Cashing In On the Dog Business
He stresses that dog breeding requires farmers to adhere to highest standards of hygiene. “Feed the dogs well, and keep their cages clean.” he added.
Besides breeding, the youthful farmer also offers mating services to other breeders. “All they need to do is bring their females when on heat and I take care of it.” Says Maboche. Before they can service the female, he quarantines it, checks it for any diseases, ticks and even fleas because he does not want to lose his males to diseases that could have been avoided.
To all those who want to start dog breeding, Maboche says that they must first know and appreciate the breed, and most importantly they must have passion and love dogs. “If you are looking to just make money don’t bother, take care of the dogs and they will take care of you.” Says Maboche.
He advises that it can take up to two years before it becomes a profitable venture but he encourages farmers not to give up. Research and read as much as you can. To illustrate how good dog breeding business is, Maboche says he has since bought himself two cars, a Toyota Runx hatchback and a van as well as an intergrated farm in the outskirts of Molepolole.
To take dog breeding to a whole new level, Maboche says they have formed a dog club in Molepolole and hold dog walks on a yearly basis. The walks are aimed at sensitizing the public at large about different breeds of dogs as well as dog breeding in general. “This year we got huge sponsorship from various companies including, amongst others, Zehari and Jock.” Adds Maboche.
The walks have grown so huge that their sponsors now want them to do them twice a year. Even the Molepolole authorities are also interested in what they are doing such that they recently got an invite from the Prisons Department to go and talk to the inmates about dog breeding.
Since time immemorial, dogs have been kept as pets as well as for security reasons. But everything has changed. Dog breeding is now a booming business. Farmers Review reporter, Kedi van de Westhuizen visited Tshiamiso Maboche in Molepolole to learn more about his flourishing dog breeding business
Tshiamiso, also known as Mcio, is one of the few local farmers who saw the potential and tapped into the thriving dog breeding business in the country. He explains that when he started it was just out of a need to have a pet. He had a poodle which he got for free from a friend.
He then got a Boerbull which later on had puppies. This is where his dog business started. “My friends got interested in the puppies which I then sold to them for peanuts really.” He says. As sales grew, he realised this can be turned into a very serious business.
In order to take his business a notch up, he decided, in 2014, to buy a pure breed male and female Boer bull from South Africa, he has never looked back since. He explains that he now has more than ten dogs in his breeding program comprising of Boer bulls, Rottweilers and German shepherds.
Maboche further says that contrary to popular belief, dog breeding for commercial purposes is not a walk in the park. “It is not an easy task to rear dogs. It requires a substantial investment of your time, efforts and resources if you want to reap rewards”, he explained.
In addition, Tshiamiso further explained that for the venture to be more joyful, the breeder needs to select a breed that they love. “Study the breed in detail and have the patience to develop the business one step at a time.” He emphasizes. He went on to say that as with any business venture, there are a many challenges he encounters in his business. And this is why stresses that farmers must do a thorough research about the breed and do a lot of benchmarking if they can because there is always something new to learn. He further said that there are no short cuts otherwise one will encounter problems such as diseases that they are not prepared for.
Of the many challenges he faces daily in his business, Maboche says that first and foremost are the feed and veterinarian costs. “These are the major costs involved in this business and you have to form relationships with vets for rainy days,” he says. He explained that one has to take every precaution when it comes to diseases and vaccinate the dogs regularly to avoid outbreaks.
Despite the challenges, he says that the local dog market is very good. He has sold dogs across the whole of Botswana, including as far as Maun. “The demand for my dogs is overwhelming,” he noted.
