Hi again everybody!
This board seems to have alot of posts with the same topic come up at the same time - if you know what I mean. One that caught my eye this morning was lots of people asking prices of puppies. Is this a big factor when buying a dog, because I would think that there is more important things worth looking into then the cost. I personally feel that as long as you find a reputable (I think I spelt that right) breeder and healthy puppy the price should be the last thing on your mind. It would be nice to see more people asking about a breed - temprement, suitability for them etc, ect..... then the price.

I agree - there are more important things than price. However, at the moment I think people are having to budget quite tightly (house prices being so high = bigger mortgages etc), so I think *some* are realisically looking if they can afford the dog of their choice in the first place before getting any further along the process.

Of course, there will always be some who are more interested in price than anything else - but that will never change
JMO
Chloe

Hi Chloe
I understand about the house prices they are rediculas round here, hearing some of the prices of houses a couple of years ago I could of bought a small farm house but today its a semi detached in a village, If only I'd bought back them, it really is quite depressing.

I don't think it's an unreasonable thing to ask for at all. Just because you are paying more than you would anywhere else doesn't always mean that you are getting what you pay for, just in my experience from what I've heard recently!! I think that people should have aguide price of how much something will cost them.

It's not always that people can't afford to pay the price, it's like everything in life, you want a general idea so that you know that you're not paying too much or that you are going to get a very cheap dog that's going to cost you more in vets bills in the long run.

I wanted to say the same as the above post - because you are paying mega bucks doesnt ensure a better dog unfortunately . Niave or new owners may think that the more they pay the better the dog will be - unethical breeders just love this .

as a breeder i hate it when its the VERY first thing that comes out of someones mouth!!!! even before they tell you who they are. if you have pups etc, picking the phone up to hear "how much are your pups" ends there with me, .

I agree with you, Dizzy. If it's about the first question asked, the phone goes down!
:)

I agree with perrodeagua. Of course I'd be concerned about health checks, finding a responsible breeder etc, but I also want value for money. I know that probably sounds horrible but I think it's practical common sense to want to know the price, and what you are getting for that price when you buy a dog.

I agree with what you are saying to a certain extent, but also when buying a dog you don't want to be ripped off, so if you have an average figure it helps. It also helps the other way, if you are looking for a particular breed and they are under the average price you can investigate the reasons for this. Along with all the other questions asked i think you are entitled and should ask this question.

Let's face it, who goes out and buys anything in this world before making sure that they know how much it is going to cost and what the average price is, whether it be food, petrol, a car a house whatever. I know that I'd want to look around and be sure that I'm getting what I want for the right amount of money.

But don't forget everybody like most things in life it is not just how much the dog costs to buy you've got to think, can I be able to afford to look after it for another 15 years or so.

Yes Charlie, of course you are entitled to ask, but I agree with Dizzy, if its the FIRST thing they ask then I am on my guard! I want people who do actually buy my puppies (though I seldom breed any more) to have other priorities. If price is the over-riding factor as opposed to breed type, family history of soundness, fitness for family life and/or showing then they do not have an appreciation for what they should be looking for in a breeder/puppy and would not appreciate a good puppy/breeder if they saw one. The average price for a well bred well reared puppy in my breed ( and most breeds except some giant/rare/bull breeds) is £450-£550. I would be very suspicious of a breeder with puppies under £400 which some people may think is expensive but its actually rock bottom price for any pedigree puppy. My advice to anyone looking for a puppy is to find out the average price for the breed from the relevant "parent" breed club and then question breeders about the individual merits of the litters and then you can choose between simalerly (sp) priced litters/breeders.

Hi,

Well I have just brought home my first pedigree puppy and when I started looking I really did not have a clue what sort of price I would be looking at. Of course it was nowhere near the most important factor in finding the right puppy but I did want to know what Pedigree pups usually cost before I started approaching breeders. I wouldn't like to phone a breeder and ask the price as one of my first questions so Champdogs was great at giving me the advice I needed.

So maybe we should just help these people and take it that they genuinely need the advice.

Jen and Lolly

Perhaps the people who ask how much the pups are as their first question are just making sure that they can afford the pups before they waste your time? Your average pet dog owner, particularly first timers, wouldn't neccessarily think to ask about breed type and soundness. That wouldn't make them bad owners, every body has got to start somewhere. When i bought my first dog i had no idea what questions to ask, and i do think one of my first questions would be regarding price, unfortunately for me i am not loaded with money and recognise that i also need money to pay for vets bills and food and the like.
Not being argumentative, honest.

Well said LucyandMeg
I was trying to word it so it didn't sound like I was being argumentative.
Alison

It's an interesting dichotomy of views.

If you're thinking of buying a new car, is price the first thing you think of? Or is mpg most important, or whether you can fit all your family into it?

