Why are purebred dogs so expensive?

[SarahMelisse]

Short backstory: We are currently scouting for a house on a few acres to buy. I want a dog around for bringing goats in and for general protection since it is usually just my young daughter and I at home. I want an English or German Shepherd for general farm work and feel like a "dog breeder" may be a more dependable source since I could see the parents.

Ugh... So I realize that people price purebred dogs much higher than, say shelters or mutts, but why soooo much money? I am more than happy to spend $600 on a purebred dog, but all I'm finding is anywhere from $1,200 - $2,000! I also realize that most of these breeders "show" their dogs and that the resulting puppies are valuable. Aren't there any mis-colored pups out there that I can buy for a couple hundred cheaper?

I guess I'm just a little frustrated. I suppose I'll have to shop the shelters when the time comes. Any words of wisdom?

 

[Wheels]

I really don't understand exactly why some breeds are extreme in price. I can understand covering the showing, field tests, vet care, health screenings, whelping and such But some breeds are amazingly pricy! Supply and demand? That said, I think you could find a working bred English Shepherd within your price range.

 

[ckcs]

The short answer is because they can. I'm floored at the price of pure breed dogs. I have an inlaw that breeds Basset Hound. No of the dog have even been shown. Other than being registered and purebred there is nothing special about them. While quite nice looking I'm not sure how they would do in a show. She gets $500-$600 a pup with ease. I think that is crazy. I could buy a pair from her for $1000 and then first litter I sell 6-8 dogs for $3000-$4000 total (Which is essentially what she did). Seems there should be more involved to ask those prices. I almost crapped my pants when I read $1200-$2000 in your post.

 

[paradox]

Wow! And I grumble at the $60 we paid to rescue one from the pound! The other one we got a year later was on "sale" for $25 because they were overcrowded. One is somekind of lab cross and the other is a mastiff cross. Both are excellent livestock and home guards. They are also spoiled completely rotten.

Guess I will quit complaining, sounds like we got a heck of a bargain!

 

[AmysMacdog]

I used to rescue german shepherds and one of my favorite dogs of all time was a german shepherd named Ginger who came to me at the age of 1.5 years old. She was from a huge kennel show home and had spent very little time in a home but she was smart and quickly adapted to living indoors and very easily picked up OB training and love to do search and rescue training games. Ginger lived her life with us and sadly died way to young at 8 y/o of pancreatic cancer.
I just wanted to suggest you might consider a rescue. There are sooo many out there to be found for much less money (often free TGH because alot of people have more money than they have sense :shock: )than a puppy and train beautifully and bond wonderfully to a new family when they have to. They are awesome dogs! Good Luck!

 

[SarahMelisse]

THANK YOU all for your assurances that I am not, in fact, crazy! $1,200 is a lot of money. I could buy the four dairy goats I want for that price!

 

[Demamma]

I would avoid show lines and look for working line dogs. MSD breeds Aussie/ border? mixs that are widely sought after. Maybe a mix working dog would be a better choice for you.

 

[SarahMelisse]

A mix may be my only choice financially. Finding a working dog is key.

 

[skysthelimit]

I have a breakdown of why my puppies cost the amount they do on my website.

People want full family work ups, health screenings, guarantees, but they want to pay $200 for a well bred puppy.

If you are looking for working lines, be prepared to pay even more than that! Working line German Shepherds start at around $1500 for pets.

Basically it is supply and demand, some of it is to discourage willy nilly breeding to raise the quality of a breed that was hurt by common popularity, giving rise to lots of fly by night breeders breeding whatever together, ruining working ability, conformation and temperament in the 80's and 90's.

I paid about that much for Chopper and Flare, and you sure won't catch me just breeding to breed, they are much too valuable to muck up those bloodlines. Every breeding is carefully planned. Phoenix will be 4 this spring and hasn't had any puppies, because I wanted to do more health screening but didn't have the funds, and it's hard finding the right mate to have the kind of puppies I want. I also don't breed very often, because I just don't have that kind of demand where I am at. I can't shell out what it takes to get screening and vet visits, stud fees, travel to stud fees, more vet visits, birthing supplies, raising till 8-14 weeks, more vet visits and puppy shots, to sell $200 puppies.

__________ Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:33 pm __________

I just wanted to suggest you might consider a rescue.

If you want a dog for livestock, then it's best to train it from a puppy. An adult rescue is not always practical in this instance. I used to get my shepherds from the shelters, but when I became serious about sports and herding, I found it was better to work with a puppy, particularly one from herding titled parents. More recently, I found to get what I want, it was better for me to breed what I want.

__________ Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:42 pm __________

I would avoid show lines and look for working line dogs. MSD breeds Aussie/ border? mixs that are widely sought after. Maybe a mix working dog would be a better choice for you.

