If it is a breeders website(I think this is what you are talking bout) I like to see pics of all there dogs, info on them(health clearances done and pedigree) With pics I really like it when they put up puppy to adult pics just to see the changes in their dogs. I don't like the music, it gets really annoying and I just turn off my speakers. Give some background info on themselves, like how long they have been breeding, why did they want to start breeding ect..

Sorry if that was not what you were asking I was a bit confused,lol.

 

I have had some good feedback on my site. I haven't bred a litter yet (hoping for early next year) so I don't have any puppy pics yet, but plan on it once I breed (I, too, like the idea of chronicling the changes they go through from puppy to adult!). I like things simple and organized, yet informational. I plan on adding a section talking about the breed eventually as well. I haven't really messed with the site in a while except for the blog LOL.

 

I know people have said they like the layout of my site. Here's one that's really nice (please note, sharing beautiful websites does not equate to my endorsing said breeders)

http://www.huskavarna.net/

 

I like your site, too, Xeph!

Yeah I've seen Huskavarna's before - I think they did a really nice job with it.

ETA - Here's my site for anyone interested... Needs to be updated a bit and I will be adding more as we figure out if/when we will be breeding Bubbles (including her test results, info on puppies, and breed info):
http://www.loistavakennels.com/

 

I want a contract (or sample contract) on the site because I want to know what I am getting into before I make the plunge.
I HATE music on websites, normally I have other music playing on my computer, thus its annoying.
I don't like things that move or chase my mouse.
I like a site that is easy to navigate.
Red sites make my eyes hurt, as do bright oranges or yellows. Make sure your colors look good and you can still read the words, its quite annoying to have to highlight every word to read it.
I like lots of pictures (but spread over the site, not a picture dump on the first page.)

I want to see a picture (and a bio) of every breeding dog on the place (or brought in).

 

Most of the sites I've liked have been simple, but elegant, not flashy or cutesy. Here are a few:
Unique
Penndragon
Cabernet
Desert Reef

I like Finkie_Mom's site quite a bit.

Information I like to see includes
-current dogs in program with pedigrees, titles, and health testing
-general information about the breed, e.g., temperament, health concerns, general care, activity level [I'd really like to see a "day in the life" sort of piece to give people new to the breed (or dogs in general) an idea of how their lives will change if they get a dog]
-about the breeder(s): how & why they started, breeding goals & philosophy, and history of breeding program
-how puppies are raised
-how the dogs live other than shows and performance events
-pictures of dogs in formal and informal settings
-accomplishments of "pet" dogs owned by others
-puppy application
-general dog care & training information or links to good information (this is a nice bonus; plus, if I find a reputable breeder, I have a good idea I can trust their advice)

Stuff that sours me on a breeder includes
-too much personal information unrelated to dogs
-referring to their dogs as "boys & girls" or "lords & ladies" (too cutesy for me)
-referring to their dogs as "moms & dads" or "sires & dams" (makes it sound as though they are nothing more than breeding machines)
-busy pages with too many colors, images, and/or text scattered across the page
-political or religious statements
-for lack of a better phrase, marketing terms (for example, with poodles, teacup, royal, and chocolate are generally descriptors used by less than reputable breeders)

Sorry if I offend anyone here.

 

My site needs to be updated (Which will be done in the next weekish).

http://www.marcatogermanshepherds.com

 

I love your site, especially About Us and Puppy pages. Great information. I'd love a GSD, but know I couldn't provide the right kind of home

 

Thank you much A friend designed it for me, but I put all the information and what not there myself.

 

My favorite griff breeder and website:
http://www.griffonpoint.com/

 

I've met Shannon, she's got some nice dogs, very nice lady!

 

Good thread. I've yet to buy a pup from a breeder but I'm in the preliminary search phase for future puppies.

I want a site that's easy to navigate. I like simple tabs at the top of the page(About us, Our males, Our females, Puppies past and present, Available, Gallery, etc.). NO music. That's just irritating.

I like to see as much information as I can on their site... I need extra convincing that this particular breeding is worth contacting.

Each dog having its own page with just a few pictures from puppyhood to adulthood. Some sites have 80 million pictures on one page and my computer struggles. For the individual dogs, I want to see health clearances, pedigree, achievements, and present/future goals or goings on.

I don't care so much about cutesy puppy pictures as I do information about how they're raised, how to apply for a puppy, a sample contract, and links to their dam and sire. If there are no puppies at the time, I'd like to see when the plans are for future litters.

