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Trouble contacting breeder

6K views 39 replies 18 participants last post by  Xeph 
#1 ·
I found a breeder that I'm impressed with, and also had good reviews on this website. The trouble is, I'm not getting any response back from the breeder. I realize they are busy, and their dogs are sought after. My question is, how can I get them to at least answer my emails? Their phone mailbox is full, so calling is out. I'm very serious about getting a puppy before winter. Should I write this kennel off and look elsewhere? Thanks.
 
#9 ·
Most breeders are pretty good at getting back to people unless there are extenuating circumstances. If there is a phone number on the website, I would call. Some breeders prefer calls and others prefer email.
 
#10 ·
I personally try and get back with people the same day. On rare occasions it might take me a couple of days. Could be something has happened in their life and they need to get some other things done. Hopefully they will get back with you soon! Good luck.
 
#11 ·
Our breeder said she gets between 100-200 emails a day and can't answer all of them if she wanted to. I emailed her a year ago asking for info. Didn't hear back. When we were ready to buy, I emailed, said we lost a dog and were puppy shopping and I heard back from her that day.

Ironically, the breeder who answered all my questions right away when I was gathering info showed reluctance to sell me a dog when I told her I wanted a medium drive dog that would become a calm adult with sound temperament. She said her dogs were likely too high energy for me, even though her website clearly stated she bred good family pets that were not high drive. She didn't understand the difference between energy and drive! When we finally connected with the busy breeder, I was very happy with her and with her lines. I ended up with a very energetic puppy with medium drive.
 
#21 ·
Take a breath. Wait a week. Maybe two. Then call on the phone.

Their sister could be in the hospital. They may be on vacation. A dear friend might be visiting, and they're out sightseeing. Their roof may be leaking so they're staying with family while it's fixed. An uncle has just passed away. There are many many reasons that make someone temporarily unavailable.
 
#25 ·
This discussion is turning into endless bickering. Posting this here as a reminder and fair warning that this policy is still in effect and enforced:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...es/558506-personal-bickering.html#post7873145
This is something I do not understand. What I am seeing is a thread where people are pointing out opinions on why they would question using a breeder that is not responsive.

Unless threads are being deleted left and right, I see no bickering at all. And, amazingly, it is actually on-topic and pertinent to dog-ownership.

I think the OP should hear that some people might see this kind of response by a breeder as unacceptable and someone they personally would not do business with, while at the same time, I think if someone has insider information on a breeder who is excellent and extremely busy, they should present their view on why someone might not be as responsive and yet be someone they would do business with.

Could you please explain how this falls into personal bickering and fighting. Because this is exactly what makes this forum worthwhile -- people having to consider things they might not have thought of that way. If we all stay firmly within our own comfort zones and never have anyone challenge our positions on anything, then this forum is worth nothing -- no growth can come out of such an atmosphere.
 
#28 ·
I removed the snarky comments and then any comments that were in response to those comments. That is why some that didn't seem to be a problem were also removed. Meant to tell people that this morning so Lucia's post didn't look out of place but was in a hurry and forgot.
 
#29 ·
do with this what you will


I did have a dog from them.
He was a good dog , produced some very good hard working sturdy dogs.


I wanted to communicate this fact AND find out how the rest of the litter had
done .
Feedback for my use -- feedback (positive) for them.


I got zero response . Tried more than once .


not very satisfying.
Good dog though.
 
#30 ·
Isn't the courtesy of a return phone call/email just proper business etiquette?

Let's take that one step further, Promptly responding to all legitimate professional communications is simply proper business etiquette!

Smart phones, texting, email, and voice mail mean it's easier than ever to do so, even on the go and under the most dire of circumstances...

No GSD professional I know personally would want to be labeled with anything other than these professional character attributes. :grin2:
 
#31 ·
yes. but most breeders don't view what they do as a business and their focus is on their dogs.
The breeders I know can take weeks to reply to an email. They spend their days at work. Their nights playing with dogs, feeding and caring for dogs, training dogs and getting ready for trials. Their weekends are spent traveling and competing.
The last thing they feel like doing on many days is answering emails. They do get to them eventually but they it can take a while.
 
#32 ·
Business or not, it is about your puppy buyers. Of course we are busy. We have to work and we have to spend just as much time with our dogs. But, if we ignore the people who own are dogs, then we are failing our puppies, and the MOST valuable input on our breeding program.

That we, who are experienced, can get a dog from here to there smoothly and successfully is nice, but what speaks volumes is how are dogs do with other people. Not us. So when our people are contacting us, if we take WEEKS to get back to them, how quickly are they going to try and contact us the next time. This time it might be just to say, "Yay! my dog made it through basic and the instructor said she was awesome!" But next time it might be, "the ER vet thinks my girl has pyometra and wants to spay immediately." They might remember that you took weeks to notice their last post and not bother talking to you about it.

Information about our dogs is so important. Temperament, training, health, structure, successes.

Making the people who own our puppies feel like they are bothering us, irritating us, frustrating us -- that is shooting ourselves in the foot every time. As for e-mails, how long does it take to say you have nothing available now, please check back in September?

You do not have to explain your entire breeding program with each e-mail. But you have to be available. You have to answer their concerns.

We talk about red-flags a lot. A huge red flag is immediate responsiveness to potential puppy buyers, and hesitant or non-existent response to existing puppy owners.
 
#35 ·
If you don't like someone's communication style, find a different breeder.

Yes the breeder may not see it as a business, but they will happily take your money. So you as the customer have the right to be happy in all aspects of the transaction. Period.

If you are not bothered by their poor communication, then wait until they respond and purchase a dog from them.

If you want more consistent communication, find a new breeder.

It really is as simple as that.
 
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#39 · (Edited)
My breeder doesn't even do emails. Just phone calls. I am sure that weeds out a lot of the 'just shoppers'. He goes by reputation, doesn't advertise and tells you to just come out and meet him and his dogs.
If you only do phone calls, it saves time. Whenever I sell something on CL, no emails, just calls; it is a bigger hurdle for people and I think you only get the more serious ones.
Whenever I get an inquiry about training per email, I have them call me for more info. Missing out on several I am sure but they don't waste my time with endless correspondence. The more elaborate the emails, the less chance of a training appointment.
 
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