Hello,
After looking at animal shelters to adopt a rescue dog, I opted to adopt a puppy from a breeder. Mainly because I noted that many rescue dogs were already quite elderly, had a laundry list of existing medical issues and the shelter could not provide any info on the dogs parents background etc.

So I planned to buy a puppy this spring and took my time researching. A good chunk of last year was spent getting my ducks in a row, talking to locals in my park that had dogs, buying books (Lucy’s law, The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Handbook and both of Steve Mann’s dog training books). Along with reviewing this website to find a good breeder that has a litter once a year.

Spring has finally arrived and i have been shell shocked to see the prices yesterday, Can someone confirm why puppy fees are now exceeding £3800?

Why are breeders no longer charging reasonable prices? Shouldn’t there be a limit to the fees for selling a puppy?

Excessive pricing does not necessarily mean the dog is going to a loving home and only fuels puppy farming along with silly BBC documentaries “will my puppies make me rich”.

Covic is the short answer.  It has bought out those who want to make money from breeding dogs and because the public want dogs and cats the prices have increased accordingly . As people are somehow prepared to lay these prices there is no reason to stop
A lot of the good breeders postponed breeding plans during this time . Yes prices will have gone up from good breeders but not to the high prices u are seeing in most cases .

Noted.

Last year the price for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy was £1500, which I thought was the maximum price a puppy would be.Now the prices are literally the same as buying a car!

Even if supply and demand increases due to Covid, puppy breeders should not be greeders.

Shouldn’t the priority be that the puppy goes to a loving, organised and reliable home?
Working from home due the chaos of the Covid lockdown will not last forever, most impulse buyers might not even want to keep their puppies in the long term.

Lastly it is also a shame because the astronomical prices shuts out a lot of people that want to be dog mummy’s. I set my yearly budget for keeping a dog and that includes insurance fees, the village vet, classes, raw food, toys, cardiologist check-up costs (because the breed apparently is prone to MVD) and hygiene items.
I also made a separate section in my kitchen for the puppies nutrition items.

So disappointed.

Demand has pushed prices up unfortunately.

All breeders (including 'good' breeders) have had to increase their prices accordingly to take out any profit from those who would simply buy & sell a puppy purely to make a profit.

Lock-downs have created the demand but things will return to normal one day in the future, its just a matter of time.

Sadly like many other genuine potential owners u will have to wait.
Speak to breeders and see if u can get on a waiting list for the future .
Breed clubs are well worth a conversation and may be able to direct u to the right places

Only the greeders have increased prices. Reputable breeders in my breed have kept prices the same as pre-covid.
I'd avoid anyone trying to cash in, they're usually also the ones not doing all the health tests.

Most good Cavalier breeders from speaking to a few breeders don't need to advertise so looking online for litters is not a good idea.
Contact any of the national or regional breed clubs and as for recommendations, you may have to wait for a puppy but if you get in touch with good breeders who fully health test you are a step in the right direction. So search for a breeder rather than a litter. More good breeders are putting prices up because those who didn't last year some found even with vetting their pups were then being sold on for profit. Its an awful situation for breeders and good owners to be right now. Between a rock and a hard place. Sadly it was the puppy farmers who put prices up, then the byb's and so down the chain it went

The people who advertise are very seldom the breeders to go to. I had pups last year, they went for less than a grand. None of them have been resold because I picked my buyers carefully. One woman actually couldn't cope, the pup was returned to me and she got the full price paid back. Within days the pup was in an excellent home without having been advertised, I just contacted people that had expressed an interest.

Yes definitely search for a breeder, not a puppy. The good breeders'  puppies will seldom be advertised. At least one good thing about the greeders who charge stupid prices is that they make themselves known so can be avoided.

> Working from home due the chaos of the Covid lockdown will not last forever, most impulse buyers might not even want to keep their puppies in the long term.

It's already been happening sadly, there's loads of older puppies/young dogs being rehomed because owners now realise they won't/don't have time for them when they go back to work or they have found the dog now can't cope being suddenly left alone when they have gone back to work.

To be honest I'd wait until after all this is over. In my area some prices are starting to lower again with some border collie, Jack russel, cross litters, lurchers under a thousand pounds now and more under thirteen hundred. The high demand will drop back down once everyone is once again busy with work and life rather than stuck at home board looking for something to occupy their time.

Taken from Pets4 - "Actually Dna Health Tested Cavapoo Toy Sized" - price £3250.    There is a ton of 'information' about these puppies and again I have to ask why put all that effort into breeding these puppies rather than into producing excellent examples of the breeds involved in these puppies.   I can only assume this has to do with INCOME which for me is shocking!!

I really should keep away from that website

poo crosses... unregistered means bad breeders can do one pedigree litter- registered -- then on next season do a poo litter unregistered. twice the profit