Hello Im looking to buy a Labrador pup as a family pet but i've noticed the prices have gone up a considerable amount and I've seen a few been advertised for £3000 and above. Im looking for advice on what the price of a lab should normally be or what they sell for as I feel that £3000 is a bit much when I've seen that litters on this have been priced from £1500 onwards.

Thank you

Crazy, ridiculous, greedy prices.
Contact the labrador breed clubs who will be able to guide you towards ethical breeders who are not going to charge such extortionate amounts.
Good luck!
(And prepare to be patient)

Prices have gone silly since lock down. A lot of people wanted a get a pup when they were home with nothing else to do. A lot of breeders put breeding plans on hold as they didn't know if new owners would be allowed to travel for collection, plus potential job losses means a pup could be returned or buyers dropping out. So a combination of increased demand and significantly less puppies being bred by reputable breeders.

If I was you I'd contact reputable breeders and get on a waiting list for when they start breeding again. That way the puppy will come from health tested parents, not be over or poorly bred and be the regular price and not inflated.

You should be looking for a breeder rather than a puppy, if that makes sense.

Thank you both for your replies they have been really helpful, I’ve been messaging a few breeders for litters next year but I’ve noticed that some of them are £1800 to £2500 odds would you say that this is still higher than normal ?

Thank you

I'd check if they are known to have a 'good reputation' within breed club circles.

TMCC:  Puppy Prices: As a Breeder of said, I have got to agree that prices have gone through the roof for all the reasons Brainless has mentioned. I don't have a crystal ball but I am sure prices will fall next year, perhaps not to where they were before Covid though.  Many Breeders have indeed stopped any plans during this uncertain time which means 18 months will have passed for some by Spring 2021.  There will always be increases year on year as costs rise (just how inflation works) but I believe a well bred, health tested Puppy from good lines with a well thought out mating re COI, conformity and temperament will indeed be around the £1800 mark.

Lab puppies used to be £900 before corona, that was the top price. Now £1500 is really a good starting price under current conditions. Anyone charging £3K is ripping you off....

onetwothreefour> Lab puppies used to be £900 before corona

I paid £1400 for mine 16 months ago and I feel it was money well spent for my boy and travelled 300 miles twice before bringing him home.

Totally agree though that £3K is a total rip off!

I’m umming and ahhing at the moment about whether or not to breed early next year...still undecided after months of thinking it over. Just waiting for my girl to get her eyes done (she was booked in in April and of course that then got cancelled so travelling 200miles there and back to get her tested this weekend )
But I definitely wouldn’t be paying 3k for any dog but especially a lab. As 1234 said £900 was around average good quality pups before covid, maybe towards £1200 for a pup that had champion parents (I’d only pay that if both mum and dad were champions etc)
If I do go ahead with this litter then I’m totally unsure of what to price them at, thankfully I already have had a list for the last few years of people wanting a pup but if she ends up having a big litter or people want to hold off etc then I’d need to obviously get good homes and I think it’s harder to judge at the moment. I don’t want to price them too low and end up attracting the wrong crowd (especially byb or ‘bad breeders’ who are looking for a nice girl to then use for breeding?) but I feel even the 1.5k price tag is too steep, considering when I last bred (4years ago) I sold for £800.

I would try to find a responsible breeder first, maybe go off recommendations and ask why people would recommend that breeder, and go from there. Anything over 2k seems too much for me but its all gone crazy with prices that maybe I’m wrong?

I've had a number of breeders sourced from this website say that they are charging £3,500 for a GR puppy. One said it was because they were worried about the puppy being flipped, and another was basically just "because others are, and so we know we can".

Re protecting against resale, I actually believed the lady. However, I do think that it would be better to agree to a bond whereby if you can prove ongoing pup ownership a year or so down the line, the Corona Premium (!) is refunded.

