Do you get people asking for a reduced price because they have to drive to get a puppy from you?

[nguyenhaongnam]

@sqs1 Exactly! The type of person who asks for a discount is probably not a good dog parent. Those who pay the asking price without complaint understand what they’re getting into and enthusiastically embrace their new baby.

 

[ilovereading]

@sqs1 Nope. A good breeder is worth their weight in gold. Our breeder was a 4 hour drive. It was more than worth it.

 

[xtianjax]

@sqs1 Definitely not how this works lol. I drove 14 hours one way to get my girl.

 

[dukedesu]

@sqs1 People don't ask, but it's almost guaranteed you'll have to travel some distance to get a Saluki.

 

[kamikim]

@dukedesu Husband has promised me a Great Pyreenes for moving to snow country. I'm willing to drive across country to get my dog. He wants a black lab for duck hunting so we are willing to travel to get one(male, please)from a "proven" line.

Bribe is necessary because I hate snow.

 

[kamikim]

@sqs1 Why do people expect that?? I'm willing to drive across the country to get the dog I want and won't be asking a discount.

 

[dontknow1]

@sqs1 When I looked into buying a puppy from another state, I was on the hook for buying the breeders plane ticket to fly my puppy here. Or I vould fly there. Itvis a very common arrangement. So your customers are idiots.

 

[niq1983]

@sqs1 I spent $1000 on a plane ticket to go get my puppy lmao

 

[judywalters]

@sqs1 Not a breeder but my first baby is from a breeder. I found one close by because I wanted to pick her out in person. But there is no way I would have told the breeder I needed money off. Ever. I wouldn’t have her wanted to think I couldn’t afford to care for this little ball of fluff she was handing me in the way she expected

In my house the roof over our heads is the first financial priority followed by the dogs. They didn’t ask to live here. I took a huge pay cut this year and my husbands job just didn’t pay him for almost 2 months (that’s a whole other story), but we didn’t miss a grooming, a vet visit, or kibble order. We scaled ourselves back to make sure they were good (spoiling was backed down on for a bit though). So if you can’t even afford to go get your dog? Huge red flag.

 

[sqs1]

@judywalters Yes, there’s this aspect of it too. I worry a lot about the puppies. They wouldn’t exist if not for me so I feel a great responsibility to give them the best chance in life I can. That includes requesting they be brought back to me should the owner at some point have to give them up, but once they leave my house I don’t have any control.

Someone made a post on here recently saying that she’d sold a puppy for $200, and 3 weeks later the new owners are claiming the puppy passed away from parvo and they want a refund. If it is true, they decided to take this very sick puppy home from the vet because they couldn’t afford to hospitalize it. So in a way, not selling them for cheap is hopefully one more protection against a situation like that.

Not that they are going to the first person to come to my house with cash in hand either, mind you. I am selective about the way that the people asking for a puppy act and their history with owning dogs/puppies.

 

[nguyenhaongnam]

@judywalters This is the answer

 

[jaketmores]

@sqs1 Also if it’s someone you’re willing to negotiate with because they’ll be a good home 9/10 they’re not going to want a negotiation anyway!

 

[sqs1]

@jaketmores This is very true! The exception for me has really been people who want another dog of the same breed after one they had into it’s elderly age has passed away. They aren’t always in the position to afford a big discretionary expense all at once but…you can just tell the love and the knowledge they have, you know?

 

[jaketmores]

@sqs1 I take 100% of those types in consideration and sometimes I’ll have a young dog or older puppy to negotiate or even give to them. And some litters are just pet quality only so if I have one of those litters on the ground I will absolutely work something out! I’ve just noticed my show quality pups that folks want to negotiate with tell me my whole screening processes and questions they tried to BS their way through them. Because if you cannot afford gas you cannot afford their vet, their diet and maintenance either.

 

[purpurin]

@sqs1 I'm not a breeder, but we drove at least 4 to 6 hours round trip to get our dog because we had specific requirements for our life at the time, and we couldn't find them meet in shelters. Wouldn't dream about trying to get a discount from the agreed upon price

 

[sqs1]

@purpurin Yes this is what I’m trying to explain to the disagreers. Some people have needs that don’t align with the dogs that are frequently in shelters and it’s okay to get a dog from a breeder that fits into your life. But if you are going to do so you have to realize that breeding isn’t free or low cost at all, so you pay for the work and money that was put into creating and raising a puppy that’s right for you.

 

[eian]

@sqs1 I've never had someone ask for a discount based on travel times, but I've had people ask. My last litter it was down to the last 2 puppies, and they were 6 weeks old. Someone wanted to know if I was willing to discount the puppy because they hadn't found homes yet....at 6 weeks old. That was a laughable no. This time around, I'm getting lots and lots of sob stories. People that lost and older dog, but times are hard and they can't really afford my prices right now. My thought process is, if you can't afford the up front cost of the dog, you can't afford the long term care this dog will require. Also, we are talking about puppies not affordable housing. You dont NEED a puppy.

 

[stonewater]

@sqs1 This is useful to know for me because my mom's Rottweiler just had puppies. Already figured we shouldn't lower the price based on trip costs, but it's good to know other breeders do that too.

 

[sqs1]

@stonewater Generally, the trip is irrelevant. If they don’t want to pay for gas or even a plane ticket they should get a puppy closer to them. You shouldn’t come poor-mouthing to a breeder. We are offering you the fruits of a LOT of labor and the expenses of health testing, stud fees, feeding mom and puppies, dew claw and tail docking, getting at least the first round of shots and vet exam for the puppies…the list goes on.

But the kind of people who are asking you to take less money often seem to have no idea about any of that or even about puppies or dogs in general.

It is okay to offer discounts if you are looking at a dream owner though! The MOST important thing to me is that my puppies go to great homes and are loved and well cared for. I would rather give them away for free than risk that they are mistreated. Since I breed cuddly little dogs I often have interest from older retired people who are looking for a new pet after one they cared for through a long healthy life has passed away. They absolutely can negotiate a price with me! A stay at home person with extensive experience with the breed is an ideal owner.

It just so happens that the kind of person I’m talking about always seems to be impulse buying and raises multiple red flags.

 

[stonewater]

@sqs1 Thank you, I'll share this with my mom. This is their first litter, so we don't have much experience yet.