Costs
A lot of people ask why Frenchies cost so much… Well, here you go!!
Quality French and English bulldogs from well-established and reputable breeders are NOT CHEAP! Much time, research, effort, and expense are involved in raising a French or English bulldog litter. It can EASILY cost around $5,000- $9,000 to breed, deliver, and raise a litter.
If you consider the initial investment for the breeder to buy a quality, well-bred female, this, on average, is anywhere from $5,000-$15,000 or more!
Then you have the cost of raising that female on a quality diet, vet care, and grooming supplies, which can add $1,000-$2,000 per dog in an average year.
When the female finally reaches breeding age (IF she turns out to be breeding quality), you begin searching for the right stud. This can consume countless hours of researching pedigrees and healthy lines.
Once you find the right stud, you pay another $1,000-$8,000 for the stud fee!
In MOST cases, the stud is in another state or country. You then have to pay to have the semen shipped to you. If this is a state-to-state shipment, the average cost is about $250 per collection and overnight shipment, and we always do two inseminations on our females. If the semen is coming from another country, it has to come cryogenically frozen and shipped in a nitrogen container, which means you have to pay for the return shipping of that container. Overnight cryo shipments from Europe are $1,000, which does not include the cost for the stud owner to have the semen frozen! That can add another $1,000-$1,500 to the stud fee and the shipping. If you are using frozen semen, you have to have it surgically implanted in the female, which is another $500-$900!
When the female finally comes into heat, you must begin progesterone testing to determine when she will ovulate and can be bred. These tests run, on average, $80 each and should be done every other day until peak levels are reached; That’s another $300-$400. Once she is ready and you have your semen shipped, the artificial insemination is another $150-$600 per a.i.! Then you wait four weeks for an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy; that’s another $100.
If you are lucky and the female is confirmed pregnant, you must purchase supplies to prepare for your litter! Hospital-grade puppy Incubators are $1,000 and up. You will need towels, tube feeding supplies (because you do NOT bottle feed French and English bulldogs), heating pads, blankets (lots of them, it will be messy), medical supplies, milk replacement, a puppy weight scale, and the list goes on… (you can add at least another $500 in supplies and food.) Then comes the c-section, another $1,000+ if it’s scheduled during business hours. If your female needs a late-night or weekend emergency c-section, you can double that!
MOST French and English bulldogs do not deliver naturally, and after all the time and money invested, it is safer not to risk the life of the mother or her litter to “see if she can deliver naturally.” Bulldogs always need assistance from humans during labor as they have short flat faces and can have trouble tearing the sacks by themselves, not to mention puppies getting stuck! C-sections are the safest way to deliver for a mom and her babies. Some females will not have anything to do with the puppies once they are born. Some are inexperienced in the matter and don’t understand what to do with the pups; thus, countless hours are spent assisting in raising the puppies. You must constantly watch the mother, so she doesn’t accidentally lay on one of her pups and suffocate it, not even realizing it.
The puppies must be fed every 2 hours around the clock for the 1st couple weeks of their lives. This means you can kiss sleep goodbye for at least 2-3 weeks, and if you have a job, you better plan to take your vacation during this time! If mom’s milk doesn’t come in or she isn’t producing enough milk, which is quite common, you will be tube feeding a litter of pups every 2-3 hours around the clock! The average size of a French bulldog litter is only 2-4 puppies, and 4-6 for English bulldogs! So, after the breeder chooses who they are keeping, there may only be a few pups available for sale. If you do the math on what it costs to get that litter into the world and compare that to the amount of selling a few puppies, you will see who is taking the more significant loss and why bulldogs are so expensive!
The amount of time and money invested in PROPERLY raising and breeding bulldogs is astronomical compared to the cost of buying a QUALITY puppy from a reputable breeder! (Copied from another breeder author to me unknown) You usually get what you pay for, as the saying goes… you may find “cheaper” pups, as I have heard from some! Maybe you pay less in the beginning, sure? It may cost you in the end for vet bills and unhealthy puppies into adulthood! We strive to get you, your furever family member, the most reasonable & healthiest, the best we can!
