Extortionate Patterdale Puppy Prices in Coronavirus Lockdown

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Featured image – Gabriel (Image credit: Maisie Dean)

Many people often ask me how much they should pay for a Patterdale puppy. The price of a Patterdale Terrier Puppy SHOULD be around £250-£300. What is really disgusting is the extortionate Patterdale puppy prices in Coronavirus lockdown. This month (July 2020) I have actually seen Patterdale puppies advertised for £1500-£2000. It’s totally insane!

Patterdale Puppy Prices – What you should pay for a Patterdale and Why

You should expect to pay around £250-£300 for a Patterdale terrier pup from a breeder. Patterdales are not kennel club registered and they are not pure breeds and therefore the price should not exceed around £400.

If you are getting a Patterdale as a working Patterdale terrier for your farm, you may check that it is from working stock and expect it’s tail to have been docked. This should take place up to 5 days and it should have been done by a vet and so you should ask for a veterinary certificate to prove this.

Puppies shouldn’t be remove from their mother any earlier than 10-12 weeks. They should be free of fleas and worms with healthy eyes and ears. Read more about Patterdale terrier puppies here.

Why are Patterdale Terrier Puppies now being sold for over £1000?

The price of Patterdale terrier puppies has increased significantly during the Coronavirus lockdown because puppies are more in demand for the company and exercise during lockdown. But what appears to be a simple case of supply and demand becomes much ore complicated for the dogs involved.

The problem is twofold. Firstly, the breeders of these pups are not acting with the dogs’ best interest at heart. Secondly these pups are not ending up with the right owners and many end up in dog shelters.

Once you attach a large price tag to a puppy, it immediately encourages inexperienced breeders and illegal puppy farms. Many of these puppies are not properly cared for and the pups and their mothers do not have access to vetinary treatment that is needed. All the breeders care about is the cash as the end result. Many are flea ridden, have worms and have been taken away from their mothers too early.

You will see that a lot of these puppies are advertised on social media such as Facebook. Facebook are now cracking down on the problem and not allowing puppy sales on Facebook pages or groups.

The second part of the problem with the increased value of dogs in lockdown is that a number of these Patterdale pups are ending up with inexperienced owners or in unsuitable homes. So many people see the ‘cuteness’ of a patterdale pup without realising what is really needed to care for a Patterdale adequately. Many are untrained and unsocialised and end up in rescue centres.

In short, if you go to an inexperienced breeder and buy your Patterdale pup from a puppy farm or from poor conditions, you are essentially encouraging this underhand breeding to continue.

Have you Considered Rescue?

If you have previous terrier experience or at least researched the breed extensively, you could consider a rescue Patterdale. If you have the time and money to walk, train and look after a Patterdale then definitely think about this. When you adopt you are saving a life and giving a dog a second chance. Remember that a rescue Patterdale may not be a good idea for a family with young children or someone who works away long hours.

We rescued our Patterdale Blake from the RSPCA and the cost was just £140. Usually when you rescue you pay a donation which covers injections, training and spaying or neutering of the dog. You can read all about Blake our rescue Patterdale here.

Many dogs are suffering from separation anxiety and behaviour problems following coronavirus lockdown and so you may want to read this article on post lockdown dog training.

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