I can’t believe it. I have been involved with the American bully going on 8 years now. although that may not be as long as some others, it is definitely longer than most. It’s crazy to think about how far we have come in a relatively short time. though I think we have grown at an exponential rate we have always kept a few things at the forefront of what we do. In this blog, I’m going to give you some gems that will absolutely help you grow and be prosperous within this community. There are a number of key factors that will allow you to be successful in this community. These things include in the show ring success, breeding better bullies, and last but definitely not least your business practices.
so, what about show ring success and what else goes into this category? Its pretty simple, you definitely cannot expect to win every single time you set foot in the show ring. but you absolutely will base your success in two areas of competing off of how well you do within it. Winning is about 3 factors, your dog’s conformation to the breed standard, your handling ability, and the person judging your dog. Two of these things you can directly control, one you cannot. Is success 100% about taking first place? you bet your ass but that’s also incremental. when you first start you should try to learn and consume every piece of content and every word of advice a true veteran is willing to give you. Those early small wins will keep your passion intact even in times when you go home with nothing at all. and generally, those times will come early and often when you first start.
Now, breeding better bullies directly tie into your show ring success. I firmly believe that the better-bred dog with the worst handler should win over a not so well-bred dog with a pro handler albeit that isn’t always the case. There is a saying in this community that goes “breed to your vision” and I think this is a ridiculous notion. simply because “your vision” should be the breed standard. Now, if your understanding is your vison within the breed standard like how tall, what colors, how much mass you want I am totally fine with that. But I feel like people use that phrase to breed whatever the hell they feel like and not follow the standard at all and I can tell you that’s a quick exit. If all you can talk about is how “badass” your dogs are but cannot speak to anything else like structure, movement, health, titles, well now you are just a hype breeder and those don’t last long. At least ethical and prosperous anyways.
Now that last fact is business. There is a whole lot that goes into this area and I could go on and on about it so I’m going to just bullet point most of them. They go as follows:
- Ethical breeding
- Proper care for puppies and mother
- Breeding healthy dogs to not cause hardship to your clients
- Utilizing contracts
- Marketing
- Transparency
- Being an expert
- caring for any puppy you produce and the clients who purchase and own them
I’m sure there are more things that I will think about after I’m done writing this but those are what come to mind of the top of my head. It all boils down to caring. Care for the animals you own and produce. Care for the people who support you and help you grow, and Definity care for your business and reputation. Have high moral ethics when doing business and it will go a long way. People are not dumb, well, I think most arent and how you conduct yourself will determine the type of clients you attract. If you attract any at all.
Show ring success, breeding better bullies, and your business practices absolutely will determine your prosperity and longevity within this community. but I want to leave you with this gem. This is going to sound so contradictory, but be different! I know, I know, I just said to follow these steps and to follow the standard but that isn’t what I am talking about when I say to be different. You have to figure out a way to stand out within those guidelines. What will set you apart? what will define you within this community? will you be someone that people idolize and strive to be like The Bully Market and these other quality breeding programs? or will you have to resort to just talking bout HYPE? only time will tell.
