I had an e-mail inquiry recently from people
whose parents had owned Borzoi, looking for a pet Borzoi puppy, and wanting to
know what a proper price would be for one. I replied that they would find Borzoi
puppies in very short supply in Ontario at present, and that most breeders were
not in the business of supplying a pet market.
Our kennel’s motto is “For Active Borzoi with Plans” and I did not
want to send our show prospect off to languish in someone’s back yard.
A few days later, tied up at the garage
waiting for the dogmobile to have the brakes fixed, I reread that well known
book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,
and cast my mind back a bit to the reply I had sent out.
What should happen to Borzoi classified as ‘only a pet’ and how can
we educate the public about what to do with such puppies? How can breeders work
towards the best possible match between what is available and what people want?
The educational message I sent to the
interested buyer also included the comment that price depended on the quality of
the puppy and the guarantees and support that the breeder could offer. Prices on both sides of the border seem to range from zero
(or pay you to take it) to $1,500.00+ The
difference in the rate of exchange Canadian and American dollar also need to be
considered. There is certainly no absolute fixed price for a pet puppy.
Whatever a buyer pays for a Borzoi is too much if the breeders will offer
no advice or help if things go wrong. There
is also no absolute set of rates for Borzoi from a particular kennel.
Everyone has had at least one puppy that is lacking in appeal in looks,
has a severe bad bite, shy
temperament etc. They could not
expect to get the same price as for a more attractive puppy.
Among pets, some are more equal than others.
When we come to show prospects, we enter the
murky waters of ‘breeder’s terms’, puppies back, control of breeding
rights etc. As top breeding stock
can be priceless in terms of genetic value, the actual price for such a prospect
might not be all that different from that of a really appealing pet. The strings attached make up the difference.
For those of us who value the prestige of having our puppies shown in
conformation or active in obedience or field trials, we may sell those puppies
for a value that takes into consideration what the buyer will pay in entries,
for handlers, travel expenses and such. People
who have approached me for puppies with major plans for them have had all my
support in terms of top picks, help, advice, accommodation and whatever else I
was in a position to give. The
dollar value was relatively insignificant compared to the pleasure of hearing
about their achievements over the last ten years.
We may ask for control of breeding rights if the person is not that
knowledgeable about pedigrees but otherwise is a suitable buyer.
We may ask for a puppy back if the dog is used as breeding stock.
We certainly do or should control resale or disposal of such a valuable
dog. This is commonly done by
co-ownerships or by right of refusal contracts.
The toughest decisions range around pick
bitches, what one might consider foundation breeding stock.
It is most unwise to purchase such a Borzoi unconditionally as a baby
puppy. You may be lucky and have
good results, but it is much better to wait until you are dealing with yearlings
before considering that you have what you think you have.
In the system of transactions outlined in
the book ‘Seven Habits’, the breeder and the
buyer may have a transaction that is Lose/Lose.
The breeder may evaluate the buyer as unsuitable in terms of
accommodation, knowledge of dogs, financial capability to care for a large hound
and so on. The buyer may evaluate
the breeder as greedy, uncaring, unwilling to offer a written receipt or written
contract. A sale does not take
place, and both parties feel aggrieved. I
am still getting bad remarks from someone for refusing to place a dog with
someone who did not know their toenails needed to be cut regularly.
I know I was right, as that was just the tip of the iceberg of ignorance
about dogs. I would, however, have
sold the dog to someone who would ask for a book or article, or a list of what
they should do to care for their Borzoi. With
one pair of buyers, I make them climb into the bathtub, when they said they did
not know how to groom a Borzoi, and wash one.
Then I trimmed each part of the dog on one side and let them trim the
other side to match. If they had
refused to learn, they would not have gone with the dog. We are all beginners
with dogs at some point, but the key is to sell to those willing to be educated.
