Have The Price Of Puppies Reached The Peak ?

[marsh man]

In todays local paper I was reading where the R S P C A are now getting swamped with unwanted pets ( not just dogs ) , in one R S P C A kennels in Kings Lynn it stated a couple of weeks ago they had five dogs that needed rehoming where now the numbers have jumped up to 16 , a lot of the problems are blamed on the owners going back to work and the dog can't cope with being left alone ,in one case the dog was chewing plasterboard and the furniture to bits because it was board .

With restrictions due to be lifted even more next month and with more puppies being bred due to the high prices , will the bubble burst and prices start dropping down to a level that we saw before the lockdowns started ?

[ShootingEgg]

10 minutes ago, marsh man said:

In todays local paper I was reading where the R S P C A are now getting swamped with unwanted pets ( not just dogs ) , in one R S P C A kennels in Kings Lynn it stated a couple of weeks ago they had five dogs that needed rehoming where now the numbers have jumped up to 16 , a lot of the problems are blamed on the owners going back to work and the dog can't cope with being left alone ,in one case the dog was chewing plasterboard and the furniture to bits because it was board .

With restrictions due to be lifted even more next month and with more puppies being bred due to the high prices , will the bubble burst and prices start dropping down to a level that we saw before the lockdowns started ?

I asked similar earlier in the month, will be interesting to see responses to this.

[Morkin]

Hello tagether yes I think we must soon see a change in prices ,they cannot go much higher because you would have to remorgage your house to pay for some in some cases they have tripled in price just because of lockdown . I have noticed in the village the new dog ,walk twice a day thing has worn off,when you see all the new puppies dogs etc in first lockdown now you don't see them at all,

[Vince Green]

We are aware of some puppies being offered for sale in Cornwall at ridiculous prices. All unregistered, its the latest cottage industry round her. Many are being sold up country.

You can only get £40-50 (and you have to transport it and pay commission) for a lamb but you get £1500 for a pup. Do the maths. 

Edited May 25, 2021 by Vince Green

[Dave at kelton]

It seems supply is starting to exceed demand so prices can only start going down. Pups being advertised after they should be at their new home is a sure sign things are changing.

[Lloyd90]

59 minutes ago, Dave at kelton said:

It seems supply is starting to exceed demand so prices can only start going down. Pups being advertised after they should be at their new home is a sure sign things are changing.

 

I am also starting to see people struggling to sell pups. 

People refusing to drop their prices are trying to sell pups 10+ weeks old that are still with the breeder. 

 

Others are dropping the prices (sometimes several times)...

 

The madness is that there are quality bred animals out there that have been fairly cheap for a long time, but people have been paying silly money for non-health tested, non registered **** that should have never been bred in the first place. 

 

I imagine the price will settle but probably not as low as it was previously. 

Estimate around £1000+ for springers, maybe £1500+ for retrivers (working Goldens were this much before Covid), and possibly cockers £1500+ as they seem to attract a higher price than springers. 

 

I have known of at least 3 trial bred springer litters recently that are going to be sold at £1k per pup. 

 

 

 

Many people will have just bred whatever they can get their hands on over lockdown to cash in on the madness. Watch out in years to come as we could see a rise in health issues and hereditary faults within the breeds. 

[PERCE]

There's over 100 litters advertised on the Kronch guys free to advertise gundog site & I'm regularly seeing 8 week+ pups available on facebook. Demand shrinking & over supply, I think there's soon going to be a lot of folk with older pups on their hands & no punters.

[ShootingEgg]

22 minutes ago, PERCE said:

There's over 100 litters advertised on the Kronch guys free to advertise gundog site & I'm regularly seeing 8 week+ pups available on facebook. Demand shrinking & over supply, I think there's soon going to be a lot of folk with older pups on their hands & no punters.

