Oh everyone, please keep advertising with Jill. Many people don't do Facebook. I have found the studs here to be wonderful.

I agree with above poster about advertising with Jill. In my area, the dogs I see seem to have the same pedigrees as there are excellent breeders with well known dogs in my area. Sometimes I like to add something from outside to my lines. I am small and unknown to most and have not been accepted to the FB group. I have really enjoyed just looking at and seeing pedigrees of the spotlight dogs.

Please do not stop the spotlight dogs. The ads are so nice and easy to check the information and go on to the web site if needed. In my area we all say go look, new spotlight dogs or did you see on the spotlight dogs. We really use it and nice, nice dogs. I also tryed to look at FB at the stud dogs yesterday. alot out of the Country, which I can not afford, some much more like pets, and a few over and over until you are board. If they could do one picture and update. But the spotlight dogs here are top dogs almost all the time. Nice to see.

I think all avenues for advertising your stud dog make sense. You have something that you are very proud of and you want the whole world to know it!
It is especially important if you have a smaller kennel and your name is not so recognizable. Hopefully, people will look beyond the big name kennels and might find, research and use your special boy.

With Facebook, you have to keep posting your boy because after two days he disappears. Some people here think it is unnecessary bragging. .. but that is what you need to do.

The Spotlight ad, even for a month but better for two, was terrific for me. I continued to get hits even on the last day the ad was posted. When I want to spend money, my ad will go here. Eventually, I will spend money on an LQ ad because so many people get it and save it for reference. Mine go back to 1990.

Finally, I did put an ad in the Julie Brown directory because it is an institution and because the new owners are just the most terrific people in the world.

I got so tired of getting the same FB notifications of certain breeders posting their stud dog or dogs repeatedly or announcing wins that didn't intrigue me. Repeats over and over on FB does get on some of our nerves so we search for the settings not to be notified each time the same breeder & dogs come up.

FB advertising isn't the way to go for stud dog owners in my honest opinion. Even the sneaky "I want to be your friend" with their different groups isn't going to make me view those breeders sites for their dogs when I already know how many have have TVD or haven't passed clearances too many times.

FB ads are no different then a newspaper ad. I don't currently own any boys but if I did, I would go in different directions. The Spotlight Ads, word of mouth and there's pleny of that good & bad, the new Julie Brown although I feel like that's being stuffed down my throat and a few other avenues like websites might be best for all.

Be creative and last of all, get your dog to The Potomac if possible if you want them viewed although the show is not the same as is was not that long ago. Go to other Specialties that have dogs you're interested in entered at, seeing a dog in the flesh is better then a photograph.

Trying a few venues still get many breeders that just might be looking for a boy like yours working for both parties.

"FB advertising isn't the way to go for stud dog owners in my honest opinion. Even the sneaky "I want to be your friend" with their different groups isn't going to make me view those breeders sites for their dogs when I already know how many have have TVD or haven't passed clearances too many times."

So. . . advertising in certain ways in not morally acceptable to you. It makes the advertiser and his dog less worthy?
So, you are sure that a dog that may have produced a genetic problem will never show up on an LQ ad or on a spotlight ad?

It is so easy to research any stud dog these days, especially since almost everyone with a stud dog has a website. You have to do the research yourself.

I would also suggest going onto OFFA.org to further check out a dog. There are things not so obvious that can raise an eyebrow.

BUT, By the time we are done with all this, the clearances, the hearsay, etc., etc., if there is a dog left standing that is worthy to be used at stud, it will be a miracle and seriously, not so good for the gene pool in Labradors in my opinion. But that is for another discussion. . .

I think advertising is a great way to make people aware of different dogs, and we are lucky there are so many options that everyone can find what is right for them. However, once one has a selection of dogs they are considering, nothing beats old fashioned homework and a hands on approach to evaluating a dog. Advertising is a way to get your attention - it is your responsibility to make sure the dog truly is what you believe him to be.

It is fairly easy to research clearances these days; the difficult part is researching issues that do not present themselves in clearances. Check out the clearances of offspring. Is the ECHO clear dog out of a TVD affected parent? It might not matter in the end but it is good information to have when making a decision. A lot of this involves talking to people, the stud dog owner, other breeders who have used the dog, and your mentor.

Go to shows and watch the dog move; if possible, put your hands on the dog. If you are looking for work ethic, go to a field event and watch the dog in action, or talk to people who have seen the dog in action. Wins and stats are great but they do not present the whole picture and are often irrelevant.

Yes, it can be a lot of work, but it is also a learning experience and the value of that is priceless. It certainly offers more comfort around a particular breeding than picking a dog via a picture.

agreed!

Given how many people are using dogs that have no final clearances, have not come into themselves, and otherwise have no real accomplishments aside from a few wins in puppy classes, I think in practice this is nowhere near reality. I am amazed at how many people are advertising what are essentially puppies at stud, and how many more people are using them. This goes against everyone's fears that people are "breeding to clearances". Their offspring cannot possible have good health clearances or accomplishments as the stud itself is too young to have any. The newest thing that appears to be a plus in advertising is the proclamation that puppies have reached a certain weight by an early age - 90 pounds at 7 months! Who cares and what does that have to do with the quality of the dog? We have become an instant gratification society.

Is that what the poster said? I don't see it. You're putting words in others mouths 'breeder'.

After two days we forget a nice stud dog we may see on FB. I don't think so. After see one every day we do want to forget it. Makes you wonder why, what is wrong. Most post once. Does not matter large kennel or not. Pedigree and how the dog looks, sells the dog. Trying to make them more than meets the eye is odd to me. Go to show to check out stud dogs. Pictures can sure be mis-leading. We do like the spotlight ads very much. We can save the ads and that is nice.