You don’t always get what you pay for!
There are no set prices that people can ask for in a Bullmastiff puppy. Throughout the world, the average price of course would differ, but one thing remains the same, no matter where you are living, you don’t always get what you pay for!

Newspaper classifieds have long been a place for people to advertise puppies for sale, and the internet has opened up an even cheaper and more effective ways for people to sell items, dogs included.   There are thousands of classifieds sites offering dogs for sale and whilst not all of these ads may be dodgy,  a great majority of them are, and you need to be aware of the pitfalls.

Show/Breeding propositions
If you wish to purchase a dog to show, then do yourself a big favour, only buy your puppy from a breeder who show their dogs themselves. 

Any person can apply and register a breeders prefix.  Any person can purchase dogs with full papers and mate them together, then sell the resulting progeny with full papers as show/breeding prospects.  Ask yourself why these people do not show their dogs? 

Kennels who show their stock, have a reputation to uphold, and will only sell you a puppy to show that they believe has show potential (as much as you can tell at 8-12 weeks of age) and are happy to have their kennel represented by you in the showring with that particular pup.

Most kennels who show their dogs have websites, that are happy to display photos of their dogs and their pedigrees, so that you can see the parents that are behind them as well.  Show kennels who do not have websites, usually will be able to be searched in a search engine, and will usually come up somewhere on the net.

Ring around, and ask these recognized breeders, how much they charge for a puppy.  You will find, that there will be differences, but generally, it not be a huge difference from one reputable breeder to the next. 

There are always exceptions, for example, a pup from either one or both imported parents, breeders may ask a slight higher price than non-imported parents. 

Pet Prices
Whilst some breeders may charge slighter less for a Pet only Bullmastiff, you will find that most do not charge any different at all.  All puppies in the litter are raised, vaccinated, wormed and cared for in exactly the same manner, so therefore, a Bullmastiff puppy is a Bullmastiff puppy, regardless of whether it be for show, breeding or a pet.

Newspaper Classifieds Case Study
Recently there were some Bullmastiff puppies advertised in the weekend classifieds of a major Newspaper.  Both mother and father were registered, and the breeder had registered her kennel prefix, just prior to this litter.

These puppies were advertised for almost three times the current average price of a puppy.  When questioned about why these puppies were so much more expensive than elsewhere, the breeder responded by telling the enquirer, that they would not find Bullmastiff puppies of this quality anywhere else in the country.

They were also told, that there are two types of Breeders.  There are breeders who show, and they breed sometimes, and they put more effort and dedication into showing than the breeding side of things.  Then, there are the people like them, who are the truly dedicated breeders.  They do not show their dogs but put all of their time and energy into breeding, so they know more about what they are doing than those show people! 

This is INCORRECT, and a marketing ploy to get more money for their puppies, as well as to try and stop people ringing around to other breeders.  These type of people are puppy farmers, out to get your money.

Just because a person has two registered dogs that they own, does not necessarily mean these dogs compliment each other as far as conformation goes.  People who breed dogs together in this manner, have no regard to what dogs or lines they are breeding together, so long as they have puppies to sell, they will keep doing so.

Internet Classifieds Case Study
An ad on a popular classifieds internet site, has puppies advertised for sale.  Both parents have papers, but the resulting puppies do not. 

These puppies are generally cheaper than from reputable breeders, but these type of people are not bound by any regulations to what they are doing from any Canine Control body, so how do you know that you are actually buying a purebred dog? 

What proof do you have that both parents are who the seller says they are?  What guarantee is that breeder prepared to give the buyer that the dog?  There is a strong possibility that the breeder of these types of puppies will have a free email account, and a mobile number that will no longer work, once all of these puppies have been sold, so you will have no way of ever reaching them again, when things turn sour.

Do your homework
Take the time to find a breeder who you feel you can trust.  Ask questions.  Visit their kennel and/or telephone them.  View their website, or ask for photos to be emailed or sent to you if they don’t have internet access.

Some breeders ask for a holding deposit, however, this should not be necessary until the puppy has been Vet checked (usually at 6 weeks of age) and is reserved, in particular, for you.  

Some breeders will not refund your holding deposit, so make sure you are aware of all such things before handing your money over.

Most breeders sell on contract, so ask for a copy of the contract before paying any deposit or full price, in case there are terms in the contract you wish to discuss further.

Make sure you feel confident in your decision before you take that step to purchase.   

Above all, be patient. Be prepared to wait for that special puppy that you want so badly.  Once you have made your decision on the breeder you wish to purchase from, ask to put your name down to be contacted when they next have some puppies available.

Bitches come into season usually twice a year, so puppies may not always be available, just when you are looking.

And remember, your purchase of a Bullmastiff puppy is for the life of the dog, so make sure you don’t end up living with regrets from a poor decision you could have changed from the start.

Nikki Marshall