Is there a FB group that features only stud dogs?

Yes , and its lovely.

Could you share the name of that group?

https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/284859710662/

Ok, thanks. But where are all the US yellows??? A lot of the yellow listings are foreign

I thought you said you were breeding for structure , not color. When a breeder breeds for quality , color should not enter into the picture.

You'll have to spend some time scrolling through the posts, and there are lots of them. Keep looking. You'll find lots of lovely dogs from right here in the USA as well as Canada.

She asked for a yellow stud dog......if that's what the person is looking for it's her privilege to do so. Let her be and find something else to complain about.

Not everyone posts their stud dogs on this FB page - I haven't bothered to do it. You shouldn't be relying on FB pages to select a stud dog. I have a heavily-used yellow boy that isn't posted on there - do your homework, go to shows, see the dogs in person, and then decide who to use.

Absolutely agree with the above. So much of the Facebook stud advertising is newer breeders tooting their own horns about dogs that most won't look twice at if lined up at a specialty. Some photographs circulating have been altered and others are from very flattering angles. There are two quite heavily used studs that come to mind that haven't been shown outside the owners immediate area and the lemmings keep flocking to them based on a picture or two that appear on Facebook every couple months. Just because a dog wins or because breeder so and so bred to a dog doesn't make him right for your bitch. Really folks, pictures may be worth 1000 words but having your hands on a dog in the flesh is worth a million.

Cheers!
Jan

I agree, if you have to put your dog on there 5 or 6 times. And keep reminding folks of him that does sound like a new person. And some are not really stud dogs, they are just young dogs that never had a litter ? Do your homework. Don't breed to the dog of the day.

Thats like saying someone putting their same stud in the LQ for every issue for a year+ is a newby... I suggest you rethink that... FB os a great way for free advertisement doesnt mean people posting in that group are all newbies. There are several #1s in the country advertised.... the OP was just looking for a link not negative thoughts on the page.

Ok so if you live off the beaten path and have limited access to specialties etc. If these boys aren't easily found how do we find them if there is no advertising of them?

The things that get put out on this board really blows the mind sometimes. Only newbies advertise? Really??

FB is another tool to use to market our boys...and it happens to be free. It is called marketing and those that are savy will utilize the tool to their advantage. There are so many lovely dogs in our breed, there is nothing wrong with advertising and making people aware of your dog and what he produces. It is up to bitch owners to take it from there but at least they have the opportunity to see what options are available.

No one was saying all are newbies. Most post once and maybe update when amother nice title. Great dogs on the FB stud list. Some use it to brag over and over, not what it is for.

Sounds like someone is jealous that they don't have a nice stud dog to put on FB

You sound like a newbie yourself. What difference does it make what other people do? The only person(s) who have any right to say what can or cannot be posted there are the moderators of the group. Not everyone is on Facebook 24/7. Older posts go completely off the page, and unless someone keeps scrolling or knows to browse through the album pictures, they may never see a particular dog. If the whole point is to advertise, then people who bring their dog back up periodically are smart.

Pictures/advertising are only a means to get people interested in a dog - they do not replace seeing the dog in person, checking out pedigrees, clearances, temperament, work ethic, etc. However, they do help narrow down the list.

Are there people who get irritated by dogs that get re-posted frequently? Probably, and the owner may be taking a risk at alienating potential interested bitch owners, but more likely than not they are just alienating overly cranky people who have no interest in their dog anyway so who cares. If the moderator feels it is out of control, I am sure they will say something.

The more information, the better. Get a grip folks.

I recently put a video of one of my boys on that FB page. He is a fabulous producer, and I did it because I was asked by many to do it, now the viedo can be seen and I don't have to send it in emails. And if any of you have recently looked at that stud dog page you would be eating your words. Again, this is just another way of showing off your dog, good sound dogs that produce same. There is no difference from putting these boys in the LQ , except for the obvious , it is free.
I've used my name , so if any of you have issue , feel free to contact me . I would be happy to chat with you!

How long does it take to be accepted into this group? Just curious as to how long before I am accepted... or not.

Accepted ? I didn't know you had to be I guess, it just showed up on my feed. If you send me your name , I will put it in the slot and see what happens .

I don't think there's an acceptance criteria.... but I would hope that the admins on that page would block known puppy farms, silver breeders, etc. Not saying that anyone who's posted here anonymously is in that boat, but just sayin'....

Here's a question that I've been pondering. Do you think that the Spotlight Ads have become obsolete now that there is free advertising on Face Book?

