#125 – The Secret to Higher Priced Puppies

Recently I got rejected. The kind where you think everything is going well, and then it doesn’t. I was trying to get a guest on the podcast, and when I asked for them to come on the podcast, they were all excited. Then they realized that I had a smaller audience on YouTube—I have a lot more listeners through the podcast, but people love video, so we are doing both. Anyways, it’s new, and frankly, it doesn’t look impressive—so if you wanted to subscribe to me on YouTube, it would be a huge help so I can get bigger people!!

Yet, I digress, what also became apparent is that this person didn’t see the correlation between my audience and how it would be helpful to his business. He has a plugin for analytics and I was hoping he would come on and talk a little SEO, but, instead I was ghosted. Not the first time; I was terrible at dating in high school.

This gentleman didn’t see how dog breeders would be a valuable addition to his market. It’s okay, it happens sometimes, I’ll get better at explaining these things going forward. He saw my petite audience of dog breeders as not enough benefit. Yet there have been other times when companies came to me, biting at the bit, trying to get their hands on my audience. Who would benefit most from a collaboration with me? Well, primarily businesses that work with dog breeders or whose target markets are puppy buyers.

Let’s look at Snuggle Puppy and why designing a whole program to support breeders was a smart decision for their business model. If you aren’t sure what a snuggle puppy is, it’s a stuffed animal dog toy that has a heart beat in it. The heart beats for 8 hours with one push, and it is great to put in the crate with the puppy when they first go home, as it feels like they’re sleeping with their littermates. I’ve been using them the last two years and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how much they help. Breeders are wonderfully aligned as an offshoot of Snuggle Puppy’s main target market of new puppy owners. Breeders are the bridge to the new home, and it also solves a lot of the whining in the crate and all the calls the breeders get about it.

Therefore, my audience is very good for Snuggle Puppy, which is why they return my emails. If you want to buy Snuggle Puppies in bulk, they have a great deal for breeders. Further, they gave me an affiliate link that gets you 15% off your first order—which is already handsomely discounted for their product. You can get the discount at honestdogbreeder.com/snugglepuppy.

Look at the difference there is with my audience. You are breeders. You have puppies each year and work with many puppy buyers. In my community I have breeders just getting started and seasoned breeders, with some producing a handful of puppies and others producing over 25 litters per year, the majority of you are producing around 20-50 puppies per year. Imagine if you were a company looking to work with new puppy owners … if you could sell a breeder on the idea, then they could potentially sell 20-50 people on your product every year; better yet, the breeder may actually purchase the product for the buyers, and that means that one breeder may purchase 20-50 of the item you would normally only sell one of to a person. It’s a very good strategy for puppy-supply people to sell products to their breeders since it is such a multiplier for their business.

Therefore, if a company like that gets their hands on my audience, imagine how much more this helps. My whole audience is breeders; it’s a large multiplier.

The difference between the analytics guy and Snuggle Puppy is that the audience alignment is different for their product. Breeders probably have one website, so they aren’t likely to buy more than one software license, and chances are they probably already have some form of analytics, so it wasn’t a great alignment. Snuggle Puppy, on the other hand, is a more unique product. They are also something that can easily be added to other items in the puppy packs. They don’t require you to discard anything you’re already doing.

Snuggle Puppy will be much more willing to invest time in talking with me than the analytics guy, and understandably so.

This long-term benefit of the interaction and partnership is exactly the way you can sell your puppies for more money: you have to align your puppies with the right market, and they’ll be willing to pay a much higher price.

When you are looking to raise your prices, you should think of it this way: how can I be uniquely positioned to serve this demographic of people? Because when you find a way to speak directly to your ideal puppy buyer in a way they aren’t getting anywhere else, you can nearly name your price.

Want to Get the Roadmap to a Successful Breeding Program?

The other day I was working with a breeder who couldn’t understand why her puppies weren’t selling. They were healthy, well-raised, and had great temperaments. She knows what she’s doing.

Within two minutes on her website, I could see the problem.

We talked it through. She made a few small but strategic pivots. Everything changed.

This isn’t about analytics, SEO, or sleazy sales tactics. It’s about alignment — understanding who truly values what you do and who never will. The moment this clicks, your business starts to shift.

So often, the fix is simple… once you can see it.

Most breeders already have what they need: great dogs, a solid program, and the right people landing on their website. The issue is that they’re not speaking to the right person. They’re out of alignment — and they don’t even realize it.

This breeder stepped into alignment. She finally understood who she was serving.

Here’s the truth: people will spend the money to get what they want. When you’re clear on who you’re serving, you can align every part of your breeding program — your messaging, your process, your boundaries — to that person. What you offer becomes irreplaceable. That’s when buyers line up for your puppies at the price you set.

When you’re in alignment — when you understand your value and the specific person you’re here to serve — everything gets easier. It becomes more enjoyable. More profitable.

It’s a complete game-changer. You get the buyers you want. You raise the dogs you love. You receive those texts with photos and stories about how cherished their puppy is. And that uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach? It disappears.

You’re no longer just breeding great dogs — your buyers see it, understand it, and appreciate it.

And that’s what I want for you: a breeding program you’re proud of — one that also pays the bills.

Thank you for joining me for another episode of the Honest Dog Breeder Podcast, with me, your host, Julie Swan. I love hanging out with you in your car, pocket, or ear, thanks for bringing me along on your journey. I’ll see you next time!