Puppy Price

[Kitcat47]

I've been looking for a puppy. I was wondering as I came across an add on pets4homes. There were 6 puppies born and once all the pups are sold the owner/ breeder will make over £18,000. Why are they so expensive?

[JoeExoticsPrinceAlbert]

I did a quick search of puppies for sale in my local area and I was absolutely shocked. Cockerpoos for £2500, Cocker spaniels for £1000, French bulldogs for £2800! There were also some labradoors (not KC registered) for £950. This can't be right surely? I can understand wanting them to go to good homes but these prices are absurd.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

The prices at the moment are not about good homes, they're about profiteering. There was a recent case of a spaniel puppy, deposit paid, two days from collection - so the buyers had been okayed by the breeder - and the breeder whacked up the price by 40%. It's been shared and shared on gundog pages on FB.

[fivedogstofeed]

It's getting beyond ridiculous here. It looks like people are now just selling their dogs because they can. Near me this week - a 2 yr old retriever on Scumtree for £1000 and an 18 month old cocker for £1500. Cheapest pup of any breed is an unregistered lab for £950. I've honestly never seen anything like it.

[Kitcat47]

I've just seen an advert on Pets4homes. British Bull dogs £10,000 each. 5 puppies crazy !

[SlothMama]

Because people are stupid and will pay those prices... I would never buy an animal off one of those websites. I'm bringing home a puppy in a few weeks and I've been talking with the breeder for over year, I've met her dogs and the pups parents. Her list was way oversubscribed because she's a great breeder so she doesn't need to advertise.

[Moondust001]

It never fails to astonish me that people breed mongrels, call them designer dogs, and charge stupid prices for them. When did people get so daft that they think mongrels are worth anything?! OP, get a dog, not a fashion accessory.

[duletty]

Not to have a one sided view 😬
Do people really think if a dog costs a grand that the breeder has spent nothing?

My pet will have her one and only litter this year.
Full DNA check
Stud fee £400
Whelping box and heat lamp/pads/bedding
Puppy food, high quality
Enrichment....tunnels/toys etc
Microchipped
Wormed
Vet check
Vaccinations
Mum spay
Home with blanket and week of food

[longearedbat]

I too can't believe how prices have risen. I am not looking for a dog but I often browse. People are asking thousands for dogs who don't appear to have tested dams and sires, and I have also seen puppies over 3 months old who are for sale unvaccinated. So people are happy to ask crazy prices, but spend nothing on vets, testing etc. I do wonder how many of the slightly older puppies now for sale are being sold purely because their value has gone up? I am seeing 12 week old puppies (so only been in their new home a few weeks) being sold because of 'lack of time'. Are these people just cashing in? It will probably lead to a lot of dogs for rehoming come the autumn. I would also be very concerned about theft. Keep your dogs close everyone, there are always horrible people looking for an easy way to make a fast buck.

[GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman]

duletty, sure, but those costs added up don't come to £3k per puppy for a normally sized litter.

[Ylvamoon]

Supply and demand, simple!

But I also think that the price will stay. There are not enough good breeders around. Since the licensing law has come in in England, I have seen some reputable breeders stop. Simply because it's not their main income, some of the licence conditions are unworkable in a family home, restrictions on dog numbers.... it's simply not worth the hassle.

[CorianderLord]

Demand is high right now - pups that were for sale for £1k a few months ago are now going for £2.5k

[SlothMama]

If a breeder raises a litter properly they often won't make a profit. My newest pups breeder has slept in the same room as them, she's dedicated hundreds of hours following puppy culture and socialising them. Had we not been in a pandemic she would have paid for puppy sitters etc.

But when people are asking £2k for a puppy that's just ridiculous, they are using those dogs as money making machines. There's been a big increase in litters being stolen, because the demand is so high and criminals can make lots of money from them.

[duletty]

I don’t know who has £3k to spend on a family pet when our economy is imploding.
My dog was 850 4 years ago and I think that was a fair price

[brighthouse]

I looked the other day at the prices of cockatoos as I had got ours in September for £1200.00. I could not believe they are selling them for £3000.00 now.

[AgeLikeWine]

The price of puppies is set by market forces, in exactly the same way as the price of shoes, or haircuts or cars. When demand for ‘fashionable’ puppies far exceeds supply, as appears to be the case at the moment, the price can only go one way.

Breeders don’t have to justify their prices. Like any other business, they will charge what the market will bear for their products.

If people don’t want to pay £3k for a ‘trendy’ puppy, look at re-homing a dog.

[Mrspeachhh]

A good breeder will only break even if they’re lucky. Speaking from experience of breeding bengal cats,. Yes they’re hundreds of pounds. Do you know how much it costs to keep that many animals? Pregnancy vet checks, half the time vet labour intervention, Vet checks for the litter , vaccinations, microchips, high quality food, flea and worm treatments, crate and bedding that’s constantly changed, toys, other stimulation, oh and the stud fee which is hundreds of pounds.

[dontdisturbmenow]

Supply and demand, simple!
That exactly. The fact that people are willing to pay such a high amount is a good thing, it makes them think twice before doing it.

We bought our puppy for £600 6 weeks ago. It happens to be the exact pup we were looking for and local. Similar pups in other areas were going for double and even triple. The reality is that we would have paid double. That's because the lockdown has indeed been the perfect opportunity.

We'd planned it all and had the discussion with a family member who eagerly agreed to look after the dog when working. They are not working and live a couple of street from us. What was missing was the time at home to welcome our puppy, give them the chance to adapt to their new life, train and settle them.

We've now able to do so and it looks like I'm going to be working from home longer term anyway.

I assume there are many people in the same situation who didn't decide to adopt on a whim but used the opportunity even if some sadly won't have, but these people make stupid decision during summer and Xmas holidays too.