Some breeders worried about customer reaction after Trade Me ban on pugs, French and British bulldogs

French bulldogs have been banned from sale on Trade Me - along with pugs and British bulldogs. Photo / File

Some dog buyers are getting cold feet about continuing with the purchase of pugs, or French and British bulldogs after yesterday's announcement the breeds were banned on Trade Me.

But it's a mixed response from breeders as to whether or not they're worried customers will start pulling out of sales.

Trade Me policy and compliance team leader James Ryan said yesterday that the breeds, which will be banned from sale on the website from March, "suffer acutely from brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (Boas) which dramatically impacts the quality of their life".

Many dogs suffer so severely they have trouble exercising for longer than three minutes, he said.

British bulldog breeder Hazel Willcock said she knew of one person who had already had a customer pull out of a sale due to the bad publicity around the breeds, but she had not experienced any backlash herself yet.

"The great majority of bulldogs don't have trouble breathing," she said.

Willcock has been breeding dogs for 50 years and doesn't expect to have any issues selling her puppies, as she has regular "clientele".

A French bulldog breeder who only wanted to be named as Marea said she hadn't had any issues yet with customers, but was worried some could arise.

"I haven't yet had anyone back off. I thought 'oh dear, this is going to cramp the style of the genuine breeders."

Marea has a new litter of puppies and is concerned some buyers may be scared off.

She said the Trade Me ban was targeted at "backyard breeders" and that anyone wanting to buy one of the breeds needed to find out about the ancestry of the puppy to make sure it wasn't bred from a dog with health problems.

Backyard breeders were causing the problem and ruining it for the rest, she said.

"It's unfortunate that this has had to happen."

Pug breeder Gail Kirton said health problems often depended on how owners looked after the dogs and what weight they were kept at.

None of her customers had ever reported breathing problems with the dogs they'd bought from her.

She thought Trade Me should not just pick on those three breeds, but all dogs that have health problems from breeding, such as German shepherds with hip issues.

Kirton only has to take her pugs to the vet once a year, for their vaccinations.

Pugcity Kennels' Pamela Hooper said hadn't had any issues with customers after the bad press, and she didn't expect to.

"I think it's going to be good because with a bit of luck it wills top all those disgusting backyard breeders and farmers," she said.

British bulldog breeder Angela Jammsen said the Trade Me situation was "not ideal" but "it is what it is".

"I think the worst thing is they are really getting down on these dogs really hard. They're saying it's in the breed. That's not true.

"It's always the bad apples that spoil it for the rest."