Mike Stewart in Forbes magazine.

[YazooValley]

"Stewart has trained canines for 30 years. In 1999 he bought the business, then in liquidation, for a pittance. Now it's bringing in $1 million a year in revenue."

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2009/0413/ ... adors.html

[GulfCoast]

Wow. Lets cipher at 15 x $15,000 for "finished dogs" is $225,000.00. That leaves a lot of puppies to come up to a cool million. Lets say, $100,000.00 gross for training for funsies. That would be about 560 puppies at $1,200.00 a pop to gross a million. Double wow.

[Jeff]

Either way, weather you like his training or not, the guy has found his niche. He seems to be a master at advertising. So long as he makes people and their dogs happy, I don't know that you can nock it.

GC, I too question the math, I assume he takes in peoples dogs (66 runs in the article) for training so maybe that's the difference, along with whatever he gets for the DU dog.

[goosebruce]

I wish ya'll where bad mouthing me for being the dog guy in forbes magazine. Heck, I wish ya'll where bad mouthing me for my rich wife paying for all my toys. I wish anybody anywhere was bad mouthing me for my money at the moment! hehe. travis

[oltcutdown]

If I'm not mistaken, I've heard his monthly training fees are $650 lower level training & $750-800 for 'finished' level work. No doubt they sell a bunch of puppies. Also heard if they had 100 'started' dogs to sell at 4-5K, they could sell them with a phone call. I don't how many times I've heard the term 'Puppy Mill' associated with Wildrose. I'll give him this, he is a marketing genious.

I don't really get it, if I'm paying 5-12K for a dog, said dog better be able to run 200-500 yd blinds, have an HRCH/SH, to a QAA/MH title.

[YazooValley]

The Wildrose website says they have 33 females and they've scheduled 32 litters in the next year. Does every bitch have a litter every year? Is that healthy?

[Copiah Creek]

[waterbug]

[quote="YazooValley"]The Wildrose website says they have 33 females and they've scheduled 32 litters in the next year.

Theres a few happy stud dogs in Oxford

[GulfCoast]

I am NOT badmouthing anyone! I am just in awe of his "economic model" for untitled dogs.

Silly me, I was going to wait to breed my HRCH "british dog" until she finished her MH, breed to a HRCH/MH/QAA "british" male, and ask less than $1K, just 'cause SME wants a puppy. Look at all the moola I am leaving on the table! Maybe I could get more if'n I dyed 'em brown. If B3's or Kevin's bitches are still intact, they are sitting on a gold mine!

[Gumbo]

A guy in our club has one of these $10,000 dogs from this kennel. Said dog is pretty daum tight...
Took her a year to come into her own, but this year she stood out...

[Damn_It_Boy]

I'm biting my lip.....

[gator]

I'm biting my lip.....

and now, let's here from the weatherman..............

ladies and gentlemen, across the magnolia state, we have scattered showers and partly sunny....hi's around 80, lows around 20............and, hell has frozen over, so those of you booking your trips, wear long johns.

gator

[chopper30]

Say what?

[waterbug]

BWahahahaha!

[Starhill Labs]

As most of you know I spent quite a bit of time researching the British bloodlines before purchasing my pup who is now a GRHRCH. I spoke with Mike several times and in a lot of detail. He has kennels in the British Isles and also in South Africa. He has marketed world wide and probably the income includes all of these locations. He travels to all of these different times of the year as well. There are trainers at every location. I did not purchase my pup from him but another reputable breeder of British dogs. It was interesting to me that none of his dogs are on concrete but rather on sand. Puppies were all in boxes with hardware wire bottoms off the ground after being weaned. If I was in his shoes and could sell my dogs for what he does and not have to display their abilities at a test or trial then I surely would not. From my point of view he would have everything to lose and nothing to gain. Just goes to show how many people (average joe hunter) really don't know much about the retriever world anyway. BTW, there is the marketing ploy of marketing to the "Gentleman Hunter." I think that is a great hook! Like him or not it sure works! I will leave my opinions to myself.