Most breeders I know including myself for working line dogs is anywhere from 1200.00 to 2500.00. you can find cheaper but you get what you payfor. Show lines can be a bit more depending on the breeder. hope this helps.

 

I would say that for a quality German bred puppy you should expect to pay around $2000.00.

 

It is amazing to me how different the prices are for imported verses American line pups from Ch parents.

 

I think it also really depends on where you are. I know of breeders around here that have good bloodlines(European working), OFA, and do something with the dogs (AKC obedience, rally) and pups start around $500.

Now these are not schutzhund titled parents.

 

Quote:Also I want the pick of the litter, the Alpha Male is what I want.

Are you sure? Do you want the dog that will be constantly pushing your buttons, demanding physical and mental exercise, trying to dominate everything and everyone, pushy as all get out, and smarter than smart can be? This sort of dog is not just a pet but a working animal that must have a job first before being a pet (schutzhund, agility, obedience, tracking, a mix of activities, etc). These dogs are GREAT but they can be disasters in homes that don't provide adequate activity. What you want is a breeder who will interview you extensively to learn about your lifestyle and what you want in a dog so he or she can match you up with the pick puppy for YOUR needs. The pick puppy for a schutzhund home will differ from the pick puppy for a family home that will do some basic activities and training with the dog. If the pups go into the wrong homes, the second pup will be overwhelmed and the first pup will probably drive the second home insane.

For prices, working lines are around $1200-$1800, sometimes more and sometimes less, German showlines tend to run higher, and I don't know really about the American lines as I don't follow that type of GSD. $2500-$3500 is a lot but quite common for German showlines. The higher price tags don't necessarily equate to quality but when it comes to cheaper dogs, you tend to get what you pay for, so be careful if you see litters cheaper than a grand.

 

It does all depend on the lines, mine range from $800 to $1500 depending on pet, or if show quality plus other factors like what titles they have, where mine is ofa'd, cerf, all mine (have 3 at the moment) have their TT, passed their temp. test, 2 have ukc champion titles, just different things, just have to look around and talk to good breeders until you find one you are comfortable with

 

Janet: your dog Taylyn is gorgeous!!!!

 

Kodiak, when you're shopping around, make sure to look for stock that ALL have either OFA certification, PennHIP, or German "a" stamp, at minimum for hips but preferably hips AND elbows. More health clearances are excellent. Stock that are titled with some sort of working certifications to prove good temperament is highly recommended (CGC and BH and TT by themselves don't count), titling on both ends (Champion or German conformation rating at the front of the name and working on the end) is fantastic. The best breeders have dogs that they work themselves. It's easy to send a dog to Germany for training to get titles but the breeder only gets titled dog. The dog could have just barely passed for the title or excelled but there is no way to know because the breeder was not there. A breeder who works his or her dogs and titles them will know the temperament of the dog inside and out and will know whether the dog is fit for breeding. After all, you want a dog of VERY sound mind before sound body- a healthy dog with bad temperament is a liability and though an unhealthy dog with great temperament is very sad, at least you won't have to worry about bad temperament! Also, steer clear of breeders that advertise dogs that are over the standard's size as if it's a good thing. GSDs are not meant to be 29" tall and 130 lbs. The standard calls for a male dog up to 26" at the shoulder with a good target weight being 85 lbs, up to 100 lbs for dogs at the very top of the standard and thickly built. Anything greater that is intentionally bred for as a selling point is not good.

If you'd like breeder recommendations from people who really know the breed or have had great experiences from breeders, please make a post in the "Choosing a Breeder" section with your location and a general idea of what you're looking for. Instead of "pick puppy," write about what activities you plan to do with the dog, available time, experience level, etc. Note whether you are willing to ship or would prefer to stay within a certain driving distance. Shipping is relatively easy nowadays and opens up your puppy-buying horizons vastly and could still save you money over a local purchase.

 

It depends where you are - in new england a decent pet quality dog from working lines will run around 1200.

 

Location makes a big differance so if the OP is still reading this stuff let us know where you reside.

