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Original poster

Puppy prices coming down?

31 replies

MondayYogurt · 25/05/2021 14:39

I heard someone mention puppy prices seem to be dropping a bit. Has anyone noticed that too? Any breeders on here to confirm?

OP posts:
puginamug · 25/05/2021 14:59

Our breeder has not increased her prices over lockdown.

bunnygeek · 25/05/2021 15:19

Good breeders may not have bred at all over the last year and many reputable ones didn't pander to the trend. But that has meant a TON of people bred for cold hard cash and nothing more.

I would imagine demand is starting to slope off a bit now the reality of normality, offices wanting their workers back, industries opening up again, foreign holidays on the horizon...and so prices may start to come down a bit, but its all down to demand. Summer holidays are going to mean more families wanting puppies anyway, it won't be until the end of the year when kids are back at school and the weather is turning cold again that it will really drop I think.

Original poster
MondayYogurt · 25/05/2021 18:45

I'm still seeing lots of fresh puppies on the streets, there just doesn't seem an end in sight.

OP posts:
Thatswatshesaid · 25/05/2021 18:48

I don’t know why everyone is so against the lockdown puppies. Many people haven’t been able to get a dog because someone needs to be at home all the time with a pup. Lockdown has allowed people to get the dog they have always wanted. The price reflects this.

lurker101 · 25/05/2021 18:54

@Thatswatshesaid

I don’t know why everyone is so against the lockdown puppies. Many people haven’t been able to get a dog because someone needs to be at home all the time with a pup. Lockdown has allowed people to get the dog they have always wanted. The price reflects this.
I’m not against people getting puppies, I just don’t believe that as many people will have the flexibility they think they will when offices/businesses reopen and sadly think that when people start socialising/travelling again some poor pups will find themselves surplus to requirements for their family. Dogs are hard work and a commitment and I hope I’m wrong, but sadly I think many people that got a puppy as something to do in lockdown will find it doesn’t suit their previous lifestyle and won’t make the necessary adjustments and will rehome their pets.
Ellmau · 26/05/2021 10:42

And even if people are mostly wfh, a lot of these dogs will not be accustomed to be being left for one-off meetings and may well have separation anxiety.

puginamug · 26/05/2021 11:06

We decided to wait until lockdown lifted before getting a puppy, mainly because of the socialisation issues, and waiting for the right breeder.

TerribleCustomerCervix · 26/05/2021 20:27

I know of an arsehole individual who bred THREE Border Collie litters from his own farm dogs to meet the lockdown puppy demand and make a quick buck. They're now about 10 weeks and he can’t shift them as anyone who wanted a puppy has either bought one over the last year or is heading back to work as lockdown eases.

m0therofdragons · 27/05/2021 08:44

We have a lockdown puppy. Dh’s work is really flexible pre pandemic so would have suited a dog but not the constant needs of a puppy (we tried rescues but no luck). Puppy is now 10 months, really settled, building up leaving him - longest was 2 hours while we went to lunch on Sunday and he was fine. We have a camera. We thought through very carefully as did all the other families I know who got puppies. The media and mn are angry about it but for many it was an opportunity to spend time training a puppy and we took it. I think prices should come down a bit but not to what they were as honestly I feel they were too cheap.

Dogoodfeelgood · 27/05/2021 09:02

Yes I’m sure there are sadly cases of neglect but I find the insinuation that people who got lockdown puppies did it for something to do during lockdown quite offensive to all the people whose lives definitely can accomodate an adult dog but who never had the required time off to raise a young puppy right. We have always planned to get a dog and were planning on utilising annual leave in the beginning to train and settle the puppy, in the end we were able to do this over the lockdowns and I am glad we did because it wasn’t until the puppy was about 5 months old that I would have been comfortable doing doggy daycare and leaving her with other people or alone. I’m sure many of the lockdown puppies have actually had a much better “childhood” than puppies purchased in normal times! Ours doesn’t have separation anxiety either despite spending loads of time with us - probably because she’s not anxious due to having a happy calm puppyhood and never being left alone before she was ready.

Sisisimone · 27/05/2021 09:33

Yes I’m sure there are sadly cases of neglect but I find the insinuation that people who got lockdown puppies did it for something to do during lockdown quite offensive to all the people whose lives definitely can accomodate an adult dog but who never had the required time off to raise a young puppy right
Absolutely agree with this. In fact the only instances of 'neglect' I've known are pre lockdown when many people I know at work bought a puppy and left it all day from day 1 to come to work. I wfh permanently now as I'm sure many will be but if I had to go into the office I'd be making arrangements that responsible people did when going to work pre lockdown and arrange additional care for him, whether that be dog walkers, doggy daycare or family (my mum and brother both adore him and would jump at the chance). He's a much loved member of our family, the idea that at the first sign of a problem we'd give him up to a rescue is offensive and ridiculous. Lockdown just meant we had all the time we needed to devote to puppy training. We had wanted a dog for a couple of years and just jumped at the chance. I'm not sure puppy prices will come down much either as remote working is becoming normal with a vast amount of employers and just lends itself to a much better work/life balance

Ratatattatpat · 27/05/2021 10:10

Lots of people on mumsnet and the Internet in general think all dog owners apart from themselves are irresponsible.

