Breeding for profit

[matilda99]

I'm not a breeder yet, still looking around and studying and trying to assemble some nice breeding stock. I won't bore you with the reasons why I think so, but I believe this is something I could do very well. I'm not rich but have financial resources to buy what I need to get started and take good care of my dogs. I have a nice big house with a safe yard. Everywhere I keep seeing breeding can't be done for profit. Please explain to me why not. I do understand that a good, responsible breeder will most likely not get rich at it because it is extremely labor intensive and the welfare of the dogs must always come first, but they should be able to make some profit. Some people make it sound like something dirty to make a little money breeding. I'm confused about this and would like to hear from some breeders who do make a profit. Thank you.

[bjh]

Originally Posted by matilda99

I'm not a breeder yet, still looking around and studying and trying to assemble some nice breeding stock. I won't bore you with the reasons why I think so, but I believe this is something I could do very well. I'm not rich but have financial resources to buy what I need to get started and take good care of my dogs. I have a nice big house with a safe yard. Everywhere I keep seeing breeding can't be done for profit. Please explain to me why not. I do understand that a good, responsible breeder will most likely not get rich at it because it is extremely labor intensive and the welfare of the dogs must always come first, but they should be able to make some profit. Some people make it sound like something dirty to make a little money breeding. I'm confused about this and would like to hear from some breeders who do make a profit. Thank you.

Many breeders do make money from breeding their Yorkies but what upsets many is that some jump into breeding Yorkies without any knowledge of the breed or any knowledge of health concerns. It sounds like you are going about it the right way. Now if you are into showing your Yorkies then there would be very little profit because show breeders invest so much in showing costs and breeding stock. A very small show home would most likely always be in the red. Some people get into breeding and find out really fast that it is really not so simple. So many things can go wrong no matter how prepared you might be. You have to be able to take the good with the bad and pray that all goes well. The main point it that you should not start breeding just because you want to make money. If you love the breed and think you can breed responsibly then I see nothing wrong with that. First and foremost I feel a Yorkie should be a beautiful, sound, healthy companion dog and then if all goes well they can also be a show dog.

[larsensyorkies]

I didn't read this whole thing, but here's a thread that was posted not too long ago:

Do you breeders really make no money at all from breeding??

[SET Yorkies]

I've posted this before, but I would like for you to read it as well. These are my thoughts on breeding... Breeding and working with dogs has been a blessing for me and my family. Sometimes I do well and make a profit sometimes I don't. We do a good deal of training and boarding Yorkies, so I am able to off set loss that way.. In the long run, I can say if I accounted for my time, not just expenses, I'm sure I am beyond the negative in profit.... That said, here's something to think about.....

Every breeder on this board started somewhere…. Let me tell you the story of our humble beginning as something to consider. I had an excellent mentor….. She was passing the torch of 25 years of knowledge and experience to me (how lucky was I?)…. My second litter was due being whelped by my most beautiful dog (not to mention that I was also attached to her as much as I was my children)…. Talk about a textbook pregnancy…. 42nd day ultrasound showed 6 very well proportioned, small puppies…. Delivery started…..no distress….easy labor on the first puppy… then nothing….and nothing… I was prepared…. I had read all of the books…. Not to fear, middle of the day, no emergency call…. We headed to the vet just to be sure (12 miles)….she died in my hands as I walked through the office door…. I called my mentor in horror and unbelievable grief….she said, “you’ll know in a few weeks if this is for you.” …. She said that because I had 6 very tiny puppies (5 saved through c/s) that needed to be nursed every two hours for weeks….I buried my Gizmo where our new kennel stands today and got started with her babies…..I would hardly close my eyes b/f it was time to feed again….two weeks into it, one just didn’t thrive….now I was at wit’s end….three days later one aspirated on the feeding tube….I was done, called my mentor and told her to come get them all… she said, “no, this was your choice”…. 20 or so weeks later of round the clock care, One by one, these tiny replicas of their mom, of whom I had become a surrogate mother, were picked up by new owners, placed under various Christmas trees….and absolutely delighted special families….One to 4 kids, one to a wife of 35 years, one to an only child, and one to new bride. To this day, I still grieve for my Gizmo, to this day I still check up on every puppy I sell… I’ve shoveled truck loads of poop, dried gallons of pee, built kennels, torn down kennels, delivered puppies at 2:00 am on every holiday celebrated by man (even my kids birthday parties which I had to miss)….Breeding is a complete sacrifice of everything else when the moment counts b/c your female is counting on you for everything….If you bring puppies into this world they are your responsibility and yours alone. My mentor made that quite clear to me. If you do not have the ability to deal with the difficulties with the same passion as you delight in the rewards, keep you little girls as a pets….. If you do have the ability, this could be the blooming of a wonderful new career…one that I love more with every pooper scooper full….