The post that follows yours is well worth thinking about. When I bought my dog, the breeder and I spent a lot of time talking about what type of dog I wanted. I had first pick, and my thought was I want the most aggressive and energetic. There are exceptions, but if the OP goes that route I hope the person is willing to spend tons of time with the dog, and also will have it in SCH, or at leat otherprotective classes, search and rescue, etc.

All I really wanted was a companion dog that would be protective. And she convinced me to buy a mid-range dog. I have never made a better decision, with my breeder's help.

 

Originally Posted By: SashmomJanet: your dog Taylyn is gorgeous!!!!

thank you

 

I think it depends on ALOT of things,,with "area" having alot to do with it as well..

God, my first GSD, some 20 years ago, cost me a mere 350$ )))
He was out of german import parents. My male GSD,,12 years ago,
working lines, was 500$. My aussie puppy 9 years ago, 1000$.
And my latest working line puppy (narcotics slovakian mom/SAR ddr/czech dad, with to many titles to remember) was 1200$ plus shipping..

Gotta say, each was worth every penny.)

Would I pay say, 2500$ for an 8 wk old puppy,,I, for one, don't think I could justify to my SO, shelling out that much for a puppy, with the economy the way it is, and I'm not a rich person. However, if I "did" have that much to spend on a puppy,,I would if it was something I really wanted..

Diane

 

Kodiak,

You've asked how much it'll cost for a gsd... it depends on what you're looking for, as others have mentioned. Showlines I can't tell you any prices, but working lines.... here in New England spend $1,500 and you can get a great dog from a great working line breeder who works and titles their dogs, hips are done, and get the support that you'll probably want/need. As others have commented, a good breeder will pick the dog for you. Trust me, that's the best way to do it.... I've been there, done that with my older gsd. With my last gsd I let the breeder match the dog for me. Best thing I could have done. You won't be sorry!!

DianeM has a major valid point, and her response to you was right on...... Are you ready for an alpha male? You may be getting in for more than you realize. What do you want to do with your dog? That would really dictate the type of dog that would be best for you and your family. I see that you've had a gsd before, but excuse my ignorance... what is a "moose male"? I think I know what it is, but don't want to comment on it and be wrong.

Greg

 

German showlines are usually anywhere between 2500 - 3500 dollars easy. Especially if they are out of titled parents (which you want, no titles are much less)

I agree with DianeM, if I were you, I would not want the Alpha male, I would want the most solid nerves, the most wanting to please pup. Those are the easier ones to train. Not the stubborn ones.. Trust me.

 

Originally Posted By: GSDOwner2008German showlines are usually anywhere between 2500 - 3500 dollars easy. Especially if they are out of titled parents (which you want, no titles are much less)

I agree with DianeM, if I were you, I would not want the Alpha male, I would want the most solid nerves, the most wanting to please pup. Those are the easier ones to train. Not the stubborn ones.. Trust me.

Which is why I like working females, altho I got one that can be a real pushy hard head, even cocks her leg to "P"

 

As others have stated, you get what you pay for....think about the prices 20 years ago - and then think about what you made an hour then...put that in perspective before comparing prices now to then !!!

My last couple of litters have been $1500 - 1800 - sires have all been titled, hip rated, koered. Two were top National (DVG Champion, Belgian National Champion) and World level Competitors (DVG BSP and World, and WUSV). The last litter was sired by a Certified Police K9, SAR Cadaver dog and Schh3, FH2, KKL male...all three males were sired by a World Champion.

The mother is Schh3, IPO3 KKL, and a proven producer with titled progeny in 3 or 4 countries...Schutzhund 1-3, SAR, RH and AKC CDs working on highler titles. So look at the difference in parental credentials between the $1200 pup and the $1500-1800 pups.

As far as an "alpha" male - most breeders want the pups matched to the owner and goals....and a top male pup from a good litter with working potential is going to be destined hopefully to a more experienced home who will have working goals. Pet breeders who let people pick pups often don't recognize or care about matching pups.

