I have a friend about to buy a frenchbull dog puppy and she called me today to say she had seen a litter of blue puppies selling for in between £2000 and £7000 per puppy.I thought she mustve made a mistake so i looked up the advert and sure enough she was right! The advert stated no brindle,not sure if that had anything to do with the price as i dont know anything about the breed but when speaking to another friend who owns one she said that blue isnt even a recognised colour so why the high price? I think thats a rediculous price to ask for a puppy.is blue a recognised colour?

Here is the list of recognised colours. Blue is not one of them. http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/breed/colours.aspx?id=4088

Sadly a breed that has exploited in the last 10 years, to put it in perspective at just how much, in 2004 the KC registered just 350 French bulldogs in 2013 6,990. I would advise your  friend to look for a puppy through a Breed Club and not from one of these on-line puppy selling sites and find out what health tests are needed I believe it to be DNA test - HC-HSF4 - Hereditary cataracts and a general eye test under the BVA/KC ISDS Eye scheme.

The French Bulldog is not my breed but one I love, Its so sad to see any breed being exploited like this and people advertising them as rare colours, don't know how they can consider them being rare when 8 out of 10 adverts are blue, lilac, chocolate  and what ever other colour they can produce. It is the standard colours that are soon to be rare :(

>a litter of blue puppies selling for in between £2000 and £7000 per puppy



Do they poop gold bars?   At those prices they should!

"A fool and his money are soon parted"     Never a truer word was written or spoken.

What is it about Joe public?, wanting any colour but the ones that are acceptable. 

I'd absolutely love a French Bulldog but the amount that they are bred at the minute puts me off- I'd be worried about health issues.

The average price for a good well bred pup with parents who are health tested it is £2k.. That to me would be too end.... 7k is a stupid amount :-(

But what is it that puts the price at £2000?  

Apart from the fact that people will pay

> But what is it that puts the price at £2000?

Smaller litters and less self-whelping. Other than that, I don't know.
I am interested to see if the more expensive ones have wider nostrils - stenotic nares has been flagged up as an issue in the breed.

Smaller litters?  Many breeds have naturally small litters and don't charge more than a 'sensible' price.  Average litter size of Bedlingtons is said to be 4.   I've known of lots of 2/3 pup litters,  I've been lucky and had 4, but few litters larger than this.   Price of pups is still what I would call 'sensible'

Caesarians?   I've known Bitches in my own breed need a Caesarian (very unusual, but still.. )  maybe only one or two pups in litter, and the price is still the normal price for the breed.

Same with friend's Cocker pup.  Delivered by Caesarian, single pup, and huge vet's bill. Price of pup was usual price of the breed.

I suppose, when registrations were in the lower hundreds, scarcity would push up the price, but with litter registrations at 6,990 for last year, and 2,119 for the first quarter of 2014, this can hardly be called a scarce breed.

Bedlington registrations were at 482 in 2013, and numbers are down for the first quarter this year.

>I suppose, when registrations were in the lower hundreds, scarcity would push up the price,

In my breed the price is very much within the sensible range (£700 - £750), yet were only registering about 10 litters a year and at the moment we have lots of puppy enquiries and no puppies, been like this for quite a number of years.

Our breed in the last 20 years has never had more than 150 pups registered a year.

When I moved here in 1988, as a complete outsider, I noticed all sorts of things in the dog fancy that was different to at home in Sweden. One was the fact that different breeds sold for different prices, whereas at home all breeds went for almost exactly the same price. (Whether that still is the same or not I have no idea.) So I would guess that when we are talking about proper breeders, and not those out to make a quick buck from "rare" colours etc, then the price will always have been higher for that breed than for many others, and over the years it has increased , as it has for all breeds. It's become the norm and as such it would look most odd if some breeders suddenly started charging less than what the majority do. Certainly in my breed we all try to charge similar prices.  If one breeder was much cheaper you might either think if was because their pups were of lesser quality, or because they wanted to sell their pups easier and beat the "competition", and it would surely not be looked upon favourably by others in the breed.

