001 / Field Notes
Field Notes.
Short letters from inside the work. What I'm building, what's breaking, and what the breeders I talk to are actually struggling with. No marketing fluff. About one post every other week, when the writing is good.
The Buyer Application: What to Ask Before You Accept a Deposit
The buyer application is the document most breeders skip and the document that prevents most placement problems. Here is what a real application asks, why each question is on the form, and how to use the answers to filter buyers before they ever pay.
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Best Gecko Breeding Software in 2026: An Honest Review
Most gecko breeding software is dog tools with reptile slapped on. An honest 2026 review of what actually works for gecko breeders, and where the gaps are.
Breeding Rights Contracts: When to Sell Them, When to Withhold Them, and How to Document Them
Breeding rights are the clause most breeders get wrong twice. Once by selling them too easily and once by withholding them without writing down what that means. Here is what a real breeding rights contract covers and how to decide whether to grant them at all.
Guardian Home Agreements: What to Include and What Goes Wrong
Guardian home placements look like a great deal until the first retrieval, and then they look like a recipe for a Facebook lawsuit. Here is what a guardian home agreement actually has to cover, the failure modes nobody warns you about, and how to write the agreement so it survives the first conflict.
Live Arrival Guarantees: What Belongs in the Contract for Shipped Animals
Live arrival is the contract clause that exists because animals die in transit and someone has to be on the hook when it happens. Here is what a real live arrival guarantee covers, the temperature and timing rules that determine whether it pays out, and the reptile-specific failure modes most templates miss.
Crested Gecko Pedigree Tracking: Why Spreadsheets Break
Gecko pedigrees aren't dog pedigrees. Hets, line traits, and clutch-by-clutch genotype data break the spreadsheet model fast. What real tracking needs.
What to Ask a Dog Breeder Before You Buy: A Buyer's Guide
The questions you ask before you buy are the difference between a great placement and a regret you live with for fifteen years. Here is what to ask, what good answers sound like, and what kind of answer should make you walk away.
Co-Ownership Agreements for Dogs: How to Structure Shared Ownership
Co-ownership is the breeder version of marriage. It works beautifully when both parties want the same things and have a written agreement defining what those things are. Here is what a real co-ownership agreement covers, the failure modes that ruin them, and what to write down before you sign.
Puppy Deposit Agreements: What Breeders Need Before Taking Money
Most breeders take deposits long before they take the time to write down what the deposit actually secures. Then a buyer ghosts and the puppy is on the ground at 8 weeks with no clear next step. Here is what a real deposit agreement covers and the clauses that prevent that conversation.
How to Spot a Reputable Breeder: What Actually Matters Across Species
Most articles about finding a reputable breeder give you a vague checklist that does not actually filter the bad ones. Here is what actually separates a working preservation breeder from a marketing operation, with species-specific signals and red flags that hold up across dogs, cats, reptiles, horses, and livestock.
What Goes in a Stud Service Agreement: The Clauses That Actually Matter
Handshake stud deals are how breeders end up in arguments about missed breedings, unpaid stud fees, and puppy back claims that nobody wrote down. Here is what a real stud service agreement covers and the clauses that prevent the worst outcomes.
How Much Do Dog Breeders Actually Make: The Real Numbers
Most articles on how much dog breeders make are written by people who have never raised a litter. Here is the honest breakdown of startup costs, per-litter costs, time investment, and what realistic profit looks like at every scale of program.
Good Dog vs Breed Ledger: Which One Is Right for Your Breeding Program in 2026?
An honest 2026 comparison of Good Dog and Breed Ledger from a working breeder. Marketplace versus website builder, payment models, autonomy tradeoffs, and which fits which programs.
What Goes in a Puppy Sales Contract: The Clauses That Actually Matter
Most breeders run on a contract they downloaded from another breeder six years ago. Here is what actually needs to be in a puppy sales contract, what is missing from the template you are probably using, and where the holes show up when something goes wrong.
The Waitlist Problem: Why Most Breeders Lose Buyers Between Deposit and Pickup
The deposit cleared. The litter is healthy. So why is your buyer asking for a refund? The gap between deposit and pickup is the most vulnerable part of the breeder-buyer relationship, and most breeders have no system for it.
What Buyers Look at Before They Message You
The sale does not start when someone messages you. It starts ten minutes before that, when a stranger is Googling your kennel name, scanning your page, and quietly deciding whether you are worth their time.
Puppy Waitlist Software: 6 Options Reviewed by a Working Breeder
Six puppy waitlist tools ranked by a breeder who has actually run a waitlist. Pricing, fit, and the spreadsheet fix that works until you are ready.
Best Kennel Management Software in 2026: Ranked and Reviewed by a Working Breeder
Six kennel management software platforms ranked by a breeder who runs animals. Pricing, what each does well, and where each one breaks.
How to Sell Puppies Online Without Relying on Facebook
Every option for selling puppies online: AKC Marketplace, Good Dog, your own website, and more. Honest pros and cons from a breeder who builds the tools.
Dog Breeder SEO: The Fixes That Moved 3 Real Kennels From Page 3 to Page 1
Three real kennels, three before-and-after rank changes, and the exact fixes that moved them. The plan you can run this weekend.
Best Website Builders for Dog Breeders in 2026 (Compared)
Wix, Squarespace, Shopify, BetterBreeder, and custom builds compared by a working breeder. Which handles listings, waitlists, and pedigrees.
Dog Breeder Website Cost in 2026: $0, $59, $2,000, and What You Actually Get
Real prices for dog breeder websites in 2026. DIY ($0 to $200), templates ($300 to $1,500), custom builds ($3,500 to $12,500+). What you get.
How to Build a Dog Breeder Website (Step by Step Guide)
Templates work for bakeries, not breeders. A step-by-step guide to building a breeder website with listings, waitlists, pedigrees, and trust.
Selling Animals Online: What I Learned
I built my own e-commerce platform to sell crested geckos instead of relying on marketplaces and Facebook. Here are four things I learned the hard way about what actually drives sales.
Why I Ditched Spreadsheets for Breeding
I tracked every pairing, clutch, and lineage record in a spreadsheet for years. It worked until my collection grew past 20 animals and the whole system started falling apart.
What Makes Buyers Trust Your Program
Serious buyers do research before they reach out. The breeders who can show health records, lineage, and full history for every animal close sales faster and at higher prices.
5 Things Your Breeder Website Needs to Sell
Most breeder websites are actively losing sales. Here's what buyers actually look for before they send that first message.