How much should I charge for puppies?

[german_shepherdlover]

Hello everyone! My name is, Megan. My fiance and I bought a German Shepherd puppy named Snickers. She is now One year and 6 months old. She is registered with the AKC and is Black and tan. We recently decided to breed her to my cousin's dog named Jeger. Jeger, is a highly trained police dog and my cousin is a police officer. Jeger is solid Black and 4 years old. He and my cousin are still currently working together on the police department. The police department purchased Jeger from Hungary from a well known breeder for 12,000 dollars and they gave ownership to my cousin. Jeger is also double registered with the AKC and the Magyarorszagi Nemet Juhaszkutya Klub in Hungary. We also have four generation pedigrees for both Snickers and Jeger. None of us have ever bred German Shepherds and have no idea how much to charge for the puppies! Given the information above, can anyone tell us how much they think we should charge for the puppies??????

[Chris Wild]

Are either of the parents certified for hips and elbows? I'm guessing your female is not as she is not yet old enough for OFAs. IMO, at a year and a half of age she is also not mature enough mentally or physically to be bred. I would wait at least a year, and get OFAs in the meantime.

Any sort of performance titles or certificate on your female?

Honestly, without at least having health clearances on BOTH parents, the pups wouldn't be worth any more than the typical newspaper/Craigslist ad breeding of a couple hundred dollars.

[Jax08]

$0

So the public financed the purchase of this dog that you are going to use to breed?

Do NOT breed a 1 1/2 yr old with no health clearances and no knowledge of breeding or how to analyze pedigrees to make sure you don't end up with genetic messes.

If you really are interested in breeding her then get her trained, trialed and prove she is breed worthy. Find a mentor that can teach you how to choose a proper mating so you have puppies worthy of the breed.

[msvette2u]

I'd agree. Maybe $300-400 each.

Be sure to deworm them starting at 2 weeks old, every 2 weeks. Vaccinate at 6-8 weeks. If you don't do those things then you don't have a right, really, to even ask that much.

[german_shepherdlover]

Yes the have both had health clearances. Jeger had to have them done because he was shipped here from Hungary and its a requirment when being purchased for police work. As for the female dog, My fiance and his father both work at the Ottumwa Vetrinary Clinic. Also I am currently taking the pre vetrinary courses because I am going to school to be a vet! Since my fiance and his father they work at the vet my fiance and I get free health exams all the time. She also gets groomed there frequently for free as well. My female has had her hips xrayed and every health check up you can imagine. She is all up to date on all of her shots and has excellent hips the vet said. I also have the xrays for both dogs and all the vet records for both as well

[Jax08]

How could she have health clearances when they won't do official hip xrays for OFA's before 2 years old?

[msvette2u]

She can't be OFA'ed until she's 2yrs. old is what I think they mean.

Do you have pedigrees for both dogs? Can you post them here?

[wolfstraum]

Most police departments have a rule against breeding the K9's....

As others have said, to be a responsible breeder, you need to learn more about the breed, the pedigrees, the different types of GSDs....what works being bred together and what doesn't.....you also need to understand the risks to your female, and the costs in possible veterinary care prior and during the pregnancy, and the whelping process....these costs can run into thousands of dollars for the owner of the female. Are you financially prepared to do an emergency surgery on teh female if something goes wrong? Are you prepared to hand raise 6 or 10 puppies who need round the clock care if your female dies?

This site has tons of threads with good information that will help you understand the risks of breeding, the goals of breeding, and how to be a responsible breeder. You have a young female, so plenty of time to learn before you do any breeding......around here "Back yard breeder" is a very derogatory term....the opposite of a responsible breeder, so I think you need to understand what is involved with breeding before making any decisions to have a litter.

There are alot of nice people here who will try to help you understand why it is not good to be a BYB - and how to help you become a responsible breeder - jumping into it by breeding a young female wtihout credentials for a few hundred dollars is not going to be perceived as a good thing.

Lee

[Lucy Dog]

$100 maybe. I guess whatever is enough to cover vet bills and food for the puppies while they're in your care. I wouldn't pay a penny more than that.

Originally Posted by Jax08

So the public financed the purchase of this dog that you are going to use to breed?

Yeah... that strikes a bit of a nerve.

[Jax08]

Two very knowledgeable and highly respected breeders, Wildhaus and Wolfstraum, have spoken. Not sure anything else needs to be said.