Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 9:53 am Post subject: Prices for good quality pups
I live in Spain and early next year would like to purchase my first Labrador puppy. I am looking for a black pup and hope to start showing and breed later.
Can anyone give me a rough guide to how much I should pay for a show quality pup? I thought it would make sense to buy in Spain so I don't have the problem of transport, export etc. but the prices I have been quoted so far are in the region of €2500 which seems very expensive. I wonder if it would be better to buy in the UK, where I will get a bigger choice of quality pups. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks
Just giving this a bump for you, i believe there are several breeders here that have transported pups all over the world. I dont know the complications of doing this, but im sure there are people here that can advice you .
I paid €1400 for a show quality pup from a top french breeder in 2006 but €2,500 seems a hell of a lot. There are some very good breeders in France and much of their breeding stock will be UK lines. You could try checking show results at www.cedia.fr to see who is doing well or http://www.retrieverclubdefrance.com/ to find current litters and to check out who's who.
I have working lab pups in the Scandinavian countries. They just pay the normal uk puppy price, which for me is £650, and then pay for all the extras on top of that at cost ie. pet passports, microchipping, health checks, transportation etc. (although they mainly come and collect and fly the pups back with them in the cabin).
Spain as an EU country would be very similar I imagine.
Thanks for all the replies.
I can get a pup transported by a certified pet courier from the UK to the south of Spain for €500 so it would seem like a much better option to buy in the UK.
If I were a breeder I would really want to meet prospective purchasers before sending a pup abroad, especially to a previously "unknown" purchaser. I'm sure a lot of breeders would agree so you'd probably need to factor in a trip to the UK to meet breeder, pups Mum etc. I drove 800 miles each way to meet and pick up my pup (from the French side of the Spanish border to Geneva) and there was never any guarantee that the breeder would let me have her although we'd spoken on the phone and had email correspondence. It would be different if you were already "known" to the breeder either by reputation or via a friend or acquaintance.
Also you mentioned you've never had a lab before though you do not say whether you've shown other breeder also you want to breed later on. As I breeder I would also be cautious about that aspect.
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to put you off!! I've been there and it can get complicated! Fortunately for me I already had labs, had a "record" of showing (the results can be seen online) and had a good friend who is a breeder who had stayed at my home in France and could vouch for me and my home with any prospective breeder in the UK.
Have you also factored in the complications of getting a UK registered pup re-registered in Spain? If it's anything like the French process it can be a real pain and it costs you extra (lining the UK KC pockets) for the cost of an export pedigree and you may have to go through a confirmation process in front of a judge in Spain. If your UK born pup has something that is perceived to be a fault in Spain (like missing dentition is a fault in France but not in the UK) your chances of showing and breeding can be totally scuppered.
Last edited by Maddie on Mon Nov 07, 2011 3:51 pm; edited 1 time in total
Quite right Maddie and as a buyer I would really like to see the parents and breeder of my new pup.
As I am back in the UK 3 or 4 times a year this wouldn't be a problem and it would give me an opportunity to pick up tips and meet other breeders as well.
I have been brought up with animals as I lived on a farm until my early 20s and had house dogs as well as working dogs, but there is always more to learn.
Sorry I cross posted when I was adding to my post!! Didn't mean to sound so negative!!
The hassle of re-registering a dog for me proved complicated!
My first I did agility with, we paid for an export pedigree but she had an injury which affected her gait so was not confirmable. So no chance of breeding - we did agility instead.
My second, I bought in France, she's LOF, from a top breeder, as my foundation bitch. Conformation and pedigree second to none - under a UK judge in France top marks under a French judge in France diddly. Reason? She has missing premolars - a fault in France, Not confirmable and therefore could not be bred from. I could have had recourse (so I was told by my vet) but decided to give up and then health problems got the better of me anyway. Showing in France was not for me - too many "professionals" and far too "facey"!!
My third is a much loved pet (we did show her too) and she came from a friend who is a hobby breeder in south Wales. She's UK reg and will stay UK reg!
Oh and DO got to some shows in Spain BEFORE you decide. Silly me went to my very first show (anywhere never mind France) and hadn't the foggiest what was going on! To top it all it was a massive international CACIB show at a huge exhibition centre in Bordeaux!! Talk about brown adrenaline!!
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You cannot attach files in this forum You cannot download files in this forum
.
