Gun dog prices?

[wildfowler.250]

So the prices for pups seems to have gone through the roof recently and I think a lot of that is/was lockdown related. Recently I’ve heard of several pups going for 2k or more,(I may add that not all we’re gun dog breeds but labs included).

 

Now I could be wrong but I suspect that this is the general public being fleeced and sellers can see someone coming from a long way. Have the prices from decent trainers/kennels stayed pretty level? What are folk paying these days for a decent lab with hips and elbows, usual DNA tests ect?

 

Cheers!

Edited August 30, 2020 by wildfowler.250

[Scully]

Paid 500 quid for my lab ten weeks ago. 

[WelshAndy]

I’m guessing it’s to do with everyone being home and wanting a pup, less pups more people wanting - demand higher. 
Plus people had saved for holidays etc so had disposable income 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Dave at kelton]

Simple supply and demand, and stupid people. I bought a pup from one of the UK top trainers for less than four figures in June. You just have to look around and contact the right people.

[wildfowler.250]

Cheers gents! Kind of as I thought. A respected trainer isn’t going to massively over inflate his prices or he’d soon get a bad rep. Think it must be these gumtree adverts and websites people are buying off that are charging a fortune..

20 minutes ago, WelshAndy said:

I’m guessing it’s to do with everyone being home and wanting a pup, less pups more people wanting - demand higher. 
Plus people had saved for holidays etc so had disposable income 🤷🏼‍♂️

And yet a lot never seem to factor in the potential costs for when the pet gets sick..

Edited August 30, 2020 by wildfowler.250

[sam triple]

Paid £850 for my pup last December from a forum member and he’s turning out to be the best money I’ve spent , when people are paying £1600 + for cut and shut dogs , cocker poos etc you have to question their sanity and if they are prepared to pay rediculas prices for them it’s their look out 

[yates]

Animal rescue centres are going to be pretty busy soon

[samboy]

I only take on rescue dogs. 

[wildfowler.250]

1 hour ago, sam triple said:

Paid £850 for my pup last December from a forum member and he’s turning out to be the best money I’ve spent , when people are paying £1600 + for cut and shut dogs , cocker poos etc you have to question their sanity and if they are prepared to pay rediculas prices for them it’s their look out 

£850 to me seems reasonable. We were £550 for a bitch 6 years ago. Least the prices don’t seem to be floating over the grand mark so far but keen to hear what people know / have experienced.

46 minutes ago, yates said:

Animal rescue centres are going to be pretty busy soon

Hopefully not! Do think a lot of people don’t quite realise how expensive they are to maintain though.

16 minutes ago, samboy said:

I only take on rescue dogs. 

That’s great and a lot of time for that. Doesn’t help for prices for  pups though 😅

[Lloyd90]

My mate sold his springer pups for £750 to general people. He trials his dogs, and wanted them to go to trial homes ideally, or good shooting homes if not. 
 

Bitch OFTAW x OFTW sure. sire won best newcomer at the champs. 
 

Know lads who’ve bought pups off pet homes or ‘shooting homes’ recently for £1,500 - £2,000, where the dog will be lucky to be worked every other Saturday on a small shoot. Not saying they aren’t good pups but I’m not sure the parents are fully tested (or trained). 
 

I have seen some very very good dogs on small shoots where the owner has no interest in competitions and just loves working their dogs . 
 

Sadly on the flip side, Some people I have seen on small shoots had very badly trained dogs with issues that for me mean they should not be bred at all.
 

Issues like severe hard mouth, making (lots of) noise, no control (not biddable), yet they have studded their dog out to sire several litters or put their bitch in pup. The owners will undoubtedly have told everyone interested what a great worker their dog is ... matter of perspective I suppose... 🤷‍♂️.

 

 

The “real dog men” and a lot of the field trial lads would never pay £2000+, or dream of charging that kind of money for a pup. 
 

So a lot of these stupidly priced dogs aren’t being bred out of top workers, they’re being bred from weekend workers, pet homes and people who take their dog for a walk down the woods and call them a hardcore working dog. 
 

The problem is, the lads breeding quality dogs are normally selling them very easily atm, usually before they are even born, as they want normal money and aren’t taking advantage. 
 

You need to get some contacts with decent dogs and then pick up a dog through word of mouth really. Most decent breeders will also have waiting lists. 
 

Anyone having to resort to searching on the internet is far more likely to get stung sadly. 

 

[wildfowler.250]

5 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

My mate sold his springer pups for £750 to general people. He trials his dogs, and wanted them to go to trial homes ideally, or good shooting homes if not. 
 

