I was going to say just the same as Hali

Again I think its a question without an answer. You could pay a low amount for a dog and it could turn out to be the greatest dog with no problems while a dog that costs x amount could have a number of problems, likewise the cheaper dog could and the more expensive could be great.

It would be best to research as much as possible but always be prepared things happen and price has nothing to do with whatever might happen.

I think most reputable breeders including the ones that show & have their own affixs are roughly the same price for a pup,
others that charge an awful lot more i'd regard as just greedy.

I think you are spot on here Stormey. I don't think there is a definitive answer to the question.

Meaning expensive dogs are better examples of the breed? No - I got an amazing gundog with a great pedigree for £90 which included his neutering. And Daisy is the prettiest girl in the world (oh yes she is!) - cost £120. Shamus my handsome Pointer cost £120 and is a real head-turner, and Bran der Beagle was free!
I don`t suppose you mean rescues though?

The first breeder I saw wanted £800 for a toy poodle. Unfortunately, she'd just sold her last one so I wasn't possible anyway. I ended up paying £450 for Oscar. He's better than I could ever have imagined. He's SO good natured - loves people, loves children, sleeps well, eats well, doesn't nip hard at all considering he's 9 wks old.

When I got him, his lovely breeeder gave us; 1kg of dry food, 1 tin of canned food, 3 toys, about 10 chews, she knitted him a special blanket, gave him a toy that smelled of his mum, we got 12 weeks free insurance, he'd had his first set of injections and been wormed. She's phoned twice in the 3 days we've had him and offered so much advice, she even said I could call her anytime in the night. I have the pedigree papers, card stating when his injections were, I met the mum (but not the dad). This breeder won't sell to anyone, she's very fussy about where her puppies go because she cares.

Yes and no! On the one hand, you can't expect to get a top quality dog from health tested top quality parents on the cheap. On the other hand, puppy farmers and backyard breeders have discovered that you can charge a naive punter almost anything if you are good at bullsh*t. In our breed, we have had puppy farmers charging £1000 for "rare" blue-eyed white pups - about as rare as flies round a cowpat. The only defence against being conned rotten is research, research and then more research. Get to know your breed, get to know people within the breed, listen to all the advice, discard most of it and start again. It really is a minefield for the new prospective owner - I'm so glad I'm not starting out in the world of pedigree dogs nowadays!

Mick

You would like to think that the more you pay for a dog, the better quality it's going to be but that isnt always so.

I suppose it depends on what you want the dog for as well and how bothered you are about champions, whether show or working.

I would never consider paying near on 1k for a dog because in my mind, it's a ludicrous amount anyway but it's a risk I wouldnt take unless a guarantee was given that the dog would be trouble free (both in terms of health and temperament). But of course, breeders dont give guarantee's like that because they havent got crystal balls.

I'll take my chances with dogs from the lower end of the price scale.

Can't really answer this it depends but certainly not in my case. My old rescue boy cost me £100 to the rescue & a fortune at the vets. My girl has so far only been to the vet for boosters & was free, only thing I paid was the £20 to transfer her to my name at the kennel club. The dog I knew nothing about I know my bitches full pedigree & her hip & elbow scores along with her parents.
When I lost a young dog I'd bred at 4 from torsion a friend gave me a puppy free, no strings, & KC registered. That bitch was placed at obedience shows, loved agility was a superb herder of cattle, won numerous prizes in breed including reserxe CC & best of all lived to 15 remaining fit & active till the end. She actually achieved more than any dog I paid for, nearest to her was a bitch who cost me the stud fee to produce her. So in my case definitely not.

"Well Bred" doesn't always mean healthy. A pup can come from championship parents with all the correct health tests but because the breeder line breeds the pup ends up with severe health problems.

Personally I'd rather see breeders charge no more than £100-200 per pup, at least this would prevent people becoming bybs knowing they'll make lots of money.

It all depends on the individual breeder how ethical they are and what their priorities are.