[Murreydobe]

Hi! I have a dilema hoping to get some guidance or good responses! I currently have a red bitch 2 1/2 years old. She is a Champion and just recently started her "Special' career with a bang!!! In just three weekends she holds 3 group placings and a BEST IN SHOW! Unfortunately, a parting of the ways took place between our handler and sponsor/backer. Given that I am new to the Doberman community I felt the need to network. I am seeking a breeder or anyone interested in sponsoring and becoming a business partner with my beautiful bitch. She has incredible potential!!! She has not been bred yet and remains "hopeful" by God's grace to have a "Special" career! At this time we do not have a handler or sponsor! Any suggestions or interested parties are very much welcomed! Thank-You.:emo8:

Well congrats, sounds like she's started her specials career off with a bang..who is she? Got any pics?

I'd think this bitch's breeder would be a good resource in terms of finding another handler. If you can get her out there in the ring so she can be seen, people interested in backing her will probably come forward.

 

[Murreydobe]

Thank-You for responding! Unfortunately, the breeder is very small and the handler presents a barrier. I have a beautiful "diamond in the rough" and will send pictures to those interested parties. Please provide your e-mail and I will send them off ASAP! Thank-You so much!

[email protected]

 

[Murreydobe]

I am very familiar with Soquel's Distant Thunder! Would like to talk more!!! Please provide your e-mail address! Thank-YOU.

Probably not as familiar as I am with him, he was born in the middle of my bed.

 

[Murreydobe]

I live in Chicago Illinois and really need a professional handler and backer!

Even if your breeder operates on a small scale, they should have some knowledge of the handlers in the area.

As Bug said, handlers are usually very good at finding backers for worthy dogs.

However, there's only a small handful of handlers I'd use at any time, that list becomes even smaller when it comes to who'd I use to special a dog. Personally, I don't know that I'd ever sell my soul for a backer, and many times that's what you wind up doing with your dog.

 

[Murreydobe]

I sure would want to have a say in who MY DOG was being breed to.

See, that's the thing. Once you take on a backer, it's no longer just YOUR dog..and money talks in terms of who calls the shots about breeding..that's usually an integral part of any contract involving a backer. Just wouldn't be worth it to me.

 

[Murreydobe]

I think I would show my dog or go with a handler.

There's almost always a handler involved as well with doberman specials, there's too much competition to try to owner handle at that level of the game..most of the time, the handlers are the ones who find the backers.

 

[Murreydobe]

You said very few aren't using them, why? Is it the money?

At a *minimum*, it's going to cost $25,000-30,000 a year to special a doberman. And that's with little to no advertising being done on the dog at all...some of these dogs wind up costing backers $100,000+ every year.

Handlers don't show dogs for free..and their special is the income they count on month after month..that's the fixed income, whereas class dogs (dogs that are working towards their championships) come and go. So no, there just aren't that many handlers that don't use backers for their specials-if they do, it's almost always because they bred/own the dog themselves...and even then, they'll try to bring a backer in so they get paid to show the dog.

 

[Murreydobe]

Some handlers charge by the win, so you pay them an amount if they win breed with your dog, you pay them again for a group placement, and again for best in show -- so potentially several hundred dollars a day. Multiply that out by 2, 3 or 4 day shows every weekend and you can see why it's out of the pricerange of most people.

And some of them charge a flat fee for handling per month..with my handler, it's $3500/mo for his special. Plus travel expenses, plus advertising, etc.