A Complete Price Guide for the Brittany Spaniel
The Brittany is a kind of gun dog. Sometimes, it is called the Brittany Spaniel rather than the Brittany. Chances are good that interested individuals can guess that the Brittany is named for the region of the same name that can be found in Northwestern France. Some people might find the name to be rather strange-sounding. If so, they should know that Brittany and its other-language equivalents are derived from Britannia, which was the Roman name for Great Britain as well as the Roman province of Britain. Brittany is called Brittany because a huge number of Britons settled in the region following the fall of the Western Roman Empire. Something that was so impactful that their descendants are still considered to be one of the six Celtic nations that exist in modern times.
There are paintings and other visual records that show what look like potential ancestors of the Brittany. However, the modern version of the gun dog started coming into existence in the mid 19th century. By 1907, the Brittany had become popular enough to be recognized in France, and by 1931, the Brittany had spread to the United States. Subsequent events would lead to slight but nonetheless important divergences. To name an example, everyone used to call the Brittany the Brittany Spaniel. Over time, a considerable number of dog breeders decided that the latter name was misleading because these gun dogs are pointing dogs whereas spaniels are flushing dogs. As such, some countries decided to drop the “spaniel” from their name while other countries decided to retain it, thus explaining the use of both Brittany and Brittany Spaniel.
In any case, the Brittany has a reputation for being both curious and independent while still being people-pleasers for the most part. These characteristics make sense considering their role as pointing dogs. Still, it is important to note that a particular Brittany can show a fair amount of variation, particularly since their personality will be shaped by both nature and nurture. Interested individuals should expect to provide these gun dogs with plenty of exercise as well as plenty of mental stimulation, both of which are needed to keep them from getting bored. Failure in providing either one of these things can lead to serious complications, meaning that those who can’t guaranteed them might want to look up other kinds of dogs.
What Can You Expect to Pay For a Brittany?
Purebred dogs tend to come with quite a price tag. Still, some of them are more expensive when compared with the rest while others are less expensive when compared with the rest. Apparently, the Brittany is one of the purebred dogs that are on the less expensive end of things because it is possible to buy them from a reputable dog breeder for about $700 to $1,100. Of course, it is possible to find the Brittany being sold for higher prices and lower prices because there is such a large number of factors that can influence their price one way or the other.
If a Brittany is being sold at a much higher price than normal, chances are good that there is something that makes both people willing to buy it at that price and people willing to sell it at that price. For instance, a particularly high-end Brittany puppy is said to be capable of selling for $2,000 or more, though there are a number of factors that need to align before its price can be pushed to that point. A prestigious bloodline is an excellent example. However, the Brittany puppy coming from a reputable dog breeder helps out a lot as well. Conversely, it is also possible for interested individuals to get one of these dogs for a much cheaper price than normal. In these cases, there are also various factors that can come together to bring about such situations.
In particular, the costs that go into a dog has a huge effect on a dog’s price. This should come as no surprise because most dog breeders are also business owners, meaning that they have very good reasons to make sure that their dogs are selling at a profit so that they can continue running their operations. Like other business owners, dog breeders can choose from a number of business strategies. One would be building up their reputation, thus enabling them to sell their dogs at a higher price than otherwise possible. That kind of thing is both laborious and time-consuming. After all, those dog breeders need to convince people that their dogs are exceptional, which tends to require them to make sure that their dogs are exceptional.
Another option would be selling dogs at a lower price, which often means selling more dogs at a lower price because of the need to make up for the low profit margin. Essentially, a lower price often means a smaller profit margin. As such, businesses that choose a low price strategy need to sell more of their products. There is nothing wrong with a dog breeder selling more dogs. Unfortunately, producing more dogs is expensive because it means caring for more dogs as well. Something that has been known to cause some dog breeders to start cutting costs. To some extent, that is fine. Dogs don’t need the maximum amount of training, healthcare, and accommodations for them to become loyal, loving companions. The issue is that there comes a point when cost-cutting starts eating into what should be considered the minimally-acceptable level of care. Sadly, that is very much capable of causing problems of one kind or another. For example, bad breeding practices can lead to much higher chances of dogs getting inheritable diseases even for dog breeds such as the Brittany that tend to be considered on the healthy end of things. Similarly, poor treatment is definitely capable of causing both physical issues and behavioral issues in the same, particularly if they are already unlucky in this regard because of bad breeding practices. Suffice to say that there are very good reasons why people get warned away from puppy mills. Even from a purely financial perspective, they are very bad because those physical issues and behavioral issues can be very expensive in the long run.
