We have. After complete and total health testing, championing the breeding pair, temeperament testing , titles on both ends.....
Finshing a dog 1,500.00 to 3,500.00 per dog
health testing per dog....
OFA on HIPS, Elbows, Patellas Cardiac* , Thyroid ( MSU 4)* CERF*, Bauer* Standard bloodwork to assure there is no doggy STDs * ---( anything marked with a * must be redone prior to each and every litter) . OFAs alone run 750.00 with the registration fees but I have a very generous vet. Cardiac runs about 500.00 Thyroid testing through MSU is roughly 300.00 CERF and BAUER can be done at som eshows for anywhere from 30.00 to 75.00 per test.
I have paid as much as 1,800.00 for a stud but that was the Friend rate , add in the travel for the matings, One was in Chicago over Thanksgiving weekend That one got expensive since the girl was not ready , so the Hubs flew home to go back to work , then had to fly back up to fix a problem with the RV then fly back home, then fly back again to drive all of us home... there was two feet of snow on the ground and I did not feel confident enough to drive the rv through it. I was up there just under 2 weeks while waiting for her hormones and eggs to be "happy"....and we won't discuss the cost of all of the flights bought without weeks advance notice,,,,, Then we paid 1500.00 for another stud and I stayed at the breeder's home...that cost me a LOT of babysitting while we waited for the perfect moment. They are good friend's also.
Loooooong before you breed you will put your girl on Folic Acid among other supplements to assure the reduction of genetic issues , lets add a new diet, a new routine, that may or may not change your daily routine. Before the pups arrive I like to use Red Raspberry leaf since it helps with the delivery.
Lets brush on the cost of whelping , I have a large breed so my whelping box is 4x4 that cost the Hubs about 80.00 to make, under that goes a 5.00 tarp, everything is surounded by an xpen which I already own. Inside the box I will be using white towels at 2.00 each I will go through over 70 in an average whelping. As soon as they are dirty they go in the wash with bleach to remove the blood etc and I use the next stack rotating until the delievery is done it takes easily 5-8 wash and dry loads. My Whelping kit includes forcepts, bandage scissors, guaze, betadine, note cards and a clipboard with all important information, ribbons to mark the puppies .I will have a clue how many pups prior to the birth because we will have done an ultra sound and possibly an x ray. even with the equipment I know I will need to buy new towels, rolls of paper from the local newspaper company , Pedealyte for the Dam in case she gets too tired , specific treats that will build and sustatian her energy . So I will be speneding no less than 250.00 for the misc items.
The pups will be supplemented if need be and that gets pricey since I make my own supplement , it is way healthier than any I could buy off a pet store's shellf. Chances are one an average litter I will spend another 300.00 in supplement ingrds.
I prefer to have 50 to 80 applicants for the pups so I can research them and pick the very best homes. So advertising runs me about 250.00 I leave it on line for a long period so as a respponsible owner and breeder I can educte some of the folks who are cyber surfing and think "Gee that's a Neat dog , I think I want one..." We lost count of phone calls the last litter which last no less than 10 minutes and upwards of 1 1/2 hour when speaking with people who have lost a dog etc... The phone rings off the hook and around the clock .
As puppies grow they are transfered during the day to a borrowed set of puppy pens, they run over 200.00 each but we are lucky we don't breed at the same time the owners do. At night they are in my master bedroom..
Puppies do not leave my house empty handed, I have done their pedigrees, and there is a puppy book with photos of Mom and Dad , themselves as they are growing up . Tips and training hints, vacination protocals , microchipping information ( yes they are all chipped) They do not leave before 10 weeks and I have kept them up to 6 months for importation protocals. I feed a holistic kibble and each pup goes home with a 5 pound bag of this kibble , collar and leash, bowl, toys, treats, each bag runs about 45.00 since I buy in bulk , the dog food alone is 23.00 .
I sell my pets on a S/N contract and my Show at a higher rate. It is not set in stone if I meet a family or individual I think would be beyond awesome for a puppy who can not afford a dog from a line like mine I adjust the price if need be.
We do not ship. We will drive the pup to you for gas money, but I will not ship a puppy period. It goes from my hands to theirs .
We have never made money breeding, we have made champions, and proud families , we have made awesome companions and they are sold with an iron clad contract that demands the pups be returned to me should tehre ever be a problem. We board for free for the first year and for a pittance after that. Training is always available and we mentor each home in any and every way.
I guess I skipped the amount of sleep lost, I spend the first 2 weeks sleeping on a pallet next to the whelping box , I have never lost a puppy to momma rolling on it or it moving away and becoming cold.... then there is the training... the calls when a puppy becomes sick at it's home ... or won't finish housebraking or eats expensive shoes....
Think HARD befor having a litter..... WHY DO YOU WANT TO BREED?? ARE YOU GOING TO BE AS DEVOTED TO THIS LITTER AS YOU WOULD HOPE THE BREEDER OF YOUR DOG WAS TO YOUR PUP BEFORE YOU GOT IT???
Bonita of Bwana