This question is often the first thing I am asked by people, so I thought I would post it on my blog. That answer changes due to cost, but as of 2022 all pet pups will be $3000. The next question is “What! Why are your pups so expensive??” Many people do not understand the true cost of breeding top quality dogs. I could talk for about an hour on this subject, but I will sum it up as best I can with a handful of bullet points.

• Showing Dogs. I know, who would have thought showing dogs would cost so much money! Entry fees, coat care and grooming, training classes, hotel, gas, gear (so much gear!), treats and toys to motivate the dog, etc. Generally, you will pay less for a dog from a breeder who doesn’t show, but at the same time you will not truly know what sort of temperament you will be buying. I show to prove my dogs are mentally and physically sound.

• Health testing. I do more than an average amount of health testing on my dogs. This adds up quickly. On Standard Poodles I test hips, eyes, thyroid, sometimes cardiac if the line has known heart issues. I also complete about 6 DNA test for different disease, plus genetic diversity, color testing, etc. These test do not insure I won’t produce sick pups, but they do stack the odds in our favor.
• Health warranty. Many breeders give one year for congenital issues. This means things present at birth. It doesn’t cover anything that might develop over that time frame and honestly is worthless. Some might cover hips, which is better, but rarely do you have a dog with extreme hip issues under a year. Quality breeders give 2 or more years and cover a more reasonable variety of issues. I cover 4 plus years of problems. This sort of warranty cost me a lot more, because people do, in fact, contact us when things show up. I’m more than happy to help an owner out financially if something rotten happens to their baby. It is my duty to do this, but this service is only available because I charge as much as I do. If one puppy per litter becomes sick and needs to be refunded, I have to be able to absorb that loss and not lose money on the litter. Some litters are healthy for most of their life. Some end up with several very sick dogs. Early in my breeding career I had a litter with several pups who eventually were diagnosed with Addison’s. One family opted for a refund, one family opted for a free puppy. Either way, it is a large cost to me. I had one dog get cancer at age 3 years. She was an outlier with a very rare, non-genetic type of cancer. I do not put a requirement about genetic issues with cancer, kidney, or liver problems. I just do the right thing and help you out in a very stressful time of need. This sort of thing comes at a price.

• Time. Everyone’s time is worth something. I do not even want to calculate the number of hours I put into a litter. The amount of money I charge for my pups wouldn’t come close to minimum wage. Seriously, my time is worth at least a little something.
• Knowledge. This one is probably the most important reason I charge the price I do for my pups. If you want to search the internet marketplaces for your next puppy, go for it. You will pay a lot less, but at the same time you will be on your own when you need help with training. My knowledge base is worth the price I ask you to pay. Likely I should be charging a heck of a lot more for this, but I try to keep my prices at a point where most people who budget could save for one of my pups within a year or two.

• How my dogs are kept. Why should how I keep my dogs make a difference on how much I charge for pups? Because, I only keep a handful dogs for breeding and each is only bred a few times. This means they have fewer pups than your average breeder. Do the math. If a girl is bred 4-6 times, they only have to health test (if they health test) that dog once in her lifetime. Same deal with their stud. If they use the same stud over and over with their girls, they save a huge amount of money. I do not do this. I breed my males as limited as my girls. River sired 3 litters for me, Merlot 2, Major 1, Flash 1, Levi 1, Bret 1. My girls are kept all over the US in homes where they get to be wonderful, beloved house pets, but I have to travel long distances to get them when it is time to have pups. They often only have 1-2 litters in their life. This all cost far more than if I kept 5 girls and 1 boy in a kennel behind my house. Those 5 dogs could be bred yearly for 5-6 years before I needed to ‘replace’ them. It makes me sick thinking about that, but there are plenty of people out there who treat their dogs like livestock. When you see a puppy for half the price you pay for mine, you really need to see where and how that breeder keeps their dogs.

In closing, the price I charge is the minimum amount I am willing to take per puppy to keep doing this thing called breeding. A person really has to love bringing new life into this world to becomes a quality breeder. Don’t bicker about what someone decide their blood, sweat, and tears are worth. If you agree with the person’s self evaluation, great. If not, find someone who shares your own beliefs and work with them.