# What do you think?



## Doc (Jan 17, 2009)

OK folks. I need you to think like a potential puppy owner and answer this question. OK?

When you have decided to buy a puppy, which is easier a easier program for the buyer when getting a new pup - kibble or raw?

As a breeder, we are faced with the difficult decision when it is time to wean the pups from their mom. So do you think puppy buyers find it more convenient to get a pup that is on kibble or one that is on a raw diet.

Part of me says that kibble pups can be switched to raw once the owners get comfortable with and a handle on raw feeding. Many puppy owners have never heard of feeding a raw diet and would have to taught how to do it.

Your thoughts?


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

I say start the OWNERS in the right direction from the beginning by telling them you will only honor your health guarantee if they continue with the raw diet and if they need guidance then you will do that.


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

As a potential and futur3 pupy buyar i wud probabley b put of by raw fedng unlas da bredar rilly put a lot of 3fort in educatng me
as!1111!11 wtf a pupy bred3r i wud probabley try mah bst 2 get teh pot3ntial buy3rs on board wit raw!!!1!11 wtf lol i wud s3nd tham information etc on da hows and y of raw fedng!1!!!!1 omg lol i bleive it si important 2 start a pup on raw as son as posible for maximum health bn3fit!1!!!!1! Wtf lol


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Anyone who was put off and unwilling to educate themselves about canine nutrition wouldn't be a candidate for a potential buyer of one of MY puppies. Bull Terrier breeders that I know who feed raw to their litters have no problem finding the right candidates for their puppies, but then again these breeders don't advertise their litters, they already have potential buyers on a waiting list.


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## MollyWoppy (Mar 19, 2010)

Personally, I would much prefer a raw feed puppy, but, I think kibble would be more acceptable to the majority of potential new owners.
The reason being that in all my travels round here for the past 3-1/2 years, talking and meeting untold dog owners at agility, dog park, just all round the place, I have met only one other raw feeder.
It seems that most people think it is too much bother, listen to their vet who tells them its dangerous, they worry about the kids and contamination, all the normal reasons we come across, or, they just gaze at me as if I'm nuts. In short, most people (round here anyway) would not comtemplate buying a puppy if they had to feed raw.
But, maybe you live in a more open-minded part of the country!


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Many of the raw feeding breeders I know will only sell to buyers who agree to feed a raw diet. I guess a lot depends on how much in demand your pups are as to how demanding you can be about their life after they leave you. I would still wean them to raw.


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## meggels (May 30, 2010)

spookychick13 said:


> As a potential and futur3 pupy buyar i wud probabley b put of by raw fedng unlas da bredar rilly put a lot of 3fort in educatng me
> as!1111!11 wtf a pupy bred3r i wud probabley try mah bst 2 get teh pot3ntial buy3rs on board wit raw!!!1!11 wtf lol i wud s3nd tham information etc on da hows and y of raw fedng!1!!!!1 omg lol i bleive it si important 2 start a pup on raw as son as posible for maximum health bn3fit!1!!!!1! Wtf lol


*jaw drops*


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

spookychick13 said:


> As a potential and futur3 pupy buyar i wud probabley b put of by raw fedng unlas da bredar rilly put a lot of 3fort in educatng me
> as!1111!11 wtf a pupy bred3r i wud probabley try mah bst 2 get teh pot3ntial buy3rs on board wit raw!!!1!11 wtf lol i wud s3nd tham information etc on da hows and y of raw fedng!1!!!!1 omg lol i bleive it si important 2 start a pup on raw as son as posible for maximum health bn3fit!1!!!!1! Wtf lol


Who the heck wrote THIS illegible junk? Can't be spookychick!


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## harrkim120 (Feb 2, 2010)

Haha...I bet that illegible junk took a long time to write out. :biggrin:


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## merlin371 (Jul 26, 2010)

What's easier for the dog to change? from kibble to raw or from raw to kibble? then go with the lowest common denominator it will make things easier for the dog.


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## Doc (Jan 17, 2009)

RawFedDogs said:


> Many of the raw feeding breeders I know will only sell to buyers who agree to feed a raw diet. I guess a lot depends on how much in demand your pups are as to how demanding you can be about their life after they leave you. I would still wean them to raw.


My dogs are usually sold before they are born. :biggrin: 

I have converted several buyers to raw but the majority want a kibble. And it is by far easier to from kibble to raw!


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Doc said:


> My dogs are usually sold before they are born. :biggrin:
> 
> I have converted several buyers to raw but the majority want a kibble. And it is by far easier to from kibble to raw!


You asked what I thought and I told you. :smile: I think if someone gets a puppy alread fed raw, he is more likely to stay on raw than to go through the process of switching. BUT, saying that, I have never raised a litter of puppies nor have I delt with buyers.


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## Doc (Jan 17, 2009)

RawFedDogs said:


> You asked what I thought and I told you. :smile: I think if someone gets a puppy alread fed raw, he is more likely to stay on raw than to go through the process of switching. BUT, saying that, I have never raised a litter of puppies nor have I delt with buyers.


And I appreciate your thoughts and would prefer to wean to raw; *BUT*, some buyers can be a real ..... _challenge_? LOL


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Doc said:


> And I appreciate your thoughts and would prefer to wean to raw; *BUT*, some buyers can be a real ..... _challenge_? LOL


Life is a challenge. :smile: Like I said I know some raw feeding breeders who will absolutely not sell their puppies unless the buyers agree to feed raw. Then there are the breeders who will not guarantee their puppies unless the pups are fed Purina Puppy Chow. Most are somewhere in between. :smile:


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

SubMariner said:


> Who the heck wrote THIS illegible junk? Can't be spookychick!


