How much does food, basic obedience, and vet care cost for a puppy for a month?!?

Question

I been researching American Pit Bull Terriers for the past 3 months and finally decided that I will be getting one in June. My question is how much does someone pay on average a month for their puppy?! I've saved up about $5000 just for the puppy incase of emergencies, I'm just wondering how much it would cost on average for food, obedience training, etc... I'm not going to be showing him, just as a family pet.
This is the first time I'll be raising a dog on my own. Since my chioldhood, my family's raised over 10 Pit Bulls, 5 German Shepherds, and 2 mixes. Most of them have been pretty inexpensive with not much health problems.

Answer 1

If it's just a family pet, not a show dog, and heritage and lineage isn't necessarily a big deal, you should look at your local shelters and rescue groups first. Typically they will come with their shots already done, spayed/neutereed, and here in Vegas they come with one free vet checkup. (And hopefully you are adopting an animal that is healthy so you don't need anything more than that.) I was lucky enough to land a purebred Siberian Husky from a shelter, and if you don't need papers, it's waaay cheaper than buying from a breeder. Not to mention you would be supporting your local no-kill shelter.

After the initial setup cost, your other expenses depend on the habits of your dog to a certain extent. My dogs don't play with toys so I save a ton there. I just buy a bag of bones every few weeks, I built them a sandbox full of dirt, rocks, and wood for about $25, and they play with each other. I like to feed them higher quality food and real meat, so food costs probably run $55 a week for the two of them. Thankfully I don't have kids to feed as well.

Yearly pet insurance was just over $250 for the two. One of my dogs is allergic to some kind of bug, and she's had three visits this year each costing over $200. The insurance helps with that. Feeding your dog good food and giving him lots of exercise will help reduce vet visits as well.

Saving $5000 for initial costs and emergencies is a great idea. The day after I got my first dog she was attacked by three loose dogs as we were walking down the street (leashed, of course). That was a cool $700 that I wasn't expecting, although I was eventually able to recoup that money.

I've spent around $120 on obedience training on one dog - but that's a little high as we're working on getting her Canine Good Citizen certificate and getting her ready to be a therapy dog. My boy dog has had about $45 worth of basic training for 5 weeks through a local trainer that offers services through the shelter. This money, by the way, is the best money I've spent yet. If everybody took a little time to train their dogs, even basic training, there would likely be a lot less dogs in shelters.

I think the important thing to remember is that you don't *have* to spend a fortune to spoil your dog and keep him happy. Good food, regular vet visits, and a comfortable bed are necessities, but cute collars and fancy bowls and the like are for us, not them. My dogs are happy going to the park, going for walks, getting belly rubs, and digging in their sandboxes. A good hearty meal before crashing on their $20 dog beds from Costco and they're in heaven.

Answer 2

You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders. Saving 5000 for the cost of caring for a dog is wonderful. That should be a great start, for many years to come. I guess the cost of the acutal dog will play a big part. I know from experience that vet care for a puppy will run anywhere from 200-500 for the puppy shots. My vet charges 50 for each office visit and there are three rounds of shots to be given the first few months. Each shot ranges in price, for instance the rabies shot is around twenty dollars. Also, include in heartworm and flea/tick prevention each month. bigger breeds run around 30-40 each month for each heartworm and flea/tick. Depending on the food you choose, I would say a fair guess would be between 15-20 a week for food. Toys are probablly another twenty a week (rawhides, teething toys etc.) Obedience training is a huge variance. Petsmart charges around 75 for puppy obedience classes, private classes can run you in the thousands. Good luck

Answer 3

We have a chihuahua so it takes him 3 months to eat a bag of dog food. We also took him to obedience school at petsmart and it cost 90$ for 8weeks. It shouldn't be that much money and good luck with your new puppy.

Answer 4

Everyone will find the costs slightly different, but I once figured out the lifetime cost for my dogs (boxers).

Consider that:
I feed a high quality (expensive) diet
I pay for the best pet insurance available
I've estimated them to live 11 years

For the above, the cost for one dog is $16,500 to $19,000 over their lifetime. This is just a rough average as every dog will be different in their vetting needs over their lifetime. If you take my high number, that averages out to $145 per month that I spend per dog.

Sounds like you have done your homework, picked carefully and will make a responsible and knowledgable dog owner. Congratulations!

Answer 5

hi there it depends where or to what vet u take it to ask around to friends my freind take hers to florida paids $ 50.00 for airtickets and paid about 350 for a full check up ,shuts, dental ,and groom .while in new york city she would paid over 500 not even with the dental or groom. ask people u know that have dogs check the yellow pages internet a good research will save u money . thier are organizations that for donation will also take care of your pet animal shore I think is one . good luck be well be safe

Answer 6

Look at spending around $100 for the first month because of vaccinations (you can go to low cost clinics), and crate, toys, bed, dishes etc..