Why do the cost of pure bred dogs differ so widely?

Question

I don't understand how the price of some mutt designer dog is over $1000 easily, but the price of pure bred labs, retrievers, spaniels, and others hardly reach $500. And what about Shiba Inus? They're something like $500-$1000. They're just as pure bred as others.

Is it the rarity in the breed, or the demand for the breed that causes such a difference?

Someone shed some light, please!

Answer 1

The rarity definately affects it, as well as the demand. If people are willing to pay it, pet stores and BYB's are going to charge it.

In addition, breeds such as english bulldogs often have complicated and expensive pregnancies, in which the cost is passed on to the consumer.

Answer 2

There are so many different reasons why pricing may be different. As you mentioned, the sheer rarity of a breed has a lot to do with it. Also, in the case of English Bulldogs, some breeds have small litters or aren't free whelpers (English bulldogs 9/10 need to have cesearean sections to give birth due to the look they've been bred for).

It also has a lot to do with supply and demand. Look at designer dogs and toy breeds. There is a huge demand for yorkies, puggles, etc. Even if the supply is somewhat higher than that of rare breeds people will still charge more for them because there is that demand.

Also, you have to look at the breeder and see what kind of stock she is breeding. Are these Champion bred pups or just someone breeding two dogs together to make a buck. Pricing will vary accordingly.

Answer 3

There is a difference between purebred and wellbred.

I can find a backyard bred dog of one of my breeds with no guarantees, long skinny legs and a needle nose for about $400... it will come from an indiscriminate background of purebred dogs who merely approach what the breed should look like and may or may not have the correct temperament because the breeder has no clue about the pedigree other than he bred his b*tch to the dog down the street who also was purebred.

Or, I can buy a well-bred puppy with a guarantee, the stocky legs and broad head that the breed should have, as well the temperament and working ability. His parents would have been evaluated to create puppies that closely match what his breed should be. He'll cost about $1800 but given his breed, I'll probably save the difference in cost in vet bills... not to mention the fact that I won't have to deal with training a dog with a bad temperament... which is worth the difference in price in itself.

Its the rarity of the breed... and its the quality of the dog.

You can get a $300 AKC Golden Retriever... might be a nice dog, might not... a well-bred AKC Golden Retriever which will LOOK like it should and ACT like it should and will have a health guarantee will run you about $1200.

Its the difference between buying a Ford Pinto and a Mercedes. Both will get you where you are going.

Answer 4

As far as the designer mutts- the cost is determined by the number of misinformed people who are willing to shell out the bucks. Other pure bred dogs, it is usually a question of supply and demand- I have a rare breed, and pups seem to run 1500-2500 depending on pedigree, show or pet quality, etc. Labs are one of the most common breeds, so it is possible to find them for 500, sometimes less, but I know people who have paid substantially more than that because of better pedigrees and working titles of parents.

Answer 5

Blood line has a lot to do with the cost of some breeds. If the lineage is pure, the cost escalates. Popularity of breed also figures. For instance, a few years ago you could pay anything up to £900 (almost two thousand U.S.) for a well bred German shepherd, now you can get one for £200 - £400, simply because they are 'not in vogue' at the moment. Goes in cycles. what is popular today might not be in two or three years.

Answer 6

It all depends. Reputable breeders set their prices based on the bloodlines and pedigrees of the parents, as well as the demand for the breed and the availability of the breed.

For examples, some small breeds and short nosed breeds have a very difficult delivery, and litters are usually only 1 or 2 puppies. This can make it a difficult breed to whelp puppies, therefore, the puppies will be more expense.

If you have 2 top of the line, multi-show winning parents, typically those puppies are more expensive.

It all depends on the breeder, and what price they can get.

Answer 7

A lot of it is demand. The current "must have" breeds are expensive, and you need to be careful when adopting one to be sure you're not adopting from a puppy mill. When a breed becomes popular, every moron with a fenced yard wants to become a breeder and make tons of money. A good breeder knows he won't get rich breeding dogs, is selective about the dogs he breeds, and even more selective about whom he will allow to adopt his puppies, will allow a prospective adopter to meet the parents of the pups, may require a home visit, where he comes to your house to make sure you are able to adequately care for the puppy, and will answer all of your questions, completely and intelligently. A puppy mill breeder will hand over any dog to anyone with money in their checking account, will keep his breeding dogs in crates and treat them like commodities, not animals, and will breed his dogs as frequently, and indiscriminately, as possible to maximize his profit.

Answer 8

A reputable breeder will spend more money on the dogs to ensure they are healthy and genetically good quality. Even with the higher costs they tend to not break even. Breeders who sell any breed for less than $500 are normally backyard breeders who don't bother to properly breed or care for their pups. As for the designer breeds or mutts they are just greedy people looking for money.

Answer 9

Some breeds are more common, therefore more commonly sold by backyard breeders. And backyard breeders don't charge as much as reputable breeders because they don't do spend as much initially on the animals, don't show the animals, don't do the genetic health testing on the animals, etc. Long story short, they are cheaper because there are more people out there badly breeding them, so you see them more. (There are other aspects as well, but in my opinion, this is one of the biggest.)

Papillons aren't "common" per say, but they definitely aren't "rare" either. I could have got a papillon for $250 from a backyard breeder. Instead, I chose to pay a little more ($1000) and get one from a reputable breeder that I know is coming from good lines and will be healthy.

Not all purebreds are created equally. In fact, it's nearly the opposite.
.

Answer 10

It's several things - popularity of the breed, prevalence, number of puppies usually in a litter, whether or not the breed is a natural whelper or one that requires C-sections. Dogs' popularity is a very fickle thing - fads come and go, popularity of breeds comes and goes, and that always affects price.

The so-called "designer" mutts are a fad with huge numbers of them now ending up dumped in shelters because of their myriad of health and temperament problems. Eventually the clueless dog-buying public will wise up to the problems with these mutts and the prices will plummet.