Starting A Dog Breeding Business In Los

[Svenn]

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has an experience, advice for starting a dog breeding business in thailand. My gf currently has 5 chihuahuas and has sold their puppies occasionally, and she was thinking of expanding it into a full-time business as her sole income. It would still be an amature-type enterprise, she doesn't have a bachelor's degree in breeding or familiarity with genetic research, etc. on the other hand she's responsible enough not to continue breeding dogs that have defects, a common problem I've heard in Thailand. One thing I'm not sure about is her competition- e.g. if there's massive chihuahua factories in Isaan or something that pump out dozens a month, then maybe she shouldn't try to do this.

thanks

[bob4you]

go to Chatuchat market and find out how popular Chihuahua dogs are now and what they bring, then do a feasibility business plan based on the research. Chihuahua are popular right now because of "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" movie but this is Thailand and many others will be jumping on the market and next year it could be flooded with Chihuahuas.

[Svenn]

Thanks Bob. Yes, i imagine demand fluctuates but I'm not clear how it works out in the long run. 3 years ago, chihuahuas went for 15,000 and up at Chatuchak, now it's about 6000 and up. but in developed countries like the USA with lots more chihuahuas than Thailand, the minimum price still seems to be higher at about 9000 baht and up, with scattered chihuahuas going for 30,000, etc. I'm not sure why that is, and if Thailand's eventual growth into a developed country spells likewise good news for the dog industry. in other words, is it really possible that chihuahuas could become so prelevant that for 10 years or so she could only sell them for 2000 baht? If that's a real possibility, maybe we should rethink this business or plan, or maybe she should focus on special-featured chihuahuas like the 'apple-head' that always will be expensive..... thanks for any thoughts anyone.

[bob4you]

Chatuchak prices will continue to go down, and that really is the bottom of the retail market. If you are a breeder at 10-12 weeks they are cute little pups, if not sold at 24-36 weeks they no longer are considered cute little pups, but I must admit that a good breed of Chihuahua will remain small and more attractive than Golden Retrievers for example. But for that reason we sell pups on a order basis with a health guarantee then we locate for the client. Although I have 15 dogs including my Chihuahua that my wife bought to resell, it didn't sell and we were happy to adopt him ourselves. This will be a developing 3rd world country for more than 10 years and once anything becomes popular the competition becomes fierce. Look at Shitz Tsus, they used to cost B5-6K without papers, now they can be purchased for B1000 if you look a little bit.

[Svenn]

hmm, so with papers one can avoid the decreasing price pitfall? Is having a dog with papers a difficult process that requires the seller get certified or do genetic tests or something? but even without that, it seems like my gf could still stay above the competition if she focuses on only unique-looking chihuahuas (applehead, or blue coats) thanks again

Edited January 8, 2009 by Svenn

[MrSnrang]

The truth is that if you want to keep making money in the long term you have to breed for quality. It won't matter if there's a massive glut of them if you can offer better quality.

There's still a niche market for high-quality dogs and a perfect example of this is the Jack Russel House.