yeah i agree about blue SBT`s being advertised everywhere! and ofcourse the `breeders` charge over the odds for them, as for advertising them as a rare colour??? there will very soon be more blue SBT than any other colour! i saw an advert for some blue pups and they were definately NOT full SBT although the advertiser reckoned they were? they were blatantly crosses, extremely long noses built like dobermans and they werent even Blue! more a faded black, he was trying to charge £950 for those pups! its ridiculous and wrong. ..... ooo perhaps i should advertise Mouse at some extortionate price, as the first ever teacup staffy!!!! ( ONLY JOKING BY THE WAY WOULD NEVER EVER SELL HER but bet if i did some poor sod would fall for it eh!

I certainly have NO problem what so ever with a decent breeders making a profit, but when selecting prices for pups is done to gain money back, make a profit it indicates to me that money has become one of the main factors.

Why should the size of the dog impact on its price?? Is a great dane more valuable than a chihuahua?? The prices of a pup are dictated mostly by the costs involved with getting the litter. For example, the stud fees for well bred, proven (in the show ring) pugs is anywhere from £600 - £1000. Whereas for a labrador you wont expect to pay more than £3-400 for the same quality dog. You also generally get much smaller litters from smaller dogs, and if caesarians are needed very often they are much more expensive for smaller dogs (most of the vets around here quote around £1000 for a pug c-section).

Good breeders dont breed to make money they do it to produce the next generation for themselves, however, its impossible to continue breeding if you make a loss on every litter. I know with our litters every penny we make goes straight back into the upkeep of the dogs. Our monthly dog food bill alone is over £250. We have spent £3000 so far this year on show entries. And thats not including things like vet treatment and fuel to the shows. I can assure you that we make nowhere near that from selling pups but every bit we do get makes our showing possible

Also, im sure some smartarse will come along and say that breeders should reduce their prices etc etc etc, blah blah blah. BUT, if good breeders sold their top quality pugs (for example) for £400, who do you think that is going to attract?? Mr Puppy Farmer of course!! And anyone else thinking of making a quick buck by buying cheap dogs and breeding them, or selling them on for a profit. The higher priced dogs are priced like that for a reason, if you cant afford them you probably cant afford their upkeep anyway.

Is the fact that French Bulldogs, Pugs, Bulldogs, etc., generally have to have a c-section the sole reason why the price of these puppies are far higher than most other breeds?

I've wondered.

I've had labrador and pug litters and only ever had caesarians from the lab. But, if you do have to have a c-section on those breeds it almost certainly will cost an awful lot more than for a "normal" breed.

so do people that breed dogs that often need caesarians change the prices depending on if that litter was born by caesarian or not?

We didnt with ours that were born by caesarian, we just ended up making a significant loss on that litter, but i could understand if people did, as long as they didnt put prices up hugely, just enough to break even, it doesnt bother me.

They are creeping in everywhere, the bad thing is, somebody WILL pay it!

I think I would be put off a breeder that changed the prices of their pups depending on what medical treatment and the like the bitch had. I mean should the new owner be paying more to cover the treatment of the bitch?? Not in my opinion. Their still getting the same quality dog at the end of the day, if the bitch needed a c-section or not.

Indeed. But then it is up to the breeder to determine the prices of their pups and its no ones place to tell them what to charge for them. I dont agree with overcharging and would be put off by a breeder that is obviously ripping people off (like charging double what other breeders charge for a rare colour for example) but a puppy is only worth what someone will pay for it and if a breeder adds on an extra £50 per puppy to help cover costs then thats not a problem to me, i dont see that as ripping anyone off. Its not something i choose to do, but i wouldnt label them a bad breeder for it. Afterall, the price paid for a puppy isnt JUST for the puppy is it? You are paying for the care and work thats gone into raising it, right? Which is why a well bred pup that has been raised correctly is the "right" choice over a puppy farmed dog that might be a bit cheaper... Right?