Popular Myth: Co-Ownership is a recipe for hard feelings and chaos.

Myth Buster

Popular Myth:

Co-Ownership is a recipe for hard feelings and chaos.

Co-ownerships, a practice that is as old as dog breeders, can sometimes be seen as a hindrance to newcomers in the dog fancy. Some folks don’t fully comprehend the idea and can be misled. Let’s investigate the reasons why breeders utilize co-ownerships and how it can benefit preservation breeders and newcomers to the world of purebred dogs.

Written and submitted by: Landon Hutchinson

1. Sharing genetics.

Co-ownerships allow the breeder of the puppy and the new family to share their genetics. That puppy may be from one of their foundation bitches and from old frozen semen, being the last product of that special dog or bitch. That breeder will want to retain those special genetics. They may be keeping a female puppy, however they see a very nice male puppy that they would love to keep as well. They may not have the time or space to keep two littermates. They will let that puppy go on a co-ownership. This lets the puppy to get more attention, while allowing the breeder to retain use of those genetics in the future.

2. Sharing Expenses.

If you look at most of the top winning specials today, it is likely that there are at least one or more owners on that dog. Campaigning a special can be extremely expensive. Expenses can get into the high 5 or even 6 figures per year, when you look at boarding, training, grooming, travel, and the plethora of other expenses that come with a campaign. This is not feasible for some owners, so they can find co-owners to help fund the campaign. In return, those co-owners receive use of the genetics and the publicity of owning a top winning special.

3. Trusting and educating new puppy buyers.

In many breeds, there is an abundance of newcomers who are trying their best, however need some education. Established breeders get an alarming amount of calls from these newer breeders, who want to incorporate their genetics. While we all start somewhere, breeders still need to protect their offspring and the genetics that they have worked so hard to create. Breeders will let that puppy go on a co-ownership, this provides another layer of protection for their genetics. This also gives the newcomer a great connection to gain information on breeding and showing ethics along with a plethora of other things that come with owning, breeding, or showing their first purebred dog.

Myth Buster