I'm on the same soapbox about show lines in dogs as I am in rabbits. All my dogs are AKC show lines, even the half German dog I just lost. These lines are AKC champions, or pointed, futurity placing, National Club Grand Victors, with advanced sheep herding titles. The dam, brothers, sisters, and aunts either work with stock, or are daily chore dogs at the farm where I herd. I have placed a service dog, and have a registered therapy dog. They are Canine Good Citizens, none are gun shy. They are my personal protection dogs, and they have done their jobs on more than one occasion. It's not about the show/working lines, it's about the breeder. Just like you would with rabbits, you have to find a breeder that has the same goals as you do, the same philosophy.

__________ Sun Oct 06, 2013 10:45 pm __________

A mix may be my only choice financially. Finding a working dog is key.

If you are anywhere near MSD, I would go for it. She knows about dogs. You can be confident that her pups have been worked around small animals and children, and have plenty of exposure. And they should not be gun shy

 

[Ramjet]

Because breeders with AKC / CKC registered breeding stock can limit buyers from breeding the offspring by checking a little box on the dogs registration form. Meaning if you did breed the dog you couldn't register its litter with the respective association.

Often breeders have you sign a contract stating that you will have the dog spay or neutered .... or charge you an outlandish fee for "Breeding Rights". I've known breeders to reserve the right to confiscate the dog if you didn't show proof of fulfilling the contract by having it spay or neutered.


I bred show Boxers in the past and most recently Maltese .... kinda weird going from a 90lb dog to a 4lb dog.

 

[Demamma]

My friend has German line shepherds and she won't even consider letting her dogs stand stud unless testing is done on hips and such. Not sure of the details but it's expensive.

 

[DogCatMom]

Supply and demand is part of the question. Health tests are another part. A responsible breeder *may* break even on a litter, believe it or not.

And another part is that the number of purebred breeders is way down from what it was 20 or so years ago due to the unending drumbeat of "breeders steal homes from rescue dogs"--kind of what the rabbit folk are now going through. It's not true, as you're learning: a shelter dog CANNOT fulfill the specific role a Livestock Guardian Dog of whatever breed (Maremma, Pyr, etc.) can. Those genetics are special, very old, and not replicable in other breeds.

Protection dog behaviors are more widely dispersed because (from my reading) it was largely for protection that wolves were originally brought into the human circle, where they eventually became...dogs. Thus protection comes naturally to many, many breeds of dog. I live with Bernese Mountain Dogs, who were farm dogs "of all work" in their native Switzerland (the Bernese Uplands). They announced people approaching the farm; drew dairy carts--drawn by a pair of dogs with no human handler; the dogs made their own decisions; drove cattle from behind; were required to be good with the other farm animals, even in the absence of a human handler; and were looked on as protectors of the farm's children when the adults needed to be elsewhere.

I've now had 9 Berners in my home, only one of whom I received as a well-brought-up puppy from her breeder. The others were rescue/rehomes in various states of distress. But each and every one of them has let me know that people were coming up the front steps of the house or walking up the driveway. Each and every one of them has had that "don't mess with my mom" look when they've needed it on walks; when not needed, they were just goofy big black dogs out for a walk. They KNOW THE DIFFERENCE, this breed. I'm home alone most days (DH works 60 miles away, leaves at 7:00 a.m. and gets home at 7:00 p.m.). I have mobility problems and chronic pain. My dogs provide me with incredible peace of mind.

Any Working Breed dog will have *some* of the characteristics you're looking for, but you may want a Herding Breed dog; MamaSheepDog is an excellent source on the Herding side. Our experience was: If you don't pay the $ in the adoption fee, you'll pay it in vet and training costs. Our sweet little girl whom we lost in late July at the remarkable age of 13 years, 4 months cost us $1,500 + $300 spay deposit in 2000. (She had very low vet costs her entire life until she was over 10 years old.) This is still mostly the going rate among many breeders of this breed (unless people are quoting special rates to me; but I don't think so).

Try also to contact the rescues of Livestock Guardian Breeds: they will know which are the responsible breeders in their breeds, the breeders who will support you during your life with the dog. Any good breeder will do so, but rescues can give you the unvarnished truth.

Hope it all works out.

 

[dayna]

I would be more than happy to pay $2000 for a "quality" dog. I don't care if it's purebred or not. For me quality means, won't eat my chickens, guards the house, guards the goats, etc etc.

My husband and I have talked at length about our next dog. Right now we have a shelter special. $40 for a neutered dog that is fabulous. He doesn't chase chickens, he knows if someone is a meth-head or not, guards me like he would kill for me, loves kids, loves cats, doesn't chase goats, etc etc.

Granted I paid $40 for him. I would have paid $2000 for him. We did get him as an adult. So we knew his temperament going into it.