If you want to buy a new house, is price the deciding factor, or location, or number of bedrooms, or size of garden?

Likewise a dog. Will that breed suit your lifestyle or not is surely of greater importance than price. If price is the over-riding factor, pop along to a rescue centre where there will surely be something to suit your budget.

But from my point of view, when I was breeding, I hated selling my babies! If people only thought of them as commodities, then they weren't good enough!
:)

Like people are saying price is not the most important factor for most people, but it is a question that needs to be asked. As long as you know you are getting a dog from a good home thats all that matters, but the price is also a good indicator of that.This is not the case all of the time. As people have said you need to know the price to know if you can afford a dog, just as you would buying a house or a car and if you can't then you wait until you can. The first thing i ask when i am going to buy something is how much?, and if i can afford the up keep, and if i can't then there is no point in pursuing it anymore, as it's a waste of time for both parties. I know an animal is nothing in comparison to a house or car, but you still need to know your out goings. Sorry to go on but price is a factor.

I agree that the price must be mentioned at some stage. However we had been to see libbys' 'parents', home, etc twice (it was a good 1 1/2 hour drive) before we mentioned prices.
If the pup wasn't from a respomsible breeder then the price is irrelevant. We also needed to know that the breeder was happy for us to have one of her babies,which thankfully she was.

The purchase of a pup is just the initial outlay, the real costs come in the form of vets bills, one Vets bill can set you back as much as the cost of your pup, plus yearly jabs, feeding, insurance....the list goes on. So you may not be able to judge your outgoings when it comes to owning a dog.

JMHO

liberty :)

before we lost hamble the people who called and asked the price never replied once i told them. the prospective owners i had for pups never asked how much.

forgot to add....they were obviously the ones who had done their homework and knew how much bulldogs cost.

Hi Tanni

I am sorry to hear about your dreadful loss, what I was trying to say was that the price must be mentioned at some stage, even if it's to know how much to make the cheque out for; not whether I could afford to purchase the pup in the first place.

Take Care

liberty

If I was a breeder, by the time people got round to phoning me about pups I'd expect them to KNOW about the breed and whether it would fit in with their lifestyle.
When I was ringing breeders for my mother in law for a cavalier, the first thing I asked them was what health tests they had had done and did they have certificates. I already knew that a cav was the breed for them, they've already had them, and because of the health problems with that breed that's why I asked that question first.

I've got rescue dogs so ringing a breeder for myself has never been an issue. I want the next dog I have to be a portuguese water dog, and by the time I come to look for one (in at least 5 years) I'm going to be 100% that the breed is suitable for me (I already know now!) so I'm not going to ask anything about the breed or what health checks they need.

Dunno what's left to ask apart from price! General opinions of the breeder I plan on getting when I visit them, I wouldn't accept anything over the phone anyway because I'd want to see that the dogs were kept in clean conditions, had been as well socialised as possible. Things like that, and how friendly the mother and preferably father are just can't be discussed over the phone.

Jo

Yes, Jo, I too would expect people to have done their homework and know about the breed before they phone up. And that is exactly what I need them to tell me! Unless they start off by saying something along the lines of "I've met some adult ******s, and I think they're lovely. Is it true they need a lot of exercise...." etc etc, and prove to me that this isn't a whim ("We've seen the latest film and my daughter wants one"), how do I know that they're serious?

I had one enquirer who, having asked if I had puppies available, asked the price, then said "That's fine - I'll post you a cheque and my son can pick it up next week" Not flipping well likely!

I am grateful to breeders like all of you - it took me ages to find Lascaux, and I also spent a lot of time with the breeder [I think price was my last question]. After we all decided we were happy with each other, the Ambassador from a nameless country rang the breeder and said he was desperate for a Pembroke with a tail. So without seeing Lascaux he tried to start a bidding war on him, offering £1000 and a home in Belgravia, and that he was just going to send a limo to pick him up! Thankfully the breeder started laughing and refused him - which is just as well as I just can't imagine him living anywhere else.
x

Funnily enough...

When I look for a car, price is the first concern. If I can't afford it, why bother worrying about how many miles to the gallon or whether it's got a sunroof? Never mind the colour - if I can't afford the car in question, I don't need to ask about anything else. I might have an equally important concern in mind - say, an automatic instead of a standard - but money's the first thing.

When we looked for our house, price was a MAJOR factor. If we couldn't afford it, even if it had everything we wanted, then we couldn't have it. There was a gorgeous house backing onto a massive field and next to a lovely wild wood, with four bedrooms, a huge garden front and back, off the beaten track (great for outdoor cats) ... and about twice as much as we could afford. It got discarded as a possibility long before we even went inside. And if it didn't cost too much, we were willing to compromise on other things... we gave a couple of two-bedroomed houses a closer look even though we wanted three bedrooms - just because they were inexpensive enough that we might have been able to afford an extension or loft conversion.