[hha]

Every breeder should make some money, the ones that have to have c-sections, etc. don't make as much, and it depends on how much you sell your pups for...If you sell them for $4000-$5000 apiece, well, sure, you're going to see a profit, but, if you sell them for $500 on up to $1500, you won't make as much..that would be my problem if I bred, I would probably only sell them for $500 apiece..so, I would go in the hole..

[bbrewser]

Originally Posted by SET Yorkies

I've posted this before, but I would like for you to read it as well. These are my thoughts on breeding... Breeding and working with dogs has been a blessing for me and my family. Sometimes I do well and make a profit sometimes I don't. We do a good deal of training and boarding Yorkies, so I am able to off set loss that way.. In the long run, I can say if I accounted for my time, not just expenses, I'm sure I am beyond the negative in profit.... That said, here's something to think about.....

Every breeder on this board started somewhere…. Let me tell you the story of our humble beginning as something to consider. I had an excellent mentor….. She was passing the torch of 25 years of knowledge and experience to me (how lucky was I?)…. My second litter was due being whelped by my most beautiful dog (not to mention that I was also attached to her as much as I was my children)…. Talk about a textbook pregnancy…. 42nd day ultrasound showed 6 very well proportioned, small puppies…. Delivery started…..no distress….easy labor on the first puppy… then nothing….and nothing… I was prepared…. I had read all of the books…. Not to fear, middle of the day, no emergency call…. We headed to the vet just to be sure (12 miles)….she died in my hands as I walked through the office door…. I called my mentor in horror and unbelievable grief….she said, “you’ll know in a few weeks if this is for you.” …. She said that because I had 6 very tiny puppies (5 saved through c/s) that needed to be nursed every two hours for weeks….I buried my Gizmo where our new kennel stands today and got started with her babies…..I would hardly close my eyes b/f it was time to feed again….two weeks into it, one just didn’t thrive….now I was at wit’s end….three days later one aspirated on the feeding tube….I was done, called my mentor and told her to come get them all… she said, “no, this was your choice”…. 20 or so weeks later of round the clock care, One by one, these tiny replicas of their mom, of whom I had become a surrogate mother, were picked up by new owners, placed under various Christmas trees….and absolutely delighted special families….One to 4 kids, one to a wife of 35 years, one to an only child, and one to new bride. To this day, I still grieve for my Gizmo, to this day I still check up on every puppy I sell… I’ve shoveled truck loads of poop, dried gallons of pee, built kennels, torn down kennels, delivered puppies at 2:00 am on every holiday celebrated by man (even my kids birthday parties which I had to miss)….Breeding is a complete sacrifice of everything else when the moment counts b/c your female is counting on you for everything….If you bring puppies into this world they are your responsibility and yours alone. My mentor made that quite clear to me. If you do not have the ability to deal with the difficulties with the same passion as you delight in the rewards, keep you little girls as a pets….. If you do have the ability, this could be the blooming of a wonderful new career…one that I love more with every pooper scooper full….

Very nice post

[hha]

I know of another woman who lost her bitch while giving birth too..this is why mine are all spayed/neutered..if I bred and lost the mother, it would devastate me..

[matilda99]

Your story made me cry. What a wise mentor you had. Best, Mattie

[pepe mint]

Originally Posted by SET Yorkies

I've posted this before, but I would like for you to read it as well. These are my thoughts on breeding... Breeding and working with dogs has been a blessing for me and my family. Sometimes I do well and make a profit sometimes I don't. We do a good deal of training and boarding Yorkies, so I am able to off set loss that way.. In the long run, I can say if I accounted for my time, not just expenses, I'm sure I am beyond the negative in profit.... That said, here's something to think about.....

