How much should a puppy cost?

[pinkpip100]

Hi, we have been thinking about getting a puppy for a long time but finally decided to go for it so I have been researching online. Breeds we have been considering are miniature labradoodles, cockapoo/cavapoo, miniature schnauzer and a few others. At the moment, everywhere I look they are around £2000-3000! This is a lot more than I was expecting. Are these 'normal' prices or is there a lockdown puppy boom that has pushed prices so high? I'm just trying to get a handle on whether this is reasonable- if so we need to save for a lot longer! Also any comments or recommendations on breeds would be much appreciated.

[Louise24902]

not too much grooming (once or twice a week is fine)

Please don't get a poodle or poodle cross if you're only able to groom it once or twice a week - I'm a dog groomer/walker and the majority of them that come in, come matted a lot because this is all they get. Poodles have very coarse curly coats that Matt very easily, they need a proper comb through right to the skin for a minimum of 15mins every day. Poodle crosses sometimes have a softer curl but usually still Matt just as easy and need as much grooming. Plus they need regular visits to the groomers so this should be calculated in to cost for the pup aswell.

I would also watch with getting a "mini" labradoodle as it is never a guarantee that they will stay mini - the amount of customers that have told me that's what they thought they were getting and they've grown to the size of a full lab. Even if it's a miniature poodle that's used for grooming there is always the risk of them taking their size from the lab parent.

I would highly recommend getting a staffie puppy to meet your requirements above, low maintenance coats, very good with children (although all puppies need to be trained to be and all do the "puppy chewing" to begin with), an hour walk a day is what we give our two and they're more than happy with this and sleep for the rest of the night. They're very obedient dogs and pick up training well! They also love attention and being fussed over which with the kids it definitely sounds like they will be! We also have a cat and they all get on!

[Louise24902]

*thats used for breeding - not grooming!

[GeraltOfRivia]

Purely on price we got a Dalmatian puppy a year ago for £800. He is KC registered and had all the expected health tests, came with insurance, chip etc. Everything you need and expect.

But I wouldn't recommend a Dalmatian if you want a small / medium dog. He's a big fella 😂

[Motorina]

If only you didn't want easily trainable, I'd suggest a beagle. Small dogs (I can carry mine up the stairs, which is helpful right now as she's just had surgery), amazing with kids, shed a fair bit but what dog doesn't, no coat maintenance except hosing off what they've rolled in, live amicably with my cats, happy to chill on the sofa and equally up for any adventure....

But not remotely trainable.

I would at least look into them, though, because - if you can cope with the beagleness of them - one might fit in well.

A word on temperament - my vet tells me that 75% of temperament is genetic. So I would always suggest a reputable breeder who breeds for temperament, and meeting the mother. If her temperament is off, then I would walk away.

[Motorina]

(Ohhhh, and on price, under normal circumstances bottom of the market is around £400 for suspected puppy farm, going up to £900-£1200 for KC registered. Right now non KC registered are being sold for £3000ish. Totally nuts!)

[5amisnotmorning]

So mumsnet doesn't like poodle crosses but lots of people prefer the low shedding factor for lots of reasons. We have a cockerpoo, very very difficult to find a reputable breeder especially as pups aren't kc registered so there a risk of overbreeding too. We also met some of an older litter of the same parents to see size, temperament and met both the mother and father plus all health checks. We love him dearly but (as expected) he is high energy and requires a huge amount of training and input. At 7 months old he gets 2 walks a day of 40 mins each through woods plus about 1 hour of play over the day plus 30 mins of training. Ge is very affectionate, cuddly and empathetic. He is more spaniel than poodle and as people are saying, that is something less likely with a purebred. He suits our family. Our trainer thinks he would have made a good assistance dog as his brain needs to be occupied a lot.

[bluebluezoo]

So mumsnet doesn't like poodle crosses but lots of people prefer the low shedding factor for lots of reason

I never get this logic. If no or low shedding is so important there are many established breeds that already meet this requirement. With a practical guarantee of coat type.

If you outcross a non shedding breed to a shedding breed, you drastically reduce your chance of getting a non shedding coat. Where is the logic in that?

People don’t realise that poodle crosses can have harder to manage coats. My groomer has just put a clause in her T&C about poodle crosses as they are having to completely shave a lot as during lockdown they have felted- then they owners are getting cross, hence the disclaimer.