 

[3mina]

If the breeder is doing things 'right':
They are paying for various health tests for congenital diseases and conditions found in theirs breed, not cheap; especially when most of these tests aren't a one time thing, some are annual.
They aren't just banging together two dogs they happen to have at home, they're looking for the best match for their dog-which may be on another continent, so they're importing semen or traveling to the male-usually far, far away.
They're taking excellent care of the dogs they have, including C sections if the bitch has trouble whelping & vets ain't cheap.
They're showing the dogs they have to make sure they meet the minimum standard for the breed, a title- in performance or conformation, preferably both. Most dog shows, like rabbit shows require hours of traveling in larger vehicles that aren't easy on fuel.
They're feeding multiple dogs a high quality food, be it raw or kibble-again not cheap.
They're coming under fire for being those horrible people who breed dogs, everyone knows that a rescue dog needs/deserves a home far more than a carefully planned and bred purebred dog.
Considering the prices marketing geniuses are putting on 'designer' mutts, a purebred dog is usually far less expensive.

 

[tailwagging]

The MAIN reason you are having trouble is that you are in a VERY breeder Unfriendly state.
more laws and finds there are, will only reduce the law abiding breeders and leave just a few to charge as they please. then on top of they the rise in vet costs and feed prices....

 

[skysthelimit]

The MAIN reason you are having trouble is that you are in a VERY breeder Unfriendly state.
more laws and finds there are, will only reduce the law abiding breeders and leave just a few to charge as they please. then on top of they the rise in vet costs and feed prices....

That is a very good point. Ohio, or at least where I am at, has no dog laws stating how many I can legally keep, and I don't need a kennel license in this county, nor is there anything stating how many breeding females I can keep. I am not required to have inspections by the AKC either. If I was, that would drive up prices.

 

[Dood]

If you want a dog for livestock, then it's best to train it from a puppy

unless you have experience in training a livestock/farm dog, I do not recommend a puppy.

You could try getting a retired or a returned dog for less money. Try attending a field trial to see the different breeds in action and ask around if anyone is selling older dogs to make room for juniors.

If you go the mixed breed route then there are often ads in the paper of farm dogs not adjusting to city life and looking for a good home. I would pick one over 2 years old as they are out of their teen years and more settled. I personally find females make better farm dogs as they are more 'serious' and less likely to wander or chase livestock but that's just my experience

 

[Honorine]

Well you get what you pay for. Consider this- many rescues charge from $200 to $500 or more for a puppy/dog, purebred or not. Many 'Poo' crosses are the same or higher, like Yorkie-Poos for $850, its all in what someone is willing to pay. In general $500 is a baseline price for a purebred pet puppy, with or with registration papers. Area of the country makes a difference too. Number of breeders makes a difference as well- in 2008 there were over 300 high volume breeders in the state of PA. PA passed strict regulations, today there are only 55 high volume breeders in PA, they drove them out of business or out of the state. Now their bragging about going after smaller breeders, they say that last year they hit 30-40 hobby breeders who went over the limit to require a kennel license. Know what that means? Their online tracking people and counting how many puppies they have listed, and then going after them. One show breeder I know got hit because a out of state rescue hated her and kept calling on her until they went after her. Less breeders, less puppies, your going to pay more. Why should a breeder not get compensated for all their knowledge, time and work? Breeding is an art, a well bred, healthy true to breed type puppy is a thing of beauty and a work of art, its a not a mutt that the shelter picked up on the side of the road, or that was dumped there. If you want the product of someones years of hard work and experience, that they will stand behind you have to pay for it. I will admit that German Shepherds can be pricey, I was just looking for one for a friend of mine. Reason why is because of the rampant health problems in the breed, Poodles and GSDs have the highest incidence of congenital/genetic defects and disease of all the breeds. So healthy tested lines cost more, and then if their imported German lines well your going to pay. I myself wouldn't waste my time buying a $500 GSD puppy, because I know I'll pay a lot more someday in vet bills and heartache. If dogs are important to you, and you need them to do a job then you pay to get the right dog. If thats what I really needed I wouldn't balk at the price. People always want your absolute best for pennies, they can't see all the hard work, blood sweat and tears that goes into it, or they just don't care. As time goes on and they pass more and more laws expect to start paying even more. Someday even a mutt will be too high priced for the average family, thanks to the HSUS and ASPCA and PETA.

 

[dangerbunny]

You should be able to find a nice English Shepherd within your price range, My mom has some and she says a lot of breeders are committed to promoting the breed as a working dog and keeping the prices affordable for homesteaders. It helps that Englishes aren't showdogs or designer pets as it keeps people who are just trying to make money out of the breed.

 

[akane]

What we did was email the big kennels and ask about any smaller kennels they knew with puppies. We got referred to a small breeder who had just 2 males and 3 females in her house. We then picked one that was DQ from showing due to a small white strip on her nose. The price went from $3000 for a dog from imported stock to $500.