What is a reasonable price for a dog???

[S.D. Ice Angular]

I am looking for a very specific puppy,

Pointing, Female, Yellow, (White Preferred) Lab??

I have seen pricing from $1300 - $1500 (Yellow, Not White) for this type of dog.

This seems outrages to me am I out of line for a 6 week old puppy??

Or am I so picky that the price goes up due to my requests??

[stretch]

No that seems a little high but also whats in the pedegree. I have been looking at pointing labs for a little while and just for a yellow pointing female lab i got pricing for $900

[Hooktup]

Check out northern pains retrievers HSOforum. Not shure what Wades prices are but i think he has 2 litters now and specializes in pointing labs. It would well worth your time to look. I'm thinking 650???

[S.D. Ice Angular]

Thanks Guys,

I Will check it out

[Hooktup]

P.S. You have good taste. I have 2 of what you described at home. Nothing better than a pointing lab!

[S.D. Ice Angular]

Anyone have a lead???

[gspman]

It's amazing the differences in pricing between the various breeds. Market demand and/or uniqueness really drives pricing in the dog world.

You could get 3 national champion bred pointers for $1500 or a couple NFC bred gsp's for that price.

[Ufatz]

Seems to me when a person is very breed and color specific with other parameters added in too, they should be prepared to pay more. While those prices seem absurd to me, they will probably be what you pay to get what you want, when you want it.

Good luck.

[PurpleFloyd]

Compared to the cost for vaccinations, yearly exams and food the purchase price doesn't seem that bad if you get what you want.

[TruthWalleyes]

Spend another grand and you should be able to pick up an already trained dog...

Cost doesn't make the dog though, the trainer/owner is the one who makes a good or bad dog.

My dad used to sell exactly what your looking for, with extremely good genetics for 400...

Also, why do you want a lab that"points"?We've never had a lab that points....but you can always tell when a bird is about to be flushed by the dogs behavior.

[S.D. Ice Angular]

I want a pointer because I love to hunt over them; I have a 2 year old GSP that is great. But if you drop a pheasant in a swampy area or anywhere near a body of water she is not too enthusiastic about the retrieve. I will have to put my flushing lab down anytime now, she is 13 and can barely walk. These two hunted very well together the past few years because the lab did not have the energy and stamina to work the field hard on flushing but had plenty of energy to do the retrieve. So now I thought I would go the “Pointer” route on her replacement with hopes they would hunt well together and honor/back each other’s point. But also have a dog that loves the water, the GSP is not a big fan of playing in the water any time of year.

[S.D. Ice Angular]

My dad used to sell exactly what your looking for, with extremely good genetics for 400...

Also, why do you want a lab that"points"?We've never had a lab that points....

Don’t these statements kind of contradict themselves??

[TruthWalleyes]

Lol Yes they do contradict, but as i said they all have noticeable tendencies similar to a "point".Good luck on your search. Its going to be tough to replace your good hunting team. I would not be as interested in a pointing dog as all labs that I've hunted with let you know when they are birdy.

[gspman]

Quote:

Compared to the cost for vaccinations, yearly exams and food the purchase price doesn't seem that bad if you get what you want.

Yep, the cheapest part about owning a dog is the purchase price. That said, you still need to be prudent about it.

[raymondk]

If you are not using your dog for duck hunting why would you go with a pointing lab every lab that I seen don't point as good as a real pointing breed.

[Bulldoggr]

I have a GSP right now, he is a great birdy dog. Not typical of the breed as far as dispostion goes. Meaning not so hyper. He is usally with me all the time. I bring him to work and he does great in the Job site.

His only flaw, he does not like water period.

Years ago I dabbled a bit in showing dogs. I had a German wirehaired pointers. They are a true versitile hunting dog. Point and retreive, and they love the water as much as any lab I have seen. They handle the Winters up here very well.

I would reccomend that breed to anyone, they make great family pets as well. and will always try to claim the couch or the bed for their own!

[PurpleFloyd]

Look into a Pudelpointer. They may be a better fit than a pointing lab.

I don't have one so no personal bias but from what you described they may fit you better.

[Hooktup]

Why is everyone trying to talk him out of a pointing lab? I have 2 and wouldnt run anything else!!

[TylerS]

If price really is an issue, you could get a pretty decent wirehair for less than half the cost of a pointing lab. Does everything you're looking for in that lab, but looks prettier

I'm not trying to talk you out of a pointing lab, but if cost really is an issue, this would be a compromise. Wirehairs point, retrieve and don't mind water. Plus, they shed a lot, lot less.

Just a suggestion. Good luck on your search!

[Brittany]

Seems to me when a person is very breed and color specific with other parameters added in too, they should be prepared to pay more. While those prices seem absurd to me, they will probably be what you pay to get what you want, when you want it.

