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#112 – Q&A – Puppy Applications, Delayed Pickups, Deposits, More than One Breed, and Turning Down Red Flag Buyers

#112 – Q&A – Puppy Applications, Delayed Pickups, Deposits, More than One Breed, and Turning Down Red Flag Buyers

by Julie Swan | Jul 5, 2025 | Business Management, Dog & Puppy Management, People Management

Jump to Show Notes WHAT ARE THE BEST PRACTICES FOR HANDLING A DELAYED PUPPY PICKUP? It’s really great for us breeders when people are ready to pick up their puppy the day they’re ready to go! Last weekend, I was able to deliver 5 out of 6 puppies in one trip—it was...
#110 – Why Outsourcing Isn’t Guaranteed to Save Your Breeding Program

#110 – Why Outsourcing Isn’t Guaranteed to Save Your Breeding Program

by Julie Swan | Jun 20, 2025 | Business Management, Facilities Management, People Management

Get the Hiring Prep Cheat Sheet Jump to Show Notes What’s your biggest pain point right now? Is it cleaning puppy pens and adult pens? I swear there is always more poop to clean. Is it social media? Are you thinking to yourself, “Yes, I have been meaning to tackle...
#109 – Is Your Dog Breeding Business Leaking Money?

#109 – Is Your Dog Breeding Business Leaking Money?

by Julie Swan | Jun 12, 2025 | Business Management, Dog & Puppy Management, Facilities Management, People Management

Get the Pricing Cheat Sheet Jump to Show Notes In business, there are two ways to make profit: you have a good margin or you have volume. In dog breeding, it’s very hard to do volume. The more puppies you produce, the more systems you have to have, the more cost that...
#107 – Do More Puppies Mean More Profit?

#107 – Do More Puppies Mean More Profit?

by Julie Swan | Feb 11, 2025 | Business Management, Dog & Puppy Management, Facilities Management, People Management

Get the Know Your Numbers: Business Finance Planning MasterClass Get the MasterClass Jump to Show Notes Have you ever had a litter born, raised, and then they go home and it was perfect? They all had great homes, you got the price you asked, and when that litter money...

#106 – It’s a New Year and Dog Breeding is Changing. . .

by Julie Swan | Jan 6, 2025 | Business Management, People Management

Get the ChatGPT Prompts to Help You with Your Dog Breeding Program Jump to Show Notes Happy New Year and congratulations! You survived the majority of the normalizing of the market. We’ve seen less-passionate breeders exit the market, some decide to retire, and, best...
12 Days of Breeders – 12 – Dakotah and Hunter of Bear Paw Ranch

12 Days of Breeders – 12 – Dakotah and Hunter of Bear Paw Ranch

by Julie Swan | Dec 14, 2024 | 12 Days of Breeders, Business Management, Dog & Puppy Management, Facilities Management, People Management

Jump to Show Notes The 12 Days of Breeders is a series of interviews conducted with members of the Dog Breeder Society who are doing innovative, creative, and inspiring things in their dog breeding business.  In each of these interviews we cover challenges each...
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Recent Posts

  • #132 – Purposeful Chaos in Your Breeding Program
  • #131 – Why Dog Breeding Feels So Overwhelming – and What to Do About It
  • #130 – The Breeder You Need to Stop Being
  • #129 – What Actually Makes a Good Dog Breeder?
  • #128 – Q&A – All About Puppy Deposits

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#132 – Purposeful Chaos in Your Breeding Program

Jump to Show Notes The other day I was driving, and I saw a woman whose minivan license plate was ShipWrk. Then I saw the sticker on her back window and it said, “I run a tight shipwreck.” I had visuals of the Titanic and the crew saying the same: “We ran a tight...

#131 – Why Dog Breeding Feels So Overwhelming – and What to Do About It

Jump to Show Notes Welcome to the Honest Dog Breeder Podcast with me, your host, Julie Swan. Where each week, we dive in to discuss all things dog breeding, so you can build a breeding business you love, producing dogs that fulfill their owner's dreams. I believe you...

#130 – The Breeder You Need to Stop Being

Jump to Show Notes Watch the Webinar on Demand: Why Breeding Feels Overwhelming - and What to Do Instead  Watch Now In the last episode, we talked about what actually makes a good breeder. Not checklists, not rules, not appearances. Good breeders are defined by the...

#129 – What Actually Makes a Good Dog Breeder?

Jump to Show Notes Watch the Webinar on Demand: Why Breeding Feels Overwhelming - and What to Do Instead  Watch Now If you ask ten breeders what makes a good breeder, you’ll get ten different answers: Health testing. Registration. How many dogs you have. Where the...

#128 – Q&A – All About Puppy Deposits

Jump to Show Notes 1. Should puppy deposits be refundable or non-refundable? Breeders love to use non-refundable deposits because they mean that they don’t need to worry about paying people back if they cancel, so in theory it locks in that they want a puppy. It’s...

#127 – Setting Up Your Year for Success

Jump to Show Notes The new year always brings a lot of noise. Big goals. Big plans. Big pressure to do everything differently all at once. But before we rush forward, I think it’s worth slowing down for just a moment and taking an honest look at where we actually are....

#126 – Is Your Dog Breeding Program the Bringer of Good Things?

Jump to Show Notes I love that stores are closed on Christmas Day—it forces you to not go anywhere and not do anything. My favorite thing to do on Christmas is sit with the family, enjoy our new gifts, while we talk and share stories. Yet, as it always goes, when I...

#125 – The Secret to Higher Priced Puppies

Jump to Show Notes 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...

12 Days of Breeders – 12 – Dana Filatova of Kismet Labradoodles

Jump to Show Notes The 12 Days of Breeders is a series of interviews conducted with members of the Dog Breeder Society who are doing innovative, creative, and inspiring things in their dog breeding business.  In each of these interviews we cover challenges each...

12 Days of Breeders – 11 – Andrea Gardner of Desert Sky Poodles

Jump to Show Notes The 12 Days of Breeders is a series of interviews conducted with members of the Dog Breeder Society who are doing innovative, creative, and inspiring things in their dog breeding business.  In each of these interviews we cover challenges each...

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