How much do Brittany Spaniels cost? [2024 Pricing]
The past few years have seen fluctuations in the amount of money people are charging for Brittany puppies. Breeders will blame this on a variety of factors, ranging from pandemic-related supply-and-demand to inflationary costs.
There was a recent heated debate on one of the online discussion groups about what constitutes a reasonable price for a Brittany puppy. Martha Greenlee of Piney Run Kennel had what I feel was the best response:
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“I divide Brittanys into two groups - working dogs and everything else.
If you buy a working puppy (i.e. a field dog) and he doesn’t hunt or won’t be competitive, you sell him and buy another puppy. Working puppies should not command high prices because their talents are unknown.
If you buy a pet dog you will pay more because you will keep this dog forever regardless of his talents.
Working puppy prices need to stay low so you have somewhere to go. THE PRICE FOR A FINISHED DOG SHOULD DRIVE THE PUPPY PRICE.
I’m just throwing these numbers out there as an example. What is the price for:
A puppy - $1000-$1500
A started puppy - $1500-$2000
A started derby - $1750-$2500
A green broke dog - $2500 - $3000
A finished dog - $3000-$4000
You can see how crazy it becomes when you start with a 9-week-old puppy valued at $1500. And what about the work you invested in training? If your puppy price starts out too high, you have nowhere to go.
Sadly, it is pet pricing and greed that is driving our market, not the working dog.”
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The breeders that use Gil at stud are free to set their own puppy prices, but I typically steer them toward the lower end of the scale above. It’s a fair price for a pup out of hard-hunting, health-tested parents, but it is less than what is charged by some who spend tens of thousands of dollars campaigning their show dogs, and is much less than those whose asking price is whatever the pet market will bear.
Introducing your Brittany puppy to gunfire
In this episode of the Brittany Breeding & Training podcast, I talk about introducing your puppy to gunfire. Listen to the podcast on your preferred platform:
Anchor | Apple Podcasts | Breaker | Castbox | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Spotify
In the podcast, I recommend using a blank starter pistol. My preferred model is available from Lyon Country Supply
Introducing your Brittany puppy to birds
In the latest episode of the Brittany Breeding & Training podcast, I talk about introducing your puppy to birds. Listen to the podcast on your preferred platform:
Anchor | Apple Podcasts | Breaker | Castbox | Google Podcasts | Pocket Casts | RadioPublic | Spotify
In the podcast, I recommend using flight-conditioned quail that have been released naturally into a field. If you decide instead to use carded pigeons and/or a remote bird launcher, the following resources could be helpful. Note that in the podcast, I recommend working with a training group or pro if you use either of these methods, as there are some potential problems each can cause:
Using pigeons and bird launchers (video)
How to use carded pigeons (discussion forum thread)
Introducing Your Brittany Puppy to Water
Brittanys are upland dogs, but they usually take to water very well when properly introduced. This episode of the Brittany Breeding and Training podcast explores the do’s and don’ts when it comes to your pup’s initial contact with swimming-depth water.
As an accompaniment to this audio podcast, see this video of me introducing Gil to water when he was a puppy.
To hear this episode of the Brittany Breeding and Training Podcast, listen on your preferred podcast platform below:
Introducing Your Brittany Puppy to Cover
Introducing your Brittany puppy to cover.
Early walks in the fields and woodlands are a great way to bond with your puppy, to bring out your puppy’s inquisitiveness and scenting abilities, and to lay the foundation for future field work. In the first episode of the Brittany Breeding and Training Podcast, we talk about where, when and how to first take your puppy afield.
This episode of the Brittany Breeding and Training Podcast is available on the following podcast platforms: