How To start a Dog Business In Nigeria (2023)

What is Dog Breeding?

Dog Business or Dog breeding is the practice of mating selected dogs with the intention of maintaining or producing specific qualities and characteristics.

When dogs reproduce without such human intervention, their offspring’s characteristics are determined by natural selection, while “dog breeding” refers specifically to the artificial selection of dogs, in which dogs are intentionally bred by their owners.

Dog Breeding Business

If you have experience in dog breeding and want to produce quality dogs that enhance their breeds, then starting a dog breeding business might be a rewarding opportunity, Dog breeding can be a profitable business however dog breeding can also be loss-making or simply break you even. Obviously, just like with every activity from bee-keeping to aeronautics, the execution matters more than the idea. Dog breeding is a fulfilling adventure but in itself, dog breeding is more of a project.

Dog breeding business Overview

there are certain challenging stuffs with the dog breeding business, Take for instance As the owner of a breeding business, you’ll need to spend quality time with your dogs every day. But there are even more challenging task to becoming a dog breeder.

Dog businesses work to supply families, show dog owners, and even working dog owners with well-bred dogs who are suited for their purpose. Breeders often specialize in one certain breed of dog, and they carefully select pairings to pass on the best qualities to the puppies.

Many dog breeders who specialize in show animals also compete with their own dogs. Often, breeders have strict requirements for evaluating potential buyers. Breeding operations also vary widely in size. Some breeders may breed a litter or two a year, while larger operations may almost constantly have puppies available.

Skills, experience, and education useful in running a dog business In Nigeria

Starting a dog business in Nigeria doesn’t require a business degree, but certain skills and experiences can increase the business’s chances of success.

Dog breeding experience. Experience in and knowledge of dog breeding are essential when starting a breeding business. Dog breeders should know good breeding practices, care for pregnant dogs, and recognize and manage labor and then care for new puppies.

Knowledge of dog genetics. Breeders need to understand genetics so that they can choose breeding pairs that will pass on good characteristics and produce quality offspring. An understanding of genetics is also essential in avoiding some hereditary conditions and ensuring that the puppies have the best chance of being born healthy.

Dog training experience. A breeder with experience in dog training can work to make sure that every puppy is well-socialized and has some basic training before it goes to its new home.

Pet first-aid skills. Dog breeders need to be comfortable doing basic first-aid and triaging an emergency until they can get the dog to the vet. Experience in a veterinary setting or some pet first-aid training is beneficial.

Interpersonal skills. While dogs are the main focus of this business, strong interpersonal skills can also help a breeder engage with potential buyers and find their puppies suitable for new homes.

also read How to Register Your Business/Company Name with CAC

Costs to Start a Dog Business In Nigeria

depending on your budget but you can start a low-budget dog business in Nigeria, especially if a breeder already owns dogs suitable for use as breeding stock. It’s possible to start a small operation for around $500, while larger businesses with many dogs can cost closer to $15,000 or $20,000.

Common startup costs for a dog business in Nigeria include:

• Facility expenses such as kennels and any property renovations
• Equipment and supplies
• Dog food, veterinary supplies, vaccines, tests, vitamins, supplements, etc
• Breeding stock
• Signage

Top 8 Most Expensive Dog Breeds In The World And Prices

• Dogo Argentino – $8,000.
• Canadian Eskimo Dog – $8,750.
• Rottweiler – $9,000.
• Azawakh – $9,500.
• Tibetan Mastiff – $10,000.
• Chow Chow – $11,000.
• Löwchen – $12,000.
• Samoyed – $14,000. Coming in at the #1 overall spot for the most expensive dog in the world is the Samoyed originating from Siberia.

also read 7 Reasons Why Small Businesses Struggle in Nigeria

17 things to Take note before starting a Dog breeding business in Nigeria

• Are you a dog lover?: many people run to dog business because of the money, yes, there is money there but can you endure the stress? You need to have passion for dog to be a successful dog breeder.
  
• Do you have time? : is like am asking too much questions, I only want you to know that you need enough time to be a dog breeder. A dog breeder is different from a dog owner who will leave the dog at home for other things. Make sure you have time to care for those dogs before you start.
  
• Keep you capital: dog business requires money, make sure you have sufficient money for health, feeding and dog accessories.
  
• Prepare your business plan: [/b]you can’t just into a business without preparing, draw your plan like a professional, it will help you to reduce cost, meet your goal and create avenue for good business strategy.
  
• Your business plan should go like this:· [b]Title page: your business name.· Business description: describe how you want your business.· Business plane guide: this are guides you will follow.

  · Financial factors: this includes all means where capital can be gained.

  · Design and development: you need strategies that will help your business more effective.

  · Marketing Strategy:

  · Competition Analysis

  · Operational and Management plan.
  

• Choose your Dog type: we have different types of breeds for specially purpose. Know if you will be breeding Guard dogs, Walking Dogs, Toy dogs etc.The following are breeds you will like to breed:· Security Dogs: Doberman Pinsher, Chowchow, Rottweiler , German Shepherd, ETC· Working Dogs: Great Dane , Boxer, Bull Terrier ETC

  · Toy Dogs: Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese, Papillon, ETC
  

• Find a good Vet: you need a good vet for the dog health.
  
