[Saco]

Dogs are property, and generally only considered worth what they could sell for, right?

You see "executive protection" GSD and malinois going for up to $40 K- but usually right around 15K (some have OK training, some do not). At the same time, purebred GSD and malinois may be euthanized and worth nothing at an overcrowded shelter.

So how is the worth of a dog determined?

Curious what people have found or think. Would, for example, a dog with IPO/IPG titles be worth more? What about a healthy breeding female- would her worth include price of her future puppies?

Example: https://www.protectiondogs.com/dogs/kraken-2

 

[Chip Blasiole]

Like you said, the worth of anything is whatever someone is willing to pay for it. In the dog world, market price depends on who is looking for a particular type of dog. Some top German show line dogs that are good producers have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars to people into the show lines. To me, such a dog has no value. The high priced protection dogs are often sold to naïve wealthy people who totally overpay for the dog. A PP dog has limited utility, especially against a gun. A dog with IPG titles would have no increased value and may even be undesired by a police department. GSDs that win international competitions often go for high sums of money. However, in Holland, the KNPV dogs that are usually the most valued as police dogs are dogs that just barely obtain their PH1. A healthy breeding female's worth is determined by what she has produced. If a male or female doesn't have dominant genes for their desired traits and are not good producers, they are of no value. Last night, someone I train with gave away a young female Malinois that probably had a fair market value of $4,000 due to her genetics, what she has shown in training and her level of training. But the deal was that there was to be a co-ownership with the person who gave the dog away having sole breeding rights. So if that female continues to do well and remains healthy and produces well when bred, the person who gave her away could recoup way more than $4,000 based on selling numerous puppies from several breedings. So it is not a simple answer. Another person that I train with told me I he could quickly sell my male, untitled GSD for $8,000 when he was about 15 months old. He has a 13 month Mal from KNPV lines that is a very nice dog, but only weighs about 55 pounds and a head of a K-9 unit for a branch of the armed services offered him $13,000 for the dog. But the government was paying for the dog, so that made some difference. There are too many variables and different types of dogs and different market demands to give you a simple answer to your question. A dog could have an IGP title at the local level, regional level, national level or international level. And even at the highest levels, podium dogs are not often the best representative of a working GSD.

 

[CometDog]

Depends. If someone put 4 PROVEN 25k dogs in front of me - an IGP dog, a PPD, a guide dog, a showline-and told me I had to buy one I'd buy the PPD. I'm into all aspects of self defense as a hobby. 2nd choice would be IGP. I am friends with people that would pick the Showline And a blind man would pick the guide dog.

 

[Saco]

So true, I guess a dog is worth whatever someone is willing to pay, basically.

 

[Sabis mom]

On at least two occasions I was offered well over 10k for Sabs. And she had no titles, no papers. On one occasion I was offered a name your price check.
A dog is worth what someone will pay but what I see a lot of is that some kennels are run by smart business people. The dogs are not really any better, and in some cases not even as good but if you put a huge price on something people assume it must be worth it.
I also see a lot of trading on past accomplishments. I took this dog to whatever level so now I name my price on future dogs.

Years ago the Canadian show jumping scene was dominated by a horse like no other. No denying that the rider is a talented man but he was shot to fame by a great horse and really none since have been near as good yet he continues to be called the best when in reality there are others as good or better.
Business.

 

[middleofnowhere]

I could write one heck of a long post on what a dog's worth - to me. It has little to do with dollar value. I'll just leave it at that.

 

[Chip Blasiole]

There is not much logic when it comes to pricing in the dog world. There is a kennel near me that mass produces Labradoodles that go for $14,000 for a puppy. They farm them out to pet trainers for a few months so that the pups have some basic training. They are clearly for wealthy people that just want a nice pet that is hypoallergenic, which I don't even think is true. A registered pup will cost more than an unregistered pup, but being registered tells you nothing about the dog's working ability. In KNPV, about 90% of the Mal X's are unregistered and are the better dogs. They are more expensive in the U.S. and go for around $1,500-$2,000 for a pup. The FCI registered Mals that have not been outcrossed to other breeds are more expensive and generally don't have the working ability of the unregistered Mals. You could argue that they are more likely to meet the standard in terms of size and structure. Unregistered Mal X's from KNPV lines can be very large to small. As a registry, AKC doesn't offer anything to ensure the breeds are well bred. You can register dysplastic GSDs with terrible temperament and no drive. Yet, some very good working line GSDs bred in the U.S. are AKC registered and will sell for a much higher price than the AKC dogs you see in the newspaper or BYB dogs. The SV has show line GSDs and puppies that are very overpriced and do not represent the standard in terms of working ability.

 

[Jchrest]

I am fairly different than a lot of members here. I don’t work my dogs in competition sports, and don’t train for anything that doesn’t seem to interest my dogs. Meaning I don’t purchase with a job in mind. Really, I generally don’t purchase at all, Seiran is my first breeder purchase. I find enjoyment in just learning what dog comes into my life enjoys. Lyka LOVES herding. So she herds in a home environment and I work with her on that. Crios LOVES agility, and I encourage it through a home course, always changing up the course as he gets bored of running the same course. Seiran is very toy/tug driven and is obsessed with nose work, so I encourage that in many different way. Floki is obsessed with napping, so I participate in that amazing sport with him ???

Would I shell out 15k for a dog? Nope. Not because I don’t think they are worth it, but they just aren’t worth it to me personally because I have no desire to have a dog for a specific reason, so a proven IPO/IGP dog that others would snap up for 15k holds no interest for me.