NLR:> I've had a number of breeders sourced from this website say that they are charging £3,500 for a GR puppy

As a Retriever Breeder (not GR) I totally agree that £3.5K is rediculous!  The Breeders not 'Greeders' out here are very concerned about resale as our main goal is to find vetted and acceptable new owners/homes for our much loved litter(s).

Our Contract of Sale has very precise conditions regarding handing the Puppy/Dog back to us if a change of circumstances arise alongside the agreement that we will take responsibility for that Puppy's welfare throughout it's lifetime.

Sadly we have found that there is no policing of this and therefor, rightly or wrongly, in present circumstances of people buying Puppies for all the wrong reasons, and who we try to identify, a year down the line would not be guaged as acceptable for 'bond refunds' IMO.

Hope this gives you some indication of the reasons behind pricing?  £2 to 2.5K in the current situation is the norm for a Pedigree, Health Tested Puppy within my Breed.

Hope this helps.

There are now essentially two different markets in the gundog breeds. There's the 'I am selling to the public for rip off prices' market, who advertise on all the usual places online which includes CDs. And then there's the 'I am a reputable breeder whose puppies are not advertised everywhere because the people who need to know about them, already know about them' market.

> There are now essentially two different markets in the gundog breeds.

And I think we all know what category a "commercial breeder" would be in no matter the flannel

>I am a reputable breeder whose puppies are not advertised everywhere because the people who need to know about them, already know about them>

This is so true, good breeders in theory shouldn't be breeding these litters unless they haven't already got a decent waiting list of people wanting a pup from them.
Unless of course they are desperate for a pup to keep back for themselves for whatever reason.
I dont know how a dog that would have been sold for for £1000 twelve months ago, is now worth £2-2500.
It hasn't cost the breeder anymore to produce or look after. The fear of resale excuse is a poor one, if potential homes are being vetted properly.
It is purely an easy way for breeders to profiter, from the current situation.
I am continually saddened when I look on this website at the amount of new litters of questionable quality with very little health tests, yet with prices that would have been unheard of this time last year. Sadly I can't see it changing anytime soon.
There are still good honest breeders out there, I have just been let down by my eldest boys breeder as her girl only had a litter of three, and I wasn't high enough on her list to get a pup. (I've waited two years) But I don't mind, she's a good breeder who's dogs I admire, and ill wait for her next litter. The sad thing is, Joe bloggs wanting a puppy isn't prepared to wait, and do thier homework on what are acceptable prices and breeding practices.

onetwothreefour
chamsong
springador64

My goodness. Puppy Pricing aside - what a weave of aspurtions you portray a bit like a covern of witches...welcome to the real world...you bully, ridicule and name call to the extent I now find your comments surplus to requirements!

Re not knowing a dog being sold 12 months ago for £1000 is now priced around £2 to £2.5K - you are such fibbers!  The Forum has been debating for months re pricing and the reasons for today's market which you have commented on!

Maybe just remind the Forum of when you last bred a Litter - hmm - and what gives you the right to judge 'Joe Bloggs'?  they are probably more knowledgable than you about today's expectations of a good Breeder!

> (I've waited two years) But I don't mind, she's a good breeder who's dogs I admire, and ill wait for her next litter. The sad thing is, Joe bloggs wanting a puppy isn't prepared to wait, and do thier homework on what are acceptable prices and breeding practices

And I hope to hell you have to wait a lot longer - saving some poor Puppy from your ideas of 'perfection' for a bit longer - as a responsible Breeder. I would have given you the 'heave ho' from my premises!

Oh and I missed out a feeling I have about doubters of success...'jealousy is a terrible thing to bear'

springador64:  Never noticed you before but 'hey - ho'

> good breeders in theory shouldn't be breeding these litters unless they haven't already got a decent waiting list of people wanting a pup from them

Yes you are right and we all have.

> desperate for a pup to keep back for themselves for whatever reason.

None of us are desperate for a pup - we have carefully planned our breeding programme to have ongoing bloodlines.

