Understanding breeding costs

One of the most common emails I receive is from people asking, “Should I breed my French Bulldog?” Or "why are they so expensive"?. Generally, these people are very well intentioned. They have a wonderful French Bulldog that they love, and they can’t imagine anything more rewarding than having their dog produce French Bulldog puppies just as beautiful as they are.

It’s hard to deny the cuteness of a Frenchie puppy – or that of any other breed. Those soft coats, those limpid eyes and that puppy breath! One glance at a litter of healthy puppies is enough to make any owner of a pure bred dog consider breeding their own. After all, it looks like so much fun, and you might even make a little bit of extra money.

Before rushing into breeding, there are some very specific things you need to consider. Cost, for one. Breeding, whelping and raising French Bulldogs is exorbitantly expensive — more so that you could probably imagine. The vast majority of French Bulldogs can neither breed, conceive or whelp naturally, and these costs can add up into the thousands in a very short period of time. Consider as well the emotional impact of seeing your beloved girl sedated, intubated and cut open on an operating table – all for the sake of hopefully one or two puppies. All of that stress comes along with a hefty price tag…

French Bulldog Litters – the Caviar of Dog Breeding (In Expenses Alone!)

Here’s an example work sheet of a litter we whelped several years ago. Unless otherwise indicated, all costs are in Canadian Dollars:

Procedure Cost Timing Testing of the Bitch – progesterone & LH testing to determine optimum breeding dates. $1600.00

Stud Fee ( If applicable) $3500.00

Ultrasound & Xrays to determine pregnancy  $280.00
Supplements, Vitamins, Premium Food aprox $500.00
Reverse Progesterone to determine whelp date $600.00
       C Section $2050.00 and up
Follow Up Visit for Mom and Pups $250.00
Shots, Worming, Well Puppy Visit, Microchips @ 3 puppies $550.00
Litter and Puppy Registration aprox $400.00

This would be a rough idea of problem free SMALL litter. Bearing in mind that we have left out the costs of advertising, health testing, showing, feeding and all other expenses associated with this bitch and Sire reaching a stage where she is suitable to be bred, we are still looking at large net costs per puppy produced. Bear in mind, as well, that the net cost would have been much the same even if this litter had only produced one puppy – or none.

We also need to consider that not all litters are trouble free. Some end in stress for the breeder, the bitch and the puppies, and some end up much, much worse.

Puppies Always Come in the Middle of the Night

After the puppies arrive the work really begins! Mounds of laundry, follow up medication for the bitch, deworming puppies, Feeding puppies every 2 hours all night long, Letting the bitch outside to potty..... and the list goes on.

Summary

The rule of thumb in dog breeding — perhaps the dog breeder’s credo — should go something like this:

“If you think it can’t happen, it will. If you KNOW it can’t happen, it will. If it is absolutely impossible for it to happen, it will most DEFINATELY.”

Mother nature works to ensure that the minute a dog breeder assumes that all is going well, something will go wrong. If you are prepared to make the choice to be a dog breeder, you need to be aware of the risks associated with, and the incredibly hard work and agonizing situations which it entails.

Planning is an essential part of breeding French Bulldogs, and if you’re not the plan ahead type, it’s probably not for you.

Dead bitches, dead puppies, dead litters, sleepless nights, devastating vet bills, and round the clock work are all the prices we must be prepared to pay for the rewards of snuggling those cute little faces which survive.

Until you have held in your hands a cold, dead puppy — one you’ve watched since birth, one you’ve waited for so eagerly — you cannot know what loss is. Until your bitch has died from complications of a breeding that you decided and planned, you cannot know what regret is. Serious breeders are aware of all of this, and reluctantly accepting of the possible outcomes which can happen.

What you need to ask yourself is are you prepared and willing to risk all of this?