> I would consider a cross breed - sprocker or another suitable pairing.
There is no 'suitable pairing' in my eyes I'm afraid. Only BYBs spent time messing around with established breeds, so if you want a well-bred carefully reared puppy (who wouldn't) please don't contribute to the income of these people. You may do best to wait as although things are easing some now, reputable breeders curtailed their breeding plans, waiting for the time when visiting to see the litter, and collect a puppy, can be done without risk of spreading infection. Add to that, people continuing to breed are asking, and presumably getting, hugely inflated prices because there aren't quite as many puppies available at the moment. So prices have risen to ridiculous levels. It may even be next year before there are more litters around, to outweigh the current demand and so prices start to drop to more realistic levels again.