A photo gallery is nice to see too. Again, my computer is happier with individual pictures to click on or a slide show versus picture overload. I like to see everything that the dogs do(conformation, herding, agility, etc.).

Just my two bits. Buying a puppy is still a ways off for me so I've been perusing many sites.

 

We had a thread like this quite a while back, and I dug up my post:

I want nice, big, clear pictures of the actual dogs (each dog should have its own page with several pics, including stacked shots). We've all seen the sites with tiny (or dark, or even blurry) candid pics of the dogs, and that tells you nothing about the dogs' structure and quality. And when you have a litter for sale, please, nice big clear pics of the pups, too!

So many breeders' sites look like they were made using a website builder in 1998. I like something non-cluttered, with a simple color scheme. Let the dogs' pics be what attracts the eye, not bright colors and tons of different frames with their own scrollbars.

I like the look of this site: http://maribesopapillons.com/index.html
This one is pretty good: http://www.wowakk.com/ (I like how they have the dogs' pedigrees easily visible on their pages.)
And I like the simple look of this one: http://www.nordicminihuskys.com/

 

I second liking the look of wowakk's website.

 

Those who checked out my site saw that I only have a single shot of a dog up, and the dog is stacked (except Strauss). Personally, I don't like doing individual pages or bios, not because I don't want to share, but because to me, it looks extremely cluttered.

If people would like to ask me more about the dogs as individuals, all they need to do is e-mail me and ask. I am also personally not terribly interested in candid shots of dogs, and thus don't put any on my website. Now, because I claim to do so many things with my dogs, I DO have pictures/video of my dogs engaging in these activities as proof that can be provided upon request, but I don't want them up all over my website.

My website is meant to be a quick overview of what I have to offer, but I am the person to talk to for in depth information.

 

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but just a few points:

-no flash, I do a lot of things on my iphone and i hate when sites wont open up on it.
-in the description of your dogs, its nice to have a OFA/CHIC number so its easier to pull up their page on the ofa site (instead of having to scroll through their huge list of breeds, ect)
-I like seeing both show and pet pictures- we want to see your dogs at their best, but its also nice to see a shot or two of them playing with a ball or doing agility or something else more "normal pet"
-some sort of information on your puppy page. if you rarely have litters, PLEASE just say it. if you already have a two year waiting list, PLEASE just say it. It makes potential parents first email to you much easier.
-provide an actual email address instead of one of those "contact me right here on the page" boxes. i never know if my email actually got sent on those things.

 

My job is web design and development for the corporate environment. I know a professional website isn't cheap but one doesn't have to use web designs from 1998. There are plenty of great, free, templates available and modern (free) website creation tools. There's no reason to use Microsoft Word to build a website!

We've only bought from one breeder online and that was for our Persian cat. She had a typical '98 style site with cutesy stuff like music, scrolling/bouncy stuff and the like. What won us over was her YouTube channel and her Facebook pages. She was even willing to send us extra videos of the cat we were considering. We also got see videos of his mom and dad. Here's the video of our kitten at 2 weeks old.

I think one of the big keys is having a good social media presence (ie Facebook, YouTube and maybe Twitter). Most breeders don't do this very well.

 

I like the WOWAKK site as well, especially the FAQ and detailed breed description sections. It's good to explain to potential owners what is meant by show quality and pet quality and why a "just a pet" owner would want a dog from a show breeder. I like, too, that prices are listed even though I know many are against it. I find price awkward to discuss with breeders (as in, I didn't know the price for my dog until we got the contract).

Also, in some ways, a breeder might want to note the downside of their breed to ensure people know exactly what they're getting into. When I'm researching breeds, one of the first places I look is breed-specific rescue sites. They usually have a pretty good "this isn't the breed for you if..." section.

I understand the points made about picture overload on sites. I think two pictures of each dog, one stacked and one relaxed (e.g., playing ball, lounging in the sun, etc.) is sufficient. One or two "puppy to adult" features is nice, perhaps for most recent additions or current "puppy parents," but not necessary. Going back to the "just a pet" buyer, I think having the relaxed / candid photos help to change the perception that show or performance dogs are somehow different from regular pet dogs.

There is a balance between having too much and too little information. There is a certain basic level I like to see (I think Xeph has enough relevant information on her site to be just right: pedigree, test results, accomplishments). If I were looking for a GSD, I'd certainly contact her to learn more. But, because breeders are busy people, I'm hesitant to contact them if I'm just investigating them or if I'm unsure about their program.

 

I like, too, that prices are listed even though I know many are against it. I find price awkward to discuss with breeders (as in, I didn't know the price for my dog until we got the contract).

