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.

That is about the right price for a labrador as it is a widely available breed, for the rarer breeds the prices will be higher. You cannot compare a labrador with something like a Komondor (I could have picked any rarer breed!), which you would not get for £700.

I think £2k is about right for a puppy from a decent KC recommended breeder to be honest. I have a Labrador. He was £2,500. My sister bought a French bulldog pup recently, he was £3,000.

As others have said, it’s the cost of owning them that’s expensive. Food, insurance, vaccinations, neutering. Every time I visit the vet I think ‘brace yourself, this will be a lot, and then they seem to double it and add £50.

I am sure there are lots of more specialist breeds that are very expensive but if you just want a nice wee family pet you don’t need to spend thousands.
Get a rescue or something more common like a jack Russell/ collie/ lab/ one of the Poo type dogs.

Spending that on a lab was mental!! The rescue three miles from me currently has thirty!!

Paid 1500 for ours in 2020. I knew the breeder and family had pups from their previous litters (with other dogs - they’re responsible and don’t use mums for multiple litters, and have five of the dogs as family pets and they are all lovely and v well cared for). There’s a lot of others costs and my partner was retiring so we knew we’d be okay for finances and to have constant company for the pup. I wouldn’t be without her - she really has transformed my life. Just check the cost of the food, snacks, vet’s bills, grooming (even stuff you might not factor in - flea and worming treatment, anal gland issues etc). It all adds up. Our monthly budget for our girl is 330. She goes to the groomer every other month and it’s £50. Flea and wormers per month is £15. Food cost is just on dog food but she gets plenty of fresh veg for supper and some fresh meat too.

It’s more expensive than I thought it would be but having said that I spend most of my spare money on her, taking her for days out on the train. After years of MH issues and serious illness she gives me something to get up for in a morning and I dance around with her like a teen!

And most of them will be from puppy farms or backyard breeders and likely be crippled with HD.

I've just bought a cross breed a week ago , £800 .. the breeder has just reduced the price .. but with everything.. insurance, vaccine, food bedding , toys .. Cost well over £1000 .. but she is beautiful..

Hip scoring costs in the region of £1k. No ‘cheap’ lab will be from hip scored parents. HD is horrific and mostly preventable. Health tested dogs should cost more. You are stacking the odds in your favour of a long lived happy and healthy pet.

Both my labs parents were hip scored and all recorded on Kennel Club website. And she was £700.

Or they may just have been lock down dogs handed back when owners got tired of them.

Hip scoring costs in the region of £1k. No ‘cheap’ lab will be from hip scored parents.

Our dogs' parents were both hip-scored and he was £750. Not a lab but still a KC registered pedigree 🤷‍♀️

The breeder had three litters, all thriving and healthy several years down the line with no health issues whatsoever.

I have no issue with breeder selling for profit or with them charging large amounts but I wish people wouldn't keep on as though all puppies that cost less than 2k are somehow badly bred or from a dodgy source.

Some are, sure, but it's also the case that some 2k puppies are also badly bred and just exist to make as much money for the breeder as possible.

100% agree. I know two back yard breeders charging thousands for dogs. I really think it is a case of taking basic precautions and remembering it is a flipping dog!! a £3000 one doesn't do anything more than a wee cross breed from a rescue. They are meant to be your pet and companion not some kind of status symbol.

People are not saying any pup who costs less than 2k is wrong - I have said in a previous post the price will be depend on many factors but mainly due to the breed. There will always be more labradors, border terriers, cocker spaniels than the rarer breeds, which will have a higher price.

The people who have to have the latest "designer" breed such as French Bulldogs and Dachshunds will also drive up the price. People who may high prices for cross breeds are also wrong and/or from online sites such as gumtree are also wrong.

Hip scoring along does not cost £1k, but it should be done with elbow scoring and eye tests, specific for the particular breed. The costs do add up but it is part of being a responsible breeder.

This is true. But again, probably mostly originating from puppy farms or backyard breeders.

(although, this being MN, I fully expect that somebody will contradict and tell me that they're all £3,000 puppies from leading show kennels...🙄)

Totally depends what breed you want.

Not all of us want a wee cross breed from a rescue or a status symbol. There is some middle ground between the two, believe it or not.

