Tips to Start a Dog Breeding Business

Can Dog Breeding be a Business?

      For dog lovers, puppies are the world's funniest thing. For those of you who love dogs and want to run a business, starting a dog breeding business is the right business idea, because it combines your passions and generates financial returns.

Like any other business, those of you who are going to start a dog breeding business need to prepare a number of things before starting.

Creating a Business Plan

Your first step in starting a dog farming business is to come up with a business plan. If you require financing, you can present this to the bank.

If you are fully self-financed, a business plan will lay out your goals and plans, to lay the foundations for your business to be successful.

You can find free business plan templates online, ranging from simple templates to more complex ones.

Choose a Dog Breed for Specialization

You have a whole range of doggydom to choose from here. If you already have a breed of dog that you know and love this choice will be easier, but if you are just starting from scratch you will need to do your research carefully.

For a first-time breeder, you should choose one breed of dog to start with, and invest in the best breeders you can find.

Will the local market support the breed you have chosen? It is an inconvenient fact that dog breeds go in and out of trends, and some breeds suffer from discriminatory laws. (stepbystepbusiness.com)

You need to make sure you have a market for your dog, as well as comply with local regulations.

It's important to remember that every dog breed has potential health and behavior issues that you need to consider before starting your business.

Avoid Breeding Trends

If you breed specifically to meet a trend, what are your plans for when the trend ends?

101 Dalmatians generated an explosive demand for dalmatians puppies, only for a large number of the dogs to end up in shelters when their owners realized they could not cope with the breed.

Unscrupulous dog breeders capitalize on demand, and release animals with health and temperament problems to new owners who don't know how to handle them.

The people who bought these animals took working breeds of dogs and tried to turn them into lapdogs, and the results would always be disastrous. Until humans stop being influenced by the media, breed trends will remain, and that's just not going to be fair to dogs.

Make a Budget

When you're starting a dog breeding business, you'll want to price everything you'll need up front, plus have a surplus for incidental expenses – and with animals, there are always unexpected expenses.

You'll need to budget for food, vet costs, stud expenses, travel and marketing, as a starting point.

If you intend to run a dog-raising business as your main breadwinner, you'll need to include rent or a mortgage and utilities as additional costs. A genealogy lookup program is a good idea – you can go old school with pen and paper, but manually checking lines can take hours. If you can afford it, add to your budget.

Once the puppies arrive, you'll have the puppy pack and promotional materials to add, plus registration and vaccination fees.

Insurance is King

Insurance is a support for any business.

Any business needs insurance that covers standard cases such as natural disasters, fire and theft

As a dog breeder, you need insurance that covers your premises, your pet and yourself. Public liability insurance is extremely important; because you will be dealing with the general public on a regular basis and accidents can happen unexpectedly.

Keep it Legal

Different countries and territories have their own licensing requirements for breeders, and you will need to make sure that you comply.

In the UK, dog breeders located in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, who breed and sell 3 or more puppies a year, require a license, but the license can be for 1, 3 or 5 years depending on the local country .

In Scotland, breeders need a license if they breed and sell 5 or more puppies a year.

Check your local regulations and make sure you meet all licensing requirements. Any purchaser will want to see your license before purchasing a puppy. Display your license clearly to welcome customers when they visit your farm.

Market Your Business on Your Website and on Social Media

Social media can make or break small businesses in today's world. Dog farming business is perfect for image-rich sites like Tik-tok and Instagram, and will direct customers to your website.

Make sure you update your social media regularly, so you don't lose your followers.

Keep your website up to date with a weekly or monthly blog. Be sure to interact with the fans who contact you and keep things light and fun.

Keep your business and personal feeds separate, and be careful about what you post unless it's related to your business.