The Cost of Puppies is outrageous

[tdierikx]

21 hours ago, paul1 said:

understandable if you have 5 -6 big mastiffs , rottys ,whatever pretty hard to let them all live in the house

 

I used to have 5 Rotties living in my house... hehe! And my house is a tiny 2 bedroom fibro model...

 

Housetraining can be done with an adult dog also... and they learn pretty quickly... faster than pups mostly.

 

T.

[Rascalmyshadow]

I have to somewhat agree with the op, puppy prices are ridiculous at the moment, no family dog is worth paying $6000-$8000 for, that is straight up greed.

We got our chi just as COVID started, payed $1800 a few weeks later prices had doubled and have been going up since.

We had a litter of 8 pups just over 6 months ago, they are medium sized dogs, I put 24/7 into them, they were born in our bedroom and were raised inside along with our 5 adult dogs, they were fed a high quality diet, wormed, microchipped, vaccinated etc, Mum had her necessary ultrasounds etc,we spared no expense so I have a good idea of costs involved.

[Rebanne]

2 hours ago, Rascalmyshadow said:

We had a litter of 8 pups just over 6 months ago, they are medium sized dogs, I put 24/7 into them, they were born in our bedroom and were raised inside along with our 5 adult dogs, they were fed a high quality diet, wormed, microchipped, vaccinated etc, Mum had her necessary ultrasounds etc,we spared no expense so I have a good idea of costs involved.

But there was no stud fee paid nor breed health tests nor ANKC registration/fees so don't forget to add them on.

[The Spotted Devil]

1 hour ago, Rebanne said:

But there was no stud fee paid nor breed health tests nor ANKC registration/fees so don't forget to add them on.

Or an emergency c-section or a myriad of other things than can go wrong… gangrenous mastitis, puppy requiring x-ray, surgery, small litter. All things that stem from bad luck and that set you back thousands of dollars.

[iwanttodie3070]

13 hours ago, Rascalmyshadow said:

I have to somewhat agree with the op, puppy prices are ridiculous at the moment, no family dog is worth paying $6000-$8000 for, that is straight up greed.

We got our chi just as COVID started, payed $1800 a few weeks later prices had doubled and have been going up since.

We had a litter of 8 pups just over 6 months ago, they are medium sized dogs, I put 24/7 into them, they were born in our bedroom and were raised inside along with our 5 adult dogs, they were fed a high quality diet, wormed, microchipped, vaccinated etc, Mum had her necessary ultrasounds etc,we spared no expense so I have a good idea of costs involved.

What’s your prefix? 

[Rascalmyshadow]

Yes there can be extra costs potentially an extra few thousand $$$ however I still can’t see how it can add up to $6000-$8000 per puppy

Oh and just to add, we kept one puppy, we gave one away to the owner of the fathers best friend and one ended up being euthanised due to congenital abnormalities so that left only 5 pups to sell.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Rascalmyshadow

[moosmum]

2 hours ago, Rascalmyshadow said:

Yes there can be extra costs potentially an extra few thousand $$$ however I still can’t see how it can add up to $6000-$8000 per puppy

 

 

I have to agree with this.  

 

I would not expect anyone to 'undercut' themselves on going prices if they have done due diligence, and  breeders going above and beyond should be able to find buyers happy to pay for that .

 

I  understand accidents etc can easily add to the  costs of breeding and a good breeder should be entitled to a profit for their genuine effort and to cover costs when things might not go as planned.

 

But I personally would want more guarantees than a breeder could ethically give before prices over 2 to an absolute max of  3 thousand. 

 

If costs for producing the dogs normally require much higher prices to cover the breeder, thats not part of what I'm willing to buy into or support.

 

I believe when I take on a dog, it becomes my responsibility alone. Such high prices create an expectation of guarantee that shouldn't (can't?) be applicable.

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by moosmum

[Diva]

It can be risky keeping your prices low when the market price is high, you create arbitrage opportunities.

I wouldn’t have thought of this except a  colleague in another state had a puppy she bred ‘flipped’ - bought at her normal price which was what she had sold them at for years, then sold on within a few weeks for a much higher price into a ‘hot’ Covid market. She found out by accident, and now doesn’t know where the pup is. Very upsetting. 
She thought she had checked out the buyers and it was a good home. But some people lie very well, and she now suspects they always intended to onsell. 
Not really a problem in my breed, our prices are still very reasonable. But another thing for breeders to watch out for. 

[moosmum]

Yes. A good reason not to undercut yourself. No problem with that.

 

If the market is supporting that price,  its fair. A much reduced market too. 

