How much would you pay?

[Hellothere00]

Just looking for some opinions that are not from people I know as I have had a lot of different views.
Dh and I have been looking for a puppy that would suit our family (2 DS's - 5 & 3) since our old dog sadly passed away 5 years ago, we have waited until the children are a bit older.
Have come across some miniature poodle x bichons (poochons?). Bought up around young children, cats, other dogs etc. They are 12 weeks currently (have been for sale since 2 weeks old) but they are still advertising them for full price of £1200.
Now I know prices of puppies have gone up since lockdown but I was wondering if I was being cheeky by trying to knock him down in price? I have seen younger ones for cheaper but are quite far from our home.
I haven't messaged yet as wanted to get opinions whether: A, it's cheeky and not the done thing now to haggle and B, whether anybody has experience with these types of dogs.

I am aware of grooming, night waking training etc as weve owned plenty of dogs in the past rescue and bought, admittedly only larger dogs though and this will be our first smaller dog.

Any opinions/advice is appreciated.

I imagine there is a reason they are still available…
I wouldn’t want a bargain puppy

That looks like a good price to me, I wouldn't be haggling. We paid more than that for our cross breed. Remember all the hassle that breeders have to go through while the puppies are small.

I thought with small breeds some breeders prefer to keep puppies longer than standard 8wks but not sure of the reasons. I'd be wary of a breeder than was slashing prices weekly (if reasonable priced to start) as it shows more they want rid asap than to find the right homes.
To me £1200 seems an average puppy cost now but it would be more important to check out what the breeder is like and the parents health & temperament, which is much easier to look into with KC pedigree breed and you also have a better idea of what to expect. Lots of crossbreeds are just convenient matings of own dogs or local stud but no real thought into conformation/structure or genetic health Tests so aren't healthier.

Not sure what benefits would be trying to gain crossing bichon with a poodle.

That's very cheap. Average pedigree with health tests and papers is £3k

It's not a pedigree, v unlikely to have 'papers' and what breed specific health tests will it actually have? None. Because it's a cross breed. The puppies may be 'KC registered' but that doesn't mean a huge amount. And they're 12 weeks old, they're coming up to a very important socialisation/learning period and they are still with the breeder. 🚩 🚩 🚩

Also, 3k isn't a 'normal price' to pay for any dog, wether that be a pure bred dog with all health tests and kc reg or it be a cross breed.

I wouldn't buy a 12 week old puppy at all.

Loads of young dogs in rescue centres. Much cheaper. And there's no guarantee your breeder puppy will be better behaved, just read threads on here and dog forums

Why pay silly money when so many dogs are in rescue through no fault of their own.

A few years now but I viewed puppies whose price varied by several hundreds.

Cost didn't actually factor into it in the end as I ended up paying a bit more than average but the parents had all the generic testing I was looking for so figured that was worth the extra cost.

I wouldn't haggle but would choose based on the puppy credentials and whether I liked the breeder and would be prepared to travel to get that.

Where are the pups being advertised?

I wouldn't buy any kind "poochon" that's being advertised online.

That is likely to yap yap yap all day long. If you've not had small dogs before are you going to be ok with a yapping dog?

I bought 2 good pedigree Lhasa Apso puppies before lockdown for 550 each and they are wonderful girls. Gentle and loving and very well behaved. They are very good with my dgc and my cats. They love being petted by children. They either need to be clipped every 3 months or if wanting longer fur 1/2 hour brushing and combing every day each. Ours are clipped and have 5 minute brush. I would always go for a pedigree with health tests. If you want a small/medium dog a Lhasa Apso is a good choice with children. I viewed our bitches 3 times with dam and saw father and all papers and vet report/first vaccination before leaving deposit. I took bitches home at 12 weeks as better for them to be with dam if possible. Dam socialises pups between 8-12 weeks. They can't go out until had second vaccination anyway.

£1200 for a mongrel?

I wouldn't haggle but would choose based on the puppy credentials and whether I liked the breeder and would be prepared to travel to get that.

This ... living creatures should not be haggled over. Pick the right puppy, collect it in person from wherever it's for sale, and pay what the breeders are asking.

I wouldn't go about buying a puppy like I was buying a used car for starters.
Haggling, younger puppies are a bit too far away etc all sounds incredibly transactional and not at all centred around finding the right puppy to be your newest family member. 😬

How much would I pay? I'd rescue and pay whatever the rescue organisation charged.

But you want a puppy, please prioritise personality, reputation of breeder and health checks over price and distance.

I wouldn’t pay more than £800. These people are known as greeders. Cashing in on breeding trendy mongrels, people started doing this during the pandemic when demand was high and now demand is starting to drop off.
decent breeders have a waiting list- if these have been advertised for 10 weeks then there is something wrong

You’ll get lots of people judging crossbreeds (not a mongrel) there are plenty of breeders that carry out all breed specific health tests on both parents so make sure they’re knowledgeable and have proof. BUT I wouldn’t buy a 12 week old puppy. That’s near the end of the socialisation window. £1200 is a good price these days unfortunately

They don't sound great if be a bit suspicious that they're still available. Breeder is clearly after cash.

FWIW, I'm getting a fantastically bred golden retriever with great lines, parents who have won on the field and in the ring. Health tested up to their eyes, and I'm paying £2k.

Actually on the price. I paid just under £1000 in 2016 for a pedigree.

Some puppies of the breed I was after a could be purchased for around £600 at that time but when the breeder didn't even know about the inherited genetic conditions I walked away despite the 'bargain' price.

You're assuming that all small dogs yap - mine doesn't.

Thank you all for your thoughts on it.
I would love to rescue (which we have in the past) but unfortunately due to having our children a lot of rescues have said no to us, which I completely understand but would rather have checked if possible before going down the puppy route. Sorry forgot to add that in original post.

I am a little concerned about the socialisation period with them being a lot older than average with leaving. But have just found out that the dad is actually a friend of mines dog and he has a brilliant temperament.

Judging on what I've read here though i think it's probably wise to walk away from this one and continue the search.

Thank you all for you input it has helped a lot in deciding 😊

Oh and no yapping/barking doesn't bother us at all 😀

@caringcarer I agree with you, awesome little dogs, my friend has one, I absolutely love her.