3 main reasons COVID-19 inflated the price of cavoodle puppies in Australia

Going back to 2009, my parents bought me my first cavoodle puppy, Roxy, for a whopping $800 from a breeder 4-5 hours away from Sydney in Forbes. Back then they weren’t a popular dog being a cross-breed and being considered a “mutt” (a mutt is a mixed breed of dog, which have more than 2 breeds in their genetic make-up, sometimes even more than 3 or 4).

Their average going price back then was around $800-$1200 in NSW, still pricey for a breed that wasn’t around long, but because they were bred specifically for allergy sufferers (which my sister and I were) dad did his research and thought a cavoodle would make the perfect family pet!  

Skipping forward 12 years to 2021, cavoodles are now Australia’s #1 breed according to Hill’s. The average price for a cavoodle puppy in NSW can go anywhere from $4500-7000 thanks to coronavirus inflating the prices! 

We’ve put together 3 main reasons why we believe the price of cavoodle puppies has increased by $2-5k in the last 18 months:

#1. The Perfect breed for covid-19 lockdown in Australia & Access to our super!

When Australia first went into lockdown in March 2020, instantly the prices of so many dog breeds, especially the cavoodle puppy skyrocketed from an average price of $2000-3000, all the way up to $4500-7000! We believe many factors arose due to this happening including Australians being able to access their super early. This made for a great deal of disposable income if people still had their jobs, so if we couldn’t go on holidays with this money what else was there to do besides buy a new car (not that we could go far with it!), how about buy a new puppy for the family instead? Seems like a great idea to keep the kids occupied and for couples who may have had to put off their wedding it makes the perfect nesting scenario before having kids (we fell into the later category with bambi!)

Due to smaller land sizes in metro cities across Australia and the rise in apartment buildings, it also makes sense that people would want a pet that can live inside or in small backyards while we were all told to stay inside during the lockdowns. So looks like our perfect little secret got out… That cavoodle’s made a great family pet, companion and pandemic puppy! With their teddy bear appearances, how could a child not love this breed and for parents buying a dog that is gentle, friendly, doesn’t grow very big, eats smaller meals, can live inside, is smart, trainable, loyal, good with kids, what are the reasons people wouldn’t consider a cavoodle the best family pet and the perfect breed to buy in a lockdown!

 

# 2. Supply and demand of Cavoodles from breeders and pet shops 

Due to reason #1 Australian’s flocked onto cavoodle breeder waiting lists which caused a supply and demand problem. Seeing as responsible breeders might have only between 1-4 breeding girls at a time, they can only breed once a year and they must be over the age of 1.5-2 years old ideally. 

With the many factors that play a part in this it also means litters can sometimes be unpredictable or the numbers of puppies birthed can be low. Cavoodles are smaller dogs, so litters can be as low as two, or as high as 10, but the average tends to hover around four- six puppies per cavoodle litter. 

This means people on waiting lists could be waiting for months or a year to receive a puppy depending how far down the list they are. So the obvious thing is to obviously put yourself down on a number of waiting lists to see which opens first, creating a big supply and demand problem driving prices up and up! This along with the general expenses of caring for a cavoodle and their puppies can add up with constant vet checkups, x-rays, increase in food purchases and stud fees.

#3. Scammers and Puppy flipping from cheap puppy prices

Another key reason the price of cavoodles increased dramatically in a short amount of time was because of scammers and puppy flippers online and on social media.

Cavoodle scammers and puppy flippers are people who set up fake profiles, websites or socials to trick people into putting down large deposits for cavoodles that don’t exist (they aren’t real breeders), they do this by stealing other breeder photos of puppies online. 

Being aware of cavoodle scammers is really important as during the covid-19 pandemic, the ACCC says scammers were targeting people seeking a furry companion during social isolation. With 1047 reports of puppy scams between 1 January and 31 July, 2020, with almost $1 million in reported losses and 184 cavoodle scams specifically.

Puppy flippers are people who would purchase a cavoodle for a lower rate for example $4500 and then as soon as they pick them up from a breeder or pet shop they would have another buyer lined up already who was willing to pay $6000-$7000. This means the “puppy flipper” would automatically make between $1500-2500 by being a middle man and scamming desperate Australians who are after a cavoodle puppy to join their family. 

Due to this happening frequently across Australia during the early stages of the pandemic, breeders increased their prices so then it would deter scammers and puppy flippers. 

While we TOTALLY agree the prices did go up ridiculously high in such a short amount of time, we believe this breed is worth every cent. Bambi has brought so much joy into our lives, especially in this 2021 three-month never ending NSW lockdown and I personally wouldn’t get any other breed as they make the best companion and family member who you will cherish forever!