 

The market would clearly support more responsible breeders, If overheads and 'accidents' were not such issues. I they remain issues, there will will less support. I and others like me will opt out and find alternatives.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by moosmum

[tdierikx]

The simple economics of the matter is that the market will price to what the buyer will pay.

 

I see no problem with a reputable breeder making a profit from the sale of their quality pups... why the hell shouldn't they? And I also have no problem with reputable breeders dictating what register they put their pups on either... if they would prefer their pups not to be bred from, then that's their perogative.

 

I have already picked a breed and breeder that I will be contacting once I'm able to take on another pup... fingers crossed that I can afford the pup I want at that time... lol!

 

T.

[Lhok]

$8000 sounds pretty cheap to me currently haha, but that's only because I am looking at importing a new breed to Aus at which the starting cost is roughly to set me back around $15,000 for one dog and depending on the puppy temperament it could end up being a male so I would have to look at importing another pup from lines that would complement my first pup if that was to happen I would be in the red close to around $28,000-30,000 before I even bred a litter. 

I'm not made of money either and importing dogs isn't for the faint of heart, however I think since I have been looking into the breed for close to 11 years now its now or never. 

 

--Lhok

[cannibalgoldfish]

Everything is more expensive now days, and some things have taken a big leap in the last few years (even before covid) 

In 2002 I paid $800 for a dog on limited register, eg, pet.  (and it was a pretty uncommon breed in Australia at the time.)

Two years later I bought another of the same breed on mains papers (eg, show potential) for $1000.  Now days to get a pet (limited ) of the same breed it will cost me well over $ 2000. Is it greedy breeders?  No. (well not always, )

 

Back in 2002 when I bought my first boy for $800, I was paying $145 a week in rent. Now here in 2021 I still live in the same suburb, renting the same sort of house (rooms, condition, location, ect) and rent in my area for the same sort of houses is now about  $400- $500 a week and climbing every year. 

 

To be honest, I'm more worried about affording the rent increases than I am of the puppy prices.

 

 

Edit.. who knows, maybe some of these breeders need to pay an ever increasing rent too? Dunno about some people, but my wage hasn't increased at the same rate as my rent..

... 

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by cannibalgoldfish

[paul1]

On 27/09/2021 at 3:05 PM, Lhok said:

$8000 sounds pretty cheap to me currently haha, but that's only because I am looking at importing a new breed to Aus at which the starting cost is roughly to set me back around $15,000 for one dog and depending on the puppy temperament it could end up being a male so I would have to look at importing another pup from lines that would complement my first pup if that was to happen I would be in the red close to around $28,000-30,000 before I even bred a litter. 

I'm not made of money either and importing dogs isn't for the faint of heart, however I think since I have been looking into the breed for close to 11 years now its now or never. 

 

--Lhok

Suppose that is something you would really really have to do your homework on ,  Its akin to statring up any  buisness . know what your doing or take a chance , If you brought in  a new breed , would it be popular , would you sell the pups ,  30 grand for two pups is a lot of money and i suppose a big chance ,   suppose you have a lot of homework to do ,  and decide if its a  lifestyle thing or a buisness

[Kirislin]

On 21/09/2021 at 9:02 AM, Ann Renders said:

My 5 year old grandaughter is devastated because her mother had to euthanase there 12 year old dog who was very ill. She asked her mother for a puppy but because the prices are in the thousands of dollars her mother cannot afford one. It's just heartbreaking and I think it is just disgusting & greedy...it would have a loving family & good home, it's a pity people care more about the money than the wellbeing of their puppy. Just because people have a lot of money  doesnt mean it will go to a loving home..

Cross breeds are usually much more expensive than pedigrees and they don’t have the costs that pedigree breeders have.  You have come to the wrong place to criticise breeders for the prices they charge.

 

I have just bought a pedigree puppy which cost many times more than the last puppy I bought over 20 years ago.  I am not complaining one single bit, in fact knowing what’s involved I think the breeder was very reasonable with her price.

 

Don’t forget the purchase price is probably the cheapest part of getting a puppy. From then on you have a lifelong obligation to care for that pup, it’s like a marriage, in sickness and in health.  If you can’t afford the purchase price then you probably can’t afford to own a dog.  

 

how much do you think a pedigree puppy should cost and what have you based your costing on?

Edited September 28, 2021 by Kirislin

[Kirislin]

On 27/09/2021 at 3:04 PM, tdierikx said:

The simple economics of the matter is that the market will price to what the buyer will pay.