> It hasn't cost the breeder anymore to produce or look after. The fear of resale excuse is a poor one

No it hasn't cost us any more but the main concern should be 'what cost is that little Puppy going to endure if it re sold for profit?'

> It is purely an easy way for breeders to profiter, from the current situation

No it is not easy to guage pricing in the current situation due to the fear that pricing 'low' attracts the wrong type of owner and pricing 'high' makes us questionable.

> The sad thing is, Joe bloggs wanting a puppy isn't prepared to wait

How judgemental of Joe Bloggs.  I have been approached by Joe Bloggs every year and my waiting list is mostly made up of such an approach. You seem to think the time you are prepared to wait should afford you some kind of medal - NO - I've probably turned down more people with your attitude than genuine 'Joe Bloggs' enquiries. (self absorbed)
Oh and does your CD name Springador reflect your crossbreed activities?

chaumsong:

> And I think we all know what category a "commercial breeder" would be in >

No you do not know what category a 'commercial breeder' would be in.

Please explain your perceptions:
There is no point in throwing statements out to the Forum if you cannot back itup

However I do know what a 'hobby breeder' comes under having listened and taken notice of the criteria from which you all abide.
I have put myself out there in a post made earlier today, so lets have it...

> springador64:  Never noticed you before but 'hey - ho'>

I've been a member of this forum for over 10 years, but have never been a 'regular' contributor. Its sad that when I joined this forum it was such a hive of activity, with a large amount of brilliant regular posters. Alot of which seem to have disappeared over the years.

> No it hasn't cost us any more but the main concern should be 'what cost is that little Puppy going to endure if it re sold for profit>

Again, if you have vetted your potential puppy buyers throughly this should expell any fear of them reselling the pup for a profit, and surely if you thought they were the type of buyers who would do this then they wouldn't get a pup. Although I suppose when you're breeding in large quantities its hard to keep track.

> You seem to think the time you are prepared to wait should afford you some kind of medal - NO - I've probably turned down more people with your attitude than genuine 'Joe Bloggs' enquiries. (self absorbed)>

Wow, what attitude? An attitude that I've found a breeder whos dogs i like and would rather wait for a pup from them, instead of going elsewhere. Its a shame more don't have my self absorbed attitude, instead of acting on impulse and buying a pup without really thinking about it.

> Oh and does your CD name Springador reflect your crossbreed activities?>

No, simply the fact that i owned labs and springer at the time of joining this forum.

>Lab puppies used to be £900 before corona, that was the top price.

Looking at the historical prices on the breed page of this site, the average price for a lab pup in 2019 was £938, following a slow consistent rise (as with other breeds) over the years. This year a graph showing the prices will show a huge spike that, hopefully like Covid cases, will soon fall back to normal levels.

> Re not knowing a dog being sold 12 months ago for £1000 is now priced around £2 to £2.5K - you are such fibbers!  The Forum has been debating for months re pricing and the reasons for today's market which you have commented on!

Just to point out Hoggie that Springador did not say this. What was actually said was that they didn’t know how a puppy that was worth £1000 a year ago is now worth £2500 as costs have not increased.

I dont get how a potential.buyers who is prepared to wait for a breeder to have a litter in a year or two can possibly be accused of having an attitude.
Surely that is exactly what many members are suggesting is better than an attitude of
     I want it now ! Sounds like.something from verruca in willy wonka chocolate factory .
Something we know is happening. Just look at the dogs.for.sale.on various websites who are very young and not being sold by breeders but their new owners who made a snap decision and what is being said on various national.news programms

Unfortunately many do not want to wait for.anything especially in these difficult times

I agree furriefriends. For me Joe Bloggs are those people who live in the need it now society, don't research the breed or breeder and just buy the first pup they can get their hands on. They are then the ones reselling as you say because their cat doesn't like it or their toddler is allergic or they don't have time. Pet owners on my waiting list are not classed as Joe Bloggs by me as they have all done their research and are willing to wait for a puppy from a responsible breeder, be that me or someone else.

