Well I have to say since becoming a dog owner there is an issue which is really eating me up.  It concerns in particular my favourite breed the bulldog (I have a 2 year old bitch.)  You'll have to excuse me cause I think this is going to be a long post but it's something that is keeping me awake at night and I would love to hear other peoples views.  I love my Poppy to pieces and I can fully understand why bulldogs are so desirable but in my opinion the crazy prices just have to come down!! (It is not my intention to upset anyone on this board.)  First of all I am going to make a confession. Before Christmas we were looking for a puppy and found out about the prices, I hate to admit it and please don't shoot me down in flames for thinking this, I thought wow! what a great way to make some money, buy a bitch and breed!  (Yes I know 'cringe at memory') Anyway being a nurse I ran off to start my research.  I think I spent every spare moment on the internet and reading books and the more I learnt the more I realised there was to know!  It very soon became clear to me that breeding any dog should be a major decision, I mean you wouldn't just have a baby would you? In bulldogs it is so complicated it should never ever be attempted on a whim! I have been lucky enough to rehome a 2 year old bitch who has had one litter of 5 healthy pups which she self whelped with no difficulties.  I would LOVE to have a litter with her in the future BUT only if I feel it is right. 
Anyway back on with my original thoughts.........so say for easiness pups are going for £2000 and Mr X comes and longs and sees that for this initial outlay he could buy a bitch and breed her once a year for 5 years having 6 pups at £2000 a pup.  Very tempting for alot of people. 
He goes ahead with a little or no research and is lucky enough to have a litter with few problems.  He then goes on to sell these pups to more members of the public who are onto this easy money idea.  All the time the quality and health of these pups are deteriorating as Mr public has no idea of studying lines and pedigrees, infact he has used his mates dog up the street.  All this time the bulldogs reputation as an unhealthy dog is growing as more people jump on the bandwagon.  But what can reputable breeders do? For example say me and my partner have a litter from Poppy, we have 5 pups and keep one back for ourselves.  We would like to cover our costs which were say £1000 (for ease of me working this out) so we decide to sell the pups at £600.  I can imagine getting many enquiries of people wanting to buy the whole litter and even worse spending ages vetting ppl letting our babies go only to never hear from them again and find they have sold them on for a quick £1000 profit!
this is something which worries me so much :( I know the kennel club are under pressure to change the standard of the bulldog and I would hate to see that happen as I know so many which love life including my Poppy who runs rings around me.  What will have happened to our bulldog in 20 years time?  I hope this has made sense and not come out too jumbled, any views or comments would be greatfully recieved.  Like I said I don't want to upset anyone and I know how difficult bulldogs are to breed and I understand fully that costs can be way above £1000. Thanks for reading!

Well, you've touched a subject that I too feel passionately about, that is reputable breeders vs. unreputable, unscrupulous, "greeders." It has been my understanding after researching for a long time breeders when preparing to purchase my Doberman puppy, that reputable breeders don't make a whole lot of money as they perform extensive and expensive genetic health tests and all the rest of the expenses in caring for their dogs. And they normally sell only their one or two show prospects (if they're lucky enough to get them in their litter) to show homes with responsible owners who, if they breed care only about improving the breed. All the remaining pups are sold on a limited registration...that is that any puppies from these dogs cannot be registered with the AKC, so these dogs will be neutered/spayed most likely. They then, cannot be shown in conformation, but can in obedience or other sports. Only the top dogs with titles in conformation then will be bred.

Finding good homes for the show prospects as well as pet homes is a HUGE responsibility and sometimes struggle. I think being a reputable breeder would not be an easy task. One has to really love their breed, take an interest in improving it and preserving it and not be very interested in making money

So, I wish you luck in your endeavor.

Carrie

I have a question related to this about actual reputable breeders, they want their dogs to be healthy, a good pedigree, do all the relevant checks etc and only sell to people they think will look after their pups.
At the end of the day they must still be out to make money from it and I know that this varies from breed to breed but Leo is a sheltie and he was £450, the breeder said there were originally 6 pups which is the largest litter she has had, so say litter sizes are usually around 3-4 and she did have 3 dogs having pups at the time...... and dont yell if i get this wrong but bitches have seasons twice a year?

so say twice a year she has 3 litters of 4 thats about £10,800 a year, then you have to factor in vets costs, food, and other bills to me that doesnt seem a lot to live on - Do many breeders have other jobs? i would have thought it hard to manage a job when your dog has just had pups. (and even then the litters may be much smaller)

Anyway if that made any sense at all what i am trying to ask is breeding when you do it properly really such a money spinner that people think it is?

But reputable breeders don't breed from a bitch at every season! There is usually at least one, hopefully two clear seasons between litters. The KC won't register more than 6 litters from any bitch, and most breed clubs put a maximum of four litters from any bitch.

When you do it properly you will be lucky if you break even.
:)

Hi, I have have four labs, two are breeding age bitches, one I do not breed from at all as she has HD. I was planning to breed from her but when hip score came back I decided not to. I did not bother with eye test as had decided no breeding.  My other bitch who is 5 has not had a litter in two years, but will be mating her in July, Stud dog was arranged way back in November last year. (He has since got a reserve at Crufts) My litters have breeding restrictions on them, but on my agreement after showing and ALL health checks having been done, I will then agree to lift individual restrictions. At least to a certain extent I can control the fate of some of my offspring.
As for making money, Well, we all know that we dont. lol.

Kay