that anyway - they need nice puppies in their programs more than I need an extra puppy price.

I second the idea of donating them to a service dog organization. They always need puppies to train, they will update you on progress and it's a good thing to do. Many of our returning service men and women will be needing service dogs.

You could try making a nice 8-1/2 x 11 inch ad on cardstock, including a pic of the pups, make mention of the parents' clearances, titles, house raised and crate trained (if it pertains), vet checked, current on inoculations and HW prevention, etc. and hang that on the bulletin board of your vet's office and other area vet clinics and any grooming shops or pet supply stores. Mention too if they have any obed training, so many times people prefer a bit older pup that has even minimal training and walks nicely on leash!

Make sure to put all relevant info that will differentiate your pups from the ones they see advertised by backyard breeders.

Also, be prepared to answer questions as to why the pups are still there. For instance, I had a really dark yellow one time, very mellow girl with me until 14 weeks old... seems everyone preferred the more pale shades of yellow (which I try to take into consideration when matching up puppies with families if they have a preference for sex or color, assuming I felt the pup was a good fit for the family otherwise too... who am I to fault them for having a color preference, I only buy Palomino Quarter Horses when I get a new horse, although it's not the only thing I look at). I didn't stress about placing her.... one day got a call from a breeder friend 9 hours away that she was referring a retired couple to me about the girl... turned out to be the perfect home and the people couldn't have cared less about her color... and they didn't hesitate a bit about making an overnight trip to come in and meet the puppy. So don't despair, the right home is out there... just part of breeding, have to be in the position to hold them no matter how long it takes to find the right home.

Why not tell the stud dog owner that you have pups available? Many times they are happy to help you place your pups by sending referrals your way.

When I googled your email address, I found a couple ads you have for the pups. It sounds like you are asking 1100 for black pups. I dont know what lab pups go for in your area but I think that $1100 is too high for blacks. Black pups are the hardest to place anywhere from what I hear. I think you should drop the price in half, put some obedience on these pups, place an ad in your local newspaper and screen the puppy buyers. In the future I wouldnt breed black pups without having deposits first so you dont run into this problem again.

um, gosh, I have NEVER heard of asking less because of color. Thanks for your thoughts.

I have to disagree with the price comment and their color. What the Heck does color have to do with price!? Are they less socialized cause of their color? Come on now. Most breeders I know put the exact same amount of time, food and care in Every puppy and their price should all be the same. I've mostly had blk puppies for 15+ years and never had an issue selling them and not discounting them either. I think the right home will come along. You have to be patient. And considering the extra socializing, vaccinations and trainings that older puppies generally have, I wouldn't discount them cheaper than you sold their littermates for at 8 weeks. Just be patient.

Do not drop your price in half. There's the right home for every puppy. Blacks are not harder to sell. Timing is everything. Some times you'll have calls for only blacks and other times not. If the sire and dam have their clearances you should be able to get $1,000 for the puppies. It takes patience. Weather in the South has been difficult this winter. Folks are probably waiting for milder temps. You may have to hold on to your puppies for a while longer but they'll find the right home. I, too, encourage breeders to look into donating a puppy to a service group but you have to be careful in that instance, too. I've done it several times and once was a catastrophe that was fortunately corrected in the end. Good luck with your puppies. Try to become involved in some dog activities and clubs. It will broaden your reputation, you'll meet nice people and it will help you to place puppies a bit easier.

I don't place my puppies until they are 16 weeks old, and my adoption fee is $1400 regardless of color or gender. In fact, I use the older puppy as a selling point. For example, I have already paid for all the vaccinations (except rabies), a microchip, a vet examination, a cardiology examination, and an ophthalmology examination and save people money on initial vet bills.

I train the puppies before they leave; they know the kindergarten version of sit, down, come, rollover, play dead, shake hands, wait, touch a target, stand, and two notes on the xylophone. They have been started on tiny agility equipment, and they are a good combination of fearless and calm before they leave me. They have more time with their littermates and their canine mother. They are calmer and more confident as a result.

I am not suggesting that you should do what I do but I am encouraging you to think about ways that keeping the puppies until they are older makes them more valuable, not less. If you don't appreciate your puppies, you can't expect others to do so.

Wow, interesting, Dr. Fulkerson and thanks, breeder X.

Yes, I do see that their value increases as they learn new things such as paddocks and horses are bad and going in the car is always good!!! And of course we absorb the bulk of the first year at the vet the longer they are here, a big plus for their new families.

I had flashbacks of a litter of Catahoula mixed puppies that we fostered for Animal Control a few years ago and the last one finally went to the right home at age 17 months!!! I know that this is completely different but you get my thought?!

Anyway, thanks again for the encouragement and great thoughts and ideas. We are having a blast watching them take on the world!!

