23— HOW TO SELL DOGS 



controversy as that of a minimum 

 price for a puppy. This varies 

 somewhat with the breed. Certain 

 breeds have been sold at low 

 prices thru many years. Populari- 

 ty, type, the rareness of the breed, 

 the reputation of the kennel, and 

 other factors enter into the question 

 of what should be the minimum 

 price. 



However, once a kennel has de- 

 termined the minimum price, it 

 should adhere to this figure and not 

 make any exception. If a dog is not 

 worth this minimum price, it should 

 be given away without papers, and 

 preferably altered, for to give a low- 

 grade dog away without papers 

 makes it still possible for this dog 

 to perpetuate its type and to add to 

 the number of dogs of poor quality. 



$25 as a Minimum Price 



In our opinion, $25 should be the 

 minimum price for a puppy of any 

 breed. Nevertheless, there are 

 many breeders who sell dogs as low 

 as $10 each, dogs fully pedigreed 

 and with all papers. 



Setting the minimum price will 

 not solve the question of sales. Dog 

 World Magazine for instance, per- 

 mits a sales price as low as $15 and 

 a stud fee as low as $10 to be stated 

 in an ad, altho it long has empha- 

 sized that the lowest sales price 

 should be $25. Advertisers, of 

 course, can sell at still lower prices 

 but the lower prices cannot be 

 stated in the advertisement. 



The magazine realizes that it can- 

 not reform the dog field and that 

 supply and demand, along with the 

 vagaries of human nature, must reg- 

 ulate the price of dogs. Do not 

 blame dog magazines for low sales 

 prices. 



Groups of Sales Prices 



The kennel can have different 

 groups of prices. Let us say that 

 $40 is the minimum price for the 

 kennel. The dogs which are clearly 

 dogs for pet and companion can be 

 sold at the range of $40 to $50. 



Females which give promise of 



being good brood bitches can be 

 sold at prices ranging from $50 to 

 $75. Promising show stock can be 

 sold from $75 up. 



Penalizing the Female 



It has long been the custom to ask 

 $5 to $10 more for a male than for 

 a female puppy. This arises out of 

 the necessity of keeping a female 

 in heat from being pestered by 

 males. Emphasis should be placed 

 upon certain superior virtues the 

 female possesses such as more obedi- 

 ent, less troublesome in the house, 

 more sanitary, more attentive to 

 children and less inclined to roam. 



The author's defense of this sex, 

 the leaflet entitled "The Female," 

 should be given to every prospect 

 who hesitates to purchase a female 

 puppy. 



Prices for Champions 



The value of a dog and conse- 

 quently the sales price of a dog after 

 it has won at the shows is an open 

 question. Ofttimes the best price 

 for a male dog winning at the shows 

 can be had just before he is fin- 

 ishing for the championship. Once 

 a male has finished the title, the 

 sales price may range from $300 to 

 $1,000. After a champion male is 

 five years old, his value begins to 

 decline and at the age of eight years, 

 it is seldom that a champion can be 

 sold for more than $150. 



Male and Female Compared 



The value of a champion bitch is 

 not as high at the start as that of the 

 male, but it maintains itself until 

 about the age of six years, for the 

 value of the bitch depends entirely 

 upon the number of litters she yet 

 can produce. 



We would say that the average 

 champion bitch in the average breed 

 at the age of three years fetches an 

 average price of $300 whereas at the 

 same age the male titleholder fetches 

 $500. 



There are so many factors in- 

 volved in the prices set for show 

 winners that it is not wise to be 

 arbitrary in naming precise figures. 