Win/Lose
transactions occur when the breeder gets the money for an unsuitable dog and is
deaf to any complaints. These transactions are fatal to the long-term reputation of a
kennel. You sell a puppy as a show
prospect, and it is missing 4 teeth. It
turns out as straight in the rear as a piano bench, so narrow in the front its
legs rub together, or worse still, crosses over when it walks, or holds its tail
over its back like a Malamute. To
avoid customer dissatisfaction, I personally discuss at time of sale what they
would want to do if the puppy has show disqualifying faults.
Options might include supplying a second dog and insisting that it be of
an age where WYSIWYG. There might be an agreement to accept the defective puppy
back, or the person might say they would be too attached to the puppy to do that
and would want to keep it regardless. Most
breeders I know certainly would replace dogs that develop life-threatening or
fatal genetic defects, requiring only a veterinarian’s certificate for what is
wrong. These situations are highly
stressful to all concerned, and how they are handled is crucial for reputation
and customer satisfaction. Replacement with a dog of equal value satisfactory to
the customer is the most common method of avoiding Win/Lose and with the rise of
‘lemon laws’ it may be essential.
Lose/Win hopefully comes to us infrequently. We have two puppies, and have to decide which is our ‘keeper’ and which one is sold. The one sold turns out to be a MBISS, ours is a dud. Did we really lose? Most breeders are who show or participate in events would be fortunate to break even and cover their costs. If the buyer appears to be the winner, consider the value to your reputation of having a Borzoi with your kennel name on it winning fame and fortune. We may have lost in a sense of not charging as much as we would have done if we had known it would turn out so well, or worse still, not arranging for any puppies back, but ‘what price glory’. You will not likely become wealthy raising dogs, but satisfied and respected as a breeder are pretty good rewards in themselves for most people interested in the welfare of the breed.
Win/Win,
the best type of transaction, has several components.
| Does the puppy meet the needs of the buyer in conformational features? Breeders must walk the second mile on this. We know the standard says any color, any markings, etc. However, ask the right questions about how serious the buyer is about shows, and where they will be showing. If the puppy has an appearance that would make it very difficult to show, this should be openly discussed. If the buyer is determined to go on, at least they were cautioned. Some parts of the U.S. in particular have strong color preference…what they jestingly call ‘white dog country’. Other areas have judges better versed in the standard, and who look for elegant well-moving hounds regardless of color. Some areas favor extra large Borzoi, others ones closer to the written standard. Be sure your buyer understands not only what the standard says, but what happens in the real world as well. |
| Your buyer wants to have fun with the Borzoi. Do you cheerfully sell them a dog shy, inactive, or lacking in proper movement to the extent of being handicapped? A breeder I knew used to send dogs off with the comment, ‘Maybe it will course’…never having done any training or testing to that end. Be absolutely sure that your buyer understands the range of activities available to this breed. Have you told them how to animate puppies with a buggy whip and plastic back, or a drag line with fur and a squeaker? Have you given them names and addresses of where to go for training and testing? I own a Borzoi who was No. 1 coursing Borzoi in Canada, No. 7 all breed, and did not have the slightest clue as to what to do with her when I got her. Only the most earnest efforts and inquiries got her onto the field, as few breeders I knew in those days participated. For the puppy and buyer to be a winner too, be sure you have a package leading them off to training for agility, obedience, coursing etc. I have never yet (and hope it continues) placed a Borzoi that could not be trained for something. Don’t make it hard for the buyer to head in the right direction. You are the expert, and live up to that responsibility. |
| Incentives help. In a number of cases I have offered $50 rebates for taking a puppy through a recognized obedience course to graduation, on receipt of the certificate from a trainer. It is not just the money to the buyer, but a clear signal that I hope they will do something systematic to make their Borzoi an excellent companion and head off behavioral problems that can occur in untrained adult Borzoi. |
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POSTSCRIPT
The latest inquiry was for a baby puppy to ship to Europe as a 'surprise' present for a 3 year old. Giving puppies as a 'surprise' for a toddler in a family thousands of miles away has a new category...CAN'T WIN.