So this is something that I've been struggling with since earlier this year (March? August? Somewhere around there). I have been wanting to do two breeds, one of which includes a dog breed. This is a cycle I've had since around 2015, when I started actually getting serious about my lines. And this is where said conundrum comes in. I have tried doing several breeds, even with partners, and I've still not had much luck. There's three main issues I keep running into:

I. I cannot afford to Upgrade 2 accounts, just my main.

II. I either lose interest in the breed/motivation to train OR I get so busy I have to quit/hiatus.

III. I've tried partnerships before and my last one took a very long hiatus (which then I did too for the same emergencies, which is the second time this occurred).

I also - on several occasions - just considered closing down the Holsteiner lines and starting up a dog line. But, at the same time, this is the best horse line I've ever bred. I've put a lot of time, real money, and sweat into this line that I would hate to see go to waste (Especially as we near the G5, which is my biggest breeding milestone to date). But if I were to start a dog line, it'd be any of the following (just to name a few):

• Scottish Terrier

• German Short-Haired Pointer

• Bluetick Coonhound

• Pibbles

• Any Spaniel (preferably English Springer or Cocker Spaniel)

(NOTE: These are not make-or-break breeds listed above. I'm pretty open to almost all dog breeds, I just listed these 5 as my personal favorites. I welcome all other breed suggestions!)

I'm currently at a loss at what to do really or if I really will attempt dualing breeds again. For those that are dualing multiple breeds, how did you start out? What's your go-to method for keeping on track? Any advice is appreciated! :)

*BUMP*

Cocker Spaniel!!!

*breed hoarder cracks knuckles*

When I started doing multiple breeds, it was because I had my main breed but then I fell in love with another breed. I didn't wanna give up my main, but I also really wanted to start the new breed. And that's kinda how I've ended up with all my breeds. I fell in love with something new and was super excited to start breeding it. Now I'm at the point where I want to do a project with every new breed I start, I get so excited about them lol.

So I think the biggest thing is really loving whatever breed you want to do, being excited enough about them to consider doing a project for that breed down the line. Being that excited gives you something to look forward to in the future with the breed; rather than just going through the motions each generation. That said, if none of the breeds you're looking at really speak to you that way, maybe you should wait until you come across a breed that does excite you ^^

As for managing multiple breeds, I just sit down and train all at once. Get it all done in one day so I'm not worrying about what breeds I've trained and what I haven't through the week. Of course, that's a habit born out of managing 10 plus breeds for years; I honestly can't remember what it's like to manage two. A lot less stress :P A lot more time to focus on the animals and put time into them, rather than just the bare minimum training to get them to 1mil.

If two breeds still feels like a lot of work, definitely keep the number of animals down. Two horses and two dogs should be a breeze. Pick a day to do each and stick to it. Or get them both done on one day you know you'll be mostly free.

When it comes to managing upgrades - since I've gone back to school, I don't have a job or a way to buy upgrades for myself. All my upgrades are purchased through auctions. I either trade upgrades for services (I've accepted upgrades as payment for long-term show spots and coding) or save up the HPD to buy upgrades from other players. I've been playing/upgrading this way for almost a year now, so it's possible.

... I'll probably update as I think of more tips :P

@Charlie -They're one of my favorite real life breeds (one of ten!) ^^

@Monnie - I legit forgot about trading/auctioning Upgrades till you said it. *facepalms* But those are awesome tips and will definitely keep them in mind! Doing all on one day was the biggest thing. I always did my Holts on Sun and my dogs on Sat (And of course, guess what one got forgotten?).

The breed thing I'll definitely keep in mind. The Holsteiners I have now definitely got the excitement you were talking about, which is why I'd absolutely hate to quit them. I feel motivated to keep them going and I still can name/have plans for future offspring, something I never had before. I guess I just need to look around on here at some pupper breeds and see if I "click" that way with any of them. If one does, then that's one I need to try and acquire. Foxes - at one time - were one I did keep up with for awhile. I got to G3 and they were fun, but after things got busy and hectic, it got less exciting and more stressful because of the unbalanced training schedules. I think that's what's done me over, because then after missing two weeks I just feel super de-motivated and stop entirely.