Every breeder on this board started somewhere…. Let me tell you the story of our humble beginning as something to consider. I had an excellent mentor….. She was passing the torch of 25 years of knowledge and experience to me (how lucky was I?)…. My second litter was due being whelped by my most beautiful dog (not to mention that I was also attached to her as much as I was my children)…. Talk about a textbook pregnancy…. 42nd day ultrasound showed 6 very well proportioned, small puppies…. Delivery started…..no distress….easy labor on the first puppy… then nothing….and nothing… I was prepared…. I had read all of the books…. Not to fear, middle of the day, no emergency call…. We headed to the vet just to be sure (12 miles)….she died in my hands as I walked through the office door…. I called my mentor in horror and unbelievable grief….she said, “you’ll know in a few weeks if this is for you.” …. She said that because I had 6 very tiny puppies (5 saved through c/s) that needed to be nursed every two hours for weeks….I buried my Gizmo where our new kennel stands today and got started with her babies…..I would hardly close my eyes b/f it was time to feed again….two weeks into it, one just didn’t thrive….now I was at wit’s end….three days later one aspirated on the feeding tube….I was done, called my mentor and told her to come get them all… she said, “no, this was your choice”…. 20 or so weeks later of round the clock care, One by one, these tiny replicas of their mom, of whom I had become a surrogate mother, were picked up by new owners, placed under various Christmas trees….and absolutely delighted special families….One to 4 kids, one to a wife of 35 years, one to an only child, and one to new bride. To this day, I still grieve for my Gizmo, to this day I still check up on every puppy I sell… I’ve shoveled truck loads of poop, dried gallons of pee, built kennels, torn down kennels, delivered puppies at 2:00 am on every holiday celebrated by man (even my kids birthday parties which I had to miss)….Breeding is a complete sacrifice of everything else when the moment counts b/c your female is counting on you for everything….If you bring puppies into this world they are your responsibility and yours alone. My mentor made that quite clear to me. If you do not have the ability to deal with the difficulties with the same passion as you delight in the rewards, keep you little girls as a pets….. If you do have the ability, this could be the blooming of a wonderful new career…one that I love more with every pooper scooper full….

there is so much more to breeding than what a lot of people think. and this post is a prime example. it's not all about having a house full of puppies and getting to revel in the puppy breath. and hoping to make a little money. there is just SOOOOOOOOOOOO much to it!

[Sugar's Mom]

Originally Posted by SET Yorkies

I've posted this before, but I would like for you to read it as well. These are my thoughts on breeding... Breeding and working with dogs has been a blessing for me and my family. Sometimes I do well and make a profit sometimes I don't. We do a good deal of training and boarding Yorkies, so I am able to off set loss that way.. In the long run, I can say if I accounted for my time, not just expenses, I'm sure I am beyond the negative in profit.... That said, here's something to think about.....

Every breeder on this board started somewhere…. Let me tell you the story of our humble beginning as something to consider. I had an excellent mentor….. She was passing the torch of 25 years of knowledge and experience to me (how lucky was I?)…. My second litter was due being whelped by my most beautiful dog (not to mention that I was also attached to her as much as I was my children)…. Talk about a textbook pregnancy…. 42nd day ultrasound showed 6 very well proportioned, small puppies…. Delivery started…..no distress….easy labor on the first puppy… then nothing….and nothing… I was prepared…. I had read all of the books…. Not to fear, middle of the day, no emergency call…. We headed to the vet just to be sure (12 miles)….she died in my hands as I walked through the office door…. I called my mentor in horror and unbelievable grief….she said, “you’ll know in a few weeks if this is for you.” …. She said that because I had 6 very tiny puppies (5 saved through c/s) that needed to be nursed every two hours for weeks….I buried my Gizmo where our new kennel stands today and got started with her babies…..I would hardly close my eyes b/f it was time to feed again….two weeks into it, one just didn’t thrive….now I was at wit’s end….three days later one aspirated on the feeding tube….I was done, called my mentor and told her to come get them all… she said, “no, this was your choice”…. 20 or so weeks later of round the clock care, One by one, these tiny replicas of their mom, of whom I had become a surrogate mother, were picked up by new owners, placed under various Christmas trees….and absolutely delighted special families….One to 4 kids, one to a wife of 35 years, one to an only child, and one to new bride. To this day, I still grieve for my Gizmo, to this day I still check up on every puppy I sell… I’ve shoveled truck loads of poop, dried gallons of pee, built kennels, torn down kennels, delivered puppies at 2:00 am on every holiday celebrated by man (even my kids birthday parties which I had to miss)….Breeding is a complete sacrifice of everything else when the moment counts b/c your female is counting on you for everything….If you bring puppies into this world they are your responsibility and yours alone. My mentor made that quite clear to me. If you do not have the ability to deal with the difficulties with the same passion as you delight in the rewards, keep you little girls as a pets….. If you do have the ability, this could be the blooming of a wonderful new career…one that I love more with every pooper scooper full….

Thank you so much for sharing this story.

[jrsygal37]

"trying to assemble some nice breeding stock." They deserve to be someone's pets and family - not breeding stock.

Elaine

[matilda99]

Originally Posted by jrsygal37

"trying to assemble some nice breeding stock." They deserve to be someone's pets and family - not breeding stock.

Elaine

Well, that was nasty and sarcastic in an otherwise pleasant thread. Breeding stock is an efficient, technical way to refer to animals that were selected for their particular suitability for breeding; it wasn't meant as a derogatory way to make them sound like mere commodities. One can have pets that are also good "breeding stock," don't you think? Since you disapprove of breeding, where do you propose we should get Yorkies?

