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What's the difference between a breeder that asks for 1k or 2k for a pup?

2K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  llombardo 
#1 ·
Then one that asks for maybe 600 or less... And have the pedigree and papers and AKC? Is it because some are working lines and some are showing? I honesty don't understand the difference. They're just as beautiful as the more expensive ones and heathy. I'm just curios, I've always wondered this. I got a blanket back GSD from a breeder for only 450 and he was heathy and behaved amazingly when was matured.
 
#2 ·
I'd have to see the specific breeding to judge but there's lots of reasons. First one that comes to mind on the $600 dog is the person didn't do much in the way of health testing or spend a lot of money to bring the pups into the world.

Some breeders ask different prices for different breedings - titles on the parents and what they think the quality of the pups is.
 
#3 ·
I would think the titles and conformations would demand a higher price. Are you looking at AKC GSD's or German bloodlines. I'm not sure what AKC has to do for breeding, but here's a video on the German Standards, :

 
#4 ·
It depends on what the breeder has put into the dogs. I'm sure someone with knowledge on the value of different bloodlines can clarify more, but if the dog has a particularly impressive bloodline, multiple titles on parents, grandparents, especially Schutzhund titles, those puppies tend to be more because the breeders have likely put a lot of work into proving their dogs are healthy and sound through both competition and testing. It can also depend on how prestigious those titles are. A dog that has earned SchI vs SchIII and so on. The average that I see for a good pup is 1-2000.

I only ended up getting mine much cheaper due to circumstance. He originally had a deposit on him before the litter was born to go to another couple, but he was an excessively tiny runt in comparison to the rest of the litter, so they decided against him and wanted to wait for the next litter. No one wanted him so the breeders offered a discount because he was so tiny and I came along and got him. It can depend on the situation. My pup's parents aren't any national level show or sport competitors, but they both titled in multiple sports, and both checked out very well in their health clearances, so I had no problem getting a smaller pup from one of their litters.
 
#5 ·
I would say most breeders who are serious about health concerns and overall quality barely break even on a $1500 puppy because of all they are investing in health checks, performance checks, proving their dog has the "right stuff" to be a solid working dog, proving the dog has the right structure etc.

Your puppy's parents may not have had any of these things and you just got lucky. There are plenty of sad stories here where folks got the short end of the stick.
 
#6 ·
On my pup? It's not like I just picked him up out of the blue. Didn't mean it to sound that way. His parents had physical documentation for all OFA scores and competition titles as well as references for other customers who had gotten puppies from the same breeder and gotten positive health checks and titled their pups in various sports, many of which I was actually able to call the owners and confirm. I also visited the parents themselves several times on site and saw for myself their general temperament around other dogs and strange people (which was calm but aloof, just as it should be). While he may have been on the cheaper end which usually isn't indicative of high quality, I was provided the documentation to back up their dogs. In my experience, I've never run into health or temperament problems with runt of the litter puppies, so I was not concerned about that.

I didn't mean that all $1000 puppies are just fine, just that you can always check them out and see if they may be one you would be comfortable with. It doesn't have to be a $4000 champion bloodline dog to be a healthy, stable dog. That may be what someone looks for if they want say a serious sport or confirmation dog, but that depends on the OP's goals with the dog.
 
#7 ·
We posted within a minute of each other so I did not see your post when I was typing. I was replying to the OP when I said "your puppy" not to you. :).
 
#8 ·
I wanted of course to start with the answer to the question " What's the difference between a breeder that asks for 1k or 2k for a pup?

And simply reply " A $1000" since I am a mathamagologist...but....

I will be a bit shallow for a second and suggest you should treat your purchase of a dog the same as an investment of your hard earned dollars....due diligence is required. There's lots of options out there ( some worthy and some not so worthy ) and you seem to be on the proper path asking good questions. Problem is....there are guarantees out there but none that will compensate you for emotional loses....at the end of the day...it certainly can be a crapshoot...but one can certainly better the odds with their due diligence....


SuperG
 
#10 ·
I have two breeders near me that come to mind. One charges $1500.00 and the other averages $3500. The two breeders have worked together and I have seen them mix those lines. I prefer the breeder that charges $1500, not because of the price, but because of knowledge and helpfulness in general.
 
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