This is becoming an issue for me. I do not want to ask to be put on a waiting list for a pup whose price I have no idea about. I am certainly not interested in putting a deposit down without a final number. I realize numbers vary, but would it really be unreasonable to talk a bit about ballpark figures? Even ballpark figures that most responsibly bred puppies of that breed go for, in their area? If not on a breeders website, somewhere? How do you budget a major expense (and it is, at least for me) without *some* idea?

Actually, forget it on the website, but maybe while answering the other questions for a prospective buyer, it could be brought up?

(I too had no idea what I was paying for Jack's adoption fee until *the second I paid for him*. Find and dandy as it turned out, and I expected it to be okay since he was older, but as a regular business practice, there're some issues.)

 

Thanks, this helps a lot!

I don't think I would put a full contract online, because there may be changes made depending and there is the risk of byb's stealing ideas. But I will put a summary on so if people aren't happy with the basic idea, they can go elsewhere.

I do like the idea of some shots, but not a ton, stacked shots and some show shots as those get done too. I think I'll do a gallery for each dog for the bulk of them so it's optional.

Not as worried about being big on facebook, generally those are not the places to attract responsible buyers IMO. There are a few border collie breeders who use facebook to sell sell sell, going fast, last chance today, all dogs must go..... and I'd rather not be part of that. I am working on the local dog group, have to be a member for so long then apply for the breeder's listing with two existing members vouching for me. There's a few other clubs and listings I'll get on when the time is right too.

Will be adding a 'what border collies are really like' section as well.

I did like the suggestion to go to the breed database for more information on pedigrees. The border collie one you do have to sign up for, but it's still interesting to go read about and it has a lot of features.

My DH is a web designer, so he's going to do most of the actual work (I hope).

I also hate sites with a lot of flash, when it's a business and you're looking up their site on your phone to find them there's nothing worse than it not loading up.

 

This is so making me want to get the new site up.

I like pages for each dog, pedigrees are a must, as much info as possible on the dogs and dogs in the pedigree, breed info and other info that might be helpful to less experienced people, photos and info on the dogs they produced too.

Biggest peeves are music and no pedigrees.
I also don't like senseless design and navigation.

 

I like to see:

-info and pictures on all the dogs, I hate it when I click on a name and get nothing but a photo!
-DATES! I hate not knowing if the website hasnt been updated, like if I go to the planned breedings page, and find 2 listed, then find out that those "planned litters" are 3 years old!
-I want a contract on the site, I usually like to see a puppy questionaire as well, it helps me figer out if the breeder is someone I want to bother with. the questionairs also help me figer out how to contact the breeder and what to say..I am awful at commuincating, and often sound like Im a 12 year old if I dont have the guidlines of a questionaire lol and I like to see the quesntaire ON THE SITE, I hate hate hate it when it says "contact me to fill out a questionaire"...I wont lol
-I want health into on the dogs, not what colours they carry
-in border collies I want details on their stockworking ability..you can almost always tell if the breeder actually has any idea what they are talking about in those details lol
-I want to see the breeders breeding philosphy, and I usually want to know what the breeder feeds and does for vaccines. I have often seen on questionairs "are your prepared to feed what the breeder reccomends?" and absolutly nowhere does it say WHAT the breeder feeds or reccomends lol

my dislikes are pretty much the same as everyone else lol

 

There is a certain basic level I like to see (I think Xeph has enough relevant information on her site to be just right: pedigree, test results, accomplishments)

Thank you Funnily enough, I actually got a puppy inquiry today.

Because I am a stay at home wife right now (poop ), I answered all emails in under 10 minutes. I try to answer inquiries as quickly as possible, and don't like to leave people waiting.

My website is getting updated tomorrow, if I can get my graphics design person to get updated pics in graphics for me.

ETA: I know people would probably like to see more than just stacked shots on my website, but for me it is #1 terribly cluttered, and I cannot find a way of adding pictures that satisfies me and #2 just doesn't look as professional to me. In the future, each dog may get an individual page. I do try to put little bits of info beneath each dog featured on the site.

One of the other reasons that I don't have a ton of pictures is because I use it as a device to ENCOURAGE people to think for themselves and ask me questions! Get to know me, get to know my dogs.

I have a questionnaire, but I do not put it on the website because I don't want somebody to fill it out. I want to ask questions on the fly, and see the responses I get. I do have one of those automated contact forms, and I DO receive them (as evidenced by today) and respond to them within 24 hours or less.

I like the form because at that moment in time, it prevents the person from over thinking what they want to say to me, and I find it easier to build a rapport with somebody that can give me a simplified outline of what they want, and we can go from there.