Still, interested individuals can see if they can benefit from other factors when buying from reputable dog breeders in order to get a better price than otherwise possible. Age is one of the factors that often gets brought up. Simply put, most people want puppies, so they tend to be less enthused about older dogs. Due to this, interested individuals might be able to get an older Brittany at a lower price if they don’t particularly mind the dog’s age. Likewise, it is worth mentioning that some coat colors are more in-demand than others. One of the most notable ways that the American standards differ from the French standards is that a black coat is still considered to be a fault under the former. Meanwhile, the latter had to become more relaxed on the issue during the post-war period because the Second World War had such a devastating effect on the dog breed in its homeland. A dark brown coat is another color that merits mention because it is rare, which is one of those things that tend to make dogs more in-demand rather than less in-demand.
Other than buying a Brittany, interested individuals still have the option of adopting a Brittany. This tends to be the less expensive option when compared with buying one of these dogs from a reputable dog breeder because even the most expensive adoptions shouldn’t break the low hundreds of dollars. Instead, the main issue with adopting a Brittany is one of availability. Chances are good that interested individuals won’t be able to choose from a wide range of such dogs, which is important because individual members of the same dog breed are still very much individuals. Thanks to this, they might not be able to get exactly the right dog for them, particularly if they have very exacting standards. Besides this, the other major issue is that dogs are sometimes sent to animal shelters and similar organizations because they have some kind of issue with them. If they are being adopted out, chances are good that the issue is manageable. Even so, that does mean additional complications for interested individuals.
What Other Costs Can You Expect From Owning a Brittany?
Interested individuals should always keep in mind that there are a lot more costs to owning a dog than just buying that dog. After all, they are living beings, meaning that they need a wide range of expenditures to enable them to live long, happy lives. There is some consolation in that a lot of these costs will be either one-time costs or very close to being one-time costs. However, everything else can still add up to quite a bit of money on a monthly basis.
Generally speaking, the first year of dog ownership should be the most expensive. This is because the costs of getting everything ready for the dog can add up to the low thousands of dollars. A good-sized chunk of those costs will come from tools, accessories, and the other things that a dog needs for their day-to-day life. However, a disproportionate amount will come from various procedures that tend to be highly-recommended but aren’t necessarily required. To name an example, spaying or neutering can cost more than $100 depending on the exact service provider. Similarly, a x-ray can cost $100 to $250 while an ultrasound can cost $250 to $500. It can be a good idea for interested individuals to spend some time shopping around from different retailers to see if they can get better deals for everything that they need for their dog, which is one more reason why they should get started on everything long before they bring their dog home with them.
Once the initial setup has been covered, subsequent costs should be much more manageable. The exact numbers can see a fair amount of variation from dog to dog. However, the monthly costs for a Brittany shouldn’t exceed the low hundreds of dollars. For starters, these aren’t particularly large dogs, so interested individuals shouldn’t expect to have to spend too much money on feeding them. Even when they choose to get high-quality dog food, they should be spending something like $10 to $25 a month for the average Brittany. Similarly, grooming, entertainment, and environment costs shouldn’t be very expensive for these dogs either. Fundamentally, the Brittany just isn’t a very needy dog when it comes to its grooming, as shown by how most of them can do just fine with a daily brushing. Still, someone with a particularly active Brittany might need professional dog grooming, which can be something like $10 to $35 on a monthly basis. Entertainment-wise, the numbers can be higher at about $20 to $40 on a monthly basis. Essentially, the Brittany is quite active, so some of them can work their way through their toys with remarkable speed. As for environment costs, while the Brittany is energetic, it isn’t particularly destructive. As such, these costs shouldn’t hit more than $5 to $10 a month because of cleaning supplies.
Instead, much of the monthly costs are going to be connected to healthcare in one way or another. Annoyingly, these monthly costs are going to be much less predictable than those that were mentioned earlier because so much depends on what is going on with the dog. The combination of routine healthcare and healthcare-related costs such as medication and veterinary visits can add up to $55 to $105 on a monthly basis. Unfortunately, non-routine healthcare and healthcare-related costs can go much higher. Healthcare being healthcare, the treatment for a single medical condition can hit the hundreds of dollars with ease. For that matter, it isn’t uncommon for it to hit the thousands of dollars. Due to this, interested individuals might want to buy pet insurance so that those costs will be covered if they ever become necessary. As always, the cost of pet insurance can be quite different from dog to dog. However, $20 to $50 a month is the normal range for the Brittany. Interested individuals need to make sure that they have the right coverage under the right circumstances for what they want. Otherwise, well, there isn’t much point to buying pet insurance in the first place.