Showing dogs?

Question

Does showing dogs win good money? And if I kept one pup from every litter, should it be the best male, or the best female? And about how much does winning a dog show earn? Would winning help you sell puppies better?

Answer 1

As I used to tell people that asked me about the money side of showing and raising quality dogs....."You don't get into dogs to make money....you get into dogs to SPEND money....lots of it." I have a friend who has 4 BIS ribbons framed on her wall....They're just some of many, but those 4 represent the first 4 BIS ribbons won by bitches in our breed, and it was a mother and daughter that won them. She told me one time....."You see those....those cost me about 40 grand.....but it was worth it." Definitely not for the monetary "rewards"....she very seldom does breedings...it was just for the accomplishment. When I bred, I was breeding for a show prospect. I didn't care....be it dog or b*tch....I kept the best puppy for myself. It's not about the money.

Answer 2

The cost of going to a local or regional show will be in the four or five hundred dollar range, if you do it on the economy plan. If your dog wins in its class, you'll get a ribbon. If it wins its breed, it will get another ribbon, and maybe some small merchandise prize, or not. Same if it wins its group. If it wins Best in Show, a big ribbon, and maybe something like a crystal vase or a sliver platter.

If you finish its championship, you will probably have invested $5000 - $10000 in the dog. You will have won maybe several hundred dollars worth of merchandise.

Keep showing until your dog is one of the top 25 in its breed, then you may get a chance to compete in a really big show, and maybe, if you beat the othe 1000 - 2000 dogs entered, may win a cash prize, maybe even a sizeable one. I recall that one of the very biggest shows last year, maybe the Eukanuba Tournament Championship meet, paid $80,000 for the Best in Show. Of course the owner of that dog probably had several times that much invested in the dog.

Having a winning dog allows you the opportunity to have a wider range of possible mates, but doesn't mean that you can charge enough to make money off them. Let's say you have a really nice female, and have campaigned her for two years, at a cost of $10,000 per year. You breed her, and she produces 6 puppies. Unless you own the dog, you'll pay a stud fee equal to the price of one puppy, or else the owner will take pick of the litter. Now you're down to 5. Two of them turn out to be pet quality, so they will sell for about half the show quality pups. If the pups sell for $1500 apiece, So that's 2 x $750 + 3 x 1500 = $6000. Vet fees, vaccinations, food, etc, will run maybe 200 each, so there's $1000 gone, leaving you a net of 5000. Maybe you will breed her three, possibly four times total. So at best, you may break even. Of course, you could get struck with parvo and lose the whole litter, your b'tch could have to have a C-section and lose the whole litter, plus have to be spayed, so no more puppies. Or any one of a dozen things could happen. So unless you happen to be independently wealthy, I suspect you're going to have to have a day job to support your kennel.

If you want to make money off dog shows, be a professional handler, groomer, or sell stuff at the shows. They're the ones who make money, not the people who own the dogs in the ring.

Answer 3

You don't win money at dog shows. You earn points towards a championship. You spend money at shows...entry fees are expensive and everything that goes into dog showing costs money and lots of time. It's a hobby and the goal in showing is to earn a championship title on your dog.
If you keep the pick of the litter" it shouldn't matter if it's male or female...you keep the best no matter what gender.
You can sell puppies for more money if the parents are champions, but in the long run...you won't make money...dog showing and breeding is a hobby and shouldn't be thought of as profit driven...when you start thinking profit...you will want to take short cuts and that is not the goal in breeding well.

Answer 4

Showing dogs does not make money..it costs money. Winning a dog show earns nothing except points and a ribbon.
Showing a good representative of a breed, winning & earning points, gaining a championship does help sell puppies.

Answer 5

LOLOL. As a rule, you don't win ANY money at a dog show. At some, you MIGHT win, say $100-500 for a Best in Show, but to do that you have to beat around a thousand other dogs. A couple of the large, prestiegous shows have a fairly good prize for Best in Show, but the dogs that win that are dogs that are heavily campaigned, and that COSTS tens of thousands of dollars.

Dog showing is a hobby. Like almost any other hobby, it's a money pit. The only ones who MAKE money are the professional handlers who show other people's dogs.

Answer 6

Showing dogs isn't really a career choice. A lot of breeders breed for a dog that best meets the breed standard. Sometimes it takes years to develop and obtain the right breeding pair and then on to training for confirmation. That will mean traveling a great deal and spending $$ on entering the show and $$ for food and lodging.

Answer 7

LMFAO!!!!!!! If anything, it COSTS a whole bunch of money!!!
Yes, finishing dogs to their championship helps you with selling puppies, it will not cover your show costs!!!
You should not keep too many males!!! They fight and cannot be kept together most of the time! Causes alot of problems.
Do some more research!!!!!!

Typical show weekend: Three day show. $27 per day JUST for the entires.
Motor Lodge: CHEAP ONE $50 per night.
Meals: $20 per day if you STARVE.
Gas: $50 on the LOW end.

This is a CHEAP show. Even if you win Best of Breed, you may leave with 5 points........ZERO DOLLARS!!!!!!!!

The only way showing dogs is actually a profession is if you are a professional handler and show MANY dogs each show. Then, you are making money because people are paying you to show the dog. For breeders, showing is not a profession, it is a tool to decide the quality of the dogs and who should and should not be used for breeding.

Answer 8

People show dogs because they love the breed. I wonder why you just concern about the winning and its prize. Normally you don't win any money at any local dow shows. It's an expensive hobby. If your main goal is to win the prize and sell puppies at higher prices, conformation is not for you.

Answer 9

Win Money??? Ha, ha, ha. It's a very expensive endeavor, even if you handle your own dog. You spend money. No way to get it back. Several thousands of $$$$. Are you kidding??
Go to the AKC website and read up a bit. Then go to a local dog show. You'll get the idea that it's a lot of hard work and costs a lot of money.

Answer 10

You don't get money for winning dog shows. You get ribbons. Hurrah.

However, having your dog win in a dog show will bring it closer to becoming confirmed as breeding quality. So, if you are planning to breed your dog, which it sounds like you are, make sure it wins a show (Ch) or it shouldn't be bred.