Why are designer breeds so expensive?

I looked in the paper today and here is what I found

Goddendoodles 14 wks old 250.00 OBO

Chessadore puppies 100.00 a piece

Shi-poo puppies males 200.00 females 250.00

American Water Spaniel x Setter pups 150.00 each

Border Collie x Blue Heeler pups 75.00

Then I was at the pet store last week and they had a Chihuahua, a Westie, a Doxiepoo and 3 Lhasapoos they were all priced at 300.00 each

So maybe in some parts of the country and places on the internet they are high priced but not everywhere.

ketchup

 It's just really heartbreaking if these puppies be sent to the shelter as we all know mutts or mixed breeds temperament can't be predictable. 

I don't know what exactly to say about this sentiment but I have to comment that it makes me sad.  It's not the first time I've heard it.  I get it alot when I try to encourage people to adopt rather than to buy, this perception that dogs from shelters or unknown origins are unpredictable or dangerous is difficult to combat.  But honestly, any dog is unpredictable.  A dog from a known line with great temperaments can have a health issue or a behavioral issue crop up that leads to unpredictable behavior.  There can be mutts from god-knows-where who would die before baring a tooth at their owner or others.  You can try to hedge your bets with a well-bred dog from stable parents, but I believe that there is less difference between the mutts at the shelter and the purebred dogs in terms of possibility for unpredictable behavior than most believe.   

that's great that some are very reasonably priced. i don't have access to the newspapers though, only the net. most of those who price high are mixed toy breeds i guees(?) in our country most mixes cost around 4k-7k (1$=42 php) so any more higher than that people won't buy and will give nasty comments the breeder's reason is always that the breed is already accepted in the states and is very popular the 'puggles' for example one was selling them for 8k pesos.
 

well i guess those who really price their mixes high are just really after the profit. while some breeders just was an accidental breeding. i always assume its a different situation for everyone  so that judgment is after i've read the whole book not only it's cover. once my poodle got accidentally pregnant by my pomeranian and she produced 3 puppies i gave them to my best friend, family friend & cousin never would i sell them. 2 of those puppies are in the rainbow bridge already but i know they were very much loved and missed.

i agree with you BCMixs, even purebreds can be unpredictable when their upbringing is not right. but i guess to say it's most of the time that when the mixed breeds grew up in a bad environment their temperament changes so they end up in the shelter. people get dogs without research & that's when they complain about why their dog did this.. did that..it's so sad to hear situations like that

 Honestly, in the time I've been volunteering and speaking with people involved in rescue, the reasons dogs are given up more often have to do with changes in the owners' situations and temperaments than the dogs.  I'm ashamed to admit that when I was a stupid, young married person, we gave up 2 wonderful mixed breed dogs because we had a baby and I was inexperienced, overwhelmed and suffering terribly from post-partem depression, so that wasn't the dog's fault at all.  At the shelter where I volunteer, the reasons given for owner turn ins rarely have to do with the dog (sometimes, but not as often).  It's usually, "We're moving", "We had a baby", "We got into this new apartment, etc., and it doesn't allow dogs", "It got too big", "It got too old", "We don't have time for it, not fair to the dog", "We want to travel", "I got a new job, am gone too much", "Oops, she had puppies and we tried to find them good homes but we have these 3 left over that nobody wants", etc.

BTW- Because of that mistake I made as a stupid young 20 year old, I do everything I can to make up for it now and see that it's not repeated in this household, ever. 

Oh, that is a sad story. But you were younger then. I hope the two dogs had found wonderful homes & not think about the unthinkable. I guess most people have that impulse "buy" or "adopt" they don't even research and don't even take the time to find the dogs new homes. I don't see the situation there in the States, I have seen news from the internet so I really wouldn't know first hand. The reasons you have mentioned are the same reasons why people here also give up there dogs. "They're Migrating", "Tuition fee for school", "We live in a condo" & so much more. My opinion is to not support those people selling designer breeds for a ridiculous price. 

'Well I guess people who are planning to get pets, should really research first & be committed so that they're pets won't end up in shelters.
 

and when pricing a puppy or dog, don't overprice especially the designer breeds. JMHO 

ketchup

Just want to ask why are the "so-called" designer breeds so expensive?

 Prices are high because people will pay them, sad as it can be.  When someone desperately wants the Shih-Poo-Chon of the moment, they're completely willing to pay big bucks.  Many sellers who are profit based are skilled in wording ads in a compelling manner...such as advertising a "Royal Shih-Poo puppies from classic lines.  Rare shimmer gold colors!  The perfect pet to take with you everywhere, they practically housebreak themselves!".  I've read bunches of ads that contain buzz words that makes the average consumer believe they're getting a dog that is a genuine rare breed, thus being worth the extra money.  And people always want the next big thing.  And cost usually doesn't matter at that point.

