Bought a puppy? how much did you pay, and for what type of breed?

Question

How much should I be saving to buy a puppy? I am into larger dog breeds, anyone out there buy a malamute puppy, or a south african boerbol (rarer breed) pup? Let me know what dogs cost

Answer 1

Pricing depends on the area of the country as higher populations, rarity of the dog, cost of living, etc. will drive up the price. But in general, pure breds range from as little as $200 to as much as $2000. Given the breeds you want, you may be in the higher price range.

More important than price, though, is the breeder. Anyone can be some backyard breeder - the question is if they are good. Sometimes you might be willing to accept a dog that isn't "perfect" if you can meet the "family". For example, try to meet the breeder. Take a good look around the area. Forgive things like flies, as dogs attract them (due to their waste), but make sure that the area itself is clean, that the pups have plenty of food, room and fresh water, and that the pup's parents are healthy. That is, try to meet the parents. This will be a good clue to determine what your dog will look like. Then see if papers are available for the parents. Sometimes there are only papers for one dog and a "lineage" on another. If you want an AKC pup, both parents need papers - and that will cost more. If you just want a purebred, perhaps the "papers/lineage" route is possible (where one dog is not officially registered) as this will decrease the cost. Just note that unless the parents have papers, your pup cannot be registered.

I found three good dogs by "meeting the breeders" and fortunately, I haven't encountered any horror stories. Two of the dogs didn't have a parent registered, although a lineage was available. This did decrease the price and did not have an effect on the pup (one lived a very healthy life, sadly passing away at almost 14 years of age).

I should mention that the price of the pup is just the start of your expenses. First, you need vaccinations. Those start at about 6-8 weeks of age. Total vaccination costs are around $150. Then there's food, toys, bowl, bedding, etc. Obedience training can cost $500-2000, depending on how well trained you want your dog to be. Unless you plan to show this dog, please neuter or spay it. Do not have some dreams of "being a breeder". That is a TON of work and most likely will never happen - especially with rare breeds like you want. But if you neuter/spay your dog, you will decrease some "hyper" tendency, dramatically decrease the dog's desire to roam and will substantially decrease the chance of cancer later in life. Neutering is about $150 as well.

All of the above - vaccinations, obedience training, neutering, should be done within the first 7 months of the dog's life for best results. I really recommend obedience training - I learned as much as the pup. It has helped me control the pups a TON and has made me not only be a better owner, but helped me bond with them more.

Good luck and enjoy your new pup, whenever you get him/her!

Answer 2

It all depends on your standard of dog - if you want a show dog, you are looking in the range of $700 on up. If you want a purebred for a companion, you can go from $200 on up. Don't buy from a puppy mill, no matter what the cost. You will end up paying the price in the long run b/c of the terrible upbringing. We paid 200 for our lab and the same for our great dane - which was a steal for both. They came with akc papers , but we didn't even bother to fill them out. We just knew the breed and personality we were looking for and went from there. I would say, save at a minimum 200 for the actual selling price of a dog, but realistically you probablly double that. Also include vet bills (average 200-300 for the first puppy shots and worming and stuff ) along with heartworm/flea prevention every month (another 60-70 a month) and of course food and toys. Good luck

Answer 3

Purebreed dogs vary in prices. It depends on 1) where you live (you can get the same breed for a much lower price in some states while the price can be more than doubled in other states) 2) what breed of dog you want 3) what the bloodlines of the dog is and 4) if you want pet or show quality. I know that in the midwest, dogs are cheaper than here on the West Coast. Also, your more common breeds (labs, retrievers) usually cost less than the more rare breeds. If a dog has championship bloodlines, you will probably pay more for your puppy. And a show quality puppy will always cost more than a pet quality puppy. We got our English Mastiff puppy for a song and a dance at $500.00 BUT we knew the breeder and we just wanted a pet quality dog. Her brothers and sisters were going for $1200.00
I hope this helps.

Answer 4

1--Pet store pups come from Puppy Mills and educate how bad they are treated. 2--you are paying twice the price when you buy from a Pet Store. 3---no, the dogs are not healthy, and what you may think is on sale a good deal, well tell them wait till the vet bills begin.... 4--buying from a Pet Store only lines the pockets of Puppy Mills, and allows them to be able to breed more bad pups, genetically and mentally as well. and here in Texas, at our Shelter, when a pup hits a certain ate at Pet-land here, they are a tax write off and surrendered to a shelter, we get them about 2-3 months, we are a no kill shelter, so the babies get fostered till are adopted...but some areas of Texas are not all no shelters and when the pups are given to them, if not adopted, are put down.... Pet Stores are the spawn of Puppy MIlls.. Breeding, well if the person is so uneducated and stupid to breed a Pit with a Chi, all you can do is take a step back and swing, cause all the talk in the world won't stop the fools...all these idiots are doing is breeding mutts, mixes, they can't be registered and just more babies to end up in shelters or rescues or to be put down.....it will never stop,,,end of story

Answer 5

Since you are buying a rare breed, and I'm assuming you want papers with it, you are looking at shelling out quite a bit of cash, unless you might be lucky enough to know a breeder. And with a rare breed, you are probably gonna have to find an out of town (possibly out of state) breeder, so you have to take into consideration the travel expenses to pick your new puppy up (although alot of breeders will mail you your dog, usually ship them on an airplane then you go to the airport and pick them up, but that's quite expensive as well). Do research on the breeder when you find one, and make sure they are breeding the puppies for quality, not quantity, to make sure you get a great dog. Some breeders sell their dogs for alot of money, and also breed them like crazy, hence having a puppy factory in their own back yard--which eventually will lead to health problems and lowering the breed's qualities.
About 2 years ago, I was looking for a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and they were going for around $1200, and were half way across the US. Best bet is to go to a website like www.puppyfinder.com or the like (go to yahoo and type in "dog breeders"). Good luck with the puppy search!

Answer 6

Well my first dog was a lab we got from a breeder and she was $200. We later got another from a different breeder that was close to the same amount. My dog I have now I adopted from a shelter and he is a husky that cost $150. I also have another husky that was given to us and the previous owner bought her from a pet store and paid $1200 for her. It really depends on who and where you get it from and how rare of a breed you want.

Answer 7

What I can say on this subject is do a great deal of reading on the breed you plan to buy.
The golden rule on buying a puppy is you get what you pay for.

Answer 8

it really depends on the breed of the dogs like pit bulls there are a lot of different breeds but the most rarest one would be a blue pit which is a very pretty dog so it would cost more rather than a brendal but for my dog I paid 100 dollars

Answer 9

Well I dont know how much to pay for a puppy of those breeds. I got mine from a shelter. It saved him from getting put to sleep and he only cost the price of a neutering.

Answer 10

My baby that was adopted from rescue was about $200.00, and I think most of that was a donation. My pure bred Am Staff was $1200 and my pure bred boxer was $850. These dogs both came from champion lines so I'm sure you can find a pup for less.