Warmer Temps? That sounds so odd...as I live in a climate in winter that averages -15 to -20 degrees celcius on a daily basis in the coldest two months(Jan/Feb)..lol

Anywho, I would just be patient as many have said. The right home will come along. I had a couple left from my last litter(they were ready to go in the dead of winter) until they were a year old. Many people don't want puppies at that time and prefer to wait until spring but I had several people inquire in that time frame but the right home was just not there. They went to puppy class, were out socializing as much as possible and had all their shots. Then two good homes came about approx two weeks apart and both puppies are in wonderful homes now and thriving. The homes will come, no worries.

Enjoying your puppies longer is the most important part of all! I agree that the right home will come.

The color problem comes from clients wanting yellows. So *some* breeders up the price of yellow and I recently heard of a breeder-judge charging more for her chocolates unless the client was lying. I don't think she was.

So it comes down to, what the market will bare as some breeders think.

I charge the same for all colors, sex and usually age because my pups go home by 9.5 weeks at the latest. At 16 weeks, the breeder might have to reduce her price but she's already done vaccines, housebreaking, basic training and feeding. I would try to get normal price but if an excellent home presents itself that seems they could use a price break, go for it. If they don't seem to care then I wouldn't offer it. Go with your gut and good luck in this economy. You're surely not alone and if you had all yellows, buyer would want all blacks. Smile and keep posting your status. Sending Good Karma to you.

It really does not matter where you advertise your pups, it's what you do once families contact you. I've found great families through free internet advertising, ie.: Hoobly, etc. Through Hoobly - families on the other side of the state can find you.

Your ads should state - to approved families only.

Once they call, you still educate, interview, check vet references, ask LOTS of questions, etc. Be ready to say, "I am sorry, but I do not think this is the right home for one of my pups."

Even if your newspaper has an online across the state way of advertising -it doesn't make you a BYB. Your not going to sell to just anyone. But there may not be enough quality families looking for a quality dog in your immediate area.

I live in a high BYB area so don't even advertise in my immediate area. Most of my excellent families come from neighboring 2 states or from 3 hours across my state. How will that type find you if you only advertise locally?

I NEVER drop the price. For the market, you may not be doing enough advertising. JMO

I am the husband in this lab world - I have observed a lot of breeders over these years and placing puppies sometimes seems very uncomfortable for some- no matter how long they have been breeding. I really don't see trouble placing puppies- color, sex, size of litter, economic environment, etc. If we have a pup still around it is because we have become picky on the family placement. We don't lower the price- it may even go up. You are not selling, you are helping people get what they want and educating them. Would it be helpful for someone to map out the process on placement and presenting their kennel/program?

A couple of times i have had a couple pups that stayed with me longer. It was fun. I was very picky about where they were going and just kept them and worked with them. By the time they left they were mostly house trained, fully crate trained, knew to follow me, understood sit and stay.

I figure i am not selling last year model tv's. I am selling a living breathing animal that i took the responsibility to breed and if it stays with me longer so be it. I have droped the price from time to time though when i knew the family, knew it would be a great home but they just couldn't afford the full price.

As for the color issue i have blacks and chocolates. They sell for the same price no matter color or gender but i have had an issue finding homes for the blacks vs the chocolates.

As for advertising i have put up notices in the grain store, they love my pups there and have recommended them to people. I have also notified my vet of pups looking for a home, eventually the right one always comes along.

Thanks for your thoughts and the offer.

You're right, it is all about educating people. I am in an interesting situation as I am a member of a county appointed group of citizens(dog owners, veterinarians, hunters, breeders, rescue groups) who came together to do something about the overpopulation of abused, neglected and unwanted companion animals.

After years of fund raising, adoption events, spay/neuter drives etc, our focus has narrowed to teaching in the school system. We teach about general pet care,(food, water, shelter, discipline, veterinary care etc.) but we also teach about the importance of spaying/neutering and adopting from a local shelter or Animal Control. As several of us teach with TDI certified dogs and as a few of us either breed or show, we do have the opportunity to teach the kids about well bred purebred dogs and why our dogs have not been spayed or neutered.

But I find that it is a fine line for me to not only keep my doors open for mama's and litters needing a place to whelp, grow and heal but also to respect my fellow committee members who are in the trenches day after day housing, caring for and ultimately euthanizing hundreds of dogs and puppies a month.

So, yes, it is about educating and finding the right fit. And you are all correct, there is a family for every dog, including the kooks!! I continue my patient vigil for the right families for these wonderful two!!!!

Obviously you have developed great diplomatic skills. It's been a pleasure talking with you. Keep up the good faith and courage. You will succeed in finding good homes for your babies. Kate

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Do they play keyboard and guitar too? You could charge 10,000 a pup if they do! LOL