The best thing you can do is to educate against impulse buying, and to look for mixes in a shelter.  If you know someone who has their heart set on buying a Lhasa-Poo, help them search shelters and rescues to find an adoptable dog with that mix.
 

EDIT: Sentence made no sense.  

I just paid $750.00 for my Puggle. Pug/Beagle mix. He is a very nice dog, very loving and good with the kids. I don't know why, but I just had to have him. Here are some pics of him.

 http://www.shareapic.net/content.php?gid=307567&owner=fredg61

*mod note, members advised the above link had a LOT of popups and triggered some warnings on my puter, it did containt the stated pics tho.

*link removed, click thru*

Oh, I agree infiniti you sure couldn't have said it better.  We try to encourage adopting from our paws shelter organization.

Fredg61,

Walker is a definite cutie!  750 for me is big money but hey he sure looks like a sweetheart no amount of money is worth a dog's love which is priceless

that's great! that's really a great deed, i hope others encourage rescuing dogs from the shelter also  

 Prices are high for a very simple reason - the reason those pups are alive is to make the breeder money, lots of it, and as fast as possible.  The same is true for pups of any breed in the pet store.

Thus, most pet store puppies cost $700 to $4000 US (convenient payment plans available!), with direct from breeder prices right in that range also (regardless of breed).  The quality on the pups is low, usually - parents bred for convenience's sake rather than with temperamental appropriateness, health background, or breed standards in mind.

On the other hand,  for about half that or less, you can get a pup from a breeder who has produced a litter with something specific in mind.  That breeder should be able to share their goals and what they did to ensure this litter falls into their overall plan.  It's a dog-centered approach, rather than a commercial-centered approach, so they price their pups to reflect their quality.  Some breeds are more expensive because more costs go into producing as healthy a litter as possible, or it's a rare breed where half the breeding stock is still imported or showing costs a lot of travel money.

The problem is that such breeders take some doing to locate.  You can't look them up in the paper, the phone book, or find them at the mall.  Most of them aren't even advertising on the internet.

Border Collies have this weird thing going on where dogs from top champion sheepdog breeders (people who have won the big trials), actually cost substantially less than those bred by people who produce dogs who play flyball and agility.  In fact, these people are usually not involved in those sports themselves, they just have gotten a reputation for producing dogs that do well at those games. 

My own Ted's sire and dam are/were both top trial dogs.  Ted's sire's sire was Supreme Champion twice (one of only a handful in history to achieve that), and his sire's grandsire was a National Champion.  His dam's grandsire was another Supreme Champion, and her other grandsire was the only dog in history to have won the Supreme Championship three times.

I think I paid a whopping $500 for Ted.

Last I heard, pups bred and marketed for their sports prowess were going for $1500 to $2000.  This is another example of price being about what people will pay, for convenience.  The sport dog breeders are very easy to find - they advertise all over and of course their kennel names are attached to every top performing dog.  Working Border Collies in general don't even have kennel names.  You have to get involved, ask around, start learning the dogs, and bide your time before you find the dog that's right for you.  People don't want to do that - they want getting a puppy to be like getting a TV set at WalMart.

 

BCMixs

I don't know what exactly to say about this sentiment but I have to comment that it makes me sad.  It's not the first time I've heard it.  I get it alot when I try to encourage people to adopt rather than to buy, this perception that dogs from shelters or unknown origins are unpredictable or dangerous is difficult to combat. 

Please don't be sad maybe people don't mean this the way it sounds---I know what I mean when I say a mixed breed puppy's temperment can be unpredictable. I mean that the dog that looks like a couch potato breed can actually have the heart, mind and soul of a border collie thanks to dad! That isn't a bad thing---just that guessing what a mixed breed puppy is going to be like as an adult is more difficult than a purebred dog. After all, if it looks like a border collie then you kinda expect it to LIKE tennis balls, right?

It doesn't mean a dog doesn't have a wonderful, stable temperment and disposition...personally I think the best bet for a predictable dog is an adult dog (mix or purebred) because what you see is what you get. My first dog was a lab mix who was mentally sound and even tempered and sweet as the day is long.

A dog is only worth what someone will pay for it. I have two very nice Border Collies. One I have had since three months old and one since he was six months old. Both were free. I wouldn't pay a dime for a dog excluding an adoption fee from a reputable source.
 

Because people are willing to pay. Yes if you want a mixed breed go to a shelter.

Many people who breed these dogs say they combine them to get the best of both breeds into one dog. Personally, good raining will do a lot of that.