DURING the Covid years there was a small fortune to be made from breeding a litter of puppies, such was the demand. An acquaintance bred a litter of cockerpoo puppies because he wanted a puppy from his bitch. He ended up pricing them at £3,500 each to ensure that he got genuine buyers and not individuals planning to sell them on at a profit. Once he had purchasers he approved of, he reduced the price by £1,000 but still made a tidy sum.
The puppy market has now returned to something like normal, which means not only far fewer puppies being born but much more sensible prices being set. You can, if you do your research carefully, find quality retriever or spaniel puppies at less than £1,000, though there are still some optimistic breeders pricing their puppies far too high and having to reduce them as they remain unsold. The worst nightmare for any breeder is ending up with 15- or 16-week-old puppies that nobody wants: peak sales are always in the eight- to 10-week-old period.
Thus my first advice to any amateur breeder contemplating having a litter of puppies from their bitch is to make sure that they have several confirmed orders before the puppies arrive. The best thing to do is to put the word around among your friends or shoot members that you are planning to breed a litter. Assuming that your bitch is known to be a good worker, is nice-looking and of sound temperament, then you might well be surprised by how many people will want one of her puppies.
Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av The Field.
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Denne historien er fra July 2023-utgaven av The Field.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Rory Stewart - The former Cabinet minister and hit podcast host talks to Alec Marsh about the parlous state of British politics, land management and his deep love of the countryside
The gently spoken 51-year-old former Conservative Cabinet minister is a countryman at heart. That's clear: he even changes into a tweed waistcoat for the interview, which takes place at his London home and begins with a question about his precise career status. Having resigned from the Commons and the Conservative Party in 2019, the former diplomat and soldier has reinvented himself, first with an unconventional but promising run as an independent for the London mayoralty (abandoned because of COVID19 in 2020) and then as a media figure, co-hosting one of the country's most popular podcasts, The Rest Is Politics, alongside Alastair Campbell, the former Labour spin doctor.
Fodder
Local fare with the feel-good factor.
Celebrating the game changers
Once served only in the traditional manner, the fruits of our forays now find their way into all manner of diverse and delicious dishes, say Neil and Serena Cross
The first civil engineer
John Smeaton left an indelible mark on the field of engineering and, three centuries after his birth, his legacy remains as strong as ever
School spirits
From grey ladies and ghostly gardeners to more malign entities, public schools are a rich repository of unnatural phenomena
'A long way from Piccadilly or Pall Mall'
Marking 150 years since the birth of Sir Winston Churchill, Dr Conor Farrington explores this eminent statesman’s often-overlooked 1907 tour of British East Africa: a journey rich with enchanting natural beauty and sporting adventure
Top of the pups
Canines in all their guises were celebrated at The Field Top Dog Awards lunch at Defender Burghley Horse Trials whether eager on the peg, patient at home or perpetually making mischief
Angling for success
It’s never too early to shape up for next season’s salmon and trout, and these top fishing schools are here to help
Talking scents
The canine nose is an astonishingly complex piece of biotechnology that man has harnessed for sustenance and sport for thousands of years
Wall-to-wall excitement
Criss-crossed by formidable drystone walls, the High Peak Harriers’ scenic country provides a day out with an exhilarating difference