Gosh, it’s amazing how a someone’s own lack of reading comprehension can upset them so much.

And incidentally I just want to point out that my own username has no bearing on what dog(s) I may own. If that was the case, I’d probably be called pestbutterfly or hairyinsect or possibly sockstealingballobsessedfurrygenius...

Actually I love pestbutterfly and I may use it next time I need an alias.

I quite like hairyinsect !

I’m going with sockstealingballobsessedfurrygenius... really rolls off the tongue!!

is that the ball that rolls off

Mine should be slipperknicker

Instead I have the name of my last dog, not some weird crossbreed called a Jodi

I’m contemplating mudrollingdisgrace.

I really like slipperknicker though!

> Mine should be slipperknicker

I’ve only just clicked what you meant by this! Was trying to work out what slippers had to do with knickers!

I did also consider catbotherer, but honestly at this point I could equally use dogbotherer in reference to the cat!

River stole one of my slippers this afternoon. They are the furry boot kind, and I hadn’t realised that I’d stuffed last night’s socks in them in my exhausted stupor before I went to bed. No wonder they were more exciting to him than usual!

Clever boy definitely knows when I want something back and will usually run away and often guard it, but I’ve been teaching him that if he brings objects to me when I ask I’ll play tug with them before I take it back. He’s not quite convinced yet.

I am wondering about  fridgeraider , certainly fits the  4 footed one and its not the cat

hang on are we off at a tangent ??

River says that knickers are even better than slippers, especially if they’ve been worn! It’s a good job he’s too short to reach the laundry basket or all my underwear would end up in his crate.

don't talk to me about the knicker knicker , I had a gsd that would totally agree and she could reach the basket.

Sounds like a film in the making there ‘Raiders of the lost fridge’

seriously I have been known to wrestle a nice piece of steak out of Brookes mouth before now  . I won ! quick wash and dinner was back on track .

Wouldn't be so bad but she is raw fed so its not like she doesn't get meat

All of mine loved dirty knickers when they were pups for some reason. Seem to grow out of it thankfully!

> seriously I have been known to wrestle a nice piece of steak out of Brookes mouth before now  . I won ! quick wash and dinner was back on track .<img class="fsm fsm_lol" src="/images/epx.png" title="lol" alt="" /><img class="fsm fsm_lol" src="/images/epx.png" title="lol" alt="" />

This would actually be me - Not giving up my steak for anything

    > Oh and does your CD name Springador reflect your crossbreed activities?>

No, simply the fact that i owned labs and springer at the time of joining this forum.

I hope not too many people make assumptions purely based on usernames lol. Brainless definitely isn't brainless, Jeangenie isn't called Jean, and going back years now to a dear friend now sadly departed, Trevor wasn't a man. I have a friend whose kennel name, like several other people I know (including myself) is a word made up from two different breeds. As in my own case, she breeds one of them but not the other but the second is a breed previously owned and liked. One year, many years ago now, there was a big uproar on the internet when it was stated by somebody who had looked up Crufts results online that a UK breeder were crossing breed A with breed X and calling them Ax, and these crosses were being shown and placed at Crufts! Imagine the horror! When in fact they were simply high quality purebred dogs with the kennel name made up from two breed names.

And I assure u I am not furrie but hopefully friendly

And I’m not silver and not a leaf.

>I hope not too many people make assumptions purely based on usernames lol. >

And me! Tbh I doubt I would choose my username again, but at the time it was appropriate. Not so much now as I dont have any labradors.

>> Re not knowing a dog being sold 12 months ago for £1000 is now priced around £2 to £2.5K - you are such fibbers

masajackrussell: nor did I say they were worth that>  I said they were PRICED at £2 to £2.5K.
and I've been accused of not interperating things properly?

