How to Place Your Puppies on Good Dog

Table of Contents

• How it works
• Getting Applications
• Connecting with Buyers
• Payments on Good Dog

How does placing puppies on Good Dog work?

Good Dog prioritizes connecting buyers with breeders who have available and upcoming litters so we can ensure we send you serious applicants when you need them.

Here's how it works:

1. List a litter
The only way to receive applications on Good Dog is to add a born, expected or planned litter. When a buyer searches on Good Dog, they'll see individual, available puppies listed first.

2. Set pricing and payment policy
When you add a litter, you’ll also enter your deposit policy and pricing information, so applicants know what to expect. You can always update this information at any time.

3. Chat with Good Dog buyers
Once you list a born, expected, or planned litter, you can start to receive applications from Good Dog buyers. Review their application, and use Good Dog’s Messenger to chat with them to find out if they're right for your program. This is your opportunity to screen and get to know applicants. Simply review and approve an application, or select 'Start Conversation' and agree to Good Dog’s On-Platform Payment Policy, to start chatting with an applicant.

4. Collect payment on Good Dog
Move forward with a Good Dog buyer by collecting a deposit (if you require one) and a final puppy payment. To collect a payment, send a payment request whenever you're ready.

A few important things to keep in mind:

• Good Dog buyers complete their deposit and final puppy payments through Good Dog in line with Good Dog’s On-Platform Payment Policy. 
• You're always in control of which applicants you choose to work with
• You decide when to request and collect payments
• It’s completely free to list a litter on Good Dog. We’ll only deduct 6.5% from a buyer’s payment after we’ve successfully connected you with a buyer who you decide to place a puppy with—no upfront costs or risks involved.
• When buyers first visit Good Dog through your referral link, no deductions will be made from their payments to you. Off-platform transactions remain completely free of deductions.
• Buyers can choose to pay on Good Dog with zero fees. For a small fee, they can choose to pay with Protection & Support, which includes access to Good Dog’s Puppy Training Program ($235 value), exclusive discounts on puppy essentials from our partners, lifetime support for their pup, and more!

Getting Applications 

How do I get interested buyers on Good Dog?

In order for buyers to see your puppies on Good Dog, you’ll need to list a born, expected or planned litter. When a buyer is interested in learning more about next steps in your placement process, they'll complete an application for one of your pups. Make sure you keep your litters up to date on your profile so buyers can find you at the right time!

What if I don’t have any litters yet?

No problem! While you won’t be able to accept applications, Good Dog buyers will still be able to reach out to ask you a question. When you’re ready for Good Dog applicants, just update your litter status to “expected” or “born."

How do I stand out to applicants?

After you list a born, expected, or planned litter, you can attract more Good Dog applicants by adding more details to your breeder profile and including photos of all your puppies (did you know that puppies with photos get 60% more applicants than those without?!). Check out this article for more tips & best practices to help your program stand out to Good Dog applicants.

How many applications can I accept? How many buyers can I chat with?

As long as you have a litter posted and puppies remain marked as available, you can chat with as many buyers or accept as many applications as you want. You can change or remove the applicants matched to your litter at any time through your dashboard.

Step-by-step instructions:

How to add or update a litter

How to manage your waitlist

How to remove an applicant from your waitlist

Connecting with Buyers

How do I start a conversation with a Good Dog applicant?

Interested buyers will send you an application on Good Dog. Before chatting, all Good Dog breeders and Good Dog buyers agree to accept deposit and final puppy payments on Good Dog in line with Good Dog’s On-Platform Payment Policy.

As you get to know interested Good Dog buyers, you can decide whether or not they're a good fit for one of your pups, based on your program’s unique screening process.

Am I ever obligated to sell a buyer a puppy?

No! When you move an applicant forward, that does not mean you have guaranteed them a puppy. You are never obligated to sell a puppy to a buyer.

Can I still share my application link with applicants outside of Good Dog?