 

The biggest thing I've found missing from many websites is some indication that the breeder is still active, or any updating at all - rather than just having the webpage still floating in the ether. There are some sites of breeders I know are still active that haven't been updated since 2008. That's just... off putting.

And as a prospective pet-puppy buyer, I would really like some indication that the breeder actually *wants* contact with me. It's a fineline between nonprofessional and just unapproachable. A simple 'we're happy to answer questions and talk with prospective owners via email' (or whatever) would go a long, long way for me.

Oh, and some indication of physical location would be nice. Yes, most people will know or figure it out, but 'located in rural northern Mars' being more easily assessible would also aid in a in the search.

 

Honestly - I asked the breeders up front what their prices were and I've asked several breeders from up and down the east coast to gather an idea of what the pet range is to the show range. I don't have one contract from the breeders and Im still a year out from getting a puppy.

One of my favorite websites is trilliumblue.com/trillium (I like her news page and questionnaire page - also the dogs page). I really love snowmistkennels.com site - I think it is just an incredibly well done site.

 

Links to their individual offa.org page on each dog's page, plus a pedigree or link to a pedigree. It gets tedious to do a search for each dog individually to verify information, and whenever a breeder bothers to include the links it is SO appreciated. It also demonstrates that a breeder cares about being fully transparent and accountable.

I like to see lots of pictures, but I understand not wanting to clutter up the space. It seems like an easy way around it would be to include a "More Pictures" link on each dog's page (though I've never made a website -- is that really difficult?)

Links and excerpted information about health issues in the breed, breed history -- specific and contemporary -- and other concerns, and the position the breeder is taking. I like getting a sense of a breeder's position on issues in the breed.

COI on each breeding dog and each litter.

SPECIFIC information about breeding goals -- not just a vague statement that they breed for "conformation, health, and temperament" but actual specifics about what type of dog they are building, and where they hope to be in ten years.

SPECIFIC information about the temperament, drives, and aptitudes of each breeding dog. I don't understand why this is so rare. I know that this is something that can be talked about more on the phone, but why not give people information on the website beyond "Friendly" and a list of titles?

 

I like to see lots of pictures, but I understand not wanting to clutter up the space. It seems like an easy way around it would be to include a "More Pictures" link on each dog's page (though I've never made a website -- is that really difficult?)

It can be tricky to implement for those who don't know that much about web design. The modern way to do it is to use HTML5/JQuery based components, such as Wow Slider or Slideshowbox. The problem is that these components may not display well for people using older browsers, like Internet Explorer 6 to 8. Likewise, older Adobe Flash based methods won't work well (or at all) on most mobile browsers, especially iPhone/iPad. A good compromise is to use older Javascript slideshow methods although these have their quirks and are more difficult to work with.

 

oh ya, I totally forgot about the price, when I was researching Toller breeders, I would have lots of contact with various breeders, getting to know them etc.. and the second I asked about price, every one of them dropped all contact with me, now I am absolutly terrified to ask a breeder about what they charge for their pups!

and specific to "BCs" be HONEST about what you are breeding for, if your breeding for conformation and obedience, dont say "and to preserve working ability/instinct" showing your dogs sheep once or twice while actually breeding for something totally unrelated is doing no such thing, youll have your own niche market for what you are breeding, no need to confuse newbies.

 

COI on each breeding dog and each litter.

This is really based on the breed involved. You're not going to find a COI listed on any GSD litter, but you probably will in Tollers.

but why not give people information on the website beyond "Friendly" and a list of titles?

Because the majority of people are "just pet" owners, and they are not interested in reading such. They are going to skip right over that info because it means absolutely nothing to them. May as well be speaking Latvian. I'll be discussing it whether it's on my webpage or not.

 

I love this website: http://www.worldofclassical.com/CLASSICAL/havanese.htm

I think the level of detail it has with the dogs is perfect. They have a page with all of the dogs just with titles, names and basic info, but for interested parties you can click on the name and get a bio and lots of photos of the dogs. To me, that is very important. I want to hear what the dog is up to and what they're like. Having a write-up about each dog requires some level of dedication and care. For breeders with many dogs, it shows that they take time with each dog to do activities and know their dogs well. It also means I can see the sire and dam of an upcoming litter and go to the parent's page to get a preliminary look at what the parents are like. Sure- it isn't anything I wouldn't find out by emailing, but it gives a good impression.

I also like to have lots of information about the breed- both good and bad. A breeder that just says the good qualities and none of the bad is someone to run away from, fast.