Talking with Breeders

Ivy

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#1
I'm doing some heavy duty research on the CASD. I asked a breeder if I can ask questions and give as much info about myself and my future goals to see if the breed would be a match.

I finished writing the e-mail but haven't sent it yet. It's really long.

What would be an accepted length of an e-mail to a breeder? I don't want them to be annoyed.
 

milos_mommy

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#2
If it's the first email, I would keep it brief. If you have questions about health testing or titling or work the dogs do, include those. Maybe a very brief description of your lifestyle/family/experience with dogs and if they would have any concerns about a CASD in your home. Possibly if they know of any events where you could meet other owners or people involved in the breed.
 

Fran101

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#3
I've sent essay long first emails before lol oh well. IMO I don't WANT to go to a breeder that doesn't like my essay emails, haha they might as well get used to it, I'm not going to change.
Either appreciate my enthusiasm and the time I took to write this email or I'll find another breeder. Wham bam thank you mam.

I WOULD use typical polite email formatting (to make it easier to read).. I like to put questions on their own line, group my person info together, highlight important bits (when I want a puppy, what I'm looking for etc..) and please and thank yous
 

Toller_08

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#4
To be honest I don't think about length at all when I e-mail a breeder. Most of my initial e-mails to breeders have been fairly long and it's yet to have worked against me. I just write to them what I feel is important and if it turns out long, oh well! If I were a breeder I'd like a lengthy well thought out e-mail... I don't think that's something a breeder should or would get annoyed at.
 

Kilter

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#5
I would streamline it and go for a few key points that you want to get across. Something like what you are like as a dog owner in three lines or so, then a few questions about the breed, and ask them to tell you more about their breeding plans and what they do.

You can get into more details later and they might have more info that will cover and answer questions too.
 
S

SevenSins

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#6
There is no standard acceptable length, it totally depends on the breeder. Personally, I'd much rather someone send me an "essay" than the typical e-mail I'm sure most breeders get, at least from time to time, like this (actual e-mail I received): "hello I saw your dogs and I was really impressed really have litters at the moment?" Those are the ones I don't even bother responding to.

ETA: Just checked our e-mail and had these. This is a prime example of how to drive a breeder nuts. :rofl1:

7:43PM
Hey my name is xxxx and I love the apbt bred and your pup is a great example of what the bred that I love suppose to look like im definitely interested and Will like more info my number is xxxxxxxxxx
10:03PM
Hey it's xxxx again I kn I just sent the email lol but im really anxious to hear back from you thanks
 

Flyinsbt

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#7
Speaking as a breeder, if only very occasionally, I would way rather have the essay than something really short. Politely formatted, as suggested, with the important points in paragraphs of their own. I'd put the most important stuff in the first few paragraphs, and then all the other detail you want to include, questions you want to ask, etc.

This will give the breeder a better "feel" for you, and if you are someone they are interested in selling a puppy to. Others may feel differently, but I think if someone was a breeder I wanted to buy from, they'd be interested in knowing as much about the buyers as possible, and a long winded email in the buyer's own words will tell them much more than answering questions will.

ie; if I ask someone "did you have any interest in competing in sports with your puppy, or is this intended as just a pet?", they might answer that they are interested in competing in agility, because asking the question led them to think I expected it. This could lead to them having the wrong puppy if they weren't really that interested in agility. Whereas if someone writes me a rambling email about their experiences with dogs, and their hopes for their new puppy, and brings up their interest in competing in dog sports, it's a pretty safe bet that they do intend to give that a try. And of course, the parts about their previous experiences will give me some idea of what they are used to from a dog, and what they are likely to be able to handle.
 

Oko

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#8
When I emailed breeders, I sent a very long 'this is me, this is what I want in a dog, this is my lifestyle and this is my living situation, here's what I'd do with a dog, and this is how I found you', and do you have any litters planned for summer or fall 2013. It ended up pretty long, really. Then I asked if I sounded like a good match for one of their dogs.

Then after they responded positively, I asked them a bazillion questions about their dogs and them.
 

spiffy

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#9
KISS :p Keep it short and sweet! But the questions you need to ask must be clearly stated.
 

BlackPuppy

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#10
My first emails are always long essays about me and what I am looking for, with links to (private) photos of my home and backyard, and where the dogs sleep. These were always to people in Europe, so I would send it in English and a foreign language attempt at translation.

The one time I didn't write a long essay, I was asked for more information about myself in the reply.
 

PWCorgi

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#11
I would say, especially with a dog of this magnitude (CASD is Central Asian Shepherd Dog, right?), that an essay is just fine. Heck, I would probably say an essay would be better, because it allows you to explain what you think makes you equipped to handle this kind of dog.

If it was a Cavalier breeder, maybe not so much, a ton of info probably isn't going to be required to see if you are capable of a breed like that.
 

Ivy

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#12
Yes, Central Asian Shepherd Dog. :)

I'm mostly e-mailing to get info on the breed, not to put myself on a waiting list as my plan is to get a CASD in at least 5 years or more from now.

I want to get as many opinions out there in terms if I would be a suitable home or not, that's pretty much the gist of me e-mailing multiple breeders and see what the outcome is. If all or most say it's not a good match, then I will start looking at other breeds, if all or most say it's a good match then I will be ecstatic and pissed that i'll have to wait so bloody long, lol.

I don't want to have my heart set on a breed for so many years only to then find out i'm not the right match for them.

Also, I know which breeder I will be going to if it turns out it's a good match. I have been talking with her too but it's in my nature to go over the top when it comes down to dogs and finding as many reliable and experienced people to assess me and the breed as a pair. The more opinions the better I guess.

If many of you have sent essay e-mails and had a good outcome, then i'm going to go and press the "send" button now.

Thanks everybody. :)
 

Kilter

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#13
There's nothing wrong with long and detailed but keep it organized and to the point. I have no problem with chatting back and forth via email with a possible home, but if they send a 'and this was our third dog, buffy, growing up, she was a poodle cocker mix, they call that a cockapoo, she was brown and loved belly rubs......' then likely I'm going to wonder.
 

Sit Stay

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#14
My first emails aren't generally novels - maybe 2 paragraphs long outlining where I live, what I do with my dogs, something about Quinn, and what I am looking for in a dog. I usually go into more detail once they respond and are interested in carrying on a conversation.
 

Kilter

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#15
My first emails aren't generally novels - maybe 2 paragraphs long outlining where I live, what I do with my dogs, something about Quinn, and what I am looking for in a dog. I usually go into more detail once they respond and are interested in carrying on a conversation.
Exactly!

I've had some people inquire that right away I knew weren't going to be getting a puppy, and I don't like to string them along or argue details - hey if they're happy with ol'roy and a chain in the back yard great but I don't need to be giving them advice they're going to argue with for the next five years if they're not even getting a puppy! I had one who got all my info, asked a few questions, sent them more info, sounded all good, but then they saw a puppy on kijiji for $100 and bought it right away. Then started emailing with questions, the pup had this and that going on, was shy, fearful, hard to housebreak.... finally sent them to a trainer that was more local where they could pay for the help they'd get if they got a pup from me in the first place (but wouldn't likely need as much help either). Not that I don't like to help people but it's my time and energy and the 'breeder' they got the pup from should be doing more of that, or they can take the money they saved and pay for extra training and learn that way.
 

frostfell

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#16
As a breeder, I would rather have a novel than a paragraph. As a buyer, I tend to ramble and send novels anyway. Iv never had someone reply with a terse return, and Iv never done that to a buyer.
 

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