 

I see no problem with a reputable breeder making a profit from the sale of their quality pups... why the hell shouldn't they? And I also have no problem with reputable breeders dictating what register they put their pups on either... if they would prefer their pups not to be bred from, then that's their perogative.

 

I have already picked a breed and breeder that I will be contacting once I'm able to take on another pup... fingers crossed that I can afford the pup I want at that time... lol!

 

T.

Ooooo! What breed?

[Kirislin]

Well worth the price.

[tdierikx]

28 minutes ago, Kirislin said:

Ooooo! What breed?

 

Rottweiler... *grin*... from one of our lovely DOLers lines...

 

T.

[WanaHavanese]

I feel your pain OP. I have been looking for a dog for 4 years now. Initially I was going for a rescue, but in 4 years I have never managed to get a rescue organisation to even reply to me! So I started looking for puppies last year and was shocked at the prices that just seem to keep going up, even for odd mixed breeds with obvious parental faults.

 

Due to my situation, I require a small dog this time round, so I researched and found the PERFECT breed for me, and almost applied for a pure bred puppy to be flown from over east, when the prices jumped up by $2000 suddenly! Now, I do understand why that is the case, as I have been watching gumtree puppies and have seen multiple cheap pups re-sold on for higher prices. But it is sad, as I am completely priced out of the market as a pensioner and I wonder how many others will now never know the love of a dog because they do not have the riches for one. 

 

How long will this upward trend continue? Is there any chance prices will ever return to a reasonable level? Is there any hope for people with lower incomes? I used to show horses and I am not joking, when I say they were cheaper to keep in a year than the purchase price of some puppies today.  

[Rascalmyshadow]

On 23/10/2021 at 4:37 PM, WanaHavanese said:

I feel your pain OP. I have been looking for a dog for 4 years now. Initially I was going for a rescue, but in 4 years I have never managed to get a rescue organisation to even reply to me! So I started looking for puppies last year and was shocked at the prices that just seem to keep going up, even for odd mixed breeds with obvious parental faults.

 

Due to my situation, I require a small dog this time round, so I researched and found the PERFECT breed for me, and almost applied for a pure bred puppy to be flown from over east, when the prices jumped up by $2000 suddenly! Now, I do understand why that is the case, as I have been watching gumtree puppies and have seen multiple cheap pups re-sold on for higher prices. But it is sad, as I am completely priced out of the market as a pensioner and I wonder how many others will now never know the love of a dog because they do not have the riches for one. 

 

How long will this upward trend continue? Is there any chance prices will ever return to a reasonable level? Is there any hope for people with lower incomes? I used to show horses and I am not joking, when I say they were cheaper to keep in a year than the purchase price of some puppies today.  

This is where the problem lies, puppy prices more than doubled over the course of a few weeks, I don’t care if you’re a registered breeder or not the expenses did not suddenly go up in that space of time.

The litter we had (no they weren’t purebred and I won’t discuss it here as it’s a purebred forum) to ensure they went to good homes and we’re not flipped I advertised them at a high price then dropped it once I was sure they were good homes. Everyone of those puppy buyers has stayed in touch and all have been so happy to get a beautiful family dog that they could actually afford.

 

[The Spotted Devil]

4 minutes ago, Rascalmyshadow said:

This is where the problem lies, puppy prices more than doubled over the course of a few weeks, I don’t care if you’re a registered breeder or not the expenses did not suddenly go up in that space of time.

The litter we had (no they weren’t purebred and I won’t discuss it here as it’s a purebred forum) to ensure they went to good homes and we’re not flipped I advertised them at a high price then dropped it once I was sure they were good homes. Everyone of those puppy buyers has stayed in touch and all have been so happy to get a beautiful family dog that they could actually afford.

 

Whilst I tend to agree with you with regards to the extreme price increases,  I (and many others) have been seriously undercharging for a long time. In addition, breeding is more than one litter. This time I’ve been very fortunate with a large litter and healthy mum. However it’s balanced out by the costs of every other litter - 3 puppies to sell - one required corrective eye surgery at 6 weeks (not genetic) which was more than my puppy price; 5 live pups, 2 deceased - 1 euthanised at 4 weeks (congenital megaoesophagus); 7 pups - emergency c-section and 10 days later Ginny developed gangrenous mastitis which can kill a bitch in hours. Daily vet visits and antibiotics until it could be lanced and drained of putrid pus. Then the necrotic tissue was surgically removed 6 months later. I hip and elbow score my bitches too. Not cheap given it requires a GA. 
 

You were lucky @Rascalmyshadowwhich I’m very happy about. But breed long enough and you’ll experience every disaster in the book at some point.