Hi, can someone give me guidance. I am looking to get a Border Terrier puppy. I am trying to work out what the expected cost is of a pup - from this site I can see many asking £550 for puppies that have Champions in their pedigree. I've been in touch with a breeder but he is asking £650 for a pup that I don't think has any 'herritage' as such - is that a bit much?

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Sadly it really is a case of the purchaser being very careful and doing some research which I suppose is what you are doing but asking a question here. The price charged for a puppy is up to the breeder and in your case if the dog is to be used for working or not.

Ask the breeder for the pedigrees of the two parents and the results of any health test under taken, ask if the pup is to be registered with the Kennel Club and if the breeder is on the AB scheme. Once you have the registered names of the parent dogs you can look them up on the Kennel Club site or ask on here to see peoples opinions.

Sorry can't help any more as it is still just a matter of price and that is not a guarantee of quality.

If you contact the Border Terrier Breed Club/s or Associations you will be able to find a responsible breeder and will also have some guidance on ballpark prices.   Are there health tests advised for the breed?   this should also be taken into account when searching for a pup ;)

hope this helps

Thanks Jackie, I've asked for the pedigrees so we'll see what comes back. He seems very responsible in terms of first vacc, puppy pack, 4 wks insurance, vet checked etc.
No my dog will be my buddy, with maybe a few shows for fun time permitting. I just expected a dog with 'royal blood' ;-) to be more expensive than one without.
Money is not my issue really, I just want to make sure my pup is coming from good honest people and that, well, I guess my ignorance isn't being taken advantage of. Healthy happy good natured pup is the most important thing really.

Thanks Dill, I have been in touch with one of the BT Clubs for advice along the way. Last breeder I was approaching they hadn't heard of, though the pups are all Kennel Club registered, but that Breeder didn't return my call or email. I've mailed them to ask if they are familiar with this chap, so we will see if they can advise. The breeder says they will be health checked, and I assume they give you some sort of certificate to show this and that the results are all good. I'm very excited to be getting a Border. I've been reading up for months!

Another possibly silly question... do bitch pups cost more than dogs?

Nowadays, often yes they do, but not usually more than about £25 difference.

Most breed clubs have a puppy list, perhaps that's a way forward?   The people on the list should be club members, known to other members and should be knowledgeable about the breed and are usually doing everything to ensure happy healthy puppies.  

KC registered - all it guarantees is that the pups are registered.   No guarantee of quality sadly :( 

You may want to visit a few Breed Club shows and meet the breeders, they are usually willing to help if you've made the effort to find and attend a show ;)  and you get a Border Terrier 'fix' into the bargain :-D

I've not heard of the different sexes being different prices in our breed, but then they often do things differently in our breed ;)

List of breed club shows here

List of Breed Clubs here

> I just expected a dog with 'royal blood' ;-) to be more expensive than one without.
>

Sometimes having a champion parent may just be about making the litter look good to sell and the parents are not a good match.

other times a pedigree may have parents that are not champions, but go producers or simply young, but their pedigrees are full of 'quality' which people in the breed will recognise and that litter would be considered far superior.

In my breed pups are basically the same price across the board, but then you expect the parents to have all required health test and be bred with the aim of producing quality.

Breed club advise should steer you right.  Also if you google the parents names you should have results for shows/trials/health results come up, so even if they are not the most successful they may well be very worthy and proving it.

Sadly this is a breed that has more and more moved out of being primarily in the hands of the true enthusiasts and more people interested only in their ability to reproduce and sell easily are breeding.

I used to think that the more champs on a pedigree the better, now I realise that champs may produce poor quality pups and non champs produce good quality pups, you need to assess the pup you have in front of you and realise that it has lots of growing to do and goes through the "uglies" and hopefully comes out the other side as a good example of the breed.

Many things other than genes can interfere with a maturing of a pup, wrong food or exercise regime to mention a couple.

Prices in my breed can be £650 to over a £1000, the dearer pups are not usually the better quality and I never know if the dearer pups actually sell at that price or the breeder can reduce it and still get more than the standard amount and the new owner thinks they have a bargain.

I would be guided by what the breed club says is the normal price and then pick the pup whose parents have good results on all the breed specific health tests[listed on the KC website

Rooby2shoes check out the Border terrier dater base http://www.bt-database.be/index.php, I use this to look into what is behind the breading of the winning lines, very handy.

Thank you all very much for your advice and time x