Kind of eerie.... As though you were looking through my window for the last 10 years.... I find it very hard to find good show homes and always have. It's also impossible for an unkown "nobody", like myself, to charge a decent price either. There is no way I could ask for, and get, the amount of money I'VE paid for a show prospect from a big name kennel. I completely agree with having trouble selling puppies you've "grown out" in hopes of them panning out. Many times I've just placed them in pet homes at no charge. People just don't seem to want older puppies. For the life of me, I'll never understand that. When I place an older, pup they usually call to thank me and say they'll never get a baby again. All my dogs are housedogs, so they are getting a housebroken, basic obedience trained, socialized older pup. All the hard work is already done. I really don't think the "big name" kennels are selling many super show puppies to pet homes, but I have had a few experiences where a well known kennel tried to sell me an obvious pet quality animal as a super show puppy. Sometimes I think they are just trying to pull one over on an unkown, in the hopes of getting more money. I can't believe I bought my first pup sight unseen. Cappy and Gloria sent me a nice puppy, thank goodness, but what was I thinking? I think a really good way to find show homes is to take your puppies to dog shows and have as many people look at them as possible. Word travels fast if you have a good one. Be prepared, though, to hear that your super show puppy isn't as "super" as you thought it was. It's very important to have others evaluate your puppies before you get frustrated, wondering why there doesn't appear to be much interest in them. There are also other GSD lists where you can post pictures of your available show prospects as well as websites dedicated to the same thing. Your average Joe doesn't look on your website to find a show prospect. You have to make a serious effort to advertise where people are specifically looking for what you have to offer. I can't wait to hear other suggestions, Gina ROYAL T SHEPHERDS http://www.royaltshepherds.com Home of: Ch Covy Tucker Hill v Royal T's Edsel,CD,NA,CGC,HIC,OFA h/e/t/c Covy Tucker Hill's Marc Royal T,CD,CGC Royal T's Wildwood Maggie May,TT Stonekroft's Renaissance Royal T ----- Original Message ---- From: Becky T. Dickson <gretchanya@xxxxxxx> To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Wednesday, August 20, 2008 8:40:44 AM Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Interesting discussion My husband is a lab breeder. On one of his email lists this week, they've been talking about how best to find good show homes for prospects. As these things often do, the conversation turned to how hard it is for the smaller breeder (who doesn't have the big name) to find show homes. Many lamented placing really good quality pups in pet homes because they try to stay small (and not keep more than 15 dogs) and wanted the pups to have good homes, rather than waiting until they are 8 months or a year old in hopes of finding a show home and run the risk of not finding a good pet home because the dog is older. Some people said they were tired of the so-called "big name" kennels selling pets as show prospects, while they sold their super show puppies to pet homes. What do you all think? How do you find show homes? And do you face similar problems in your area? ?Becky T. Dickson www.GretchAnya.com www.GSDbyDesign.com ===========================================================================POST is Copyrighted 2007. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - www.showgsd.org =========================================================================== ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2007. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - www.showgsd.org ============================================================================