# Trouble contacting breeder



## Triplemoon (May 5, 2016)

I found a breeder that I'm impressed with, and also had good reviews on this website. The trouble is, I'm not getting any response back from the breeder. I realize they are busy, and their dogs are sought after. My question is, how can I get them to at least answer my emails? Their phone mailbox is full, so calling is out. I'm very serious about getting a puppy before winter. Should I write this kennel off and look elsewhere? Thanks.


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## ipopro (May 4, 2012)

What breeder is it? A person here may have more info or an alternate contact number!


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

How long has it been since you initially emailed them?


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## Triplemoon (May 5, 2016)

Schraderhaus. Their philosophy meshed with mine, and they seem to be dedicated to breeding healthy dogs. I'd be interested in other similar kennels if anyone has suggestions. I live in NM and CO but could travel or ship from anywhere in the US.


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## Triplemoon (May 5, 2016)

Courtney, it's been 2 weeks, plus I emailed again yesterday. Maybe I'm just being too impatient.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Maybe some breeders will chime in here. I'm sure there are some that get a large volume of e-mails to sort through.

Perhaps give it another week or two then move on.


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## Triplemoon (May 5, 2016)

Thanks, Courtney. I'll wait a week or two. In the mean time, I'll continue my search. Patience will pay off I'm sure.


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## Augustine (Nov 22, 2014)

My understanding is that a week or two is very normal for some breeders. Plus, things happen. 

If it takes more than a month or so, though, I'd move on.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

Most breeders are pretty good at getting back to people unless there are extenuating circumstances. If there is a phone number on the website, I would call. Some breeders prefer calls and others prefer email.


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## ctidmore (Feb 6, 2013)

I personally try and get back with people the same day. On rare occasions it might take me a couple of days. Could be something has happened in their life and they need to get some other things done. Hopefully they will get back with you soon! Good luck.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Our breeder said she gets between 100-200 emails a day and can't answer all of them if she wanted to. I emailed her a year ago asking for info. Didn't hear back. When we were ready to buy, I emailed, said we lost a dog and were puppy shopping and I heard back from her that day.

Ironically, the breeder who answered all my questions right away when I was gathering info showed reluctance to sell me a dog when I told her I wanted a medium drive dog that would become a calm adult with sound temperament. She said her dogs were likely too high energy for me, even though her website clearly stated she bred good family pets that were not high drive. She didn't understand the difference between energy and drive! When we finally connected with the busy breeder, I was very happy with her and with her lines. I ended up with a very energetic puppy with medium drive.


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

They have a phone number.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

OP has already said that their phone mailbox is full.


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## ipopro (May 4, 2012)

LuvShepherds said:


> Our breeder said she gets between 100-200 emails a day and can't answer all of them if she wanted to. I emailed her a year ago asking for info. Didn't hear back. When we were ready to buy, I emailed, said we lost a dog and were puppy shopping and I heard back from her that day.
> 
> Ironically, the breeder who answered all my questions right away when I was gathering info showed reluctance to sell me a dog when I told her I wanted a medium drive dog that would become a calm adult with sound temperament. She said her dogs were likely too high energy for me, even though her website clearly stated she bred good family pets that were not high drive. She didn't understand the difference between energy and drive! When we finally connected with the busy breeder, I was very happy with her and with her lines. I ended up with a very energetic puppy with medium drive.


I think I'm in the wrong business! hundreds of emails a day? :surprise:


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

ipopro said:


> I think I'm in the wrong business! hundreds of emails a day? :surprise:


From people looking for dogs. From previous buyers with questions. Breeders work hard for very little money. Keep your day job.


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## ipopro (May 4, 2012)

LuvShepherds said:


> From people looking for dogs. From previous buyers with questions. Breeders work hard for very little money. Keep your day job.


Could you imagine what you must learn from just the number? Which breeder is that if you don't mind me asking?


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

ipopro said:


> Could you imagine what you must learn from just the number? Which breeder is that if you don't mind me asking?


from some of the shared questions and emails on breeder groups that I'm on, they likely learn that a lot of people are stupid and shouldn't be allowed to own a dog.


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## ipopro (May 4, 2012)

Dainerra said:


> from some of the shared questions and emails on breeder groups that I'm on, they likely learn that a lot of people are stupid and shouldn't be allowed to own a dog.


Gut Laugh of the day! Yayyyy!

I love the brutal honesty :wink2:


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

ipopro said:


> Could you imagine what you must learn from just the number? Which breeder is that if you don't mind me asking?


