What Breeds Would Suit?

Yes, that does all need to be taken into account, which people sometimes don't realise. However, particularly with rare breeds it is a fine line between asking a price that is justified and over pricing which does not help to encourage people to buy the breed as has been demonstrated here.
 
I know its "not a breed" before people go mental and most dog people seem to hate me even mentioning the name but LABRADOODLE (so there!). We've got one and she's brilliant. She just slotted into our life very easily, she's great with my 4yo son, brilliant with my cats / horses and never dreamt of hurting anything (not a hunter at all), she is snuggly and actually calmer than I expected until we want her to be wound up (we do agility with her). She's extremely intelligent and just a happy, easy dog. Her only thing is her recall isn't great outwith our property (but thats more our training I guess).
 
MagicMelon said:
I know its "not a breed" before people go mental and most dog people seem to hate me even mentioning the name but LABRADOODLE (so there!). We've got one and she's brilliant. She just slotted into our life very easily, she's great with my 4yo son, brilliant with my cats / horses and never dreamt of hurting anything (not a hunter at all), she is snuggly and actually calmer than I expected until we want her to be wound up (we do agility with her). She's extremely intelligent and just a happy, easy dog. Her only thing is her recall isn't great outwith our property (but thats more our training I guess).
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I have nothing against crossbreeds, but the gundog brain is not one that I gel with in terms of handling and training, so a cross of two gundog breeds would be unlikely to suit. Your dog sounds lovely :)

At any rate, I am unwilling to pay the equivalent of two to three months rent for any animal that is merely intended to be a pet. Yes, in terms of disposable income I can afford it, but it would just feel too self-indulgent and irresponsible. I fully accept that I am in the minority with this view. I stand by it anyhow. Mostly because as a non-driver based in rural NI, travelling to view litters and eventually collect a pup will also cost me a considerable sum. It will also involve arranging cover for my horses and support for my husband, who's disabled. So it's not a case of my just hopping in the car and driving for a few hours there and back, IYSWIM.

In terms of what I am comfortable paying, well for a healthy, cared for, well bred (EG - from a well planned litter, but not necessarily show quality, or indeed even papered) 8 week old pup, that has had its initial jabs, wormed to date, microchip, and any relevant health checks (decent joints, functional heart and lungs essential, normal eyesight and hearing preferable), I would go as high as £350. To me, this is a fair recompense to the breeder. If a pup costs more than this just to get to eight weeks of age, then it either eats gold or has needed a lot more veterinary care than is acceptable! I don't expect perfect by any means, so unacceptable colours, overly long legs, weird shaped ears or tails, etc - no problem. Depending on the cause of the issue, I would also accept a blind or deaf pup, as neither condition precludes them being a pet.

I don't agree with recompensing the costs of stud fees, health tests for parents, whelping related costs, or time spent caring for the litter. If someone decides to breed a litter, they should be prepared to finance those aspects themselves. If they can't afford to do this, then maybe they shouldn't breed the litter after all. Before anyone accuses me of supporting backyard breeders, I don't count those as well planned, cared for, or likely to be healthy, and my maximum budget would be lowered accordingly - the cost of feeding the pup from weaning to purchase seems reasonable, so from about £15 to £70, depending on the exact circumstances.

But none of that matters, because I'm not having another dog. Especially not a rescue - already served my time with two of those. One was not as described by the rescue in his temperament and was returned for safety reasons, the other was affectionate and gentle but remained as mad as a box of frogs and with zero recall from her arrival aged four months until the day she died, aged thirteen years. No, I shall sponsor one instead, and perhaps take the opportunity to do things that non-dog owners take for granted. I have no idea what those things are, but presumably they're fun.
 
TBH I know it depends on breed, but it cost me around 300 sterling in total for health tests on one dog, and they were sent to Germany so slightly more expensive than through the BVA. I've spent a scary amount of money on travel/training/titling but if I were to breed, and I've never really been inclined to, I wouldn't expect any recompense for that, as you say, those things were my responsibility to do, to put on paper that he is a good example of his breed.

Do let me know what the non dog activities are like ;)
 
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