This is 100% going too happen. I know some local to me having litters when they were not going to with the bitch. That can only be due to lockdown and potential gain in revenue. But if people are going to be stuck with pups what then, are they equipped to suddenly have a few more dogs.. more than likely not I think 

[marsh man]

5 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

 

I am also starting to see people struggling to sell pups. 

People refusing to drop their prices are trying to sell pups 10+ weeks old that are still with the breeder. 

 

Others are dropping the prices (sometimes several times)...

 

The madness is that there are quality bred animals out there that have been fairly cheap for a long time, but people have been paying silly money for non-health tested, non registered **** that should have never been bred in the first place. 

 

I imagine the price will settle but probably not as low as it was previously. 

Estimate around £1000+ for springers, maybe £1500+ for retrivers (working Goldens were this much before Covid), and possibly cockers £1500+ as they seem to attract a higher price than springers. 

 

I have known of at least 3 trial bred springer litters recently that are going to be sold at £1k per pup. 

 

 

 

Many people will have just bred whatever they can get their hands on over lockdown to cash in on the madness. Watch out in years to come as we could see a rise in health issues and hereditary faults within the breeds. 

Sad state of affairs LIoyd ,  some people who bread their dogs at the height of the price madness must have thought they had won the lottery , my next door neighbour bought a Springer pup last year from a gundog breeder , he worked it out that with the two older dogs he had for sale as well as the pups the whole lot would have come to well over £30 k

My pockets have never been that long but I have had Labradors for just over 50 years and could always afford to buy a puppy when I needed a young one to bring on to replace the old boy , now I don't no longer work I very much doubt I could find £2k plus for a decent pup , long gone are the days when me and my brother travelled the 50 odd miles to a keeper in Thetford and bought two puppies from the same litter for the large sum at the time which was £10 each which also included a small bag of grub that they were brought up on .... days that are now gone forever .

[Lloyd90]

5 hours ago, marsh man said:

Sad state of affairs LIoyd ,  some people who bread their dogs at the height of the price madness must have thought they had won the lottery , my next door neighbour bought a Springer pup last year from a gundog breeder , he worked it out that with the two older dogs he had for sale as well as the pups the whole lot would have come to well over £30 k

My pockets have never been that long but I have had Labradors for just over 50 years and could always afford to buy a puppy when I needed a young one to bring on to replace the old boy , now I don't no longer work I very much doubt I could find £2k plus for a decent pup , long gone are the days when me and my brother travelled the 50 odd miles to a keeper in Thetford and bought two puppies from the same litter for the large sum at the time which was £10 each which also included a small bag of grub that they were brought up on .... days that are now gone forever .

 

First gundog I ever bought was a black labrador bitch out of a FTW bitch, from a bloke just happened to be up the road in Maesteg. She was £400. Was around 12+ years ago now. 

Looking back now I didn't know how lucky I was to buy such as good first dog, and if only I knew then what I do now, perhaps I'd have made a better dog out of her. What a shame. 

Still remember shooting our first ducks together over a tiny half frozen pond on the coast in Wales  

 

 

 

 

 

[hodge911]

I my opinion the grossly over inflated prices fueled by idiots buying them as an excuse  to be able to get round the lock down are stopping people (like me) who can't  afford 3k for a Mongrel from giving a dog a good home 

[Lloyd90]

23 hours ago, hodge911 said:

I my opinion the grossly over inflated prices fueled by idiots buying them as an excuse  to be able to get round the lock down are stopping people (like me) who can't  afford 3k for a Mongrel from giving a dog a good home 

The prices are still high at the moment but seeing quite a lot of pups 9, 10 and more weeks still being advertised ... 

 

The prices will start dropping once they’re left with several pups. 
 

 

[hodge911]

A friend of my sons girlfriend has a litter of sprocker pups she contacted me 2 nights ago to say she's "dropped them to 2k to help get rid of them " ...... hopefully she's gets lumbered with a couple and I'll get one for a song ... 

