Today we are going to address a few important items when buying a French bulldog, I am going to lay it out on the table as a breeder so as a buyer you know why you are seeing what you are seeing.
1) The Frenchie fad- While frenchies are popping up all over tv and becoming popular little dogs with celebrities(I have contributed with this) this "fad" has nothing to do with the reason frenchies are so high in price, and if for some reason frenchies decline in popularity, you will see that the high dollar mark stays pretty average.
2) I personally advise against rescuing a French bulldog or purchasing them for under $2000.00- Before you go OMG! Keep reading. I have spent many days rehabilitating and rescuing French bulldogs, and I only do not condone it because it is draining in every way and requires a lot more training to handle issues from "puppy mill" dogs, than healthy frenchies, which still can have some problems just from dwarfing a breed. Had I not gone to veterinary school and became a licensed tech, I would not have been able to have the skills to rehabilitate French bulldogs with palette issues, that need to be tube fed or have surgeries on. I would not have known what the real prices vets charge, as sometimes vets can charge an arm and a leg when they know they can make money from these little brachycephalic dogs. I am all for rescue and participate in it. I am stating, do not take it lightly, make sure you are prepared, do your research, and find everything out that your capable of before deciding to embark on rescuing a pup. Also, if there is a kennel( like mine) that you find you love the look of the dog, contact the breeder and ask. There are many times we have retired dogs from a program, from showing, or one that maybe his ear didn't stay up and flops down, that is healthy otherwise, but that we would love to find loving homes for a smaller adoption fee.
Frenchies under $2000, especially online, probably come without papers ,or from a puppy mill(more on pricing shortly) There have been many times where people have stolen my ads and listed my personal dogs for sale as a scam as well. There are groups on facebook that list these known scammers. Make sure if that price is appealing to you, that you check before you make any sort of payments. Do not buy a puppy without talking to a person on the phone, if you are shipping make sure you have paper copies of everything, including a health guarantee and documented receipts.
Okay here's the deal on the price.
When breeding quality frenchies , consider that we have had to at least buy one male, and one female. There's your initial investment of around $5000 each for a quality dog with the unlimited papers, as people do not like to just give away their hard earned dogs pedigrees they have bred for years, shown and researched getting.
Pedigrees are important, it shows a lineage of health and success, when you buy a dog to breed, they need a good pedigree. I have not added in the prices that the American kennel club, or federacion internationale for dogs charges to register each dog and each puppy born to the breeder, or the dna fees those entities charge as well.
Next, normal vet care, vaccines and check ups for these two dogs( example) We can estimate $1000 with blood work and genetic testing.
Then we take them to what is called OFA(orthopedic foundation for animals) where a special licensed vet tests their heart, eyes , ears, hips and knees and scores them so we have a better idea of producing sound healthy babies. These tests run about $250 each, for each body part.
If we show the dog at conformation shows.. your looking at $100-300 a weekend, plus travel if any.
Once we breed the dog, the female needs hormone levels tested for peak ovulation which runs about $65 per test.
Then its breeding time, you pay a vet to artificially inseminate your dog which varies in price as some male frenchies are too short to lock into a female, should you stud your male out, it is safer to inseminate to keep from potential STDs spreading( and yes dogs can carry them) Male studs require a negative brucellosis test as well, so add that into your vet fees.Â
Ultrasounds are performed for $120 at 45 days gestation on the female to see how many babies and most frenchies are born via C-section.Â
Bully breeds have bigger heads than bodies when born and if one gets stuck in the birth canal, it can be fatal to all puppies and the mother, so better safe than sorry to do a cesarean. C- sections run $1200.
So now that we have listed some competitive pricing for French bulldog puppies and breeding them, as well as what goes into breeding quality, healthy puppies from responsible breeders, you have a better idea of why the cost is so high.
Keep in mind, as with anything that reproduces, there are going to be some flukes, some surprises, disappointments and things that are beyond all the health testing and planning we can do.
I hope you are more informed and if you are looking for a Frenchie puppy, you know now where your money is going :) Thanks!
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