Good luck.

100% agree with this statement.

So far, in my experience, $$FREE$$ has worked out pretty well (see my story here ) I'd been itching for a puppy -- either a golden or a chocolate lab--and River sort of just fell into our laps (Bobb-o has some sort of vendetta against pure-bred dogs, so he wouldn't stand for paying hundreds of dollars for one) Being a mixed-breed (mother was a golden, father was mostly lab) she probably isn't something anyone else on this forum would recommend, but she has that golden look I wanted and has turned out to be everything I've ever wanted in a dog -- great house pet, good manners, and a heck of a hunting dog. We'll see whether she can hold her own in next month's CMRC informal trials and maybe a NAHRA hunt test this summer...

The point I'm getting to (sorry for the digression... I enjoy bragging about the fluffy!) is that your "must-have" points are going to drive the initial price up. Pointing labs, to me, sound more like one of those designer dogs that have become so popular (think "doodles") The Labrador is a retrieving breed. Period. Flushing/backing should be able to be taught and controlled. If you put the obedience work in to keep a non-pointing lab close while your GSP does the bird-finding, you could absolutely have a younger version of that same team you currently have for half the start-up price.

This, of course, is assuming that you'd be doing all of the training yourself... If you end up shipping the pup off to some professional trainer to get the final results you want, then the extra however-many dollars for that "point" might be worth it to begin with. Take a good look at your list and gauge whether you'd be willing to bend on any of those specific traits to bring the price down. If you're going to stay firm with your must-haves (since you've already done the pricing homework) I suggest saving your pennies... or hope to get lucky in finding the perfect pup!

Best of luck to you!

[cavalierowner]

The price MAY go up when you are that specific, but what is more likely to happen is that you will wait a long time. Or at least in my experience. If someone comes to me with a long list of what they want in a puppy, that's fine; we just add them to our waiting list, we don't charge extra. But maybe we're different than a lot of breeders or it's different in other breeds.

A little off topic, but do puppies in the hunting breeds really go to homes at 6 weeks?? Not at all saying that's wrong, just asking the question because it's so different than what most breeders of our breed do. For a number of reasons, we hold on to Cavalier puppies until they are 11 to 12 weeks!!

[TruthWalleyes]

So far, in my experience, $$FREE$$ has worked out pretty well

My brother just got a free lab....But he also got 1st choice male Lucky bugger!

[LABS4ME]

They aren't blue Prius's... so know way of saying if a litter is worth $1300 dollars without knowing EVERYTHING about the litter.

The price you pay is fine as long as you are comfortable with the breeding and feel it's value is worth the asking price. If not you move on. You cannot put a tag of 'reasonable' on litters of puppies. Pedigrees, breeder reputations, color, balh blah blah all come into play. SOme breeders ask exhorbatant amounts of money for a pup, some barely cover their expenses. It is up to each buyer to make the decision if that is the pup for them and if they are willing to purchase... simple as that. I've seen pups I wouldn't buy at half the asking price, and I've seen puppies I'd have paid double for.... All in what your perception is.

no such thing as a "white" lab. They're all yellow. Lighter yellows have been known to darken with age, so I would not pin my hat on that as a purchasing decision, look for a well bred yellow and go with the lightest in the litter and hope for the best. I tell every potential puppy buyer, color should not enter into the equation, but if it does, it should be way down the list and not be a hinging point on to purchase or not. If you find yourself saying this litter is perfect except I wanted THIS certain color... just buy the pup and forget about the color... Whay give up every important attribute you want/need in a dog solely on the color of it's hair.

Cav... my dogs go home at 7-8 weeks. Had good luck with that. I've kept a few for buyers on certain occassions up to 12 weeks.... those lab pups are BIG at 12 weeks! Cant even imagine a litter of 11 at 12 weeks all together! HA

Good Luck!

Ken

[TylerS]

The point I'm getting to (sorry for the digression... I enjoy bragging about the fluffy!) is that your "must-have" points are going to drive the initial price up. Pointing labs, to me, sound more like one of those designer dogs that have become so popular (think "doodles") The Labrador is a retrieving breed. Period. Flushing/backing should be able to be taught and controlled. If you put the obedience work in to keep a non-pointing lab close while your GSP does the bird-finding, you could absolutely have a younger version of that same team you currently have for half the start-up price.

Couldn't agree more.

[surewood]

Best retrieving lab I have costs 100$. Great waterfowl dog. Got a male lab free and ended up being a pointing lab. First time he pointed I called to him to get over here. He wouldn't move. Finally walked over and flushed a hen pheasant a few feet in front of him. No clue he would point as it was never trained into him. Not saying I would never pay for a good lab, but some prices seem absurd to me. If it's a white pointing lab you want then I'm sure you'll be paying a premium rate. Good luck in your search.