breeding dogs: not just a hobby

Philippines
April 28, 2009 2:02am CST
my neighbor bought a chow chow last year for a pet. when it had puppies people kept coming wanting to buy her puppies. for the past year she has made thousands of pesos of her chow chow. it has given birth to 10 puppies in one year and all the puppies were quickly sold at 10 thousand pesos each which is quite cheap for a chow chow since she bought hers for 13 thousand pesos. are there anybody else out there who breeds dogs for a living? is it really a lucrative bussiness? how did you start out on your business?
2 people like this
4 responses
@bellaofchaos (11538)
• United States
28 Apr 09
From what I understand it's not a a lucrative business. I've talked to people who breed and they say that with all the expenses your lucky to cut even.
• Philippines
28 Apr 09
here in the Philippines it can be lucrative. because if you have 10 puppies a year costing 10,000 php each which is very expensive. you make 100,000 php a year. it doesn't cost that much to feed and take of the pups. it is very difficult here to earn that much money.
• United States
28 Apr 09
but what are the costs of shots, worming and the vet that each puppie has to see before it is bought? not to mention the cost of the vet during the dogs pregnancy and if something bad happens like the mom needs a c-section to deliver the pups? You only talk of food and you don't mention what kind of care. But I suspect it's not as cheap as you think.. because the mom has to also have certian vet checks for hips and eyes before she is allowed to be breed.
1 person likes this
@sulynsi (2669)
• Canada
28 Apr 09
I would never personally advise anyone to breed dogs for the sake of making money. I have had a couple of dogs over the years and have sold the puppies for a reasonable amount, but the cost of caring for the animals properly will erase much of the "profit". Only large scale puppy mill type breeders can really make any money, but that is a BAD idea. Dogs are not like cattle or chickens. They are social creatures that need to be socialized to people and other dogs early in life. This takes a great deal of time. Also, because they live in very close proximity to humans, their health is of great concern. Therefore, vet visits, medications and proper nutrition are vital. Also, because people also put a great deal of money and emotional investment into their pet, expecting them to be a companion of upwards of 8 to 15 years, pet dogs need to be free of avoidable inherited defects and illnesses. This requires careful breeding. If a person is a responsible breeder, they need to take excellent care of their furry charges. If it is a labour of love, the money will simply be a partial reimbursement of what you have to put in in time and money. An idea that is catching on in North America is animal care. That is much more cost effective. People view their pets as children and are willing to pay a lot of money to look after them. Grooming, boarding and pet supplies can be a good source of income, as well as pleasant work.
@modstar (9605)
• Philippines
28 Apr 09
Thanks for bringing this up. I hope you won't mind me staying here in your discussion because i'm interested too on how to make dog breeding a business. I believe it's lucrative in a sense that there are lots of dog lovers out there. If you love dogs then it's business and leisure though caring for dogs isn't a walk in the park. I think we should also provide for their needs and that'll cost us a lot.
• Philippines
28 Apr 09
no problem at all. i havent been active here in mylot for some time and its good that someone is actually interested in my topic now that im back. i've been researching the ins and outs of breeding dogs for sometime now since i've heard that it is indeed a very lucrative business. caring for dogs is really expensive especially here in the philippines. dog food prices are really high as well as grooming things for the dogs. if you truly love taking care of dogs it wont be that hard to take care of them since they are also like people that need to be taken care of. my neighbor bathes her dogs everyday and scrubs their kennel clean everyday just to keep the smell away. she always walks her dogs too and cuddles the puppies for sometime everyday. she treats them like her own babies. thats why people like her puppies because they are well taken care of.
@chiyosan (30184)
• Philippines
30 Apr 09
yes, it is true that it is a lucrative business, that it is both a hobby and an income generating one for that matter.
• United States
29 Apr 09
My wife bred Maine Coo (there should be an n at the end of the word but for some reason MyLot will not allow that word to be published. It is the official name of the breed) cats for a while which I believe would work along the same lines. If you really love animals, it is difficult to make money as a breeder. First of all, it is not healthy to allow the females to be continuously pregnant so you can not keep churning them out. When you discover a genetic defect in one of your breeders, you must be willing to retire them. It can be expensive to set up proper living quarters if you are going to have multiple breeders and this is necessary to establish lineage. Vet bills can be very expensive at times if some disease pops up plus the normal vaccinations. With all of this in mind, my wife made a couple of hundred dollars every few months selling her cats with breeding rights at $1200 and pet quality at $700. A little extra money but nothing to get rich off. If you broke down what she made into an hourly wage it was well below minimum wage. But she loved it and looked at it as a hobby so it was worth it to her. She got sick a couple of years ago and gave up on it as she did not have the time. Basically, I do not breeding is a great source of income for anyone in and of itself but if you enjoy it you can make a little extra money. Just remember to keep the animal's welfare in mind first. We have enough puppy mills around.