.com Forum · Beginner Forum

I have looked but could not find what I was after on the topic of so called finishing kennels.

First I would like to know if that is ok to do?

What if the owner of the dog wants it back? Can that be done without penalties?

Please enlighten me as I would like to have some information on this subject.

A finishing kennel is a kennel that finishes your dog's champion or grand champion title. A lot of times, they will keep your dog for their full show career (until the dog is 120 days old). I think most of them will usually give the original owner/breeder first dibs on the dog when getting rid of it. Some do it for free and some do it for a price. I've seen some say that if you want the dog back before 120 days, then you can have it back.
I've never used one, but I can see why some people would really like them.

Back before I took a break they were pretty popular. I don't know how many are around now and if they still operate the same way, but most of the ones I knew of (and I think I may have been one for awhile lol) only kept the dog until it was finished, and then usually it was sold back to the owner for a higher price than the finisher bought it for, so they were at least making some of their money back. I feel like this was before the days of GCH though, so it didn't take as long.

As far as I know people who sent their dogs to finishing kennels always wanted them back. This was different from people who bought dogs for the purpose of trying to finish a dog in every breed. They didn't have such a strict process and the owner didn't necessarily want the dog back/the finisher wouldn't be paid.

I run a "finishing" service in my basic account. Its really the only fun thing you can do with a basic account. I personally only take dogs with a finishable SOP for their breed. I will keep the dog for the entirity of their career, and will also do Obedience titling as well. I personally don't charge, I put the dog up for stud (when its a male over 30 days with a Ch). I always offer first buy back rights to the original breeder. I have had some breeders that have offered me first pick of a litter out of the dog I finish. If the original owner doesn't want the dog back, I offer for sale or depending on how many titles and how much work I put in, I may retire it into my premium accounts.