Nobody should get a dog as their circumstances may change, they may not be able to train it, they may not be able to afford it, they may neglect it. Nobody apart from me. I should be allowed dogs but nobody else should as they will all probably abandon their dogs but not me. I would never but there is a chance you would.

Original poster
MondayYogurt · 27/05/2021 12:47

OK...

I was really just asking about prices...

OP posts:
Handsnotwands · 27/05/2021 13:24

pretty much everyone i know has got a dog over lockdown, these are people who had always wanted one but never could previously. they're all growing up to be really well balanced and trained dogs as they've spent their formative months having all the attention they needed.

similarly all these people have put time into building time they're left alone up slowly and gently, fully aware that at some point in the future they'll need to be able to be alone for a couple of hours.

most people adore their dogs and aren't thick or cruel. they've been offered an excellent opportunity to spend the first year of their dog's life accommodating it and now they're close to having adult dogs with the benefit of all that time. you can't hate that

Sisisimone · 27/05/2021 13:28

I was really just asking about prices..
They don't seem to be going down where I am OP. And with more and more people working from home permanently or with just a couple of days in the office, I can't see that changing much

Original poster
MondayYogurt · 27/05/2021 13:39

@Handsnotwands

pretty much everyone i know has got a dog over lockdown, these are people who had always wanted one but never could previously. they're all growing up to be really well balanced and trained dogs as they've spent their formative months having all the attention they needed.

similarly all these people have put time into building time they're left alone up slowly and gently, fully aware that at some point in the future they'll need to be able to be alone for a couple of hours.

most people adore their dogs and aren't thick or cruel. they've been offered an excellent opportunity to spend the first year of their dog's life accommodating it and now they're close to having adult dogs with the benefit of all that time. you can't hate that

Great.

And the prices of puppies?

OP posts:
Original poster
MondayYogurt · 27/05/2021 13:39

@Sisisimone

I was really just asking about prices.. They don't seem to be going down where I am OP. And with more and more people working from home permanently or with just a couple of days in the office, I can't see that changing much
Thanks!
OP posts:
somethinginthewater · 28/05/2021 18:48

Prices on Gumtree seem to be slightly lower than a year ago for the less sought after crossbreeds ( lab collie, collie spaniel etc) but seem to be much the same for purebred dogs. I've seen prices drop by maybe £100 for some litters that last year would have been sold in five minutes yes I do know way too much about dog sales on scummy free sites

HoneyDragon · 28/05/2021 18:59

Responsible people did take the opportunity to purchase a dog during lockdown, and dickheads did buy dogs to amuse themselves through lockdown.

And this put prices up as breeders increased prices to prevent the dickheads buying them on a whim and then backyard breeders decided they could make a quick buck because supply was outstripped by demand.

The bubble has to burst at some point and prices will start to come down which will stop people doing it for tax free cash.

However more and more my social media pages are full of ads like this Sad.

Puppy prices coming down?
lastdayofjuly · 28/05/2021 19:05

No OP - I paid lockdown prices when I picked up my new puppy this week. KC registered litter.

Original poster
MondayYogurt · 28/05/2021 19:17

@somethinginthewater

Prices on Gumtree seem to be slightly lower than a year ago for the less sought after crossbreeds ( lab collie, collie spaniel etc) but seem to be much the same for purebred dogs. I've seen prices drop by maybe £100 for some litters that last year would have been sold in five minutes yes I do know way too much about dog sales on scummy free sites
Thanks I actually think a spreadsheet tracking this would be really useful! Pity there isn't a site scraper or something to get the raw data.
OP posts:
Original poster
MondayYogurt · 28/05/2021 19:19

@HoneyDragon that's so sad and inevitable. I wonder if a flood of 'second hand' dogs would undercut prices and burst the bubble.

OP posts:
Archiduchesse · 28/05/2021 19:26

I don't think that they're going to go down much. There are lots of young lockdown puppies up for sale now that the owners don't have time for them. They're asking upwards of £1500 for a one year old dog which I find shocking.

Ellmau · 01/06/2021 21:18

Surely a lot of them are going to go unsold at that price?

toadstool32 · 02/06/2021 01:39

We get ours in august. We're paying 3k