Bitch OFTAW x OFTW sure. sire won best newcomer at the champs. 
 

Know lads who’ve bought pups off pet homes or ‘shooting homes’ recently for £1,500 - £2,000, where the dog will be lucky to be worked every other Saturday on a small shoot. Not saying they aren’t good pups but I’m not sure the parents are fully tested (or trained). 
 

I have seen some very very good dogs on small shoots where the owner has no interest in competitions and just loves working their dogs . 
 

Sadly on the flip side, Some people I have seen on small shoots had very badly trained dogs with issues that for me mean they should not be bred at all.
 

Issues like severe hard mouth, making (lots of) noise, no control (not biddable), yet they have studded their dog out to sire several litters or put their bitch in pup. The owners will undoubtedly have told everyone interested what a great worker their dog is ... matter of perspective I suppose... 🤷‍♂️.

 

 

The “real dog men” and a lot of the field trial lads would never pay £2000+, or dream of charging that kind of money for a pup. 
 

So a lot of these stupidly priced dogs aren’t being bred out of top workers, they’re being bred from weekend workers, pet homes and people who take their dog for a walk down the woods and call them a hardcore working dog. 
 

The problem is, the lads breeding quality dogs are normally selling them very easily atm, usually before they are even born, as they want normal money and aren’t taking advantage. 
 

You need to get some contacts with decent dogs and then pick up a dog through word of mouth really. Most decent breeders will also have waiting lists. 
 

Anyone having to resort to searching on the internet is far more likely to get stung sadly. 

 

Cheers bud! That’s what I’ve done previously was go on a waiting list with a decent trainer. Just curious what the situation was as to whether they’ve stayed fairly consistent or if they’re prices had also increased as a consequence. I’m not looking to buy right now but probably in 6 months to a year

[Scully]

I paid 650.00 for a Border Terrier pup 16 years ago; she had a pedigree second to none. 

[Lloyd90]

6 hours ago, yates said:

Animal rescue centres are going to be pretty busy soon

 

6 hours ago, samboy said:

I only take on rescue dogs. 

The only problem with picking up from a rescue centre, is you have to hope that the previous owner / owners haven’t created any big issues that will impact on the job you want the dog to do. 
 

There are some good rescues these days that focus on working dog breeds, and placing them into working homes. 
 

Some of the rescues are rubbish though, want a million conditions, want you to never leave the house and dog alone and charge several hundred quid (some are non-refundable whether you get a dog or not). 

[das]

I gave my time for several years as a homing officer for a Northern rescue charity. A number of dogs are surrended for very genuine reasons such as bereavement, divorce, baby and other reasonable cases, The rest, dog acting up, total lack of simple training, can't afford the VET and of course, a lovely puppy for Christmas.
 

 

[ShootingEgg]

Unfortunately price tag means nothing when it comes to how good pup will be. Its purely the breeder putting what they want on the advert. I paid £250 for my springer, @Lloyd90 has seen him work and knows what he is like. So £1200-£2000 is pure greed on some people's part, yes supply and demand but you sell the pups at reasonable price, not take the P... Just my honest opinion ofcourse. 

[Lloyd90]

11 hours ago, ShootingEgg said:

Unfortunately price tag means nothing when it comes to how good pup will be. Its purely the breeder putting what they want on the advert. I paid £250 for my springer, @Lloyd90 has seen him work and knows what he is like. So £1200-£2000 is pure greed on some people's part, yes supply and demand but you sell the pups at reasonable price, not take the P... Just my honest opinion ofcourse. 

Years ago you’d pay a higher price for a better bred dog from a top kennel. 
 

At the moment your paying more for a cross bred dog, than for a pedigree out of top stuff. 
 

Pedigree isn’t the be all and end all every time, but it’s a must if you want to run any comps etc, and as with any animal sport, if you want to compete with the best, you want a dog bred out of the best to give you a chance of having the required stuff. 
 

Someone selling sprockers etc don’t have to pay KC fees etc yet they are selling for silly money. 

Edited August 31, 2020 by Lloyd90

[WelshAndy]

There’s a litter of cocker x Labradors in Porthmadog for £2300 🙄

[crossy 666]

Me and my partner are currently in the market for a new dog but have seen prices go up from £1500 to £3000 which is just crazy. We have made the decision to wait it out and see if the market changes when people get back to work and possibly look at the rehoming route. 

[PERCE]

Selling pups at the normal rate in these difficult times isn't ideal. It's not always easy to pick the puppy trader that's knocking on your door.