:D

When it comes to finding a breed that speaks to you, it doesn't have to be hunting through the breed list and looking up the ones with interesting names (although that's how I found Suffolk Punches, and they are the highest gen I've reached in horses and I was breed ambassador for them until this past week :p)

I found Leonbergers on Tumblr of all places and fell in love with them. They're the highest gen I've reached in any breed and I just can't ever not breed them (I just did a retirement breeding this Sunday to bring them back after my hiatus this year). I got Korean Jindos added because I was looking for a native Korean breed after learning Korean and becoming interested in Korean culture. I started Neapolitan Mastiffs cuz I was rewatching Harry Potter and just adored all the wrinkles that was Fang. 

My point being you could find the perfect breed anywhere :p

Exc3l is an absolute must for me for keeping track of everything.

I have 11 breeds on the go (2 of them are partmerships). I started with 3 breeds, quickly went to 5 and then gradually added more. I've been playing just under a year but my animals gave been trained every week. 

I do a chink of training on Sunday and then the rest is split mon-wed depending on how much time I have.

I've played HP on and off for a few years and honestly managing any breed has, for me, been a combination of "how much do I love them" and "do they stress me out." If I have too many animals and I get stressed I quit. I quit my marwaris because I have, what is for me, a lot of unicorns. Uni is training my unicorns so I can focus on six akhal-tekes. I'm having a really good time with just six animals. They're my favorite breed and I'm so excited to see where they go. 

So I would say that if you're making yourself sit down and think about what breed to start up, that, at least in my experience, doesn't mean they fill you with the excitement and inspiration that will keep you breeding them (like Monnie said). It differs for everyone I'm sure. 

As far as upgrades go, yeah, auctions lol. And honestly if you're testing out a breed to see if you like them, I don't see what's wrong with starting them on your one account to see if you feel motivated enough to put them on their own account and invest HPD into them. 

I find that I can manage multiple breeds (right now I have 5) by keeping the numbers of each breed small. I have 18 Zombie Paints and I struggle to get motivated to train them each week. I can’t wait until I breed them and get the numbers down. The rest of my breeds only take a few minutes to train because I never have more than 6. I definitely think sitting down and training all at once is the best way to make sure no one gets forgotten.

Thank-you all for the great advice! Of course more tips are always appreciated! :)

This is the first time I've wanted to dip my toes in the water and expand out my breedings. Since I am now on winter break for a good long span, I can really focus on getting my accounts more in order. This is something I've been meaning to do for awhile and it's seriously made things stressful without organization. Thank-you Tif, Monnie, and Argo for the Excel idea, this is definitely something I'm going to start. Hopefully I can engrave whatever new breed I pick this way and stay motivated (because after I miss a week/two, I feel de-motivated and too stressed to pick them back up). I'm also going to transfer this over to show-making and ticket services as well (something I've also been slacking severely on over the year *blush*).

Overall, I agree with everyone above that I just need to find a breed that "clicks". I had the same problem with my horse breeds, but the Holsteiners are the one breed I'm truly proud of taking on and the accomplishments I've made with them. And what got me into them was researching about them/watching GK Calucci so maybe I need to start doing similiar with dog breeds. I think for now, I'll semi-start an account until I find the right breed, then fully commit.

I agree on the Excel thing. I used one of Siib's templates (you can find those in another section of the forums) to create my own format with all the info I need. It took a bit of time, but now I stay on top of everything and I have many lines to be proud of! Honestly, even if you only have 2 accounts, I would still suggest making a spreadsheet if you're really busy/forgetful.

As for testing the waters with new breeds, you could always ask to rent someone's spare upgrade for however long you want. I used to have some lines on some of Zad's spares, but then moved off those when I got my own upgrades. Some players do it for free, some do it for a small fee, but you're basically allowed to train on that account and feed your animals, as well as buy stores when necessary. Some players might have a different set up regarding money used, but that's the gist of it. Then if you get your own upgrade and feel like continuing with this new breed, just move them back to your account :)

I use to do dogs and horses on one account. Id just switch the breed specialty after doing one and then next week do that one first and switch back .it worked really good. If your looking for a partner I have 4 accounts im not using. We can figure something out.