A Puppy Should Not Be An Impulse Buy

The fact of the matter is, you get what you pay for.

The reason our puppies are priced higher is because we give everything into those puppies. Food, training, equipment, health testing, etc. 

Those who price their puppies low don't do everything for their dogs and puppies. They just want to pop out puppies quickly and sell them quickly.

What if that dog has hip dysplasia? It costs $2000 per hip to fix it. Can you afford that? If the dog is PRA affected, it will go blind. If you buy from a breeder who does not give a health guarantee, they won't help you pay for it or help you find a solution, then what? You are stuck with a sick dog and an empty wallet.

I've personally seen puppies being sold as cheap as $500, but it was pretty clear that those puppies had a bad body structure which means it has a severe genetic problem. Think doodles that looks like a dachshund. Long body, short legs, horrible wiry coat. Buyers might think it's pretty cute, but poor body structure will lead to health problems later in life. Cheap puppies means more medical bils.

What if that same breeder didn't do temperament testing and early puppy training, will that dog become too wild and unstable as it ages? You wouldn't want that kind of dog around your children or you're just too busy to deal with it. Then what? You can't even return the dog if the breeder doesn't take back their own dogs. This is why dog shelters fill up with unwanted dogs!

Like I said, you get what you paid for. A puppy should be a good investment. So why not make it your best investment?

Unfortunately all costs behind a litter when done responsibly is expensive. 

Pre-Breeding Costs:

Travel Costs To Meet The Stud - $150

Travel Costs To The Local Reproductive Vet - $100

Breeding Exam - $80

Progesterone Testing - $300

Brucellosis Testing - $80

Stud Fee - $3500 unless it's Pick of the Litter (meaning Stud Breeder will take a puppy instead)

Artificial Insemination - $500 

TOTAL PRE-BREEDING COST: $4710

Health Testing per dog:

OFA Hips & Elbows - $500

OFA Eyes - $40

OFA Patellas - $35

OFA Hearts - $250 with Echocardiogram, which is the best testing for hearts.

Embark DNA -$200 

Paw Prints Genetics DNA - $750

Pennhip for Hips - $1000

TOTAL PRE-BREEDING COST: $2775

Whelping Expenses:

Birth Supplies - $500

Prenatal Vitamins For Mama - $50

X-Rays - $200

Ultrasounds - $200

C-Sections - $3000

Whelping Pen -$200

Whelping Pads - $200

Heating Pad - $50

Puppy Pen - $200

Puppy Food For Mom: $200

TOTAL WHELPING COST: $4800

Puppy Vet Expenses For An Average Litter of 8 Puppies:

Deworming - $80

Litter Shots - $800

Microchip - $320

Puppy Expenses:

Puppy Food - $300

Puppy Supplies (new beds, new toys, new towels etc) - $100

Potty Training Expenses:

Crates - $200

Litter Pans - $100 depending on size of the litter

Litter - $30

Puppy Pads - $60

Disease Prevention Costs:

Rescue Disinfectant to prevent Parvo - $50

TOTAL PUPPY RAISING COSTS: $2040

****TOTAL LITTER COSTS: $14,325****

It doesn't even include the purchase cost of the Mom, which is usually $3000 as a base price plus breeding rights which would mean double the base price!

Not to mention equipment for struggling newborns like milk replacer, tube feedings, and of course vet care expenses on top of that.

There's also equipment for puppies as they get older like food bowls. Enrichment toys for training.  Slides, swings, stairs, etc. Those things do matter. They help puppies not be so scared of strange, weird things. They will startle much less and be more confident.

As you can see, providing the best is very costly. Not to mention the time we put into those puppies. Even doctors or police officers have days off. Breeders do not. We lose sleep, we work overnight to make sure they are thriving. Not only that, we work on them becoming litter trained and crate trained. We just don't feed them and leave them to it.

And if something goes wrong in any time in those 8 weeks, again we would have to pay thousands of dollars to help a sick puppy or a mom that isn't doing well.

In the end, you get a puppy that was well taken care of and loved for its first 8 weeks of life.

It's up to you to buy the right kind of dog you want. You deserve a dog that has a long healthy life. A dog that's happy and has a great temperament. A breeder who will support you for the dog's entire lifetime. That's my goal. I want you to have the best puppy you can have with my support for its entire lifetime.

I know many great breeders who charge from $1500 to $2000. I know many breeders who charge up to $3000. But you need to also look at what they also provide. Puppy Culture? Litter Training? What else? How are their lines? What do they provide to the puppies? 

Training - Puppy Kindergarten, Litter Training, Crate Training?

Health - OFA Clearances, what do they clear for? DNA, same thing.

Temperament - Calm or intense? Intense is good for hunting or for high activity work.

Body Structure - Do the breeders evaluate their lines for good body structure?

Coat - Are their parents coat tested for allergies? Do the coats look nice and soft? You will know a bad quality coat right away.

I can't tell you what's the right price since it varies from breeder to breeder and what things cost in their area. Utah has a low cost living, so they can afford to have a lower price compared to New York. Just remember, if you have a puppy shipped from another state, that's another $300-400 on top of the original price. Please do not ship a puppy via cargo. Try to have a puppy nanny who can bring the puppy as a carry on.

But personally I would not buy any puppies under $1500 or over $3500. You need to research the kennel, its lines, its health certifications, what it provides and then worry about the price. It's like buying a car. Would you really buy a car for $500 or would you rather save up money to buy a decent car for $20,000? That $500 car would probably break down in a year which will cost you more money in buying another car or in heavy repairs while the $20,000 car will last 20 years. Then there are the perks included... The $500 usually has none. And not to mention, not all car companies are equal and has different quality cars or different purposes for their cars. Some are sport, some are luxury, and some are for families.

Personally, I'd go for the $20,000 car.