Cost of puppy

[Durdledore]

Hi there,

We have been actively thinking about getting a dog for over two years now. We would love to get one now as the time feels right. We would like a puppy rather than an adult dog but we can’t afford the huge outlay of what we are finding online - £2000 ish even for a mixed breed.

Can anyone advise? We are looking at local rescues too of course.

Cross breeds/mongrels are usually more expensive than pure breeds with great pedigrees. Best way is to choose a pure bred + get on waiting list for pups.
I have working dogs and never paid more than £800.

I would wait for a rescue pup tbh . You'll pay a fee but it won't be anything like the cost to a breeder and you'll be doing a good thing .

What sort of home can you offer a dog? What characteristics do you want?

No use recommending a reliable breeder of large, hairy, drooly dogs if the dog that fits your home is likely to come from the toy category

Where are you looking to find dogs for 2k?

You should be able to get an ethnically bred dog for less than 1k.

Investigate pet insurance if budgets are tight these can be a lot. Costs like: toys, poop bags, food, treats, dog walker, any meds, wormer etc soon mount up. Also new pups need collars etc, beds and you might loose some shoes etc. Do factor in all of this. If you have had a dog before please rehome. But having a dog is costly.

Kennel Club, breeders’ websites, that sort of thing. All around the £1.5-3K mark.

What breed are you looking for then maybe people could advice.

What dogs are costing £2000 for a pet?

We have a pure breed with good pedigree. Didn't pay close to £2000

Wow, those prices are mad. I guess it depends on breed but you can get well bred dogs from working breeders around here for £800 or so.

We haven’t settled on a breed as yet. We’re looking at a few as we like lots! We have lots of space for big long walks so we can accommodate that, but equally we dog sit for a small dog that enjoys short, sniffy walks so we would be able to accommodate that too.

It's not about the initial cost of £2K or whatever. It's about long-term costs.

My two (I foster but won't count them for this quick outlay of costs) cost me about £300 a month. That's a 10 year old female cocker spaniel and a two year old male Goldie.

£120 on food - Butternut box and raw food, includes treats.
£90 - Insurance. £60 for my girl, £30 for my Goldie
£20 - Entertainment for them. This includes new toys (Goldie is a destructive little turd), mind games, crafts to create my own mind games for them etc.
£40 - Grooming for the girl.
£30 - Worming, flea medication, vaccinations etc

In terms of long walks, that's great. But you also need to consider your dogs mental stimulation - will it be left alone all day (If so, don't get a dog), will you have time to entertain it and provide mental stimulation etc.

FWIW, my girl is 10 (nearly 11). She still goes for 2 hours a day on walks, plays all day and is constantly needing mental stimulation - she's more energetic than my Goldie. She's not even a working line - she's show, so should be less manic.

Some dog breeds are more expensive than others and you should expect to pay more for a puppy from fully health tested parents. I paid £2.5K for my Goldie but that is because his scores, his parents scores and his lineage is excellent - I couldn't have done better tbh. But I paid £800 for my cocker (admittedly a long time ago).

I think you have to narrow it down a bit more 😂
Do you have a preferred bread or two?

I paid £300 earlier this year for a Poochon. In NI. Dogs a lot cheaper here. Look on gumtree. Yes the provenance can be questionable but a lot are ok.
Or wait for a rescue.

www.gumtree.com/search?search_category=all&q=puppies&search_location=Northern%20Ireland

Take a look on the Champdogs website, they list lots of breeds with info on each, this will help you find one that suits your family.

In regards to price I can't understand the inflated prices, but sadly whilst people pay ££££, breeders (some) will charge it.
If you search you will find a breeder who doesn't charge as much, but it may take a while to find them and you may have to go on a waiting list for a puppy.
Most good breeders don't advertise on the web, and please make sure that relevant health checks have been done.

When I was looking for a dog 3 years ago several breeders wanted £2500, I found a breeder that was charging 1/2 of this and kept her prices the same from a previous litter. They are out there - you just have to find them

Thanks, yes I’ve tried on there too. Just have to keep looking around by the sounds of it. From the replies, I don’t seem to be missing something obvious, just a case of continuing what we’ve been doing - looking around in the hope of not being ripped off.

Whether you should be paying that much is one thing, but if you can't save up that much to purchase a dog then I'd consider whether you can truly afford the long term costs of owning a dog.

We can save up, we just don’t have £2K lying around and people on here say £2K is a rip off so I wanted to hear where to look that is cheaper.

I think 1.5-2k is the going price for a puppy.

I don't know what you (or others who commented on this thread) expect.
Raising a litter of puppies does cost time and money. Besides the obvious of food and registrations there are added fees for licensing and inspections. Then there is the knowledge and expertise of the breeder.
I don't get the MN narrative of dogs having to be cheap and decent breeders should give them away for next to nothing. If they appear to make any kind of profit, they must be backyard breeders or puppy farms only interested in the money.

Many working dog breeders do it to preserve/enhance the line rather than for pure profit. If you have a FTCH you want to see that line continue. Nothing to do with puppy farming. They will often only sell to people who will work the dogs and trust me, no one who works their dog will pay 2K for one!

I don't have any issue with breeders making a profit, but there's a difference between earning a little extra money and blatant profiteering.

Yes, it's expensive to raise a litter properly but it doesn't cost you 10 grand. (Assuming five pups at 2k each)

Please look into the ongoing cost of vet bills.

This.

The problem with charging less than the 'current going rate' is that it makes the puppies pretty vulnerable to people buying to resell etc. So, even the good breeders are pushed to raise prices to keep the value similar to the market, to avoid this.

I paid £800 for mine 7 years ago, but I think I'd struggle to get similar again now for less than about £1200.

OP, the pet market is flooded with breeders who are purely in the business of making money.

I show dogs and might have a litter every 3 years, if that. Many show breeders are the same and because many are not in it for the money (they breed to improve lines for their hobby), puppies are very often better quality and substantially less money than back street pet breeders.

My advice would be to do your homework on all your preferred breeds, make a list. Then get yourself in touch with the breed clubs, many have a litter register made up only from show breeders. Try to get to a show or two, preferably a breed specific show, also Crufts in March where they hold Discover Dogs. Be a bit of a pest to the breed club (politely) so that it's clear you're keen and if they're nice they'll put feelers out for you .

I would always recommend doing this to anyone looking for a puppy. PM if you like

Jesus Christ. No, don't buy a farmed made-up crossbreed puppy from Gumtree. Even if you don't give a shit about the wellbeing of the dogs being farmed and sold on there, which you clearly don't, £2k could easily be a drop in the bucket of the vet bill that can swiftly ensue.