Lee

 

DianaM,

I read your post and I thought, wow she met Max...hehehe
He was what I ask for and more for the pick of the litter and I agree with you 100% and what do I do? Pick a male pup out of my last litter just like him (what was I thinking?)

 

I would have enormous concerns placing an alpha male puppy in a home with small children. Period.

 

Kandi,
i am sure alot of breeders would feel the same way. even without kids in the house there would be a concern as to the experience of the buyer in being able to handle an Alpha. it very well could end up the breeder would be getting it back, or worse.

debbie

 

Kandi,

I agree with you 100% , not a wise thing to do. A alpha dog does need an experience handler. I couldnt even begin to think of my boy Max being in the home with my son and their small 5 year old son. Even now with Max 100 % trained and 5 years old himself he can be a handful. When I got Max my youngest was 12 and she couldnt put her feet on the floor and laying on the floor to watch TV was out of the question. To Max anything that was on the floor was fair game. Good thing was though Max wasnt our first dog or even our first alpha dog so we all as a family knew how to deal with him.

 

We did the same on our C litter. The family really wanted a mini- Enzo (Gabor's HOT and world level competition dog) for active family and posiible local level schutzhund and had waited about 1-5 to 2 years for the puppy.

With the evals, etc, the black sable was the most dominant,alpha, etc and needed to go to a strong working home. The family did come out when the puppies were about 7 weeks old - we wanted them to see the evals and what we were seeing. They got my favorite out of the litter (little man); we worked with them to get what was best for them and the puppy.

The black sable is in strong and active working home and Koos Haasing really likes him - worked him personally (100% of the time) during his seminar at Elite K9.

 

Obviously not a breeder, but in rescue doing screening and reading applications you see comments and realize that maybe (and I am just guessing) that people are using words that mean one thing in my mind and another in theirs.

I believe that my Kramer (GSD mix) is an alpha male. He will come back at me, still, at 15.5 yo (which now I love-because he's still got it cha cha cha!) we have had to train daily for his entire life to work on that, and prevent other people from being his target. And yet, he's not stable-but those are two totally different things from my point of view and I can see when he is coming at me from dominance and when it is fear.

Of course, I have no children and he has always been closely monitored around them.

(think Hannibal Lecter monitoring)

So in my mind, you can have alpha and stable.
Alpha and not stable.
Dominant, but not alpha and stable.
Dominant, but not alpha and not stable.
Moose-mid level dominance with high pack drive and stable.
And all the way down.

This is what I am reading into this and the other thread. That the Moose isn't an alpha, but a stable dog with good pack drive.

If I were screening an applicant for rescue and they had one small child and plans for another, I would be looking for a puppy with reasonable touch sensitivity (not so much they couldn't be corrected but high enough that a kid grabbing a handful isn't going to create a big issue)-high sound sensitivity, not huge prey drive (that could be just me/caution), high pack drive...

I could be mixing threads up-so sorry-but they are the same OP. Maybe I'll serial post.

So anyway, that's my opinion and I won't mind if anyone disagrees!

I am glad to read these comments from the breeders on this board.

 

When someone says you get what you pay for and they are selling pups for 1500-2500 dollars, you should be wary. Just because it cost more does not guaruntee the dog, in fact it makes me suspicious. I would never pay more than 1k for a good working dog. The only way a breeder should charge that much is if they are looking to make a buck. It shouldnt vary where you live, other than what the breeder thinks they can ask for to make more money. I cant speak for show dogs though, I know there is a lot of money tied up in that. I guess if you are a dog fancier and names are important to you. Title and health testing are what matters to me.

 

Quote:I would never pay more than 1k for a good working dog.

So where do you get your good working dogs from? I have a tough time finding any who title their own dogs, do all appropriate health checks, and maintain a good breeding program.

 

thinking more on this thread re: wanting an alpha male,,our perception of a true alpha male may differ from someone else's.

I'm sure we all see alot of references to "alpha" on boards, and some that refer to it, aren't really dealing with a true alpha male ..

I have honestly never really had an alpha male, but my female(s) tend to take over that role while the males just say "go ahead")

ok done rambling
diane