Buying a dog can be confusing. The purpose of this page is to provide you, the buyer, with some basic information about the breed and breeders. If you have additional questions, please contact us directly and I'll try to answer any questions.
- Can you explain how puppies are priced?
There are two basic approaches that breeders take in pricing puppies. One approach is to use a "pick" system. The higher the pick, the higher the price. For example, if you wanted to be able to select the first male or female from the litter, you would pay a premium for that pick. On the other hand, if you wanted a later pick (like the third female selected), you would pay a lower price for that pick. Think of this as working like the NFL draft. At other times, rather than using a pick system, the breeder will set a price for each dog.
You have probably also noticed that puppies are priced in a very wide range. Some puppies may be a few hundred dollars while some dogs will be priced at several thousand dollars. The main factor is the lineage/pedigree of a puppy. We use Bullypedia (for example, to see the lineage of one of our recent breedings) to provide you with five generations of dame/sire history. This allows you to find a puppy whose traits are somewhat predictable. Things like genetic traits, coloring, pedigree, disposition, size of the dame/sire all contribute to pricing. Most higher end bully pups will be UKC purple ribbon registered. Make sure to talk with the breeder about who owns the sire/dame of a litter as you consider your options.
- What are some of the costs breeder's must cover?
This is different by breeder. First and foremost, the breeder had an initial investment to establish their kennel -- this includes setup and their original costs to acquire their start up dogs. For each puppy, assuming they go to homes at 8 - 10 weeks, a good breeder will insure that the pups have had their first two rounds of shots, deworming every couple of weeks, an initial vet visit and health certificate. The older a pup, the more costs the breeder will need to recover.
There can be additional costs -- for example, you may want the breeder to do ear cropping. This would keep you from having to locate someone that has experience cropping ears. Another item might be costs incurred in transporting the pup (airfare, crate).
- How do breeders insure a pup is going to a good home?
Many breeders, including ourselves, have contractual clauses that allow for inspection to make sure the dog is going to a home that can properly care for it and allows for the dog to be removed if it is used for any illegal activity.
- What are some "red flags" to look out for when picking pups?
These are based on our own personal experience of building out our kennel. First, avoid breeders that don't have time to discuss the breed with you -- including what to expect from owning these beautiful animals. Also, they should be able to answer questions about their specific dogs and what makes them unique/different from other options. They should be willing to describe their own kennel set up and their experience owning the breed. Second, avoid breeders that only do payments that are difficult to trace to a specific location. For me, a "money order only" breeder would be a red flag. Next, any puppy contract that spends more time highlighting forfeiture and returns should be a worrisome sign. As puppies grow, it is very reasonable to request photo and video updates from the breeder. If you are having a tough time getting a breeder to provides updates on a puppy's growth, it is likely that you are not dealing with a reputable breeder.
- Breeder quality, show quality and pet homes
Each of these categories will be priced differently. If you are planning to breed, you can expect a higher price. Same for "show" quality. These are the highest cost dogs you might consider. If you are only interested in a pet home dog, papers are not required and we would ask that the pup be spayed or neutured and stated in the purchase contract. You may still want a breeder or show quality pup for a pet home -- expect to follow the pet home rules with a slight reduction in breeder/show pricing.
Communication is the key. If a breeder is difficult to contact, has ever changing numbers or email addresses, and a new excuse every time about why something they committed to do for you didn't happen, it would be wise to run away.