how much is the average cost of a pedigree blue roan pup ?

[Blacky]

I must be getting a good deal maybe the parents are in the working class 

[Cob-Web]

I must be getting a good deal maybe the parents are in the working class 

There are a lot of questions to ask a breeder, as well as price -

Are the sire and dam Optigen tested and screened annually for PRA? Is the breeder involved in showing the dogs? How are they performing in the ring? Can the breeder explain why he/she picked the sire she did for the bitch? Will the puppy be endorsed, preventing any future puppies being registered with the kennel club?

If you are confident that the breeder is reputable and ethical, and is doing everything they can to produce healthy, happy, good tempered pups that meet the breed standard, then the price is less significant 

[Blacky]

I must be getting a good deal maybe the parents are in the working class 

There are a lot of questions to ask a breeder, as well as price -
I will ask alot of questions and will let u all know.

Are the sire and dam Optigen tested and screened annually for PRA? Is the breeder involved in showing the dogs? How are they performing in the ring? Can the breeder explain why he/she picked the sire she did for the bitch? Will the puppy be endorsed, preventing any future puppies being registered with the kennel club?

If you are confident that the breeder is reputable and ethical, and is doing everything they can to produce healthy, happy, good tempered pups that meet the breed standard, then the price is less significant 

[Blacky]

i will ask alot of questions and let u all know.... thanks for the advice

[Tasha]

I didn't even ask about price but saved up around £3000 before I brought Ayla that was for the price of her (eventually £650) her jabs, passport, eye testing, hip scoring (still to be done),  food, vet trips, training etc It sounds like alot to have saved up but to be honest when you total up how much you spend on a puppy over the period of the first couple of years that was roughly what I spent.

I saved up £5000 for Bonnie it took me forever...

One of my breeders did say if I had to ask the price of the puppy then I didn't deserve the dog because they are priceless.

[ruby ruby doo]

Yes definitely..when insurers ask you how much they cost..the initial outlay is nothing compared to the subsequent costs of injections.. insurance tagging etc..and the time love and devotion you put in! I could not put into figures what she is "worth to me now!" She is irreplacable...and in hindsight now i would think of spending a lot more to ensure i knew that every test had been done to ensure she was guaranteed a healthy future..Out of interest how much do all these tests cost...how much does it really on average cost to rear puppies...? Charging more to ensure good homes is no guarantee im sure as so many people have plenty of money to burn on a "mascot" ..cuddly toy  without the true love and devotion it takes to care responsibly for one of these creatures.

[Cob-Web]

We "saved" for Molo by setting aside the monthly costs until we had enough to pay for him and all the extras he needed when he came home 

[Cazzie]

I would have said anything from £325 upwards depending on how greedy they were  

Where are those pups cos they're a bargain?! Charlie charges a bit more than that! Working type cockers are generally cheaper than show types but are still usually between £400 and £600. I paid £600 for Rodaidh 3 months ago (he's a worker and we're in Scotland which is generally a bit cheaper). He was 6 months old then but had had no training; if I'd bought him at 8 weeks he would have been £400. The vast majority of working cocker pups I've seen from good breeders are between £400 and £600 and I would expect a show type to be anything from £500 upwards.

Things should have a certain value and while I wouldn't like to be ripped off I would be suspicious of anyone who sells puppies cheaply.

Nicola, I have seen lab pups being sold for £325 and 2 of my customers bought working cockers for £275.  No one mentioned Charlie and the prices he charges he has huge overheads unlike some people who take a one off litter to keep a pup for themselves and the money doesnt come into it ,they just want a small return for food/vets bills etc 

If I took a litter off of sweepie,(which I wouldnt) I would most deff keep one or two of the pups, now how to I guage what to charge for the other pups, because I know for certain that I wouldnt even embarrass my self by asking £500 - £600 for a pup from a one off litter and dont try and tell me that if someone pays £600 - £1000 for a pup they are going to look after it better than a pup bought for £300 as the rescues are full of dogs that cost a fortune as pups 

[Nicola]

The point isn't that there might be cheaper pups out there though, it's the likelihood of these cheap puppies not coming from reputable breeders. People have their own opinions of course but this is one of those things where imo you get what you pay for, even in terms of backup from the breeder you get the pup from. With Rodaidh I know that Charlie's always there at the end of the phone if I have any questions or worries. I'm no breeder but if I did ever breed pups I would most definitely charge the higher end of the 'going rate' for them as this is one way in which I could try to ensure that the people who bought them were more likely to have stopped and thought about it before forking out so much cash.

Anyway you wouldn't need to sell Sweep's pups, they'd be coming to meeeeeeeeee!!!!! 

[Cazzie]

The point isn't that there might be cheaper pups out there though, it's the likelihood of these cheap puppies not coming from reputable breeders. People have their own opinions of course but this is one of those things where imo you get what you pay for, even in terms of backup from the breeder you get the pup from. With Rodaidh I know that Charlie's always there at the end of the phone if I have any questions or worries. I'm no breeder but if I did ever breed pups I would most definitely charge the higher end of the 'going rate' for them as this is one way in which I could try to ensure that the people who bought them were more likely to have stopped and thought about it before forking out so much cash.

Anyway you wouldn't need to sell Sweep's pups, they'd be coming to meeeeeeeeee!!!!! 