The name doesn't matter. Any breeder who is well known will get a lot of inquiries. Also, if they encourage people new to GSD ownership to email with questions, they will get more form their own buyers. And like someone else said, there are a lot of people out there who should not own GSDs or any other dog that needs training.

I think a lot of that interest is because so many people think they want a German Shepherd or another working dog because it sounds like fun or trendy, but are completely unequipped to own one. I'm sure she dumps most of those emails. 

I sent emails to every breeder I thought was a possibility and heard back from only a few. One told me her dogs were booked two years in advance, so I wrote her off. Another ignored me because she had no current litter. Then I saw on her website six months later that she had available puppies and to inquire. I didn't want a dog them so I didn't write.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

not to mention, many breeders don't list prices on their websites - I imagine half the e mails are price inquiries!


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## WIBackpacker (Jan 9, 2014)

Take a breath. Wait a week. Maybe two. Then call on the phone.

Their sister could be in the hospital. They may be on vacation. A dear friend might be visiting, and they're out sightseeing. Their roof may be leaking so they're staying with family while it's fixed. An uncle has just passed away. There are many many reasons that make someone temporarily unavailable.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

If you are sending your breeder cutesy sayings or e-mail American Greetings, don't expect a response to every one. All other inquiries or information, including responses to pictures of your pups, should be answered in some way. 

The main thing buying from a good breeder gets you is a knowledgeable person behind your puppy. To gain knowledge about what she is producing, staying in touch with puppy buyers is important. Someone too busy to respond in a timely fashion to an email concerning puppies that she produced is too busy to be breeding.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

This discussion is turning into endless bickering. Posting this here as a reminder and fair warning that this policy is still in effect and enforced: 

http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...es/558506-personal-bickering.html#post7873145


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

I don't "breed" since I only have a stud dog. But between questions by PM, directed to me in Facebook comments and stupid "how much is your fee" questions I average 10+ a day. 
Just last night someone asked if I would trade a breeding for a fishing reel. He assured me that new, it cost him almost $75.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Castlemaid said:


> This discussion is turning into endless bickering. Posting this here as a reminder and fair warning that this policy is still in effect and enforced:
> 
> http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...es/558506-personal-bickering.html#post7873145


This is something I do not understand. What I am seeing is a thread where people are pointing out opinions on why they would question using a breeder that is not responsive. 

Unless threads are being deleted left and right, I see no bickering at all. And, amazingly, it is actually on-topic and pertinent to dog-ownership. 

I think the OP should hear that some people might see this kind of response by a breeder as unacceptable and someone they personally would not do business with, while at the same time, I think if someone has insider information on a breeder who is excellent and extremely busy, they should present their view on why someone might not be as responsive and yet be someone they would do business with.

Could you please explain how this falls into personal bickering and fighting. Because this is exactly what makes this forum worthwhile -- people having to consider things they might not have thought of that way. If we all stay firmly within our own comfort zones and never have anyone challenge our positions on anything, then this forum is worth nothing -- no growth can come out of such an atmosphere.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Yes, the discussion has been extensively edited and posts removed, as it was getting personal.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I saw a couple of the posts that were removed that were made last night and there was no bickering in them. I guess I miss all the good stuff. Bummer.


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## lhczth (Apr 5, 2000)

I removed the snarky comments and then any comments that were in response to those comments. That is why some that didn't seem to be a problem were also removed. Meant to tell people that this morning so Lucia's post didn't look out of place but was in a hurry and forgot.


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

do with this what you will


I did have a dog from them.
He was a good dog , produced some very good hard working sturdy dogs.


I wanted to communicate this fact AND find out how the rest of the litter had
done . 
Feedback for my use -- feedback (positive) for them.


I got zero response . Tried more than once . 


not very satisfying. 
Good dog though.


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## ipopro (May 4, 2012)

Isn't the courtesy of a return phone call/email just proper business etiquette?

Let's take that one step further, *Promptly responding to all legitimate professional communications is simply proper business etiquette!* 

Smart phones, texting, email, and voice mail mean it's easier than ever to do so, even on the go and under the most dire of circumstances... 