When we looked for our pup, price was a notable factor, but NOT as important as good temperament and parents with sound hips. But if it comes to the crunch and all other factors are equal - say, there are three breeders with equally good parent hipscores and we like the breeders and the dogs are all well-adjusted and friendly... yes, I want to know the average price for the breed so I know if the breeders I'm looking at are dead-on or overpriced or underpriced... and I want to know what that breeder's charging for a pup so that, if it's more than I can possibly afford, I don't waste their time - and mine - visiting the breeder and getting attached to a puppy that I'll never be able to have. If you already KNOW what breed you're looking for, and you know what care it requires and you've got the important medical information... why shouldn't price (or colour, or coat length) be one of the first things out of your mouth?

How odd! When I look for a car, I need to know if we'll all fit into it! A give-away car that is too small is just useless! Likewise a house. If there's no garden, then it's not worth considering.

You hit the nail on the head in your last paragraph about dogs - when all other things are equal - temperament, health, friendly breeders etc - the price will decide your choice - in other words, it's the last thing that influences your choice!
:)
Addition: When you make that first approach to the breeder, you know that you've done all this research about the breed, but without being telepathic, how is the breeder expected to know it as well?

ssthisto, i have to say i agree, nobody is disputing the fact that temprement and good breeding are the most important factors, more important than the price, but like when most sensible peolple decide to have children they wait until they can afford to. Obviously after you have an average price you don't ask the price as your first question, however once you are happy the breeder is above board that question once again has to be asked.

lucyand meg--------didnt you check you had the right person-or ask if they did infact have any pups-when they picked up the phone and said hello------did you say----"HOW MUCH ARE YOUR PUPS"
sorry, but i find it unbelievable, surely just a quick politeness before asking would be correct,

Obviously i would say hello and check the pups were available, the fact that you had to ask those questions says a lot. I don't appreciate been mocked on my manners

who's mocked you on your manners ?????

Sorry dizzy i do apologize i have got on my high horse without reading the post properly. Sorry again must have been having a bad day.

:p :p :p :p :p :p to you . :D

Surely the whole point is that most people use this board as part of their homework into the breed and check out prices here so that it doesn't have to be one of the first things that they ask the breeder. Sam.

Thats a good point sam!!!!

But that is what the original poster was saying, people shouldn't need to post a question about price as breed type and stuff should be more important. Thats the impression i got anyway. Also, like all things i believe there is no fixed price so whilst cd can give a rough guide on cost it can vary, so it makes sense to ask before you see. Most other questions would be asked when you visit.

Coming round in circles again....don't give the breeder the impression that price is the most important factor! They want to know that you really, really are serious about having one of their beloved breed.
:)

what really annoyed me was people saying to us when they heard hamble was pregnant was*wow you will be laughing all way to the bank in a few weeks*. well it cost us near on a thousand pounds to get hamble to the point where she died. and no we arent laughing....we have lost a beloved member of the family....are racked with guilt....and breaking our hearts ...and profit was the last thing on our minds.

Price is a BIG factor in the sense that I need to know if I will be needing to save up for 5 months or for a year. I need to know how much to budget in order to buy the dog and still be able to make sure it gets all the other things it needs (supplies, vet bills, insurance etc).

Do you go buy a car because it's the right dealership/size/etc without asking a price, or do you find prices and budget so you can afford it?

When I first started looking for a whippet pup I had NO idea what they cost over here, but in the States they can cost from $500-$1000 depending on the State, breeder, lines etc. If it was the same kind of prices over here then we'd have had to wait 6 months to a year to save that kind of money. Would totally be worth it and we'd happily have paid it, but I don't have that kind of money right now. As it turned out it wasn't nearly that much and we were able to get one much sooner than we'd hoped, but I think asking a ballpark price is a totally sensible thing. You are committing to this dog for life. You have to know if you can afford it (for now and forever). If you spend too much (because you want this dog now) and find later you can't continue to pay for it what then happens to the dog?

Certainly it shouldn't be the first thing you ask of a breeder, but I think if you ask people in general what a fair price - or an average price is for the breed you're after then at least you have a ballpark. We actually had emailed our breeder (not intending to get a pup at that time) and asked what kind of price range we could expect to pay and stated that we were asking because we wanted to know how long we would need to be saving so we would know when was the right time to start looking for a good breeder. As it turned out they had a pup that was within our current price range and all turned out fantastic:)

Wendy

Hi Wendy,
When I look for a car, the make and model is the first consideration! (Dealership doesn't enter the equation at all - I've never bought a brand-new car!).