No she'd only have one and Id be keeping it 

I totally disagree with someone thinking before they shed out loads of cash before buying a pup it happens all the time. Look at my friend he rescues St Bernards now they aint cheap, the people who originally bought them certainly didnt think before forking out the cash for them as pups  and there are loads of similar costed dogs in rescues as well

I could think of lots of dogs that have been bought for a lot of money that have been rehomed or returned to the breeder and tbh the cash they paid for the dogs was the last thought, they do not take into consideration how they are going to look after the dog in various ways and how do you know that because they paid £750 for one of your pups they are going to look after that dog to the standard we have  We dont.

I know one of my customers bought a working cocker for £275, now that dog has the very best of everything and is being well trained, I know that if I had pups available I would most deff want one to go to someone like him who doesnt have alot of cash but will give the dog a fine loving forever home.

Also what about rescue dogs, why are they not charging alot of cash for their dogs? Do they not think that if someone pays alot for a dog it will be looked after better 

[Cayley]

The point isn't that there might be cheaper pups out there though, it's the likelihood of these cheap puppies not coming from reputable breeders. People have their own opinions of course but this is one of those things where imo you get what you pay for, even in terms of backup from the breeder you get the pup from. With Rodaidh I know that Charlie's always there at the end of the phone if I have any questions or worries. I'm no breeder but if I did ever breed pups I would most definitely charge the higher end of the 'going rate' for them as this is one way in which I could try to ensure that the people who bought them were more likely to have stopped and thought about it before forking out so much cash.

Anyway you wouldn't need to sell Sweep's pups, they'd be coming to meeeeeeeeee!!!!! 

No she'd only have one and Id be keeping it 

I totally disagree with someone thinking before they shed out loads of cash before buying a pup it happens all the time. Look at my friend he rescues St Bernards now they aint cheap, the people who originally bought them certainly didnt think before forking out the cash for them as pups  and there are loads of similar costed dogs in rescues as well

I could think of lots of dogs that have been bought for a lot of money that have been rehomed or returned to the breeder and tbh the cash they paid for the dogs was the last thought, they do not take into consideration how they are going to look after the dog in various ways and how do you know that because they paid £750 for one of your pups they are going to look after that dog to the standard we have  We dont.

I know one of my customers bought a working cocker for £275, now that dog has the very best of everything and is being well trained, I know that if I had pups available I would most deff want one to go to someone like him who doesnt have alot of cash but will give the dog a fine loving forever home.

Also what about rescue dogs, why are they not charging alot of cash for their dogs? Do they not think that if someone pays alot for a dog it will be looked after better 

I think the thing is those responsible owners who have researched there chosen breed will know what price to expect to pay, I would be wary of someone charging £300 for a show type in the south west, I wouldn't be thinking that's a good deal  .

[Jane S]

I would be wary of someone charging £300 for a show type in the south west, I wouldn't be thinking that's a good deal  .

I agree. Someone selling show-type pups for such a low price in the South of England will not have done any of the expensive health screening tests and will possibly not even be registering the pups. There's been some talk on this thread about breeders being greedy if they ask for more than £300 but you cannot breed good quality pups from health tested parents on the cheap so nor should you sell them on the cheap. It makes no difference if you have a one-off litter or if you regularly breed - breeding if you do it properly is certainly not cheap and breeders have every right to ask a reasonable price to reflect the costs, effort and commitment which goes into breeding a litter the right way.
Puppies are not commodities where you shop around for the best deal - finding a litter advertised at well below the going rate does not mean you have a bargain. Quite the opposite - you could sadly end up with a poorly reared pup with avoidable genetic problems.

[CarolineL]

I must be getting a good deal maybe the parents are in the working class 

Hey Blacky

Welcome to COL!! - I saw the pics of your cocker and he is gorgeous!! 

I just wanted to make sure that you knew the difference between a show cocker and a working cocker - they are 2 very different types of cocker spaniel. A worker doesnt necessarily mean that you are going to work them and a show doesnt mean that you intend to show them! I definitely did not know the difference before I bought my bundle of fun and luckily had the people on COL to show me the way! 

I have posted before on the main differences between the 2 so will try and find my post and link it in below! 

Cx

A typical working cocker is on the go all the time, it has been bred to work and as an adult worker will require hours of stimulation on a physical/mental basis. They can take as much exercise you give them, and then some!!! Increasingly working cockers are being sold as pets and it is not unusual for them to be in a home environment. On the whole the are extremely bright - give em an inch and they'll take a mile!! 

Show cockers, although also very busy and on the go probably dont need as much mental physical stimulation. Again, the same applies with them, they can be exercised as much as a worker but will probably flake out at the end of the day whereas a worker will still want more. They too - are in the main clever dogs and will take a mile too!!! 

A working cocker's coat tends to be shorter than a show cockers coat and there are physical differences too.... show cocker have more of a domed head, whereas a workers is slightly flatter, and working cockers are longer in the body.

I would fully advise you to research exactly what type of cocker it is you want before you go ahead and buy one, alot of working cockers have ended up in rescues because their owners didnt quite know what they were getting!!!

A good way to know, if you check the dogs pedigree on a workers pedigree if it comes from good lines it will have FT CH (field trial champion) and a show cocker will have Sh Ch (show champion).

If you do a search on show and worker differences using the search facility you will see that this has been discussed many times before.

[Tracy S]

I must be getting a good deal maybe the parents are in the working class 

Hi Blacky, sorry if you're already aware but the referalls made to working cocker relates to their type. There are Working Cockers and Show type Cockers ; Whilst  they are both Cockers, there are some differences. Again apologies if you know.

[Luvly]