I don't believe they are worth that.  If any hobby Breeder here has a Litter of Pups for sale at the moment, then what price would you be asking?(and I'm not intersted
in specifics)

If you say are selling at pre Covid prices - that's your choice but I don't care how much vetting you have done - you are at risk of that Puppy being sold on for profit

You can insist on a signed contract agreeing that they return the Puppy to you rather than sell on but the contract 'doesn't hold water' and by all means call me synical but
when a substancial 'buck' is involved, you'd be surprised how many seemingly genuine people change.

Silverleaf79:> Gosh, it’s amazing how a someone’s own lack of reading comprehension can upset them so much

And had you read the thread properly and not relied on someone else advising you of it's content, I would be right to accuse you of having lack of reading comprehension. (unsulting - isn't it!)

masajackrussell:  Omitted to suggest you look at Madforlabs post of 22nd on here relating to this particular subject.  There must be concerns amongst Breeders or posts such as this wouldn't appear.

> nor did I say they were worth that>  I said they were PRICED at £2 to £2.5K.

I didn’t say you did Hoggie... all I said was Springador was only questioning people’s reasoning for that much of a price hike not saying they didn’t know about it and you completely misinterpreted what was said resulting in you calling springador a fibber. Once again you have misinterpreted what I clearly said.

The text you quoted in your reply to me isn’t even mine!

> Omitted to suggest you look at Madforlabs post of 22nd on here relating to this particular subject.  There must be concerns amongst Breeders or posts such as this wouldn't appear.

Hoggie why are you having a go at me? I just pointed out quite politely that you had misinterpreted what someone had said. That was my first comment on this thread.

Goldmali:>> Oh and does your CD name Springador reflect your crossbreed activities?>

Goodness me, normally you are quick to point out sarcasm as you see it.  What happened this time?

I must admit I didn't expect such a response stating that some of you would make a different choice of 'username' if given the opportunity.

Didn't expect discussion to include, dirty socks, dirty knickers and smelly slippers either though. GROSS!

Mind my son on leaving Uni and looking for his first job did have an email address attached to his CV with 'rutting like a stag' as part of it only to have a reply from the lady in
a Human Resources Dept respond to him on her email address including 'busylikeathumping bunny' and no it wasn't an escort agency!

masajackrussell:
I am not having a go at you FGS!  You said I had misinterpretated the posters statement and I corrected that fact by asking you to read it through again and the response given. I've just logged onto the Forum too so it was a matter of what posts were seen first?
I'm usually the one on the receiving end of your corrections as you see fit normally so why feel singled out on this occassion?  As you have often said to me - it's not personal and I think you are aware by now that I will give as good as I get.  By no means one sided on the Forum.

Hi TMCC welcome to the forum. Unfortunately the situation at present being less than what we are used to all sorts of different unexpected things have cropped up. People in lock down decided they had time to get a pup(not saying this is you) At the same time responsible breeders decided not to have that planned litter due to the extra difficulties they could face when everyone was supposed to stay at home and consequently a supply and demand situation arose which meant those less concerned about the puppies they bred than the money they could make saw an opening they could exploit. Also unfortunately people who wanted the pup there and then paid the asking price and so it became a case of they are stupid prices because people would pay it. All this doesn't help genuine people who have made a considered decision to get a new family member.
Your best bet would be to look for a good breeder which will no doubt mean a wait for a future pup but would be worthwhile in the long run. Contacting one or more of the breed clubs could give you a starting place as usually the have a puppy /breeder co-coordinator. No one knows at present where the prices of puppies will end up once the present situation eases however hard as it may seem at the moment six to twelve month time would most probably give a clearer picture.

> You said I had misinterpretated the posters statement and I corrected that fact by asking you to read it through again and the response given.

I did and you have misinterpreted the part of springadors statement I was clearly referring to and then misinterpreted my comment as well. I didn’t need to reread madforlabs comment as it was not the comment I was referring to and was therefore irrelevant in that context.