How much should you pay for an English bulldog puppy?

The English bulldog is a hugely popular dog breed here in the UK, and there are a significant number of adverts for English bulldog puppies for sale here on Pets4Homes at any given time. Both professional dog breeders and those that own bulldogs as pets serve the demand for pups by breeding from their own stock, but if you are looking to buy an English bulldog puppy, you have probably noticed that the prices can be highly variable-ranging from around £1,00pounds up to over £3,000, or even more.

This can make it hard for a would-be buyer to determine how much an English bulldog puppy should cost, and to ascertain why a puppy advertised at the top end of the price spectrum is worth more than a cheaper one-or if they really are at all.

Choosing any puppy is a significant undertaking, and not a decision to be rushed into or made lightly-and when it comes to English bulldogs, making the right choice and picking a healthy, good quality puppy is vitally important.

If you are considering buying an English bulldog puppy and are not sure how much you should be spending, or want to know what factors go towards determining the price of any given puppy, in this article we will examine the factors to consider, and what to look for when determining a fair price. Read on to learn more.

Pedigree status

One of the main factors that determines the cost of any puppy is whether or not they are registered as pedigrees with The Kennel Club. Registered pedigree pups will invariably cost more than dogs that are not registered and that do not have a formal record of their ancestry, even if they are very good-looking dogs that might well have been show winners if they had the appropriate paperwork in place!

Assured breeders

As well as registering pedigree status, The Kennel Club also runs a scheme called the “Assured Breeders Scheme,” which sets out rules and guidance for breeders to adhere to in order to promote responsible breeding and selling, good health, and improvement of the breed.

Buying from English bulldog breeders that are members of the assured breeder scheme provides an additional layer of reassurance for puppy buyers, and can lead to a slight increase in the cost of pups to reflect this.

Health and health testing

As a whole, the English bulldog breed has more than their fair share of hereditary health problems, and potential conformation issues that can negatively impact upon the health of the dog.

In order to ensure that only healthy dogs are bred from and to improve the health and wellbeing of the breed as a whole, there are a number of pre-breeding DNA tests and health screening schemes in place for the English bulldog, to enable breeders to ensure that only healthy dogs reproduce.

An English bulldog whose parents have undergone the relevant health tests prior to breeding will produce a litter with a much better chance of living a long and healthy life, providing reassurance for buyers-and it is highly recommended to choose an English bulldog bred from tested parents.

Pups from tested parents and that have a traceable ancestry of healthy dogs always command higher prices than unknown quantities.

Breed council health assessment

The Bulldog Breed Council itself runs a health monitoring and improvement scheme for the breed, which awards certifications of bronze, silver and gold respectively to dogs at different levels.

This comprehensive program involves a range of examinations and tests of the dog in question for different factors, and again, participation in the scheme by breeders can help to add value for buyers, and help to ensure good quality puppies that stand the best chance of being free of problems.

This means that the price for a puppy bred from parents with bronze, silver or gold certification will rise incrementally for each level.

The cost of breeding

Breeding English bulldogs is usually more expensive than breeding other dogs-first of all, good quality breeding stock are expensive to buy or use for stud, and also, bulldogs don’t tend to have particularly large litters. English bulldogs also usually have to be delivered by caesarean section due to the size of their heads, and all of these costs add up to contribute to the eventual price of the puppies.

Conformation and quality

The quality and conformation of English bulldogs has a great impact on the price that a pup will be sold for, and there can be variations even within the same litter. Obviously the better the conformation and appearance of the parents, the higher the price that their puppies will command-and puppies that have very desirable markings and conformation and that look as if they will shape up to be viable breeding stock or show quality dogs will cost more than pet-quality bulldogs.

Ancestry and parentage

Even when comparing two different pedigree bulldogs for sale, the ancestry and parentage of a litter can go towards determining the cost of the pups. Litters bred from show winning dogs, those that are greatly in demand at stud or that are otherwise notable and highly desirable will be more expensive than pedigree bulldogs without any famous relatives!

Geographical location

Many puppy buyers travel great distances to see and choose the right puppy, but where in the country any given breeder is located can contribute to a higher or lower sale price for the pups.

Breeders in remote locations might not have as much demand for the puppies, and so, will price them accordingly-but also, their costs are apt to be lower in terms of premises, the local cost of veterinary treatment and other factors, which means that two very similar puppies in different parts of the country might have a reasonable level of price variance simply due to their respective locations.

Breeding rights

Many dog breeders place a caveat within their sales contracts that their pups must be spayed or neutered and not used for breeding unless otherwise agreed beforehand. If a pup is sold with breeding rights or has been marked out as particularly desirable breeding stock, their price is likely to be higher.

Old Tyme bulldogs

Finally, so-called “Old TymeBulldog” or traditional style bulldogs are not a specific breed in their own right, and may or may not be dogs that are registered pedigree English bulldogs. These dogs are selectively bred to produce a more traditional appearance and improved health than the modern appearance we recognise, and that is outlined in the breed standard.

Due to this, Old-Tyme bulldogs do not usually come with pedigree paperwork and the additional level of reassurance that this can provide, and they may not have undergone any health testing or external quality monitoring.

However, if you are looking for a bulldog in a more traditional style and that is bred to try to reduce and avoid some of the most common English bulldog conformation and health problems, an Old Tyme bulldog is likely to be less costly to buy as well.