I think a dog is worth their weight in gold if you allow them to be them, encouraging and working what they are naturally interested in. It doesn’t matter if it’s a mutt, a bag of fear aggression nerves, or a couch potato. I love them all, and their worth is priceless to me.

It would be a different story if I was seeking a dog for a particular reason. I will likely need a service dog in the future. I am willing to pay much more for a trained dog trained specifically for my needs. I do not want to purchase a pup and do the training myself, that’s just not me. So yes, for a really great service dog, I’d pay 15k. It’s an investment in my health, which is what makes the price tag worth it.

Other than that, I truly believe a dogs worth isn’t monetary. A dogs worth is priceless for that bond, that eagerness to be with you, the unconditional love if you handle them properly and allow them to be what they want to be.

But I also understand people that put monetary worth on a dog when it is purchased for a specific reason. Different strokes for different folks. And I am in no way saying there is ANYTHING wrong with people purchasing for a specific reason, and getting their dogs into sport, show, protection. It’s just not for me personally.

 

[Frisco19]

Hmmm....worth? It depends on what your goal is in a dog and what that's worth to you. For me, it was as simple as verifying the lines which were 100% WG. He is showline. Spending countless hours with the parents and getting comfortable with the temperament I wanted which was low aggression and comfortable socially. We wanted a really smart family dog. I have zero interest on competition sports or anything in that space. I train for obedience and the fun in getting him to do what I say. I met with many breeders and ruled out many upcoming litters after meeting the parents. So when I found the right fit, I paid a premium and he charged a premium because he knew what we were getting. I paid a lot more than the other prospective options, and it was "worth" it to us. Still is.

 

[CometDog]

Funny this popped up someone just offered me a chunk of change for my puppy. If it weren't for my kids...I mean I love him, but. I just can't though. This dog better fly right is all I'm saying lol.

My general reaction to the amount because I knew it wasn't a possibility:

 

[wolfmonte]

Dogs are property, and generally only considered worth what they could sell for, right?

You see "executive protection" GSD and malinois going for up to $40 K- but usually right around 15K (some have OK training, some do not). At the same time, purebred GSD and malinois may be euthanized and worth nothing at an overcrowded shelter.

So how is the worth of a dog determined?

Curious what people have found or think. Would, for example, a dog with IPO/IPG titles be worth more? What about a healthy breeding female- would her worth include price of her future puppies?

Example: https://www.protectiondogs.com/dogs/kraken-2

Worth is what someone is willing to pay for it.
If you can get 10k for a mix breed, poorly bred dog then that's the worth.

A photo of potato was sold for $1 mil.

Does it mean photos of potatoes are $1 mil? No. but that photo was.

 

[Saco]

Was there something special about the potato? I'm confused.

 

[Frisco19]

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/super-expensive-potato-portraits-by-kevin-abosch/


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Saco]

Huh, I better get busy photographing my turnips.

 

[Frisco19]

Huh, I better get busy photographing my turnips.

Yeah, to pay for your $15,000+ dogs.

 

[Jenny720]

I think most people who have dogs consider their dogs priceless or at least they should. You can’t put a price tag on love and the time spent building that bond.

I remember when fully trained protection dogs costing top $5,000. I paid $1,000 for mine way back then. I can see paying the training and time put into an Adult dog trained for a particular task and understanding the price is also dependent on the needs of specific limited clientele or lack of a specific quality of dog but the prices now seem to be all over the place and such a wide range from priced high but semi reasonable to extremely inflated prices that their reputation allows for.

$14,000 for pet doodles puppies?? Not the average market not sure how that cost can be explained by the seller. I have seen doodle pup for $500- $800 nothing more unless in a pet store. There will always the impulsive buyer or suckers born every minute. When a puppy is extremely high priced - where the health has not yet been determined even if the parents are health tested as this is no guarantee or to young to know how the pup will turn out -they usually have a big facility needing to cover costs and have the gift of bs.

 

[Saco]

My rare red sable mountain shepherds are worth a lot more than $15 K!!

 

[Frisco19]

My rare red sable mountain shepherds are worth a lot more than $15 K!!

To who? You or the market? I don't think about my dogs this way. My cars, well that's a different story (and vice!).

 

[cvamoca]

On at least two occasions I was offered well over 10k for Sabs. And she had no titles, no papers. On one occasion I was offered a name your price check.
A dog is worth what someone will pay but what I see a lot of is that some kennels are run by smart business people. The dogs are not really any better, and in some cases not even as good but if you put a huge price on something people assume it must be worth it.
I also see a lot of trading on past accomplishments. I took this dog to whatever level so now I name my price on future dogs.

Years ago the Canadian show jumping scene was dominated by a horse like no other. No denying that the rider is a talented man but he was shot to fame by a great horse and really none since have been near as good yet he continues to be called the best when in reality there are others as good or better.
Business.

Big Ben?
That was a heck of a horse. I was awe struck to be able to meet him during the DuMaurier Cup in Halifax, way back when.

 

[Sabis mom]

Big Ben?
That was a heck of a horse. I was awe struck to be able to meet him during the DuMaurier Cup in Halifax, way back when.

Of course! Best of the best. Met him numerous times riding at Spruce Meadows. Far beyond even my beloved Falcon, but I got to step into the same ring. An honor and a privilege.

No denying Mr Millar is a talented rider, and deserving of recognition but Big Ben was a wonder horse, who catapulted his rider to world renown. He has never come close to that success with another mount.
Smart dog trainers who have had success with great dogs often are able to trade on that history even when subsequent dogs prove far less amazing.