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So each new basic gets $2500 SD when they sign up, lets say they buy 5 show age dogs at $100 each, feed each on super duper, maybe buy in an extra 10 sessions so they can get those 5 dogs to showable in say 9 days, so without yet getting to their $50 LB their balance is probably $1500 by day 10, even with daily salary and LB - not a lot to work with when they start buying in stud fees, feeding puppies, and god forbid start entering shows, so how much money does it take to keep a basic kennel afloat?

My guess is $1500 - $2000

And as for premium kennels, do they get more sessions? Get more salary? I don't know because I'm playing as a family kennel and none of my settings (apart from dog numbers) have changed.

How much money do premium kennels need to survive? How much do they need to afford to session, feed, pay stud fees, show, rear litters when they might have 30 adults and unlimited puppies? Is $5000 enough to survive?

I'd love your thoughts.

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posted by mournebrake
And as for premium kennels, do they get more sessions? Get more salary? I don't know because I'm playing as a family kennel and none of my settings (apart from dog numbers) have changed.

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Yes. You can edit that here:
www.showdog.com/users/hours.aspx

That log in bonus has really helped my basic kennel. I have all of the dogs on a Super Duper food (a custom ration if they were on one before I bought the dog), I typically buy at least two sessions a day, and have the freedom to enter the $20 shows and I'm still sitting comfortably.

Just remember when you change your salary/session settings, you cannot change it again for seven days. I just changed my settings today, but forgot to look at how many sessions I would be using a day. I now have too many sessions, but it could be worse.

Here is a typical day for me:


Dog Food - 27.28
Show Payout + 3.40
Entry Fees - 10.00
Show Payout + 4.05
Entry Fees - 10.00
Show Payout + 5.20
Show Payout + 10.40
Entry Fees - 20.00
Daily Salary + 12.00
LB + 50.00

Millions of ETAs to make it easy to read

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Last edited by Treestand Kennel on 3/28/2015 6:11:43 PM

I think the question really revolves around how much care you take with your finances. I started 13 days ago, so I'm pretty new, but I played for years a long time (7 years) ago and successfully ran 2 family accounts so I know about not blowing your money.

$2500 is fine to start out with. Like I said, I've been here just under two weeks. My balance is $2,083. In that time, I've grown my kennel to 18 dogs. I purchased 7 dogs from other users, one was already pregnant, and then paid stud fees on another. I'm set on all salary and I'm buying 10 sessions a day, showing 3 dogs and using custom rations on about half the dogs I own. I have other dogs I would LIKE to session, but whenever I make a financial change, I first make sure that after the change, I'll still be bringing in more money than I use. I have really itchy fingers and I'd love to session everything and buy more dogs and get to the kennel limit, but I know that's just not possible in the beginning.

As long as a user is cautious and makes sure that every day, they will have more money coming in than going out, any amount of money is enough.

(If only I was as good in RL with finances as I am on here... lol)


Jessie

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posted by Kievan Kennels

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Yes. You can edit that here:
www.showdog.com/users/hours.aspx

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Thankyou so much - wonderful!!!

I am sitting comfortable at just over $12,000

I don't limit what I spend on studs, or what I buy anymore but at one point in time I did. I use to use only studs that cost $25-$50 and only buy dogs from people I knew (often times this meant I got dogs for much less than $100). Now, I still buy from established kennels, some of who I know, I still get some dogs for less than $100 but I have no problem paying that for any of the dogs either. I will not spend more than $100 on stud, unless I really feel it will expand my lines, and my stats in a great way.

The LB has really helped! That covers my entry fees usually unless I am showing a multitude of dogs.

Here is my transaction log from today ~ it varies on the show payouts, and sometimes the session sales. Right now I make a good amount off of session sales because I am only sessioning 2 dogs and they are only getting 1-2 sessions each. However, on a regular basis, I am using most if not all of my sessions.

Dog Food ~ $36.35
Payout ~ $1.60
Payout ~ $1.95
Payout ~ $3.90
Payout ~ $.80
Entry Fees ~ $20.00
LB ~ $50.00
Session Sales ~ $40.00
Dog Sale ~ $100.00

So notice I only spent just over my LB bonus on food, and entry fees. Now usually I spend a lot more than this, but right now I don't have puppies on custom rations and I am not using all of my sessions.

I can’t tell you much about basics, but I’d think that $2000 would be plenty, since they can’t breed or feed custom rations.

It goes without saying that there is but one rule when it comes to keeping afloat in this game… and that is to earn more money than you spend, simple as that.

It can be testing at times I know, but it is very possible to make money sitting at the 30 dog limit, and entering shows like mad. I know, because that’s what I do. All you need to do is establish a cash buffer; that is to say, a sum of money you will not comfortably allow your kennel to fall beneath, and make sure it’s a respectable amount, because you may be reducing a while before climbing back up, and don’t ever want to sink into debt. I’d say $5,000 is the absolute minimum I’d operate on, but I actually have my buffer set at $6,000. When I’m above that I feel free to spend money willy-nilly on anything extra, outside studs, sponsoring shows, buying dogs etc; normally my kennel breaks even so I don’t have any money trouble, and never have to give up extra spending even when I’m under that buffer, I merely cut back a bit.

Currently I am set to no salary 12 sessions, and buy all ten additional sessions nightly, all of which I utilize. I rely on my log in bonus to get those extra sessions for free essentially. I’m actively showing 16 dogs at the moment, which I would say is a full force, though three of those will be dropped soon, I still have six more that will be entering the ring soon, with an additional five being sessioned. The point is; I typically earn money even with all those dogs showing, so it’s not something that is beyond one’s grasp.

Today I spent:
101.25 on dog food
50.00 on extra sessions
125.00 on entry fees

Today I made:
50.00 In log in bonus
313.15 In show payouts

That makes a surplus of 86.9 for the night and zero money lost; though generally I break even, making only a few dollars. Rare is the night when I lose money, and made up for by a night with surplus such as this one.

Case in point, showing is not the chief way to lose money in this game; it’s the chief way to make it.
Now breeding, breeding is the main way to lose money. I tend to have a slow turnover rate in this kennel, only breeding for a few litters at a time. I use my own studs for half of my litters and outside studs for the other half; breeding to my own boys saves money and also strengthens my line with line-breeding.
Cutting back on hitting that breed button will save you money, and leave you more time to show your current dogs to their full potential before rotating them out for new ones. A line is actually stronger for being based around dogs that have proved themselves in the ring. The SOPs you’ll produce by being slower will be lower, but the quality will not be. Quality over quantity I always say.

I’d also never budget around puppy sales and stud fees, those things are too unreliable in this economy, so I just consider any money I can make to that effect as a windfall, but find other things to consistently depend on…Though without these things at least a few times a month I’d be sunk, need it to make up for loses in shows no question.

So there you have it, my thoughts; hope they helped.

Back before the LB, I managed to squeak by with $2000 or so as my balance, even though hardly anyone was buying/breeding dogs. I usually managed to sell something just in the nick of time. Didn't buy any extra sessions etc.

Now that we have the LB, it seems there are more players and more people with money to spend so my balance is actually extremely comfortable at $12,000 a number I haven't seen in this game in YEARSSSSS. But I also have the highest SOP stud dogs in 2 breeds.

Oh and I don't even max out the LB really as I often forget to log in on Sat or Sun, but I think other players are and are spending money on stud services.

Wow $12,000. I'm on $4,000 - down from $7,500 balance I had in my account when I came back to the game. I've no idea where the money has gone lol, must stop using studs, buying dogs, oh and showing !!