Some people have a strong preference for a certain breed or type of dog/puppy because it perfectly suits their lifestyle, and they cannot get that from a random rescue dog with an unknown history.

I think we're broadly saying the same thing @schloss - I agree that breeders should be doing all the appropriate health tests, I just don't agree with those who are saying that health testing always means expensive puppies.

What is this magical breed that would not be available at a rescue? Or would need to cost a lot of money?

Nobody is saying that as such, I'm sure there are exceptions, but sometimes you get what you pay for. You go to the other extreme by consistently poo-pooing breeders that do charge more. This is reverse snobbery. There are reasons why some breeds are priced higher and some kennels charge more for puppies.

As has already been pointed out, if you have a numerically small breed you will not find a cheap puppy - or if you do you would know to avoid it.

Working dogs are easily available for less than 1k.
Any of the exotic breeds are status symbols lets be honest!
I and most of my friends have dogs and they are all pretty similar. The like to go for walks, cuddle and eat and sleep. So much pretentiousness about high end dogs 🙄

Working dogs aren't suitable for everyone despite the fact that many are marketed as family friendly.

They are most likely the ones that end up in rescue with behaviour problems, because the average person with DC and a job doesn't have time to give the dog the stimulation and exercise it needs.

There are even threads on here, we're people bought a working dog and 6, 12, 24 months down the line can't cope.

A dog should be chosen with lifestyle time and what if circumstances in mind. Anyone just going for looks & fashionable breeds isn't giving this enough thought. Obviously money is an issue, but then, you are getting a family member for the next 12-15 years. This has to be looked at from all angles.

I myself had to go back to FT work... my youngest dog was 18 months and my rescue still an ongoing project. It's hard, giving each dog the attention and exercise they need. I don't think average Jo Blocks is prepared to do this. Again a situation where dogs can develop behaviour issues and end up in rescue.

@PyreneanAubrie I haven't poo-pooed anyone, that's just your interpretation.

What I have said is that you don't need to spend upwards of two thousand pounds on a dog. Which you don't.

If someone wants a rare breed that's their decision of course, but the point I'm trying to make that your average pet owner doesn't need to spend vast sums of money to obtain a healthy, well bred dog.

If some people want to buy from a show kennel or from a breeder of champions, again, that's fine, but it's not essential to do so in order to have a healthy pet. It's a choice - a perfectly valid choice - but it's still a choice as opposed to a necessity.

Depends what the breed is. In a numerically small breed, no, you can't get one for that price - working dog or not. In a giant breed, no you generally can't.

I have my dog because I like the temperament of this breed, status symbol/pretentiousness doesn't come into it. However, she's probably what you'd call exotic or high-end...🤔

She goes for walks, cuddles, eats and sleeps but I absolutely would not trade her in for a Cocker, Labrador, doodle/poo or Frenchie because none of those would suit my lifestyle.

To me, the idea of spending thousands on exotic holidays in far flung locations is the height of pretentiousness 🙄What does the average person spend on a holiday? With meals out and alcohol? Nope. Rather spend it on a puppy once every umpteen years. That is my priority.

Make of that what you will 😆

I have to add I have no issue with people wanting a certain breed - but unless you need that dog to do an essential for you, it's just a choice - like buying an expensive car or paying for a 5* hotel.

There's nothing wrong with doing those things by any means, people like different things and have different preferences, but spending the extra is a want, not a need.

I know it's frowned upon in mn but I got our puppy from pets for homes website, I think as long as you use common sense ie see the puppy with the mum, trust your intuition, check health checks have been done etc there's no reason not to use it.

Our puppy was £400, he was from a local litter and I was able to see him each week up until we got him so got a real sense of the owners caring about their dog and puppies.

For a first dog he's been perfect for us, that said if I ever get another dog I'd hold out for a rescue puppy now I have more experience with dogs.

For some people many things are status symbols, sadly including some breeds of dogs.

As to the exotic breeds - what is your definition of one? My breed is still a relatively small breed here, I have owned them for many, many years - would you deem them exotic and I should not have them as you think they are a status symbol?

Saying people should buy working dogs just shows your naivity - the clue is in the name and working dogs in the hands of non-working homes can be a recipe for disaster, which equals dogs returned to the breeder, into rescue or palmed off to many homes.