Prices for dogs - Page 3

I will say this and then I'm out. The current litter I have of 5, was only bred because I wanted one to keep for training. The trend seems to be about a litter ever 3 yrs or so FOR MYSELF and the only girl is going to a close friend on a co-own, who will title her, at NO COST to him. Having said that, the other 3 puppies are going to working homes. I've asked each of the people getting them to pay for microchip, shots, reg. and food. We DID have an emergency vet visit. Am I in the hole? Probably. Are my puppies going to be working? Yup. What is more important... the almighty dollar or keeping them working dogs?

Of course I would never expect someone to just GIVE me a puppy to work. I have no idea if there are even any breeders out there that would do the above. There are costs involved BUT would you not be paying these anyway? Food, housing, medical, health tests etc.....

I can also say, that we have DONATED to several police departments both fully trained dual purpose K9s, single purpose K9s and green dogs. I don't think it should cost a Dept. an arm and a leg for a good dog since they are SERVING US. I've sold a few too, but not for the sky high amounts seen frequently listed here.

.02

That is absolutely all I'll say on this thread.

Melissa

That was the point I was making Blitzen, when I spend time and money on  my dogs, it is because I like to, they don't owe me anything, but I see no reason why someone I don't know from Adam should get the benefit of them on the cheap.  Having said that, I don't charge anything like the prices Samael128 is talking about, I think the £800 I ask is a fair price and while I'm not sure of the exchange rate, I doubt it would come to anything like $2,000.  It is my experience that people who have a dog as an "add on" to their family have no idea how much the effort they put into it's care would cost if they had to pay someone else to do it and if they want to put all that in and be generous to a stranger, well go ahead if it makes them happy, but please don't assume it makes them "better" breeders - it doesn't!

Margaret N-J

Assuming the higher the price, the better the owner may be skewed, but having bred a few litters and having ended up with a few idiots as buyers, I can understand why breeders subscribe to that notion. It can be really difficult to find sincere buyers; if a higher price can help to guarantee a better home, then I understand the reasoning behind it. There will always be buyers with more money that brains who will not make good dog owners but who would pay an outrageous price for a dog generally so they can brag to their peers how much their dog cost. However, in my experience, if a buyer is willing to pay a higher price for a dog, odds are they WILL take better care of the dog.  You do what  you have to do to find the best homes, but it's always a risk.

Blitzen, I understand what you are saying, and that is the reasoning for a "rehoming fee", too. The assumption one will value something more if it costs more. I certainly wouldn't expect to ever get a dog for free, no matter what I planned on doing with the dog, be it nothing or IPO, or whatever. I was even offered a discount on an adoption fee, believe it or not. I refused the discount! LOL but this is the first time I have bragged about that! 

What happens I think, very often, is that the quality breeders do discount for preferred owner types, because let's face it, if those owners deliver the titles on their breedings, it is the best advertising for them. So it is an investment that pays great future dividends.

I know most of you don't know me and my opinion is just that,  My Opinion.  And my opinion won't even buy me a cup of coffee any more.
But many years ago I used to just use the newspaper to find the dog I wanted.  I paid 50 to 300 dollars for my dogs.  Along with that I also bought many different genetic diseases, countless types of worms, mental issues.  Yes I bought all these, because when you buy a dog you buy it all.  I slowly started buying better and better dogs, the more I learned the more I started looking out for.  I started to really value a breeder who did genetic testing, hip x-rays and took good care of their dogs.  I started doing lots of research before buying a dog.  I met a akc dog show judge by the name of Robert VanDiver.  Probably one of the most knowledgeable people about Dobermans (Yes this too is my opinion and won't be swayed from it)  I decided that I wanted to switch to GSDs and started doing lots of research on breeders and their dogs.  what I want is what I want, that plain and simple.  I believe your selection of breeder is as important as the lines they produce.  My reasoning is that there has to be trust between the two of you from monetary to the dog produced.  In each litter produced you are going to have a range of pups both conformation wise as well as their working ability and temperament.  So in my opinion each pup may have a different financial value.  You surly aren't going to sell your top pup at the same price that you sell a pet quality are you?  The breeder who I currently use is a woman whom I highly regard, I also Highly regard her circle of friends.  Her knowledge about the breed just amazes me.  She is as good of a person as there is.  I won't mention her name here on this board.  But if asked in person I will recommend her to everyone.  My first dog I got from her I paid 3000 and have no problems with that.  she kept one dog out of that litter but I think she kept the wrong one.  But I think she did that on purpose to help me get a good start in the IPO world.  And yes she is just that kind of person.  My second dog I bought from her I paid considerably less.  By this time she had come to know me and knew I was serious and would spare no expense, time or effort for my dogs.  Just any dog wouldn't do for me, I knew what I wanted and knew who I wanted to do business with.  The price was such a low factor in my decision.  If price is always the main factor with a person, will it also be a factor when it comes to whether or not to do a particular medical treatment?  I understand both sides of this issue and how people could have strong feelings.  this is just my opinion and my feelings nothing more.

In my area, a vet will restart all puppy shots if they're not done by another vet. Not wanting my puppies to be over vaccinate, I pay the extra $$ to have a vet record of each pup. At the same time each puppy is checked over, ears, teeth, testicles, heart, lungs, parasites, eyes...the works. A litter of 8 is over 200$. This is insurance for the buyer and for me that the pup is health and without defect at time of sale.

The reason I put the prices is to help others better understand the cost of breeding and that its really not something to do if you're looking for a living wage, or retirement income......

Agree, Bee.

I am not even a breeder yet but here are things I can tell you that add to the cost of a pup

1.  Stud fee for an outside stud $1200-1500
2.  Shipping to said stud or AI. 800-1k
​3.  Progesterone testing 3-4 times to make sure you get it right
4.  Vet checkups on pups. 
5.  Food for pups
6.  All of moms care and food including when she is not in heat
7.  Cost of the female if you didn't raise her


Nobody but a back hard breeder is giving to breed cheap. There has to be room for the breeder to make a profit and pay the bills otherwise something in the equation has to be taken away. Health checks or titles or bloodlines etc. if the breeders are losing money they will not stay in business. 



 

I'd say the breeders who last past five years, have found plenty of room for profit. That has never really been the problem. 

Some costs are overhead costs, not to be borne by the consumer as they would be incurred regardless of any sort of business. And troopscott, all breeders are not in this just for the profit to be found in this sort of business, at least that's what they keep telling us clueless, pet buyers who pay those ridiculous prices that enable the breeders to make a profit.

Phew, what a cycle!

Breeder Pricing of dogs is a spectrum. Some are hobbyists who are in it for the pleasure...others run a for profit business.