As you say, price shouldn't be the first thing you ask a breeder. It is just one of many things to be taken into account.
:)

:-D I see what you're saying - I think for me it's an all-together thing. I know the general 'type' of car I'm looking for, but for that type there are often several price ranges - for example I want an SUV - I'm dying for an SUV. There are ones out there in the 'cheap' price range that I could probably afford next year, BUT the compromise is that they'll fall apart on me. Then there are the expensive ones that I'll never be able to afford - why would I want to set my heart on one just to realise that when I go to buy it I can't afford it. So I've settled on a top of the middle range that I can probably afford in 3 years. I know what my budget will stretch to - so in a sense although all of those other things come into it I need to know 'when' I can reasonable afford it.

I do agree with others that CD is Absolutely the place to ask about averages - esp if the breeders don't want it to be the first question. I just am so thankful that the breeders who chose us already knew of us from a list we were on. I dread the thought of having to start from scratch (in spite of the fact I've grown up with dogs, family bred dogs etc) in a new breed because 'what if I said the wrong thing'. I am the type of person that does try to make sure I'm clear about why I'm asking (so as I said, when I asked the question about price it wasn't because I wanted a dog now, but made it clear I wanted to know so we could budget for the time when.....). But see I agonise over how to approach things as well. Some people dive in head first.

I think what it probably comes down to is how first impressions are made.

Overall price isn't the most important thing - you are absolutely right - but I don't think it's the 'last' thing either - I think they all work together.

And I'm tired - words and letters are running together. I hope I've explained myself.

btw - this is all part of the reason I'm NOT going to breed from Savannah! Aside from not wanting to run the health risks etc, I would HATE to have to go through screening to find the right owners for my pups - I'd be a right COW!!! LOL

Wendy

I think the price of the dog you want, is a big issue. If you cannot afford to buy and keep th dog then why get worked up about getting it? I think you should find out the price range of the breed of dog you want and then find out more information about it. If its £800 and you only have £400 then you have a problem...

sorry to keep this going - its so hard to explain things when typing them. What I should have added to my original post was this: How can a purchaser tell if the puppies are worth the price BEFORE they have heard all about them: how they have been bred and reared? have the parents had show/working success? have the parents had all the relevant health tests with good results? how old is the mother and how many litters has she had? Do you own the father - can we see him?
right down to: how many times have they been wormed? Are they KC reg? Until you know all the details about the litter in question how on earth can you judge whether or not the puppy is fairly priced? Thats why breeders get upset /annoyed when the first question is "how much" .

Well here is my 2 pennys worth.
When someone phone and the first thing they ask is 'how much are the puppies' then it instantly puts my back up.
I help with the golden retriever rescue and one of the many things I ask someone [who has bought a puppy from a non-reputable breeder/puppy]
Why did you get a puppy from that source? they usually reply, 'they were cheap!'
the WRONG reason for buying a puppy.
I agree that money IS an important factor but surely the health/enviroment of the puppy is paramount.
When the first thing they ask is price I think they are simply shopping round for the cheapest.
I know when I phoned up about the first puppy I bought the price was the LAST thing I asked, I think it is rude to ask price first.
emma xxx

Hi i agree with you, the first things i ask to see is paper work!!! vet checks and then i go through the puppy with a fine toothed comb, if its not up to my standards i walk away, if some one is buying from myself i ask whats the reason you would like to buy this breed, have you had this breed before, how long did you have the dog for? was it male or female was it desex? key factors if they answer my questions with ease that gives me a pretty good factor about them. if they try and bargin with me i hand up, i try not to be rude but these sought of people arent the people i wont for owners for my puppies, if they pass my test i also ask for their address and phone numbers as evry 6 months i go around to peoples houses and see how my babies are going!!!!!!

Hi a few years back my friend brought a american bull dog of a reputable breeder and paid $2,500 for the dog with excellent bloodlines, she received papers, a health guarantee certifcate from the vet, and she brought on what she thought was a good priced puppy for the bloodlines, the puppy now is 2 years old and has a number of things wrong with it like hip and elbow dysplasia, a serious over bite,amaurosis( an unexsplained blindness from the retina),irregular heart beat, cryptorchid(both testical undecended), diabetes and arthritis and hes only young, she has spent more money through vet bills on the dog and now has to put him down because of it,just because you pay a lot of money for a dog and by of a reputable breeder doesnt mean you are safe....... i have been a breeder for 28 years and i would rather sell my puppies for a price people can afford and that is healthy and not so inbreed that it has these horrible genetics that may him no good for anything, i understand where your are coming from you cant get a good bred dog for cheap because you pay for good lines but it does go to show even the best really arent!!!!! I tried to help her find the breeders but they have moved we contacted the council but they were unable to track them down as they no longer breed, so some times it pays to watch your $$$$$ when buying