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Breeder practices

2K views 11 replies 6 participants last post by  krandall 
#1 ·
I was visiting a Havanese breeder's website (not mine). I noticed she was charging more for a specific color. She says her upcoming litter will be red. I didn't realize that some breeders charge for a specific color. She also contacts people on her waitlist and the first person to send the deposit gets first pick of the puppies behind the breeder. Is this common? I understand the breeder gets first pick, this makes sense but is it common that you must rush to pay your deposit to get a nice pick position?

I am a little confused especially since my breeder and I have been discussing matching up a puppy with me based on personality. She says she will have a puppy for me in her next litter. I am ready to pay my deposit as soon as my breeder notifies me. Does paying first change your waitlist position? Another question is do breeders charge more based on colors?
 
#2 ·
I would be very concerned about the legitimacy of any breeder charging more based on the color of puppies. You occasionally see it done by unethical breeders for trendy colors. It used to be chocolates, now it’s reds. (And they NEVER tell their puppy buyers that many of those “more expensive puppies fade!) To me, this is right up there with adveritising “teacup” Havanese.

As far as promising pick order based on first deposits... again, it’s a pretty sure bet that this breeder is “fishing” for buyers. Breeders that have a reputation for consistently producing quality puppies have waiting lists. Many do not even TAKE deposits until late in the process, when they are pretty positive they have a puppy for you, and even then, they make it clear that if there is not a good match for you, you will get your deposit back. And very few will promise you any particular puppy until puppy evaluations at about 8 weeks. They will certainly take into consideration your wishes, but they are balancing the needs of several different buyers, their own needs for their breeding program, AND the needs of every puppy in the litter.

A breeder who lets people just pick based on deposit order, IMO, is interested in nothing but money. They sure don’t care on what is best for either tge puppy or the family they are placing that family with.
 
#3 ·
I was visiting a Havanese breeder's website (not mine). I noticed she was charging more for a specific color. She says her upcoming litter will be red. I didn't realize that some breeders charge for a specific color. She also contacts people on her waitlist and the first person to send the deposit gets first pick of the puppies behind the breeder. Is this common? I understand the breeder gets first pick, this makes sense but is it common that you must rush to pay your deposit to get a nice pick position?
I would look for a breeder elsewhere, but that's just me.

Ricky's Popi
 
#4 · (Edited)
I am definitely not seeking out another breeder. I was just trolling. I am very please with the breeder I have. My breeder and I have been discussing the personality traits I prefer. She also wanted to check to determine if my household make-up or work arrangement has changed. Actually, when I am working there is always someone at my house (right now with the Pandemic I am working from home). When things get back to normal my dogs are never home alone and there is someone to take them out to potty.

I am learning that puppy colors change so I was surprised that this particular breeder was advertising the upcoming litter as red and charging more. Color is definitely not a priority for me and I can't imagine paying more just for a certain color. I was also puzzled that those who paid faster get a higher spot on the waitlist list. I was just curious about certain practices.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Here's the way we do it:

Waiting list is in order of the date that they were received.

Once we have puppies to place, and not in the first couple of weeks (want to make sure they're all healthy), Pam goes down the list, and contacts the families to see if they are ready for a puppy.

As they say they do, they send a deposit of $500. The deposit is refundable if something comes up, and they can't take a puppy. Often, a family will not be ready for some reason, and wants to remain on the list. Also, often they will have gotten a puppy somewhere else, and not have notified us until after this contact.

Pam gives people a couple of days to decided if they are ready. This is why, if someone has gotten a puppy, and not told us, it holds up the process a little. It often takes them a couple of days to get back to us.

Pam picks the puppies based on the fit with the family, and notifies them as soon as she knows. This might sometimes be as early as 5 or 6 weeks.

We don't place by color. Pam does take preferences into consideration, but the match still has to be right. If there is any dissatisfaction with a puppy, for any reason, that placement won't happen.

The balance due on the puppy is paid when they pick it up.

edited to add: We used to not take deposits. You'd probably be surprised though, with how many people would talk like they were going to get a puppy, including multiple conversations with Pam about the individual puppies, sound like they were excited, and going to be a good home, and then, at the last minute, decide they weren't going to go through with it.

Deposits eliminated this problem. It shows that they are genuinely interested.
 
#10 ·
Maybe SLIGHTLY less common. It's mostly that it is the "fad color". The forum banner is as old as the hills, and two of the dogs in it are clear reds. That is certainly not representing their numbers in the population, I'd say B&W is probably most common, followed by sable. But it's certainly not "rare".
 
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#12 ·
Well, if you breed a clear red to a clear red, you can only GET "little e" puppies. There might be some as light as cream, or some that are mostly white with some red markings, but the whole litter will be, genetically speaking, red. A good friend of mine had a pair, now retired, that had 3 litters of puppies, 6, 6 and 7 puppies. Every single one was red. (one was white with red spots) She didn't charge extra for a single one of them. ;)

Incidentally, she was very leery of people who came to her looking for a puppy SPECIFICALLY because they wanted a red puppy...
 
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