Purchasing a dog is an investment of both your time and your money. Bulldogs especially do not come cheap, so you should be prepared for that fact before you buy one. But why is it that Bulldogs are so expensive? What makes them cost more than other breeds?

How Much Do Bulldog Puppies Cost?

When shopping for a Bulldog puppy you shouldn’t be surprised if you find a wide variety of different prices. You need to be careful, however, about paying too much or too little for a puppy. If the cost for a puppy is too low it could be an indication that it comes from an inexperienced hobby breeder and it probably doesn’t have a good pedigree. On the other hand, you don’t want to pay more than a purebred Bulldog puppy is worth.

A fair price for an AKC-registered purebred Bulldog puppy is between $1,500 and $3,000. The reason Bulldog puppies are so expensive is because they usually have to be delivered by cesarean section because their heads are often too big for the mother to deliver them naturally. The cost for this surgery generally rolls over into the price for the puppy.

What Makes Bulldogs So Expensive to Own?

One of the main factors that comes into consideration when determining the price for Bulldog puppies is the cost to raise them. Before a breeder even thinks about breeding a Bulldog he has to carefully select a breeding pair and put each of them through DNA testing to make sure that they are not carriers for certain hereditary conditions. Once the pair is chosen, the actually breeding takes place. In many cases, this involves the breeder paying for a stud service and having the female artificially inseminated – both of these things can be costly.

During the pregnancy, female Bulldogs require a high-quality diet and routine veterinary care to ensure the wellbeing of herself and her puppies. When the dog starts going into labor, she must be taken to the veterinary hospital for a C-section. Whether she goes into labor during normal business hours or after-hours will have a significant impact on the cost for the procedure. After the puppies are born, they must then be carefully monitored and they should be seen by a veterinarian about once every two weeks. Once they reach 4 to 6 weeks old they will start to need their puppies shots as well as flea, tick, and heartworm prevention.

Aside from the high price of a Bulldog puppy, this breed also tends to be fairly expensive to maintain throughout its life. Bulldogs have stocky bodies and very short faces which predisposes them to a set of conditions known as brachycephalic syndrome. The Bulldog is prone to breathing problems, heat exhaustion, and exercise intolerance so they need to be monitored carefully. Bulldogs are also prone to a number of serious health problems like skin allergies, hip and elbow dysplasia, and heart problems that can be costly to treat.

Though Bulldogs are one of the most expensive dogs to breed and keep as a pet, they are definitely worth it. One look from your Bulldog’s adorable face is all you will need to fall completely in love.

Photo credit: Joe Cheng/Flickr