What I am trying to say is, once a price range has been set it would be very difficult for responsible breeders to go against it. (And that range could be set so long ago that nobody now knows WHY.) Just the same as if I tried to suddenly charge four figures for my breed that go for around £700, I'd find it hard, or rather impossible, to sell them and people would certainly start to talk and it would give me a bad name.

>It's become the norm and as such it would look most odd if some breeders suddenly started charging less than what the majority do.

Also there is a big danger, especially in 'fashionable' breeds and toy breeds that have a good resale value, there is a huge risk that if pups were sold too cheaply they would be sold on, by unscrupulous buyers, at a profit.

It may have become the 'norm' but why?

What is it that makes these breeds 'worth' so much more than others?

The only reasoning I have seen being given is that these breeds need caesarians, but that doesn't wash, other breeds aren't immune to needing caesarians and don't charge more.

None of these breeds is remotely scarce, nor do they appear to have tinier litters than other breeds.

And now, the BYBs and puppy farmers are pushing the price up further!  

Is it just that Joe public has more money than brains?  (if it costs more then it has to be better? )

My friend still realised she might have to pay up to £2000 ( i still think thats far too high for a puppy) but  litter ranging up to £7000 is just greed in my eyes.What does she have to be aware about the nostrils?

It may have become the 'norm' but why?

What is it that makes these breeds 'worth' so much more than others?

Like I said, I doubt anyone alive now will know if it has been the same for decades that a higher price than for other breeds has just carried on and increased at the same rate as everything else. Could it simply be traced back to the fact that some breeds were a necessity for working, such as gundogs, and others were a pure luxury? Some were for common people and others for the rich and noble?

>What does she have to be aware about the nostrils?

http://www.petplace.com/dogs/stenotic-nares/page1.aspx

http://www.frenchbulldogclubofengland.org.uk/health-scheme.html

There is a grading scheme in Frenchies for health testing.

Have a look at the link which is to their health scheme.

Fashion,Supply and demand dictates the price in this breed.

I bet if they could produce a pink one they'd get double that :-(

Your friend needs to do her research and step away from these type of adverts. I have never bred a litter but own them, they are a specialist breed. Some seem to be like premature babies in how much special attention they need. C sections are high risk and most needing them. Although some do, a friends butch self whelped 6 pups last night all of a good size and she is a very good example of the breed. My own boy from a self whelped litter of 7 but my 2 girls section babies.  £1500-£1800 is about the going rate. Some may charge a little more because they feel they can, if the pups are quality and sell then they will. But often those with poor quality litters try to get as much as they can and the price drops week by week.

Breed standard colours are brindle, brindle pied and fawn. Health issues breathing problems, conformationally as mentioned above stenotic nares, elongated soft pallet. HC only a handful of dogs have been carriers from known American imports and known lines, so majority are clear. BVA eye tests come under the health scheme. Which there is bronze silver and. Gold and stud dog or brood bitch of merit.  Other issues Hemivertabrae misshaped vertabrae causing curvature of the spine and pressure on spinal chord, due to being a chondroplastic breed and links with the screw tail. Luxating patella and skin issues. The club has a very comprehensive and thorough test (above) , which many breeders have taken part in. Thus the removal of the breed from the high profile breeds list, which is quite a feat for a Bracycephalic breed. 

Fashion and willingness to pay the price has seen it rise, but it is not an easy breed to rear correctly. The high registrations unfortunately a lot are undesirable colours and poor examples of the breed. There are good breeders out there you just have to look. Go to shows, club champ show tomorrow in Melton Mowbray going to be a long day, but amazing entry to match crufts and we have frank Kane judging. Jackie mavro is holding a breed health seminar next month, health in regards to the breed standard. I cannot attend as I'll be lone parent that weekend as boyman is camping. Contact breed clubs FBCOE MNCFBC SPFBC. I can offer some more advice if needed, patience research and patience....