How To Prosper In The Dog-Eat-Dog World of Breeding

The world of dog breeding abounds with bitches.  Unfortunately some of them happen to be human!!!

Bitchy breeders feel justified in vilifying, harassing and character-assassinating any who do not conform to their rules.  What is it about breeding that attracts such people?  I’m not sure.  But it seems to be fueled by a sense of self-righteousness.

Yes, if you’re a breeder for any length of time you will soon come across bitchy, self-important people…  You know the type:  Their way of doing it is the only “correct” way of doing it.  Anyone who isn’t doing it the way they do it is labelled as a “puppy mill” or “backyard breeder”.

The usual argument is this:

Responsible breeders only breed to “improve” the breed.  How do we measure such a thing?  Through one’s performance in the show ring. The more dogs one takes to champion status the better a breeder one naturally is.  And the ONLY valid reason to breed at all is to produce more champions in the show ring.

Where Did the Bitchy Breeder Culture Come From?

This is attitude is quite literally a throwback to snobbery that arose during the Victorian era.  In the mid-1800s dog breeding and showing became popular with the aristocratic class.  In the meantime the working class continued to breed their useful – but unpedigreed – working dogs to meet a variety of needs in society.  But the aristocracy considered anyone breeding and selling puppies for money to be “crass”.

Their logic makes no sense in today’s world.  If “proper breeders” only breed [for their own glory…. Oops!  I meant…] to prove their lines in the show ring…. then where are people supposed to turn for great puppies?   Huh?  Who is there to meet the needs of today’s society for fabulous canine companions if the self-proclaimed best breeders won’t?

Let’s face it: dogs are a very important part of people’s lives everywhere.  These dogs have got to come from somewhere! [And NO.  Rescues are NOT a safe and reliable source.]

What snobby breeders [and animal rights people, both] fail to recognize is that the majority of breeders lie in between two extremes:  The true “puppy mill” who breeds for money without welfare is rare, and those who breed only to win shows are almost as rare [most still quietly breed for the market but so long as this is not overt or too successful, their buddies turn a blind eye.]

Unfortunately the snobs hold a lot of clout.  Sadly many great breeders I speak to hold themselves back because they are terrified to go against these self-appointed bastions of “wisdom and all that is right”.  Such breeders are careful to breed only a couple of litters a year, and make sure they do not price their puppies higher than the alpha-bitch humans in the clique.

They are sufficiently cowed to toe the line.   Why?  Because otherwise they face an escalating scale of potential punishments.

The First is Banishment from the Clique. 

Once banished you lose access to the bloodlines of the clique. [As an aside, I fail to see how ensuring the genetics of the so-called “best of the breed” are only shared within a tiny select group is “improving the breed”!  It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic.]

You also become the target of malicious gossip.  The gossip spreads your fall from grace to other breeder members of the clique until your only resort to access new bloodlines is to import from overseas.

Then The Trolls Come Out To Get You

Not content with simply shutting breeders out and gossiping in private, some of the super-bitches will then seek to discredit you on social media.

The next level of nasty is leaving bad reviews on your Facebook page.  You can of course simply turn off the review tab, and many deal with it by doing just that.

If that doesn’t work some of the more dedicated trolls and haters will then turn to other social media tactics designed to defame you.  I have seen them devote extraordinary levels of time and energy to the task.  [I won’t describe their methods in case the information falls into the wrong hands.  Honestly, do these people not have a life of their own?]

Sadly these bullying tactics often work.  Public slander is not only demoralizing but left unchecked can make people wary of buying from you.  Especially when the very social media you are heavily depending on to sell your puppies is affected.  This quandary tempts many excellent breeders to give up and some to even stop breeding altogether.

After all, what alternatives do you have if you’re a victim of concerted dog-eat-dog bullying?

Tips for fighting back!

In the face of such nastiness it takes true grit to walk your own path as a breeder.  Hats off to you breeders who do.

So here are some tips for beating the jealous trolls out there.

1. Put your big girl pants on!  I know first-hand you have to grow a thick skin if you want to prosper financially as a dog breeder.  Your very success makes you a target!  But it’s worth it.  After all, who are you living your life for?  You or someone else?
2. Address any negative reviews on your Facebook page promptly, directly, and objectively, point by point. Copy a screenshot of the review to publish alongside your post.  There’s a strong and effective example of this here.  And as you can see, because they are a great breeder who did not deserve the vilification, their fans responded strongly with a great flood of support and positive feedback.
3. Drown out negative reviews on Facebook with lots of positive ones from your many happy owners. If you don’t have many yet, reach out to your buyers.  Start by asking them how their puppies are going [Birthday wishes are a great way to build this up] and requesting a “pupdate”.  Tell them about your Facebook page and also that you’d love to publish their “pupdate” on it.  And ask if they’d mind liking your page and providing a review.
4. Turn off your reviews temporarily while you work quickly on building your Facebook following. [There is a tried and proven strategy for achieving this that we teach in the Elite Breeder Formula.  Learn about it for free here]
5. Build a strong website. Because you are in control on your own website, your haters and trolls cannot vilify or defame you.  A strong and effective website is your golden opportunity to tell the world what you really stand for as a breeder.  It’s your chance to show off your passion and knowledge about your breed.  These days your online reputation IS your reputation.  And if you do it right, this is also how the vast majority of your buyers will discover you. [Again, there is a right way and many wrong ways to do this.  And we teach you how to get there fast and with no mistakes in the Elite Breeder Formula program. Learn how for free here.]
6. Become wildly prosperous and successful! Success is the best revenge ?.
7. Start fostering a spirit of cooperation with other breeders now. Once you’ve mastered the Elite Breeder Formula you’ll attract so many buyers you’ll have difficulty meeting the demand for your amazing canine companions.   Share the love and even take other breeders under your wing.  When you learn how to market effectively you’ll soon need multiple boutique breeders to help you meet buyer demand.  And you can also help each other out by sharing bloodlines.

Are you ready to succeed?  Then watch the FREE Marketing for Breeders class here and I’ll show you how it’s done.