Hi Julie, Nancy and Diane are right on. In my first litter, I had 3 cream colored males. One was VERY curly, so we knew what he would look like (that is Vicky's Copper) and we had two with flat coats. Our first customer wanted a flat coat. Wanted a Labby look, so they couldn't decide between the two. And, I didn't know, as this was my first litter!
So, after a week or so, I saw changes and could tell that one was getting fluffy...that one turned out to have a very lush, curly fleece coat...very long and non shedding. The other one is still very Labby...he is the one they selected. He sheds and he is the lankiest, funniest guy...but adorable and they could not love him more.
I would tell people that it is too soon to say for sure.
From the pictures that I saw, all of your pups looked like they will have nice coats!
If I get time today (please send an email to me and remind me) I will send you some baby pictures and grown up pictures. Then you just tell your customers that with F1 it is hard to predict, that you make no promises, but that this is why F1s are much less money than F1Bs or multigens! You could also talk more about the excellent coat of an F1 for grooming...rarely do they mat, easy to brush and go, never need clipping, etc. The shed is slight, generally...nothing like the Lab (but could be...my Labby boy started shedding heavily at 7 weeks and I knew he would shed...yet the Labby girl from this litter...the one I was CERTAIN would shed...none! She is lanky, but no shedding!)
So, you price an F1 according to this "gamble" and if people want ONLY a good coat, they can find that anywhere...but if they are looking for a great dog, good temperament, health, socialization, warranty, etc. They can buy one of yours.
You could also let them meet the pups as they get older. Take the pups for a drive, leave them in the car, let the families see them and play with them, but not on the ground and only if they wear protective clothing.
Sorry this is long...but don't worry.
Say...take a look at my blog page! Scroll all the way to the first litter (in the archives) and you will see my early litter as they are born...then as they grow! You'll see.
Feel free to show those pics to anyone or have them contact me and I can "sell" them on F1 because that is my favorite, personality-wise!
So, after a week or so, I saw changes and could tell that one was getting fluffy...that one turned out to have a very lush, curly fleece coat...very long and non shedding. The other one is still very Labby...he is the one they selected. He sheds and he is the lankiest, funniest guy...but adorable and they could not love him more.
I would tell people that it is too soon to say for sure.
From the pictures that I saw, all of your pups looked like they will have nice coats!
If I get time today (please send an email to me and remind me) I will send you some baby pictures and grown up pictures. Then you just tell your customers that with F1 it is hard to predict, that you make no promises, but that this is why F1s are much less money than F1Bs or multigens! You could also talk more about the excellent coat of an F1 for grooming...rarely do they mat, easy to brush and go, never need clipping, etc. The shed is slight, generally...nothing like the Lab (but could be...my Labby boy started shedding heavily at 7 weeks and I knew he would shed...yet the Labby girl from this litter...the one I was CERTAIN would shed...none! She is lanky, but no shedding!)
So, you price an F1 according to this "gamble" and if people want ONLY a good coat, they can find that anywhere...but if they are looking for a great dog, good temperament, health, socialization, warranty, etc. They can buy one of yours.
You could also let them meet the pups as they get older. Take the pups for a drive, leave them in the car, let the families see them and play with them, but not on the ground and only if they wear protective clothing.
Sorry this is long...but don't worry.
Say...take a look at my blog page! Scroll all the way to the first litter (in the archives) and you will see my early litter as they are born...then as they grow! You'll see.
Feel free to show those pics to anyone or have them contact me and I can "sell" them on F1 because that is my favorite, personality-wise!