Yes, you can still share your application link with potential buyers. However, if you do not have a litter listed, the link will go to your Good Dog profile, not your application.

Payments on Good Dog

What is Good Dog’s On- Platform Payment Policy?

In order to protect our community, our On-Platform Payment Policy requires that all deposit and dog payments, including payments at pickup, from Good Dog buyers be made securely on Good Dog Good Dog buyers are any individuals who connect with you via Good Dog (e.g. applies to your program). Requesting or receiving a deposit or final puppy payment via any other mediums (e.g., Zelle, Venmo, Facebook Pay, PayPal, Cash App, etc.)violates our On-Platform Payment Policy, and may result in an account suspension or termination, in line with our Terms of Service.

How do payments on Good Dog work?

Deposit:

When you set up your pricing and policies you will be asked to indicate whether or not you take a deposit and if so, whether it is refundable or non-refundable. After you’ve screened an applicant and decide you'd like to move forward with them, you can collect a deposit by sending a payment request to the buyer.

Final puppy payment:

To collect a final payment, you can send a payment request to a buyer at any time.

Are there any fees?

For breeders:

It’s completely free to list a litter on Good Dog. Once we do the work of bringing you a buyer you decide to place a puppy with and a Good Dog buyer makes a successful deposit or final dog payment, we’ll deduct 6.5% from the total amount. When you list a litter, you’ll have full control over setting your listing price as well as your desired payout amount. You can always choose to adjust your desired payout to accommodate this deduction in a way that works best for you.

This deduction will not apply to payments categorized as “Other” payments, such as those for transportation, training, or other miscellaneous costs. Additionally, no deductions will be applied to payments from off-platform buyers or from buyers that you refer to Good Dog. When a buyer first visits Good Dog through your referral links (available in your dashboard), our system will automatically mark them as your referral, so we can ensure that any payments from these buyers will be deduction-free.

For buyers:

Buyers can choose to pay on Good Dog with zero fees or with Protection & Support for a small fee, which includes free access to Good Dog’s Puppy Training Program ($235 value), exclusive discounts from our partners, lifetime support from our team of experts, and more! If buyers choose to complete their payment with Protection & Support, the fee is listed completely separately from your prices, which are always in your control, and no Protection & Support fees are ever taken out of the amount you’re paid.

Can I use payment through Good Dog with non-Good Dog buyers?

Yes! Deductions will not be applied to payments from off-platform buyers or from buyers that you refer to Good Dog. When a buyer first visits Good Dog through your referral links (available in your dashboard), our system will automatically mark them as your referral, so we can ensure that any payments from these buyers will be deduction-free. Non-Good Dog buyers can choose to pay with zero fees or with Protection & Support for a small fee.

What is my unique payment link?

As a Good Breeder, you have your own unique payment link that you can find in the payment section of your dashboard. You can use this link to request a payment anytime.

How do I collect payment in person?

You can securely accept in-person payments on puppy pickup day by using the Good Dog: For Breeders mobile app! Using the app, go to your Payments tab, and select "Start in-person payment" to bring up your unique payment QR code for the buyer to scan. Watch a short tutorial video here.

What are the benefits of using payment on Good Dog?

Every payment you receive through Good Dog is protected by The Good Dog Breeder Guarantee, which means you’re protected from scammers, chargebacks, canceled payments, and unauthorized refunds. Learn more here.

What if a Good Dog buyer asks me to pay outside of Good Dog?

Good Dog buyers agree to pay on Good Dog when they submit an application to you . If a Good Dog buyer asks to pay you off our platform, you can share our On-Platform Payment Policy with them and contact help@gooddog.com for assistance.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

How to receive payments on Good Dog

How to set up your payout method

How to accept or return a payment

How to find your unique payment link and badge 

Need help getting set up or using the placement system? Check out the Breeder Help Center, where you’ll find step by step instructions for all your questions or email us at breederteam@gooddog.com.