Just curious if breeders think that their dogs are getting more exposure from FB, than from the Spotlight Ads?

-Jill

@Jill I think Spotlight ads are seen by more people. I know i get confused and frustrated on FB because of the "pet" looking pics that a lot of people post. I want to see a good stacked shot and a head shot. A lot dont even put websites or contact info :( I enjoy the cleanliness of the Spot Light Ads and will probably do more in the future :)

I have to agree with Deb. Its a free place to put dogs accomplishments. I know many well known breeders post there and its just another way for their boys to be seen if you dont website search.

To the OP... feel free to email me as well. Would be nice if the studs were split by color as well. I know sometimes we wantto incorporate a particular color and would be nice to find a boy that is or carries that color that will match well with our girls. I know we breed for structure first but its nice to find a dog that produces that and the color we want :)

As one of the few administrators for the group, we do have it so that you need to be accepted within the group inorder to view it. We decided on this, as Greg has pointed out, because we want to scan who is being added. Outside of silver breeders previously being in the group, we have actually had some people that wanted to be added because they weren't actually looking for studs that were dogs, it was more of the two legged kind. At least that what I have seen. As for how long it takes to be accepted - it is whenever one of us can get to your request, we all have full time jobs + home life to attend to, so we try our best to accept as soon as we are able.

As for people "re-advertising" their stud dog, if a stud dog photo is added lets say 6 months ago, and the same photo re-appears within the news feed, that is not because the breeder/owner has reposted the photo, it is because a member has been scanning through the photos, and "Liked" or commented on the photo and therefore it re-appears in the news feed. If the photo is an updated photo, of the dog today, then I don't see an issue with that, as the breeders are showing how the dog grows/matures. Which I would see as a benefit for those looking for studs.

Jill - To answer your question - I still find your spotlight ads very useful, and I love the changes that you have made. It gives just yet another spot for breeders to advertise their lovely dogs and wins. Keep it up!

No, Spotlight ads are NOT obsolete.

I still like the spotlights because it is so simple to view each month with so few clicks of the mouse in a "showcased" manner (more like a magazine compilation). I grow tired of the searches on facebook that aren't easily performed because of how the information is categorized (call name vs. registered name for example). Lots of people don't follow the rules for posting to the stud dog facebook group by posting their photos in an "album" ;this gets annoying when you're searching for particular dogs. What I do like about Facebook is the ability to provide a more recent photo at any moment, however that is not the premise behind spotlight ads since it is more static and magazine like in nature.

I do like the idea of a 2mo spotlight ad for the same price though.

Michelle

Jill, Please don't stop the Spotlight Ads. I use them every month to learn about dogs around the country that I might not have know about. I find it easier to use than Facebook ads...

I just refuse to use FB.

Jill,
I hope you continue to showcase dogs every month. I love to see them in a beautiful layout, and see their pedigrees as well. It is not as overwhelming to see a dozen or so as opposed to many dozens on FB. But, I do use FB to view dogs, too. I prefer seeing them on your site, though.

I don't find that FB is a good reference for stud dogs, unless you are taking good notes every time one is introduced.

I still like the idea of being able to look up a dog and find its' web page with all the pertinent information

Jill, would you be able to compile all of the spotlight dogs going forward - build a file alphabetically to refer to?

I am also a monitor of that group...with over 3200 members and dozens joining daily it can get hectic.

I know myself, I remove at least a dozen post a day that fall under spam, non stud dog post, sales, or pets...so I know they others are doing the same.
As long as they follow the rules they can stay. Some folks we gently nudge in the right directions others are just banned.

If you are a member of the list and come across a improper post one of us might have missed feel free to email us and we will try to take care of it.

It is a great place to market your stud dogs, I do wish there were better ways to organize them, it can be very confusing to search. I tell folks to go to the photo album and search from there.

As my post says, I am not FB savvy. I spent a couple of hours looking at photos and I never did get to the beginning. Is there a way to jump to the first posts? Maybe a lot of the US dogs were posted first(?). Every time I clicked on a picture to find out more about a dog I had to start all over once I got back to the original FB page. :(

Jill, I LOVE the spotlight ads and it does a great service! I wish more people (like hundreds) would advertise here. I think more breeders would use the spotlight ads if you offered longer exposure at a reasonable price. Taking it to two months is an improvement but I think you would have much better success if you offered subscriptions for 6 months or better yet, a year! What a great resource it would be if a breeder could go to one place to browse pages of stud dogs (without repeats)with links to their websites. And if there are numerous dogs advertised please separate them by color! (You can find quality dogs and good structure in ALL colors, in response to this ridiculous post: **I thought you said you were breeding for structure , not color. When a breeder breeds for quality , color should not enter into the picture.**)

There really is a need for a place where someone can browse what's out there. I can't remember all the studs that I liked and my memory needs refreshing. I probably should keep a running list but I didn't.