I thought it would be endearing, like Doc's ******* shtick!


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

Obviously some people on here are way to serious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## 1605 (May 27, 2009)

spookychick13 said:


> As a potential and futur3 pupy buyar i wud probabley b put of by raw fedng unlas da bredar rilly put a lot of 3fort in educatng me
> as!1111!11 wtf a pupy bred3r i wud probabley try mah bst 2 get teh pot3ntial buy3rs on board wit raw!!!1!11 wtf lol i wud s3nd tham information etc on da hows and y of raw fedng!1!!!!1 omg lol i bleive it si important 2 start a pup on raw as son as posible for maximum health bn3fit!1!!!!1! Wtf lol





spookychick13 said:


> I thought it would be endearing, like Doc's ******* shtick!


Sorry. It was so painfully difficult to decipher that I thought that someone illiterate tweener had spoofed your account. :redface:


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## spookychick13 (Jan 26, 2010)

I HATE "leet speak" like that, so it was freaking painful to write too.


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## Doc (Jan 17, 2009)

y shucks. it aint dat hard to type how uins talk. Ma and Pa sayz jest writ it like it sounds. And mosta da foks will knowd wot you iza tryin to say. Now y'all lower urself a tad and enjoy bein enter dused to sum coltur. Besides, I cant understand a dayum ting all uins yanks are a sayin!


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## CorgiPaws (Mar 31, 2009)

As a breeder, I would keep the best interest of the puppies above the convenience of the "buyers." I would structure MY breeding program the way I feel it should be done, and care for MY puppies the way that I feel they SHOULD be cared for. As a breeder, YOU call the shots. I wuld not tweak my procedure to accomodate "the market" by any means. If a "buyer" has an issue with the way you do things, don't sell to them. They'll find a breeder that better suits what they're looking for. this applies to ALL breeding ethics and practices, not just feeding. none of this convenience and in demand junk matters if you're breeding for the right reasons and not for a quick sale.


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## merlin371 (Jul 26, 2010)

RawFedDogs said:


> Life is a challenge. :smile: Like I said I know some raw feeding breeders who will absolutely not sell their puppies unless the buyers agree to feed raw. Then there are the breeders who will not guarantee their puppies unless the pups are fed Purina Puppy Chow. Most are somewhere in between. :smile:


how does the owner guarantee that he's gonna feed raw? is there a contract? how legally binding is the contract? has it ever even been challanged if there is one? all I'm trying to say is, if someone goes to this breeder and say "sure i'll feed raw and then doesnt" what's gonna stop him?


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

merlin371 said:


> how does the owner guarantee that he's gonna feed raw?


Don't know.



> is there a contract?


Could be



> how legally binding is the contract?


Depends on how much money you want to spend to enforce it.



> has it ever even been challanged if there is one?


Don't know



> all I'm trying to say is, if someone goes to this breeder and say "sure i'll feed raw and then doesnt" what's gonna stop him?


Nothing, but its better than having an owner say, "heck no, I'm never gonna feed my dogs that stuff. Its too expensive and too much trouble."


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## Guest (Aug 12, 2010)

Doc said:


> OK folks. I need you to think like a potential puppy owner and answer this question. OK?
> 
> When you have decided to buy a puppy, which is easier a easier program for the buyer when getting a new pup - kibble or raw?
> 
> ...


Five months ago, I purchased a puppy from a breeder who was feeding Purina. I told the breeder that I intended to get the pup off Purina and onto a better quality kibble and/or even some raw. She said, "We've had good luck with the Purina, but, that's fine. Do as you wish." I found it very easy to transition my pup from Purina garbage to grain-free kibble and then to what is now about 80% premade raw diet. But if the breeder was feeding raw and wanted me to continue that, I would definitely do so. Would other puppy buyers? No way of knowing but I hope they would, if they want what's best for their pup.


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## Doc (Jan 17, 2009)

I always encourage my buyers to feed the best "food" they can afford to their dogs. I mention some kibble brands, dehydrated and freeze-dried, and mention several different raw programs. Ultimately it is up to the individual buyer. Guarantees/contracts are next to impossible to enforce. Even if it is stated what type of food to feed, there isn't anyway to really know.

I can encourage puppy owners to feed raw, but will they do it? And at 8 weeks when they move to a new home, their stress level is maxed out. At least the one thing that should remain the same is what they are eating.


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## whiteleo (Sep 7, 2008)

My dogs were kibble fed then converted to a raw diet. But I do know that if I were to buy another Bull Terrier puppy, I wouldn't buy one that wasn't weaned onto a raw diet. 

The raw diet is a new movement, many people have heard of it and just aren't sure about how to get started, it would take a breeder like you "DOC" to educate them and push them over to the raw feeding side.


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## Doc (Jan 17, 2009)

whiteleo said:


> My dogs were kibble fed then converted to a raw diet. But I do know that if I were to buy another Bull Terrier puppy, I wouldn't buy one that wasn't weaned onto a raw diet.
> 
> The raw diet is a new movement, many people have heard of it and just aren't sure about how to get started, it would take a breeder like you "DOC" to educate them and push them over to the raw feeding side.


Thanks for your insight. I am prepared to "preach" the message to new puppy owners - and now may be the time. As Ben Franklin said, "it's all about timing."


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