[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: The recipe for long term success?
- From: "Carolyn Martello" <marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <Pinehillgsds@xxxxxxx>, <lindenhillgsd@xxxxxxxxxxx>, <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 07:35:04 -0700
I don't do much advertising on our web site for pets. We just don't have that
many litters ....and I generally don't
sell pets over the web site anyway. I send pet buyers to someone in their
own area.
Show buyers know what they want! <G>
Most of our Pet Puppy calls are from referrals.....from different sources.
They must meet us and our puppies and dogs..and I must meet them...so they all
end up here for a visit first anyway.
When I talk to pet people I spend time describing the Breed and finding out if
they've owned a GSD before or to
see if this is their first one.............and to be sure they should have a
GSD. <G> SOME SHOULD NOT.
ONLY ONCE have we had someone concerned about any training or working or
obedience titles. This was someone
that had Labs with many hunting and Obedience titles and wanted to know about
the trainability of the GSD Breed.
She admired the "look" of the GSD Breed She did buy a female and has never
looked back at Labs....she will
always have a GSD now as she has 'learned' how incredibly easy they are to
train. At that time I told her that I
personally do not care for putting Obedience titles on our dogs. They are
just trained to be well behaved.
That is what I tell all visitors. It isn't the dog's fault......I hate
training Obedience after teaching it in 4 -H to the
kids for years. <G> I LOVE to put herding titles on the dogs.......and that
generally means absolutely nothing
to the general public. <G>
Most people tell me right up front they just want a good family dog....and one
with NO HEALTH PROBLEMS!!
Most will never put a training title on their dog and have NO CLUE what the
titles mean anyway.....and most don't
seem to care. Our A.O.E.'s on several of our dogs has meant nothing to
them.....nor does our Grand Victor or
Grand Victrix or Select titles, nor our Search and Rescue dogs or Therapy
Dogs.....although the Guide Dogs DO
seem to impress them. They usually want a certain "look" and stable
wonderful trainable temperament and are
concerned about hip dysplasia and want good health. AS DO WE! <G>
I think it is the overwhelming "Marketing" of the European dogs that might be
hurting us. They "bad mouth" our dogs.
openly and blatantly. We here in this Country generally do not do
that......not verbally and not on the Public Internet.
it's almost like a Political Agenda...... Make the 'other side' look bad to
make your dogs look good........<G>
Carolyn marhaven@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.Marhaven.com
----- Original Message -----
From: Pinehillgsds@xxxxxxx To: lindenhillgsd@xxxxxxxxxxx ;
showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 5:47 AM
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: What is the recipe for long term success?
Mike, when I have a companion puppy call it's usually a referral; from a
vet, from someone I know at the AB's, or performance stuff or from someone
who has a friend with one of the dogs and if not a referral, then someone
looking at the web sites who has done a search to find area breeders.
I really don't get the German/American question/objection, although I do
have a 3/4 German boy here and if they want to go that route, I'm happy to go
there.
But here's an observation...the referrals are calling because they want one
of mine. That's easy.
People surfing the web don't give a darn for all of the titles and show
pics with the dogs standing "funny". They don't know/care what a dual
titled
CH is or what a TC is. They can be looking right at the hip
certifications on the web site and ask about hips, not knowing what all the
numbers
mean. I have photo gallery pages on the web site. They can SEE temperament.
They can SEE people happy with their pets. They can see big dogs playing
with little dogs. Smiling people. They can see old dogs w/ gray muzzles.
HEALTHY old dogs. You can see my JR on the lawn w/ a family he's just met,
Justin with my nephew and a lot of school children, Sophia hugging a Justin
daughter so hard the puppies eyes are almost bulging <G>. That's what a
companion puppy buyer wants to see. In fact I have a bunch of photos that
need
to be added. And you know...the companion folks LOVE going to the web site
and seeing their photos posted and keeping an eye on their dog's siblings.
Just a thought...tweak the web sites. Less dogs standing "funny".
Kathy, member GSDCA, DVGSDC
Celebrating generations of Dual Titled TC'd Champions
visit _http://www.pinehillgsds.com/_ (http://www.pinehillgsds.com/)
In a message dated 7/7/2010 8:54:35 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
lindenhillgsd@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
We've been talking a lot lately about the lower entry numbers and overall
demise of conformation, which results in
fewer sales for show and pet animals for breeders. We can all come up with
reasons why this is the case, and
some of those are debatable and perhaps controversial(nawwww - meee).
The one thing I've noticed is an upswing in puppy/sales calls that inquire
about whether or not our puppies are from
euro lines or not, and an increasing dis-interest in the am. lines, even
tho we do a great job explaining
that the choice of the consumer is really the "breeder" and not the puppy
and that a good dog is a good dog regardless
of origin. The key reason, right or wrong, appears to be temperament.
Whether or not we've earned that reputation does
not matter, that is the marketing aligned against us.
Here are a couple of thoughts bouncing around that I would like to share and
get some feedback and perhaps develop
a more comprehensive proposal to the PC. Time to accelerate:
I think the AOE is a good start but requires more depth or meat.
â?¢ Time to make more advanced working degrees(CDX, UDX, etc..) the minimum
standard and get up to par with the Europeans. â?¢ And it's high time to add
the champions version of this as well(COE or what ever) â Time to consider
awarding these degrees to dogs owned by non-members as wel l(its the dogs
stupid)
which may assist in driving membership in the club that is supposed to be
managing the breed in this country.
Our TC needs to be stronger in my opinion
Perhaps three evaluations or three evaluators(yes more local evaluators)
Stiffer criteria or publish the scores.
â I've spent enough time as have many of you as the weird stranger(yah I
know if the shoe fits) to know that some of the dogs passed are dogs I
wouldn't own let alone breed to. We have to get serious about this.
Time to consider working degree, and temperament requirements for the select
dogs.(perhaps selects are even
eliminated in favor of AOE1, AOE2, etc....)
Ok, now this is really out there.......
Create a new regional and national show(non-akc) that incorporates many
working dog components with conformation
in the same ring or during the same competition for evaluation - stressing
owner handled if possible. Maybe
this is where our futurities(or a version thereof) need to go...... OK then
let it fly
regards,
M
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