how much are they worth?

[lotsafun]

hi all, my bitch lucy is due to have pups in approx 4 weeks, she is a yorkshire terrier cross apparently with a bichon frisse and the dog she bred with is a bichon friss (not her father) but the neighbours dog. Ive had many people asking how much i would want for a pup and to be honest i really dont know what t say. I dont want to charge a ridiculous amount but i dont want to practically give them away either as i feel that people would just take them on a whim without thinking about the seriousness of taking on a dog, whereas if youve paid out good hard cash out for them then youve obviousley thought about it.
Also do i pay i pay for all the vacinations etc or the new owners? because this would also have to be taken into account with the price of the dogs. We dont want to make huge profits from this as this was a ''accident'' but we do want to be able to cover costs, get her spayed, and be able to treat my dog for all her hard work afterwards. , Also weve been researching on internet about signs of labour and delivery and came across one video of a couple putting iodine on the pups umbilical cords in order to seal it off to preven tinfections, but ive not seen it be done on any others. Is this recommended?

[jules77]

You need this book, it will tell you everything you need to know about whelping and aftercare etc. Glad to hear you are getting your girl spayed after the accident. As for price to sell puppies, I can understand you want to put a price on to cover the costs incurred and to avoid people having them on a whim, but I dont think you can ask much for a cross breed..

http://www.amazon.co....qid=1276941453&sr=8-1

[lankeela]

Believe me its not how much people pay that makes them treat a dog better - you only have to look at any pedigree breed rescue to know that the cost doesn't stop them getting rid of a dog for no good reason. If you let the pups go at 8 weeks then the new owners should have the vaccinations done, but if you keep them longer then you will need to get the first one done. Be careful though, if you have the first one done and the new owners take them to their own vets, they sometimes want them to have the full course done again. Usually the bitch will bite through the cord and there might be a little blood, but this will soon stop and the cord will shrivel up. If you need to cut the cord, its best to squash it between finger and thumb and tear it roughly rather than cut it neatly. Try not to pull it as you tear it or you could cause an umbilical hernia. I have a link to a site which is all about whelping, I will look it up and post it. As for costs of puppies, I would have thought about £200 - £250 for a crossbreed puppy is a reasonable amount.

[lankeela]

http://www.doggehouse.co.uk/whelping.htm

[lotsafun]

many thanks for your replies, the above link was very interesting to read.