[Rae Rae]

Originally Posted by matilda99

Well, that was nasty and sarcastic in an otherwise pleasant thread. Breeding stock is an efficient, technical way to refer to animals that were selected for their particular suitability for breeding; it wasn't meant as a derogatory way to make them sound like mere commodities. One can have pets that are also good "breeding stock," don't you think? Since you disapprove of breeding, where do you propose we should get Yorkies?

The term "stock" makes it sound like the yorkies you are planning to breed are just items, or supplies that you plan on selling. She wasn't being nasty or sarcastic IMO. You wouldn't call a breeder and say "do you have any yorkies in stock?" right? Maybe the term is more acceptable for farm animals (not that I would know), but yorkies are pets, not cows or chickens that you are going to get food from.

[jrsygal37]

Originally Posted by matilda99

Well, that was nasty and sarcastic in an otherwise pleasant thread. Breeding stock is an efficient, technical way to refer to animals that were selected for their particular suitability for breeding; it wasn't meant as a derogatory way to make them sound like mere commodities. One can have pets that are also good "breeding stock," don't you think? Since you disapprove of breeding, where do you propose we should get Yorkies?

I don't think I was being nasty or sarcastic. I'm not fond of any animal being refered to as breeding stock and unfortuanatly MANY think of animals as commodities. Didn't you ask about making money with your breeding and ask to hear from those that did make a profit, so isn't it in a way using them as a commodity? A breeder may make money but a good breeder will not be in it for the money. Again, wasn't being nasty - the term "Breeding Stock" bothers me. My Yorkies were rescues, all but one. I'm not against breeding per se but I am against breeders that initially get into breeding for the money. Not suggesting either way that you are doing this - just explaining how I feel. And, again I do not think I was being nasty what so ever. Elaine

[KathyinCali]

Originally Posted by SET Yorkies

I've posted this before, but I would like for you to read it as well. These are my thoughts on breeding... Breeding and working with dogs has been a blessing for me and my family. Sometimes I do well and make a profit sometimes I don't. We do a good deal of training and boarding Yorkies, so I am able to off set loss that way.. In the long run, I can say if I accounted for my time, not just expenses, I'm sure I am beyond the negative in profit.... That said, here's something to think about.....

Every breeder on this board started somewhere…. Let me tell you the story of our humble beginning as something to consider. I had an excellent mentor….. She was passing the torch of 25 years of knowledge and experience to me (how lucky was I?)…. My second litter was due being whelped by my most beautiful dog (not to mention that I was also attached to her as much as I was my children)…. Talk about a textbook pregnancy…. 42nd day ultrasound showed 6 very well proportioned, small puppies…. Delivery started…..no distress….easy labor on the first puppy… then nothing….and nothing… I was prepared…. I had read all of the books…. Not to fear, middle of the day, no emergency call…. We headed to the vet just to be sure (12 miles)….she died in my hands as I walked through the office door…. I called my mentor in horror and unbelievable grief….she said, “you’ll know in a few weeks if this is for you.” …. She said that because I had 6 very tiny puppies (5 saved through c/s) that needed to be nursed every two hours for weeks….I buried my Gizmo where our new kennel stands today and got started with her babies…..I would hardly close my eyes b/f it was time to feed again….two weeks into it, one just didn’t thrive….now I was at wit’s end….three days later one aspirated on the feeding tube….I was done, called my mentor and told her to come get them all… she said, “no, this was your choice”…. 20 or so weeks later of round the clock care, One by one, these tiny replicas of their mom, of whom I had become a surrogate mother, were picked up by new owners, placed under various Christmas trees….and absolutely delighted special families….One to 4 kids, one to a wife of 35 years, one to an only child, and one to new bride. To this day, I still grieve for my Gizmo, to this day I still check up on every puppy I sell… I’ve shoveled truck loads of poop, dried gallons of pee, built kennels, torn down kennels, delivered puppies at 2:00 am on every holiday celebrated by man (even my kids birthday parties which I had to miss)….Breeding is a complete sacrifice of everything else when the moment counts b/c your female is counting on you for everything….If you bring puppies into this world they are your responsibility and yours alone. My mentor made that quite clear to me. If you do not have the ability to deal with the difficulties with the same passion as you delight in the rewards, keep you little girls as a pets….. If you do have the ability, this could be the blooming of a wonderful new career…one that I love more with every pooper scooper full….

What a great post. One of the best examples I've read of the life of a breeder. It gives me even more appreciation for reputable breeders.