A price to pay

Nick Ridley bemoans the cost the lockdown has exacted on the gundog world

- Nick Ridley

Since lockdown the gundog market has changed dramatically. This is especially so in two ways. The first is an almost unbelievable rise in the price of puppies. To put things in some kind of perspective, in ‘normal’ times you could expect to buy a ready-trained spaniel for between £1,800 and £2,300. This would, of course, depend on the experience and degree of training the dog had received. Not so long ago a local gamekeeper needed another dog to join his team and he asked if I knew of any dogs that were available. Through a contact I found an 18-month-old springer bitch with an impeccable pedigree that had gone through her basic gundog training with an experienced trainer and just needed some field experience. The keeper paid £1,500 for the dog and he is delighted with her. In fact, he says she is the best dog he has ever had, she hunts nice and close, stops to flush, has a solid recall and retrieve and is a credit to her trainer. In normal times you would expect to pay £500 to £600 for a springer puppy of her breeding, but currently, this dog was good value.

Inflation