I don't think there are enough working breeders to justify the development effort required.

 Quote:

One stop shop, no catering to the masses or the froo-froo's...I'd say strictly working type dogs, no Poodles or Yorkies! That's the only way the "directory" would get a reputation as THE place to look for a working prospect.

That would be so cool if there was a site like that!
As for the question of not having enough working breeders to make the site pay off...maybe the website itself would open the door and encourage new breeders/kennels of working dogs trying to improve breeds for the working world. Competetion to the current breeders,yes, but also a rise of the breeds standards and expectations. That would be good in general.

No fluff dogs allowed!
Requirement:
This pup/litter/dog was evaluated by Will Rambeau, Mike Russell, Such and Such Schutzhund club, etc.
It could put a little more legitimacy on the add.

Will,

Did you get good response from your Mal ad in DVG magazine?

I was considering advertizing a up coming GSD litter there.

-Jason

One site for the Mal people Malinois handler

Perhaps you could include information or pedigree databases to lure in visitors. If people could research pedigrees, trial results, colour genetics, work/performance/progeny histories, etc... they would have a reason to visit the site a for all sorts of reasons not just when they need to buy a dog or puppy. This will get people refering the site to other people as a useful reference site as well as a place to find quality working dogs. In turn visitors will also see and learn that the dogs/litters listed on the site are pre-screened and high quality working animals. I think it should be limited to breeds capable of working (ie: no toy breeds) but at the same time remain open minded to dogs that are not so commonly used for sport but perhaps seen in other areas (SAR, herding, PPD, etc) such as Beauceron, Australian Cattle Dogs, Black Russian, Bouvier, etc... Again, it may open the site up a little, but could increase traffic to the site and creat many referrals. In turn if you are looking for a particular working animal (ie: you want a Czech GSD who is w/i three generations of Grim z PS) you can specify these criteria in your search filters.

I think a site like this would be an awesome tool for working breeders as well as consumers or people wanting to learn about working dogs.

Anyway, just a few thoughts...

Jason,
Yes, the DVG ad got over a dozen replies ( and the replies were of a more serious nature, which was good ), so I'd say it was worth it.

Advertising in either of the SchH organization magazines pretty much targets your audience, as opposed to litter announcements on many of the GSD boards, where you get a lot of pet owners and dabblers inquires that still require time to answer, but they aren't really that interested. ( although I have a lot of fun talking with beginner's, sometimes they just need some information to set them on the right path and you end up with some good friendships down the line! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> )