Varying cost of a pedigree dog.

[KFC]

Over the lifetime of a dog, the initial purchase price is going to be one of the cheapest items so I definitely wouldn't get too hung up over the cost. Food, bedding, insurance, vet bills, toys, enforced lifestyle choices (cars, holidays, homes) are where the real wallet damage is done

[bakerstreet]

Autopilot said:

The reason I ask...and certainly not associating this statement with you, is because I find a lot of people choose a breed for the wrong reasons. They don't research or understand the inherent traits associated with a breed and end up choosing something that blatantly doesn't fit in with their lifestyle.

This ^

One of my wife's friends is choosing a dog based purely on its looks. She couldn't even look after a guinea pig and gave it away after 18 months, so god knows how long the dog is going to last

Also, as someone else has said, buying the dog is tip of the iceberg as far as cost is concerned. You have toys, pet insurance, food and holidays require a whole new level of planning. We have yet to brave a holiday with the dog, so we put him in with a dog sitter and that immediately adds £140 to the cost of your holiday! The dog sitter loves him though

[cirks]

thehappyotter said:

Once you're there viewing the individual puppy will usually pick you!

Unfortunately, that was very true in our case - one individual puppy chose me, another chose my wife. Result, two pedigree pups in the family now! No complaints as they are lovely but it did mean double every cost that we had planned for!

[Jakg]

Why is the choice pedigree puppy or rescue?

There are plenty of cross puppies for sale - crosses are cheaper and generally healthier.

(obviously rescue really should be the first place to look rather than breeders)

[stuartmmcfc]

Quick update,
Thanks for all the replies but just to remind everyone, the OP I posted was asking why there was such a huge difference in price between seemingly identical dogs. I think the post about cheap dogs being sold by people who didn't really care about the breed and expensive dogs being sold by breeders who think they're doing you a favour was about right.
I'm not really worried about the actual cost of purchase, as I'm fully aware of the real costs of owning a dog but it has always seemed worth while when you consider the benefits to your life a dog can bring
We went to 2 local RSPCA shelters today and tbh there wasn't an awful lot suitable at the moment.

What we're looking for is a dog which,
Isn't to big or boisterous
Gets on well with cats and other animals
Affectionate.
LIkes a cuddle.
Fairly intelligent so he could be taught a few things
Suitable for older children
Doesn't shed to much (although happy for regular grooming)
I'm at home the majority of the time.
Needs exercise but not an excessive amount.
And my daughters idea- has to be cute.

Top 2 of the list are the Tibetian terreir and the Bolagnese, both of which seem to fulfil the criteria pretty well.

I like terriers in general but I've always found them to be up for a chase a bit to much and I prefer longer haired dogs

Any advice or opinions are welcome

[blade7]

thehappyotter said:

The dogs weren't being bred for the money, they wanted to keep one as the mum has such an amazing temperament.......... we think she was worth every penny of the £1000 she cost.

Having been around dog showing and knowing a lot of dog breeders I wish I had a quid for every time that line has been trotted out to puppy buyers.

[moorx]

Have you tried other local rescue centres?

East Midlands Dog Rescue
Pingle Farm, Seine Lane, Enderby, Leicestershire, LE19 4PD
Tel: [phone] or 01455 845701
Email: [e-mail]
Opening Times: 9am - 12noon Sundays, all other times by appointment
www.eastmidlandsdogrescue.org

Leicester Animal Aid Association
The Huncote Pet Rescue Centre, Elmwood Farm, Forest Road, Huncote, Leicester, LE9 6LE
Tel: [phone]
Opening Hours 10.00am - 2.30pm Daily
www.leicesteranimalaid.org.uk

Leicester Animal Rescue
Fairwinds, Tilton Road, Billesdon, LE7 9FF
Tel: [phone]
www.leicesteranimalrescue.co.uk

Leicestershire and Rutland Stray Dogs Sanctuary
Leicester Road, Frisby-on-the-Wreake, Melton Mowbray, Leics.
Tel: [phone]

RSPCA Leicestershire Branch
Woodside Animal Centre, 190 Scudamore Road, Leicester LE3 1UQ
Tel: [phone]
Opening Times: 11.00am - 3.00pm Weekends, 11.00am - 4.00pm Weekdays except Tuesday when closed
www.rspcaleicester.org.uk

If you are willing to go down the rescue dog route, it might also be worth looking on here:

http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/index.php

[oddman]

Never you mind said:

Working Cockers vary from £400 - £1000 depending on its breeding. FTCH x FTCH you pay top dollar for, some keeper breed cocker (mine is) will be at the bottom end of the scale.

Get a working cocker and You'll been constantly amazed by it or constantly engraged by it. Fabulous dogs.

I think keeper bred is the way to go as long as there are papers and all the other checks. Paid £550 for mine FTCh x steady working mum. Not sure I'd be able to manage a cocker bred to be a top trialler.

He is already superb family pet and on the way to being decent gun dog. Mine doesn't need massive amount of physical exercise but does need a lot of brain work.

Might be seen as a bit of a boring choice but there's a reason Labs, cockers and springers are so popular.

[FailHere]

KFC said:

Over the lifetime of a dog, the initial purchase price is going to be one of the cheapest items so I definitely wouldn't get too hung up over the cost. Food, bedding, insurance, vet bills, toys, enforced lifestyle choices (cars, holidays, homes) are where the real wallet damage is done

I agree with this, I've never really chosen a dog, they have usually chosen me through circumstances, all mine have been rescue dogs of one sort or another. You stop counting the cost very quickly; my German Shepherd ate the kitchen, sofa, curtains, seat-belts, sunroof seal, sunvisors, plus lots more in the first year I had her. Had her for fifteen years and still miss her.

