Purchasing a French Bulldog - Choosing a Breeder
With any luck, the previous pages have convinced you of the importance
of purchasing your French Bulldog from an ethical breeder. Now the question
is - how do I find one, and how can be sure that the breeder I've found
is ethical?
Finding a breeder:
There are several ways to find a French Bulldog breeder to initiate
contact with:
- Check the FBDCA or
other national club website for breeders in your area (go
here to find clubs around the world)
- google search
for breeders in your area
- check the French
Bulldog links directory for breeders in your area
- visit local dog shows and talk to the exhibitors
- ask owners you meet for references, if they recommend their breeder
- join your local French
Bulldog meet up group and meet owners - ask for references on their
breeders, if they recommend them
- ask local vets if there are breeders whom they would recommend
- check the 'Rate
Your Breeder' forum on our website
Interviewing a breeder:
The checklist on the previous page gave
you the signs which will help you to identify an ethical
breeder. Keep them in mind when speaking to a breeder by phone, or
by any other method of correspondence.
Do they test? Will they provide you with the results?
Do they have good reasons for why they did this breeding?
Do they offer a health gaurantee?
Do they suppport you for the life of the dog?
Do they show? Compete? Belong to a breed club?
Do they ask YOU a lot of questions - where you live, what type of house,
how many kids, how many pets, etc.., etc.?
Are they concerned about than just whether or not you have the money
to buy a dog?
Will they provide you with references - other puppy buyers, veterinarians?
How long have they been breeding?
If any of these points raise red flags for you ('I bred her to get some
cute pups, and I been breeding since the pups got here last month'),
keep looking.
Be Patient, Be Prepared and Be Reasonable
Be patient - a good puppy, from the right breeder,
is worth waiting for. You might not get it tomorrow, or even next month,
but the wait will be worth it.
You'd be amazed how many people contact breeders on a regular basis
wanting a dog now - today. This is not only impractical, it's unreasonable.
Good breeders don't have a constant flow of puppies available.
Oh, and Christmas puppies? Forget it. Good breeders might happen to
have puppies at Christmas time, but they are NOT producing puppies to
provide Christmas presents. There are dozens of reasons why puppies at
Christmas time - or as gifts, period - are a really bad idea, and one
that makes good breeders shudder. Go
here for some of the best reasons to just say no to Christmas puppies.
Be prepared - have your notes ready when you contact
a breeder, and don't bother unless you're really sure of what you want.
Good breeders get dozens of phone calls and emails every day, and have
very little patience for vague questions about 'maybe wanting one someday
possibly'.
Be prepared to ask her questions, and to answer a LOT of them yourself.
Don't get insulted if you feel the questions you're being asked are intrusive
- she's asking them to make sure you're a good home for one of her puppies
- and she shouldn't get insulted if you're asking questions about her
breeding program.
Oh, and if you're calling her long distance, and you get the answering
machine, politeness dictates that you:
a) leave a clear message with your name, the reason for your call, and
a time to call you back
b) point out that when she calls you back, you'll return the call immediately
at your own expense
As we said, breeders get a lot of phone calls, and returning all of
those long distance calls to people who are still in the 'maybe someday'
phase of looking can really add up.
Be reasonable about what you're looking for - you are
looking for the best puppy you can get, from the best breeder you can
find. If you also add in things like odd or rare colors, or specific
times of year, your chances of finding a puppy are going to become really
slim. (real inquiry: 'we want a blue pied male with drop ears
that won't get to more than 20 lbs., and he has to have a white chest
and be ready to get picked by May because that's when we're taking our
holidays').
Make a priorties list: start with what's most important - health, temperment,
gaurantee. Then add in the other things you really prefer - sex, size,
time of year, proximity of breeder. Then your wish list: color, or spefic
markings. You might need to be willing to compromise one or two things
at the bottom of your list, to get the most important things at the top
of it.
Frenchies are expensive!
Frenchie puppies are expensive - and with good reason. Breeding French
Bulldogs is expensive, especially when you do it well. Go
here for an indepth analysis of the expenses involved in breeding
a French Bulldog litter.
You don't have to buy the priciest Frenchie you find, but you also need
to be sure that you're not sacrificing quality for cost.
The average price for a well bred, pet quality French Bulldog puppy
varies between $1600 and $2900, depending on where you are and on the
breeder's own criteria. It is virtually UNHEARD OF to see a French Bulldog
selling for less than $1200. Bear this in mind when seeing ads on sites
like puppyfind offering Frenchies for $600 including
shipping, as they are almost always wire transfer scams.
Show quality French Bulldogs vary wildly in price, ranging anywhere from
$1800 to $6000, depending on sex, coloration, quality and lineage.
By the way, asking if you can get the 'runt' for a lower price is pretty
much a sure way to ensure your email or phone call won't be returned.
Ever.
Travelling Time
Most breeders will insist - or at the very least, strongly prefer -
for you to come to them. They're going to want to meet you, to meet your
family, and to have you meet and interact with their dogs. You should
want the same things, since it gives you the chance to see everything
first hand, and meet the pups, their siblings, and their parents.
Unless you're lucky enough to have a good, ethical breeder right in
your area, chances are that this means you're going to have to do some
travelling.
If you do decide to have the puppy shipped to you, be extra careful
that you have done everything in your power to ensure that you are dealing
with an ethical, responsible, loving breeder. Also, please note that
I don't know of any good breeder who is willing to ship young pups on
non direct flights. It's just too risky.
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