07/08/2020
I have recently seen a few discussions on the cost of different purebred puppies. A common theme amongst these discussions is people being surprised at the cost of a well bred purebred dog. There are typically two kinds of responses to hearing these higher costs:
1. They are astounded by the price and think it is a scam or ridiculous.
2. They think you are insulting their $300 purebred by saying it is not worth as much.
No one is saying that your dog is worth less as a companion based on what you paid, but well bred dogs cost what they cost for very good reasons. A well bred dog can be thought of as an investment, you pay more up front to ensure a higher likelihood of paying less over the dog’s lifetime for health and behavioral issues.
The cost of a well bred dog varies heavily amongst breed and more slightly across different regions, but the averages for each breed can be roughly estimated. For example, a well bred golden retriever is likely to cost you between $2,000-3,000 for just limited registration pretty much anywhere in the US. So, if I see someone selling a golden for $1,000 or less that tells me that massive corners are being cut in regard to health testing, veterinary care, or titling. Reputable breeders so rarely even break even, so they certainly could not afford to take a hit like that, so this would tell me that most likely those puppies are not well bred.
To demonstrate why well bred dogs cost what they do, let’s dive into the details of what all goes into producing the litter. To make it simpler, we’ll continue our example using the golden retriever and I will be giving averages based on estimates from clinics in my area and from breeders I have spoken to regarding this. Individual costs for each breeder will obviously be different based on location and how long it takes to title the dog.
𝗜𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: $3,000
𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗛 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: $10,000-$15,000
This includes entry fees, travel costs such as gas, hotels, meals, etc, grooming supplies. Breeders often have to travel very far out of state for shows, so these costs will vary. This cost can also be significantly higher if a professional handler is used, and goldens are a hard breed to finish so they often are.
𝗖𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 (𝗥𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗔𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗲𝘁𝗰): $5,000-$10,000 per sport
This includes entry fees and travel costs.
These are important steps because they prove through an unbiased third party that the dog has proven itself worthy of being bred. Conformation is meant to serve as judgement of breeding stock, which means that the judges are comparing the dog to its breed standard to see how well it represents it. Titling in sports proves the dog has the drive and trainability to excel in these activities that will hopefully be passed on.
Health testing is one of the most important parts of breeding responsibly. The goal is to produce an overall healthier next generation, so doing all breed appropriate health tests and only breeding those who will pass on better genes is of the utmost importance. For goldens to receive a CHIC number, which is a certification given when the dog has been screened for every disease recommended by the parent club for that breed and those results are publicly made available, there are four required tests:
𝗛𝗶𝗽 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 >𝟮𝟰 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀:
Radiographs: $100-200
Sedation if necessary: $100
OFA submission: $35
𝗘𝗹𝗯𝗼𝘄 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 >𝟮𝟰 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀:
Radiographs: $100-200
Sedation if necessary: $100
OFA submission: $35
𝗘𝘆𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆:
Exam: $55
OFA submission: $12 new, $8 resubmission thereafter
𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗰 𝗘𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘁 >𝟭𝟮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘀:
Exam: $100
Echo: $300-500
OFA submission: $15
In addition to these tests required by the CHIC program, many breeders will often do DNA testing to screen for common heritable issues in their breed. For example, PRA and Ichthyosis are commonly screened for in goldens.
𝗗𝗡𝗔 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: $200 through Embark or $80 per test through other companies.
Costs associated with breeding or a pregnant bitch:
𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲: $1,000-3,000
There could also be extra costs associated with shipping the stud or costs associated with artificial insemination.
𝗕𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁: $50
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘀: $100/each
𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝘀/𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀: $150/each
𝗔𝗱𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘁, 𝗲𝘁𝗰: $200
This is assuming the bitch has an easy pregnancy and birth as an emergency C-section could easily cost $5,000.
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗻: $250
𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 (𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗿, 𝗲𝘁𝗰): $300
𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: $300-500
𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗱: $50/week
𝗩𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: $100/puppy
𝗚𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗸𝗶𝘁𝘀: $50-100/puppy
Taking all of the low end estimates and assuming immediate conception and a flawlessly simple pregnancy and delivery of an average sized litter already breaks $20,000, and none of these figures factor in the time and expertise of the breeder which cannot be quantified. They often take days off work to travel for shows and sport trials or during the first week or so after the puppies have been born. They spend years studying the breed, studying pedigrees, and carefully choosing their pairings. They spend at minimum 8 weeks with the litter once born following puppy raising protocols that ensure the puppies will be as socialized as possible by the time they get to you. They examine the puppies closely looking at structure and personality to decide which puppy is the best fit for you and your lifestyle. After all of this, they also provide a lifetime of support to you and your new dog.
I know that I too was a little shell shocked the first time I learned what a well bred dog costs, but the more that you learn about all that is involved and how important each of those steps are, the more you understand how incredibly worth the investment a well bred dog is.
Photos are of Berry and Carter, two golden retriever show dogs provided by Anna Vosko
