Puppy Culture Potluck: #50 - How Much Is That Puppy In the Window? Puppy Seeker Perceptions of Value

This episode’s question is from a breeder who’s frustrated by puppy seekers who seem to be just shopping for the lowest price: "I'm a small breeder, one or two litters a year. I'm in a rural area so most of my puppies travel to their homes, but because of how I raise them I have people happy crossing the country for them. But for every person who sees the value, there's 30 that don't… I find myself spending way too much time justifying [my pricing]…If I'm going to continue, I need to find a better way of dealing with the pricing issues…" Plot spoiler, if we want more puppies raised in a forward thinking and humane way, we have to support the breeders and caretakers who are raising the puppies that way.  And by “we,” I mean the puppy buying public. There is a cost and a value to raising puppies this way, and if we as a society value it, we need to be willing to pay for it. But it falls to the breeders to communicate that value, and we could do better in that area. In this episode I explore those issues and also share some truly awesome suggestions for how breeders can help educate puppy seekers about the value proposition of a puppy that’s been raised with the “meaty” training and protocols in Puppy Culture. Visit our website www.madcapradio.com for further reading.