I'm missing not having a dog but financially I'm strapped and just physically can't afford one for the foreseeable future

[lakeside1000]

In the 70's my wife bought me my first springer pup from a local game keeper, she cost the princely sum of £35, in the 8 years I had her we bred her twice , all puppies were booked before birth , 9 in the first litter and 10 in the second, all were registered , had full health checks and inoculations, they went to both pet and shooting homes , many kept in touch with us after the pups grew up, we achieved the grand price of £50 each which covered the costs of vets, sire etc,. We never looked to make huge profits from the pups but enjoyed the experience of producing high quality pups , 

'Domino' my springer worked for the whole 8 years but had to be rehomed after I had to move home and job and as a result lost my shooting, as she lived for the sport I found a game keeper friend who gave her a new home where she went on for several more years working at what she loved, I missed her more than I ever imagined I could, but my friend would send me photos and updates on her life and progress ,

I am now in my 70's and would love another pup as I am back into my shooting in a big way, but the cost of a pup is so far away from what I could afford on my pension I cannot even consider it, but every time I see a bird drop at long distance or disappear into thick under growth I curse that I have to 'go fetch' myself , but also the companionship a dog gives when out in the hide for several hours at a time. Lets hope the price of pups does indeed crash and stop these farms and breeders from producing pups for profit. 

[Lloyd90]

45 minutes ago, hodge911 said:

A friend of my sons girlfriend has a litter of sprocker pups she contacted me 2 nights ago to say she's "dropped them to 2k to help get rid of them " ...... hopefully she's gets lumbered with a couple and I'll get one for a song ... 

I'm missing not having a dog but financially I'm strapped and just physically can't afford one for the foreseeable future

Would you even want one off her? 
 

I can’t imagine shes spent untold hours picking the perfect match for dam and sire ... id bet money she just used someone she knows locally ... 

 

 

[hodge911]

3 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

Would you even want one off her? 
 

I can’t imagine shes spent untold hours picking the perfect match for dam and sire ... id bet money she just used someone she knows locally ... 

 

 

Good point ! .

My last dog jess was a springer x gwp she worked her heart out for me from day one until she passed suddenly 13yrs later .. she was from a lad I shot with and owned both parents I paid £150 for her .

I didn't  really mind that she was a cross and therefore no papers etc I was just happy to have what turned out to be the best dog I've had

[JDog]

All of this makes the £350 I paid for Barney look like a bargain. 

There is no question there has been profiteering on the back of litters.

[Old farrier]

15 minutes ago, JDog said:

All of this makes the £350 I paid for Barney look like a bargain. 

There is no question there has been profiteering on the back of litters.

Naa you was robbed at that price 😂😂😂

seems there’s two prices for pups a bit like guns 

wife’s price and real price 😊👍

iv found most of mine in a wet sack down the canal 🤭🤔

its worked every time 😂😂

[udderlyoffroad]

48 minutes ago, lakeside1000 said:

I am now in my 70's and would love another pup as I am back into my shooting in a big way, but the cost of a pup is so far away from what I could afford on my pension I cannot even consider it,

Then why not keep an eye on the various homes and shelters local to you?  Start researching the hoops you have to jump through to meet their adoption criteria.  Yes, I understand the 'inheriting someone else's problem' aspect of a rescue, but if you haven't got the time when you're retired, when will you?

You don't need a some kind of FTW/FTCH to retrieve the odd pigeon.  Many a mongrel is entirely capable of being trained to a suitable standard, just depends on the owner putting the hours in.

Anyway, I got my mongrel, sorry Springador-Lab Cross, a couple of weeks before lockdown no 1, and I paid £500 for him.  Which I thought was a bit steep.  But he has bags of potential to be an excellent dog for the type of shooting I do (mostly rough with a few mornings on peg at our DIY syndicate).  The only thing holding him back is my inexperience as a trainer.