No GSD professional I know personally would want to be labeled with anything other than these professional character attributes. :grin2:


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

ipopro said:


> Isn't the courtesy of a return phone call/email just proper business etiquette?
> 
> Let's take that one step further, *Promptly responding to all legitimate professional communications is simply proper business etiquette!*
> 
> ...


yes. but most breeders don't view what they do as a business and their focus is on their dogs. 
The breeders I know can take weeks to reply to an email. They spend their days at work. Their nights playing with dogs, feeding and caring for dogs, training dogs and getting ready for trials. Their weekends are spent traveling and competing. 
The last thing they feel like doing on many days is answering emails. They do get to them eventually but they it can take a while.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Business or not, it is about your puppy buyers. Of course we are busy. We have to work and we have to spend just as much time with our dogs. But, if we ignore the people who own are dogs, then we are failing our puppies, and the MOST valuable input on our breeding program. 

That we, who are experienced, can get a dog from here to there smoothly and successfully is nice, but what speaks volumes is how are dogs do with other people. Not us. So when our people are contacting us, if we take WEEKS to get back to them, how quickly are they going to try and contact us the next time. This time it might be just to say, "Yay! my dog made it through basic and the instructor said she was awesome!" But next time it might be, "the ER vet thinks my girl has pyometra and wants to spay immediately." They might remember that you took weeks to notice their last post and not bother talking to you about it. 

Information about our dogs is so important. Temperament, training, health, structure, successes. 

Making the people who own our puppies feel like they are bothering us, irritating us, frustrating us -- that is shooting ourselves in the foot every time. As for e-mails, how long does it take to say you have nothing available now, please check back in September? 

You do not have to explain your entire breeding program with each e-mail. But you have to be available. You have to answer their concerns. 

We talk about red-flags a lot. A huge red flag is immediate responsiveness to potential puppy buyers, and hesitant or non-existent response to existing puppy owners.


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## ipopro (May 4, 2012)

Dainerra said:


> yes. but most breeders don't view what they do as a business and their focus is on their dogs.
> The breeders I know can take weeks to reply to an email. They spend their days at work. Their nights playing with dogs, feeding and caring for dogs, training dogs and getting ready for trials. Their weekends are spent traveling and competing.
> The last thing they feel like doing on many days is answering emails. They do get to them eventually but they it can take a while.


Isn't the courtesy of a return phone call/email just proper etiquette?

Let's take that one step further, Promptly responding to all legitimate communications is simply proper etiquette! 

Smart phones, texting, email, and voice mail mean it's easier than ever to do so, even on the go and under the most dire of circumstances... 

Scratching head! Dang Fleas...


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## Dainerra (Nov 14, 2003)

ipopro said:


> Isn't the courtesy of a return phone call/email just proper etiquette?
> 
> Let's take that one step further, Promptly responding to all legitimate communications is simply proper etiquette!
> 
> ...


yes it is easier. but in some ways that makes it easier to forget. you're at a trial, see you have an email and say "Oh I'll answer this in a bit" and then forget that you haven't done it.

I once got an email 6 months later. "OMG. I'm so sorry! I thought that I'd sent this and didn't realize it was still sitting in my draft folder"


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## gsdsar (May 21, 2002)

If you don't like someone's communication style, find a different breeder. 

Yes the breeder may not see it as a business, but they will happily take your money. So you as the customer have the right to be happy in all aspects of the transaction. Period. 

If you are not bothered by their poor communication, then wait until they respond and purchase a dog from them. 

If you want more consistent communication, find a new breeder. 

It really is as simple as that.


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## Triplemoon (May 5, 2016)

Really good responses and advice here. Thanks to all who responded. Although I am not a new German Shepherd owner, I am new at finding a reputable breeder.


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## Triplemoon (May 5, 2016)

I wanted to post and say I heard from Jean at Schraderhaus German Shepherds. She was very helpful and friendly. I put a deposit down on a future litter. I'm super excited to get my new pup!
Triplemoon


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## MoxyPup (Jun 12, 2016)

Congratulations!


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

My breeder doesn't even do emails. Just phone calls. I am sure that weeds out a lot of the 'just shoppers'. He goes by reputation, doesn't advertise and tells you to just come out and meet him and his dogs.
If you only do phone calls, it saves time. Whenever I sell something on CL, no emails, just calls; it is a bigger hurdle for people and I think you only get the more serious ones.
Whenever I get an inquiry about training per email, I have them call me for more info. Missing out on several I am sure but they don't waste my time with endless correspondence. The more elaborate the emails, the less chance of a training appointment.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

I hate calls. They make me incredibly anxious. Doesn't mean I'm not serious.

I am better if somebody calls me, but even now there are times when I'll try and call somebody and hang up before they can answer.


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