[pinkpip100]

Thank you all so much for the great advice on here. In the end we have decided to go for a miniature schnauzer, I have found a lovely KC registered local breeder and we are on her list. We now have plenty of time to get ourselves organised and prepare for our puppy invasion.

[pilates]

You won’t regret it Pinkpip, they are great dogs. Can we have a picture please when you get him/her?

[pinkpip100]

Definitely - I am already becoming obsessed - it's the main topic of conversation in our house!

[Wolfiefan]

Do contact the breed club. Unfortunately KC reg doesn’t mean a good breeder. It just means a pedigree. And many puppy farmers and commercial breeders put up a very good front.

[DangerCake]

We paid £600 for our cockerpoo in December.

She's gorgeous, brilliant with kids, very very gentle and eager to learn.

But she was bloody hard work as a puppy.

I'd really recommend getting a rescue in about 2 months time when all the lockdown puppies are getting rehomed. Because a lot of them will. Let someone else do the getting up every 2 hours in the night for weeks and mopping up poo and stopping them biting everyone.

By the time they are 6 to 8 months old - a lot easier to deal with!

Won't be because there is anything wrong with the puppy, but there'll be no one at home to look after it.

[pinkpip100]

@Wolfiefan - yes we have done, the breeder is on their approved list too, sorry I should have made that clearer.

[Wolfiefan]

@pinkpip100 that’s great. You’ll find the breed club useful too in terms of grooming and all sorts. KC means very little. Good luck!

[scullie]

A fabulous choice! If you are on FB there's some great MS groups that have great tips and will help you get excited.

[TheShapeJaper]

My KC registered toy poodle was £500 four years ago. These new prices are horrifying and making me sad that if anything happens to my dog I won’t be able to have another one like him. I could afford to spend more but tbh, it’s disgusting.

[vanillandhoney]

Good luck OP - miniature schnauzers are super cute little dogs!

[TheChestnutCafe]

We have an OES. Cost us £600 as a puppy - that was cheap as we knew the breeder. We had to wait nearly 2 years though, didn't mind as she's a reputable breeder, all health checks of the parents done, etc.

Wouldn't pay 2-3k, that's just crazy. Unless it's a particularly rare breed.

[Enidcat5]

You can get puppies at rescues. They come fully health checked, vaccinated, microchipped...

[StampMc]

I paid £200 to Rspca for my rescue puppy last year and at the time that was 50-100 cheaper than a similar cross breed on pets4homes etc. I’ve just has a look and now puppies are around £800 and “reluctant sale” of adult dogs are around £500. Definitely a lot more going on than normal inflation.

there are loads of bulldogs of various types for £8-10k for sale

[runningon]

Puppies are completely over-priced at the moment.
Most young dogs love children and won't harm them, rescue or not, they should never be left alone with them.
Pick up a dumped youngster from a rescue centre at the end of summer, there will be loads available.
Otherwise a mixed breed puupy is almost 100% likely be a puppy-farmed dog (unless you directly know the parent dogs)

[GuppytheCat]

Mini schnauzers are very shrill, but otherwise nice little dogs on the whole.

Apologies for offering duff advice on cat/dog training! Wolfie is right that it’s your responsibility, not the cat’s to ensure respectful puppy behaviour at all times.

(Still slightly in awe of Ancient Cat’s ability to glare a puppy into instant ‘sitting nicely’ though.)

[m0therofdragons]

I’ve just been quoted £4750 for a golden doodle. Apparently if I was a genuine buyer I wouldn’t be put off by the price
I’ve been researching for a year, been on rescue sites and thought we were getting a puppy in July but the birth sadly didn’t go to plan and only one survived so we’re looking (but not rushing and hope it’ll happen within the next 12 months). Today I called this breeder and she said she’s had more than 200 enquiries but still somehow has one puppy available that I could have (which I found odd - was expecting to talk about future litters maybe next spring even). Apparently 7 other families are happy to pay £4750 and I’m not able to offer a 5* home if I can’t afford that. I can but I choose not to because I think it’s outrageous.

[m0therofdragons]

Thank you Dobbin. I ended up feeling really cross as the breeder was saying she was considering keeping her because she is such an amazing pup so the price is high. I could buy dd1 a horse for that!