Announcing the return of the application process at Good Dog

A letter from Good Dog’s co-founders

Learn more about what’s changing at Good Dog and why.

Dear Breeder Community,

Last year, we simplified communication on Good Dog by replacing applications with quick messages. While our goal was to make it easier for more buyers to contact you, it compromised quality and moved away from what makes Good Dog special — serious, educated buyers.

It’s time to refocus on serious buyers.

That’s why we made changes to the way buyers reach out to you on Good Dog, intended to connect you with people who are truly serious about getting a dog.

The application is back

Buyers will now be asked to complete your application when reaching out, so you get the information you need upfront and reduce time wasted responding to buyers who aren’t serious.

Buyers will review your listings first

Buyers can no longer contact you by clicking a button on search result pages. They’ll have to review your program details, puppies, and prices before applying.

No more canned messages

We’ve completely removed the option for buyers to send generic, auto-generated messages.

We know your time is precious, and we made these changes to ensure you’re spending it connecting with applicants who truly want to provide loving, forever homes for your puppies. This way, you can focus on what matters most – your dogs.

We'll keep improving with this commitment to bringing you serious buyers in mind, and we’re excited to move forward with you into this new chapter where those late-night button clickers will be a thing of the past.

Sincerely,

Lauren & Josh, Good Dog Co-Founders

What this new direction means for the breeder community

These steps signify a move in a new direction where quality always comes first. We know managing spam-like inquiries from button clickers has been time-consuming for you, and this change and the improvements we’ll continue to make in the future reflect our commitment to connecting you with educated buyers so you’re investing time in people who are truly serious about getting one of your puppies.

We know that beyond button-clickers, you’ve been facing the issue of managing interactions with people who think it’s OK price haggle, aren’t educated on proper etiquette, don’t understand how much money and time goes into raising responsible puppies, and are often browsing through cute puppy photos late at night, sending inquiries on a whim without thinking it through or asking their partners. Our goal with this new direction is to prioritize serious buyers who have the intention of providing excellent homes for your puppies. For the buyers who are still early in the process and need education, we hope these changes will act as a helpful guide to navigating the process thoughtfully.

Improvements coming to the application

While the application will look familiar and capture much of the same essential information, we made a few improvements based on feedback from our breeder community to make sure you get the details you need to screen buyers properly upfront. Here’s a rundown of what the application will cover.

• Contact information and location. A phone number, email address, and zip code will be provided by the buyer so you can get a sense of distance and reach out personally if you’d like to.
• Lifestyle. Details about the type of home they live in, family members, outdoor access, other pets, and children will be captured.
• Breed experience. We learned from breeders that getting a sense of a potential buyer's experience with your breed is essential for you early on in the screening process.
• Primary caretaker. We know how important it is for you to identify which member of the household will be primarily responsible for your puppy.
• Buyer intention. Details about their intent, whether they’re looking for a lifelong companion or a working dog, will be noted to ensure their application for your puppy is genuine.
• Transportation preferences. To save you time, we'll ask upfront about their transportation preferences.
• Custom questions. After reviewing the default application questions, you’ll be able to add your own custom questions if you feel there’s more specific information you need upfront to screen your buyers.

What to keep in mind with these changes

Review your custom questions

Since buyers will now be asked to complete an application when reaching out, you’ll want to review the default application questions and add any custom questions you feel are necessary to screen buyers upfront properly. The default application includes essential screening questions, so review those to make sure your custom questions aren’t repetitive. The default application will also capture the buyer’s contact information, so you can reach out at any time if you’d like to.

How to add custom questions.

Complete your listings and keep them updated

With the removal of the inquiry button from search result pages, buyers will now have to spend time on your listing pages before they reach out. This is a great opportunity to make sure your listings tell a story and are detailed, up-to-date, and personalized. Here’s a quick checklist you can run through to make sure your listings have all the right information:

• High quality photos and videos
• Up-to-date photos and videos as your puppies grow up
• Detailed descriptions of traits and personalities
• Detailed descriptions of your parent dogs
• Personalized names for individual puppies
• Your city and state
• Information about your puppy raising practices
• Documentation for parent dog health testing

How to improve your listing details.

A special thanks to the breeders who spoke with us

We wanted to send a special thank you to the dozens of breeders who took the time to speak with us throughout this process. As we thought carefully about this decision, we spoke to breeders in one-on-one research sessions to hear their perspectives, wishes, and individual feedback. You were all so honest and thoughtful in these sessions. We learned critical information, like how important it is to know about a buyer’s intentions and how essential it is for you to connect with educated buyers. We also learned about the late-night button clickers and the woes of speaking with buyers who inquired without getting the OK from their husbands. We valued hearing every bit of your feedback – the good and the bad – and your stories and experiences critically shaped and informed this new direction.

As we continue to evolve, we’ll keep this line of communication open and host regular research sessions where we can speak with you one-on-one to hear your honest thoughts. And we’re so grateful for the breeders who brought their authentic selves to these sessions.

A summary of what will look different for you

• Serious applicants in your inbox. Buyers will be asked to complete an application when reaching out, so you’ll start seeing serious applicants in your inbox.
• No more button-clicker inquiries. Buyers can no longer contact you by clicking a button on the search result pages, so they’ll have to spend time on your listing to get in touch.
• No more canned, auto-generated text. You’ll no longer receive canned, auto-generated text – buyers will have to write a thoughtful message if they want to reach out.
• The option to reach out. You’ll be notified of buyers who have a question or want to chat with you first, and you’ll be able to reach out to them personally.

What’s next?

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to make improvements here at Good Dog, and keep your eye out for more breeder sessions we’ll be holding so we can hear your feedback one-on-one.

If you have questions or need support, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at breederteam@gooddog.com. And as always, thanks so much for being part of our breeder community – you are truly what makes Good Dog great.