• Start with one Dog: I know you want to make money, but you need to start with a single dog first, you need to gain knowledge before breeding large.
  
• Buy pure breed: this is the business you want to invest in, buy pure breed, make sure you see the dam and sire before collecting your puppy and be ready to pay the price.
  
• Vaccinate your Dog: you can’t invest on your dog and see the dog die, to avoid that you need to give important vaccines.Below are important vaccines:· Canine Distemper (DV): it is a contagious disease easily be transmitted from on animal to another.· Parvovirus (CPV2): an extremely contagious disease that affect dog’s gastro-intestinal tracts.

  · Adenovirus (CAV-2): It can leads to eye damage, liver problem and breathing problem.

  · Rabies: it affects nervous system, and can be contacted when bitten by infected an animal.
  

• Buy good Cage and dog accessories: [/b]your dog needs good and strong housing. Buy accessories like chain, serving plate and drinking trough.
   [b]Feed your Dog well: you need to give your dog balanced diet, feed the dog well. You don’t have to be stingy feeding your dog, you gain more if you invest.We have different kind of dog food:ü Homemade Feed: this is the kind of food you can male in your kitchen, make sure the food is balance. Include food like carrot, green beans, egg, meat and your carbohydrate foods not neglecting your fats.ü Dry Feed: this are formulated feeds that can be used to complement homemade food.

  ü Pallet feed : feed like Arion, Bingo ETC

  ü Canned Feed: they are inside can

  You can prepare dry food with the following tips:

  · Carbohydrate: grinded indomie, grinded maize and grinded wheat.

  · Protein: dry fish, dry meat. Oyster, groundnut cake, ETC

  · Fat and oil

  · [b] Salt.

  Make sure you calculate based on percentage, carbohydrate may take 50%, protein 20-25% for adult and 25-28% for puppy.
  

• Know when your Dog is on heat: this can be noticed by discharge of blood from oval, swollen or red color oval ETC
  
• Mate with a pure Sire: you need to check good stud service center for good and pure breed. Make sure the appearance like body weight, color, size ETC, meet your taste.
  
• Meet other breeders: you need to meet other breeders in your environment, discuss with them, discuss issues like health, sales etc.
  
• Train your Dog: you need to train your dog. We have different training skills.· Obedience training· Guard training· Show training.
  
• Take care of your pregnant Dog and the Puppies: during pregnancy, feed your dogs very well to avoid loss of weight and to get good puppies. After delivery, make sure your puppies suck their mother’s milk especially the colostrum. Colostrum is the first milk that gushes out of a dam udder, the milk is brownish and contains immune enzymes that act as antibodies for your puppies.
  
• Make your sale: the essence of everything us to make profit, sale your dog. We have people that sell dogs, give them for cheaper price in a way to make their profit. We have sites where you can sell your dogs.

also read How to Make Your Small Business More Successful through Internet

HOW TO START DOG BREEDING BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

1. DOG BREEDING BUSINESS PLAN:

Before you begin any business at all, you need planning to execute into actions, some of your planning should include what you can afford or business budget, the type of breeds, the cost, locations, marketing ETC

2. Who are your Target Market?

After writing out your dog breeding plans, the next step is to know your Target Market, Some breeders target families(pet), some military, hospitals, police(security) while some for sports ETC

selling dogs to military and sports can be very profiting although requires a lot of training either by you(seller) or the agencies, the cheapest ways is selling dogs as pet to families which reduces stress.

3. Selecting and Maintaining Focused Breed

starting with a popular breed makes your dog business easy, Dog business in Nigeria can be very profitable when you focus on the everyday breeds that is common, this way , you get to connect with other dog breeders and buyers

here are some of the most common dog breeds in Nigeria:

1. Tibetan Mastiff. The Tibetan Mastiff is arguably the most expensive dog in the world! …
2. French Bulldog.
3. English Bulldog.
4. Neopolitan Mastiff.
5. Cane Corso.
6. Bull Mastiff.
7. Caucasian Shepherd.
8. Boerboel.
9. German Shepherd.

4. Hire a vet dog for regular checkup

you can look for a vet doctor for partnership who will be assisting you for regular checkup, the health checkup of dogs is one of the most important thing you should not joke about.

making sure they are healthy and more recommendations from the doc will help you prevent a lot of inconveniences.

5. Marketing/Advertising Your breeds

marketing your breed shouldn’t be challenging especially now that we are in the Era of smart phones, you can market your breeds through social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Whatsapp ( here’s an article i wrote on Whatsapp TV: Best Guide on How To Make Money on your Whatsapp Status)

you can create a website for your business, mailing list and get branded, post quality pictures of your breeds consistently on your status and feeds.

Conclusion

In conclusion Remember that you are dealing with live beings who also feels pain and needs love. As a good dog breeder, you have legal and moral responsibilities of caring for your breeding stock like you would for your own children.

Dog Breeding business in Nigeria is profitable especially when you are a responsible breeder, you can make a lot of money from this business, so before you start, make the right plans.