How to Buy a Dog6

Choosing a Breeder

A good breeder works hard to produce healthy dogs and so will be discriminating about who they sell to. They are looking for people who are financially secure and who have an above average interest in the health of their dog. They will have an application and interview process they use to pick the very best candidates.

A good breeder will also spend a great deal of time educating and learning about their applicants as a part of their interview process. The interview itself will also help those prospective owners learn more about the breeder, the breed and what it takes to care for one of their dogs. If done properly, the interview and contract will uncover things new owners may not have considered.

The Cost of a Puppy

If you have any concerns about the purchase price of  your puppy, it is helpful to understand what goes into the cost of maintaining a breeding program.

Good breeders are truly selfless about the time and care they put into their breeding program. However, there are certain out of pocket costs associated to owning, showing and breeding that they pass on in purchase price of their dogs.
Here is a list of some of those hard costs that can be associated to producing a litter of puppies:
1-Purchase of the Dam (equal to the value of 1 puppy)
2-Conformation and/or Performance Titles to prove that parents are worth breeding ($2,000-$5,000 per dog depending if the breeder is seeking basic or more advanced titles)
3-Genetic/Hip/Elbow/Eye testing for each dog ($500)
4-Use of the Sire (equal to the value of 1 puppy)
5-Hormone testing/Ultrasound/x-rays to confirm pregnancy (Varies by Vet $1000)
6-Whelping Supplies and Food/Toys for rearing the puppies. ($1000 per litter)
7-Health Checks and Microchips for puppies ($120 per puppy)
8-Puppy packages (depends on what the breeder includes. $100)
9-Registration of the purebred puppies with the appropriate Kennel Club.
10-Ongoing costs associated to maintaining a breeding program:
*Kennel Club registration and membership,
*Other professional memberships
*Grooming equipment,
*Advertising,
*Website Development,
*Ongoing medical, training, food and misc costs associated to caring for dogs.

Once you have narrowed down your list of breeders, have a conversation with them about how they approach their particular breeding program. A good breeder will welcome your tough questions. To them, it means that you are serious about learning and finding the right dog. If you get a sense that they are not directly answering your questions or are compromising on some of these expenses, consider that information as a part of your evaluation process.

To help you with your assessment, follow this link to download a copy of our “Choosing a Breeder” document.