Anyway, I'm interested in a pure yellow dog that is EIC clear because my bitch is a carrier. My girl has good structure but she could be improved with shorter coupling. Add to my wish list but not as important, a straighter coat with little wave and not a huge dog or one that is in the upper size limits of the standard. Receiver is my all time favorite for type. If anyone has suggestions please email me.

Ha, so much for Labradata, I tried a stud search (yellow, no chocolate, neg EIC, US, ok without pictures) and only ONE dog came up! Two came up when I expanded my search for dogs up to 8 years old. How sad.

darn internet... I was knocked off all day yesterday, and barely back on this morning.

While, I'm happy to see that many of you still feel that there is a place for the Spotlight Ads, I still am not getting the volume of Ads that I was getting before the Face Book thing began. Simple fact, people like free. I understand that. Bandwidth on FB is free, for me, not so much. I have to pay for it. It would be impossible for me to just leave the Ads up all year round. I would be paying more and more for the bandwidth used. If you guys REALLY wanted to support that idea , I could do it, but I doubt that would be the reality of it.

Michael Silva posted a thread on how to save the Spotlight Ads to your computer, so you can keep them for reference, and you also have the option of printing them out and making your own booklet.

I've always wanted to keep the ads *fresh*, that is why we were monthly. With the number of Ads declining, I made the decision to go bi-monthly. The price will remain the same, (I am still doing the same amount of work getting them up there) but they will remain up for two months. It's not a change that I'm thrilled with, as I've always liked the idea of being able to get your dog up there **right** after that big win, instead of having to wait the 4 months as the Quarterly runs.

Funny thing about the internet, people have always thought of it as *free*. Well, it's not. Someone has to pay for it. When I buy music, I use ITunes, no , it isn't free, but how do the artists get paid for their time and talent if people just download their music for free?

Spotlight Ads are not free. I put time, effort and money into maintaining the website. I still feel, as I would imagine many of you who have advertised on the Spotlight Ads that the exposure is well worth the price. IF you have a good dog, and present it on a Spotlight Ad, it WILL be seen. By over 1,500 serious breeders throughout the world, each month.

If you want to support the Breeder Links Website, it has to have the Spotlight Ads to survive. I am not Face Book with million dollar companies advertising on my website. I cannot compete with an organization such as FB.... where everything seems *free*.

It’s up to you guys, if you think it’s time for the Spotlight Ads to end, that end is coming nearer.

-Jill

I HAVE PLACED SEVERAL SPOTLIGHT ADS OVER THE YEARS AND HAVE GOTTEN QUITE A FEW STUD SERVICES FROM PEOPLE SEEING THEM. I HAVE HAD A BETTER RESPONSE FROM THE SPOTLIGHT ADS THEN FROM ADVERTISING IN THE LQ OR OTHER PUBLICATIONS. ON FACEBOOK THINGS DISAPPEAR SO FAST YOU NEVER CAN FIND THEM AGAIN AND IT JUST DOESN'T HAVE THE POLISH AND CLASS THAT JILL'S ADS DO. I CINCERELY HOPE YOU DON'T STOP DOING THEM JILL.

@ Jill, here is an idea. Do themes. Bitches, Studs, Brood bitches, Sires with kids, hopefuls, etc. I think that it would keep it fun and people can see beyond the studs. Giving more time for the money should definitely bring up more volume of ads.
I'm not sure if it is all due to "Free" FB or people got tired of the bashing and decided to spend more time in FB than in a "rude" forum. Not saying it is not a great tool for serious breeders, just an opinion.

Hi Jill,

My opinion is that not everyone uses FB, not everyone reads the Labrador Quarterly, not everyone buys a Julie Brown (now Ed Nolls- "Directory"), not everyone gets the UK show books or even knows how to search or translate foreign languages through the translator services. So I think that the savvy advertisers, advertise to the audiences that they want to capture. Not everybody is friends with everybody on FB and most photos are not necessarily open to the public.


I think that your Spotlight ads capture a wider, global audience, have been around for awhile and now that you are having 2fer's again, might be the centralized repository to post nice photos and pedigrees.

My motto is never breed to a picture, but again, that is just my motto.

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.