Over the past couple of months, I have had some experiences with potential puppy buyers that made me think about comments that I frequently overhear from friends and peers in our sport. “I am not breeding because there are too many litters on the ground.” “People are not able to sell their puppies.” In the same conversations I hear them say, “I cannot stand all the new doodles in my community.” “I cannot believe people are paying a fortune for a doodle!” “Are people dumb enough to pay that much for a mixed-breed?”
Of course, everybody should know the reason for the mixed-breeds’ success: MARKETING.
Marketing invented “designer breeds” to justify overcharging for mixed-breeds or “rare” colors. We all know that the promises of the designer breeders typically fall short, yet people still buy into them because they do not understand, or do not see, the shortcomings. On the other hand, many of us lower our prices and undercharge because we are worried about oversaturation in the market.
There is no point in attacking the designer breeds, as people will only get defensive. But we must educate the general public and our potential puppy owners about why our dogs are what they are.
What prompted me to think about this topic is because of four recent conversations I had with potential puppy buyers. They each challenged me to try to understand why we are under-marketing ourselves.
“Under-marketing occurs when a product or service doesn’t fully capitalize on its strengths and advantages in promotional efforts. It’s akin to having a treasure trove of qualities but not shining a spotlight on them effectively.” 1
I have had several people mention to me that they were in touch with 8 to 10 breeders, many who are members of the parent club. They asked me why my puppies were more than the others. According to them, my prices are about 15 to 40% more than other parent club members who live in their state/region.
Most people would think that it would be a waste of time trying to debate someone who is worried solely about price. As someone who has a strong background in marketing, I believe that if the potential customer wants to know the difference, I should offer an explanation because they may be open-minded enough to see the bigger picture.
I believe there is a big distinction between “preservation breeders” and “other breeders.” The main differential is that our puppies should not be marketed as a PRODUCT but rather as a SERVICE. We preservation breeders never think of our puppies as a final product. Instead, we think of them as part of a service with very extensive post-sale customer service perks that create a “high value add” to the puppy.
I always answer potential puppy buyers’ questions by highlighting: why we breed; who we are; what we do; how we do it; and for whom we do it. To answer their questions, I start by describing our involvement with our breed and the parent club, our involvement with the sport as a Show Chair and as an AKC Delegate, and my involvement with 4-H. My goal is not to WOW them but to bring to their attention that we are here not just to sell puppies but to preserve, protect, and promote our beloved breed—and to give back to our sport and community. Ultimately, we are available to guide them and their puppy with all of our expertise.
I continue by explaining all the pre-natal testing (blood work, Lyme, Brucella, etc.) that’s needed. I explain that we actually have a protocol that involves a weekly or biweekly progesterone essay throughout the whole pregnancy. We also ultrasound five days prior to the due date and on the due date if she has not gone into labor, to make sure the puppies’ heart rates are strong and thriving. We also check that the progesterone level is adequate to go into labor. These protocols allow our vet to elect if a C-section is required should the puppies’ heart rates get into distress levels while the progesterone is still too high to induce natural labor. All of this ensures that the well-being of the mother and puppies is our priority.
We talk about early neuro stimulation combined with music therapy, which allows us to raise puppies that are more confident and will better adjust to the stimulation of the outside world. We combine crate training with litter box training to facilitate the adjustment of our puppies in their new homes. We also use the music therapy to create a resource to soothe the puppy when it’s alone at home, to minimize and prevent separation anxiety.
We work with all the puppies and their owners to give them the best tools to adapt to the new homes and all the challenges that come with that, especially with those living in a high-rise in a metropolitan area. We also explain to them why our philosophy is to only breed bitches that have proven their worthiness to contribute to the breeding program, and why we do that.
To my surprise, at the end of the conversation, they all ask what is the next step to secure one of our puppies.
The reason I am sharing these experiences is to demonstrate that we should not market ourselves based on our puppies alone but also on the investment we have made in the puppy’s health and temperament—and all the post-sale services we all provide. These perks provide a very high added value to our potential puppy owners.
When we talk to our potential homes, we should not only talk about the purebred puppy’s qualities that we all know (predictability, temperament, and soundness). These are not the only commensurable attributes, and for this reason we should not stop there. What makes our puppies a “full service” and not a “mere product” like the commercial breeders’ puppies is that we offer a whole line of post-sale services that have no additional cost to our puppy homes; the services that represent a huge added value.
Our puppies come with full customer service; 24/7 consulting assistance that includes training, puppy behavior, dietitian, puppy first aid assistance, and puppy/family counseling. And for many of us, ear training, grooming workshops, mentoring, and an extended supportive family are also part of the service guarantee.
If the designer breeds can market themselves to sell questionable/false traits, why are we charging less for a way superior product that has so many high value-added perks?
Offering a superior product/service to the public for a discounted price does not attract a public that is looking for added value. Let us all stop helping the misrepresentation of the designer breeds as a superior quality product. Our expertise has an added value way above any of the promises the designer mixes have to offer.
We now see how futile it is to be defensive against doodles/designer breeds by trying to alert our families, friends, and the general public about their shortcomings. Unfortunately, the general public now believes doodles and mixes are DESIRABLE—and that they are purebred dogs.
Instead of staying defensive, let’s change the narrative in our favor. We all know that most of the doodle/designer breeders are only in the business to make money. At the opposite end of the spectrum, we are here for our puppy homes for the entire life of the dogs we produce. We offer a differential that no breeder of a doodle/designer-breed can offer. We walk with them side by side for the entire development of the puppy and we are available to assist for the entire life of the dog. We offer unlimited, free technical support in the form assistance with nutrition, psychological development, trouble-shooting with potty training, grooming, and many other services. We offer breed mentoring.
My question to you is: Would you rather buy a car or another expensive item without technical support or a service warranty included OR buy them with FREE, LIFETIME technical support and extra, invaluable services?
Let us all put our effort into telling the general public not only why our breeds and breeding programs are superior, but let’s start focusing our conversations on the services we provide at no additional cost after they purchase our puppies—an invaluable plethora of services provided by the top experts in each of our breeds.