Current pair of working cockers are pretty good, although the pup wrecked the dining room when he was at the chewy stage.

They are both currently snoozing on the sofa after a nice walk which unfortunately (for me) included a swim in a pond.

[thehappyotter]

blade7 said:

Having been around dog showing and knowing a lot of dog breeders I wish I had a quid for every time that line has been trotted out to puppy buyers.

Haha. I can imagine. We've actually become good friends with the breeder and are sharing lots of tales & tips of bringing up our puppies at the same time.

Hers is growing up well with the rest of her pack, cats and horses. There's no denial the money was nice but I really do believe her. They don't have children and the animals are their world.

Having owned dogs for a long time I can understand exactly what you mean but I think we've been very lucky this time.

I say lucky, if she doesn't stop chewing my shoes that is!

[johnxjsc1985]

moorx said:

Have you tried other local rescue centres?

East Midlands Dog Rescue
Pingle Farm, Seine Lane, Enderby, Leicestershire, LE19 4PD
Tel: [phone] or 01455 845701
Email: [e-mail]
Opening Times: 9am - 12noon Sundays, all other times by appointment
www.eastmidlandsdogrescue.org

Leicester Animal Aid Association
The Huncote Pet Rescue Centre, Elmwood Farm, Forest Road, Huncote, Leicester, LE9 6LE
Tel: [phone]
Opening Hours 10.00am - 2.30pm Daily
www.leicesteranimalaid.org.uk

Leicester Animal Rescue
Fairwinds, Tilton Road, Billesdon, LE7 9FF
Tel: [phone]
www.leicesteranimalrescue.co.uk

Leicestershire and Rutland Stray Dogs Sanctuary
Leicester Road, Frisby-on-the-Wreake, Melton Mowbray, Leics.
Tel: [phone]

RSPCA Leicestershire Branch
Woodside Animal Centre, 190 Scudamore Road, Leicester LE3 1UQ
Tel: [phone]
Opening Times: 11.00am - 3.00pm Weekends, 11.00am - 4.00pm Weekdays except Tuesday when closed
www.rspcaleicester.org.uk

If you are willing to go down the rescue dog route, it might also be worth looking on here:

http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/index.php

I've bumped this because its so important to give a rescue Dog a chance and you can literally get any breed.
I have had a beautiful Bullmastiff and currently have 3 german Shepherds our latest one was only 8 weeks old when we got him.

[Xtriple129]

The best (no disrespect to my current two) dog I've ever had or indeed, known, came from a rescue centre! He cost £50 and was worth, millions.

He (Leo, lab cross Doberman!)was absolutely perfect in every way and I'm not exaggerating! My wife used to joke that prior to birth, God had sat him down and made him read the 'guide to being the perfect family dog' and he had taken in every word.

He was 14 months old and the rescue place were quite concerned about him and his behaviour and fully expected us to have problems with him. In fact, they not only did a home check before we got him, they came round a few weeks after to make sure he was settling in okay and no problems... when the chap asked:'where is Leo?' my wife had to answer: 'in bed... with my husband!' the guy suck his head round the door and saw Leo on his back with his head on my shoulder, fast asleep. I was just waking up, well it was a Saturday morning - lie in time!

[LordHaveMurci]

We have just rescued an 11mth old American Bulldog. We already have 2 kids, 2 cats & 2 other dogs (both bought as pedigrees).

Rescuing opens up a world of choice & is such a great thing to do, we ended up driving a total of nearly 400mls over two visits for ours & he cost us a massive £110!

Previous owners gave him up as husband had Aspergers & couldn't bond with the dog, dog has no major issues we're aware of.

[LordHaveMurci]

We have just rescued an 11mth old American Bulldog. We already have 2 kids, 2 cats & 2 other dogs (both bought as pedigrees).

Rescuing opens up a world of choice & is such a great thing to do, we ended up driving a total of nearly 400mls over two visits for ours & he cost us a massive £110!

Previous owners gave him up as husband had Aspergers & couldn't bond with the dog, dog has no major issues we're aware of.

[Rosscow]

We paid £800 for Monty over 7 years ago, worth every penny though!

[5678]

We've got a Bernese that we've had since August.

It took a lot of research on our part to decide which breed we wanted so were happy with our decision. We then started contacting breeders and inquiring. There are not too many breeders in the UK so there was not a massive amount of choice. The breed is also prone to cancer and hip/elbow issues, so again, quality and blood lines were important.

We found a breeder who had a dog available in the next litter. They were fairly local and were much cheaper than we had been told to expect so we went on their list for a puppy.
Still speaking to other breeders, we were told twice, unprompted, to avoid the breeder we had gone on the list for. They didnt have a good reputation and their dogs were known to have health issues. This ruled them out.

By chance, one breeder we spoke to knew of another who had a puppy available immediately. They show their dogs and were involved in the breed community both in the UK and internationally. They had recently had a litter of 12 and had held back two bhes to decide which would be their show/breeding bh going forward. They had decided and the other was available.

Two weeks later we had Layla! She's good enough to show as her siblings are winning quite a lot that they enter. But she doesn't have the right temperament and we're not the dog show type

We paid £1500 for her which was in the middle/upper range of the scale.