[marsh man]

It all started to kick off in the early days of the first lock down , the weather was lovely , people had time off from work which they had never had before and they found there were loads of public foot paths on their door step . in a way it was the perfect storm.

This was an ideal time to get a puppy , nice weather , every day off work and some nice walks within a few miles , so the demand and supply started and the demand very soon out stripped the supply , people were prepared to pay silly money just so they could tell their friends who were also looking for a pup that they had found one , the breeders soon cottoned on to the demand and found whatever they asked the punters they were willing to pay , 

This carried on growing in price as the lock downs returned within a few weeks of the previous one being lifted , as the demand increased then so did the asking prices , then at long last the vaccination program started and the first signs of getting back to some form of normality was on the horizon , by this time nearly every breeder had a litter of pups for sale as the demand was still their , now when three quarters of the adults in the u k have been vaccinated and the public have started to return back to work the early signs are showing the prices are getting near , or already have reached the peak , if this is the case we should see the prices coming down to a much more sensible level , more in the high hundreds than the low thousands , lets hope this is the case .

[mel b3]

I paid £80 for my last dog , and I felt like I'd been ripped off 😅.

I really want another dog , and I could afford one easily enough , but I just can't let myself get fleeced by a money grabbing puppy peddler. 

[Lloyd90]

Never seen so many litters of pups about as there are at the moment.

Also seeing loads of people moaning on FB and other selling sites, saying they've not had so much as 1 phone call enquiring about their pups. Dogs pups have always been harder to sell but there are also litters with lots of bitches also struggling to sell.

 

Not just any old **** thrown together either (although still a lot of that about), people with really well thought out breedings pushing to get the pups sold (although these real well bred ones do appear to be mostly dog pups). 

[marsh man]

42 minutes ago, Lloyd90 said:

Never seen so many litters of pups about as there are at the moment.

Also seeing loads of people moaning on FB and other selling sites, saying they've not had so much as 1 phone call enquiring about their pups. Dogs pups have always been harder to sell but there are also litters with lots of bitches also struggling to sell.

 

Not just any old **** thrown together either (although still a lot of that about), people with really well thought out breedings pushing to get the pups sold (although these real well bred ones do appear to be mostly dog pups). 

It had to happen before long and the first time new dog owners will soon find the large amount of money they spent on buying the pup is only the beginning , my next door neighbour spent good money last year in buying a Springer pup , just over a week ago it chased a Rabbit on one of it's walks , running through the long grass it crashes into a tree stump and broke or fractured it's leg , he was rushed to the vets where they kept him in overnight and operated the next day , up to now the bill in around £2.500 and increase every time he take it back to the vets for a check up on it's condition . also you have decide if you taking the pup on holiday or booking him/her into kennels , the list goes on and on , think long and hard before you part with your money what you are taking on and what could lie ahead . 

[Dave at kelton]

5 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

Never seen so many litters of pups about as there are at the moment.

Also seeing loads of people moaning on FB and other selling sites, saying they've not had so much as 1 phone call enquiring about their pups. Dogs pups have always been harder to sell but there are also litters with lots of bitches also struggling to sell.

 

Not just any old **** thrown together either (although still a lot of that about), people with really well thought out breedings pushing to get the pups sold (although these real well bred ones do appear to be mostly dog pups). 

Seeing it up here in SW Scotland too. Good pups/litters being advertised for the first time in 18 months. A lot of people being left with one or two and really struggling to them out by ten weeks. I am guessing we will be back to a more normal market next year when I will be looking for my next pup. Not sure prices will ever drop to precovid levels though.

[sam triple]

I’m not so sure on this , a bloke I regularly see on my dog walk had just paid £1500 for a boxer cross mastiff pup after loosing his boxer unexpectedly and his neighbour has just paid £4K for a black lab pup , also heard of another litter of fox red labs near me going for £3k each  , also these “ charities “ make such hard work of getting these dogs re homed which doesn’t help themselves