# Good breeders at decent cost?



## Mayve (Aug 21, 2012)

A Golden from a reputable breeder with all their clearances etc is really hard to find under a thousand dollars and is worth every penny IMO.


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## Oaklys Dad (Dec 28, 2005)

The reason good breeders charge so much for their pups is because the have spent lots of money doing proper checks on their sires/dams. The cost of a pup can easily be outweighed by future vet bills. Hip, elbow or eye surguries in the future be well above the initial cost of the puppy. Chose wisely.


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

This is a common thread that pops up from time to time. I wrote an answer to a similar post back in December. I will quote it below. I hope it helps and good luck in your search.

Originally titled *Where are the budget breeders?*


LJack said:


> This is the motivation behind a lot of posts to the category of choosing a breeder/puppy. This is my take/opnion:
> 
> Puppy buyers are usually viewing the puppy buying adventure from a purchasing of goods stand point. With this being the case, the buyers use the knowledge they have gathered over their years of experience as a consumer and thus become disappointed and frustrated when they feel they can't find a "budget" friendly option or find the "discount" Walmart (same great product, lower price) kind of option.
> 
> ...


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## Claudia M (Aug 8, 2012)

Sometimes breeders that SEEM reputable are not. Can you tell us where you looked and what you found?
Even on this forum there are different opinions about what a reputable breeder actually is. 
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...ss-double-standard-toward-breeder-ethics.html
I suggest to read the above thread and search other breeder threads before you decide.


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

As others have said, it's unlikely you will find a puppy from a reputable breeder at or under $1000.... especially in your neck of the woods. I love LJack's post above. Our Puppy Buyer Fact Checker gives a lot of good information too:
http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/choosing-golden-retriever-breeder-puppy/22440-puppy-buyers-fact-checker.html
Take a stroll through some of the stickies at the top of this sub-forum... I think it will help give you a better understanding of why these dogs cost more. They also give plenty of information about the recommended minimum breeding age. I personally think that information about the why behind it will likely be more helpful to you than a very long, and sometimes heated, debate between members about deeper levels of breeder ethics. You may also want to try some searches using the term breeder and the different states you are searching in. You'll likely find a number of strong recommendations for some breeders to contact. Good luck!

Julie, Jersey and Oz


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## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

dlefnedeuQ said:


> My boyfriend and I have been searching around NJ/PA/DE/MD for a golden retriever puppy and it seems that the only breeders that seem reputable charge a great deal for their puppies. We are not looking for a puppy to compete or anything like that, we just want a new puppy to love and to have as a pet and we don't feel that we should pay over a thousand dollars. Does anyone have any suggestions for us?


Unfortunately you're looking for a Golden in an expensive area of the country. Everything related to owning a dog is more expensive there and those costs are passed on to the puppy buyer through higher puppy prices. 

In the north east a good middle of the road pup is going to sell in the $1500 to $2000 range. A competition pup will be in the $2000 to $3000 range. The price range in the midwest is about $500 less across the board at this time. That is however changing rapidly as new regulations are being considered that will increase the cost of owning intact animals. Those costs will be passed onto the consumer through higher prices on puppies.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I am working on breeding my bitch Lush, and wow the costs are intimidating. She just finished her last of her four clearances with board certified experts, and then I paid to have them listed on a national database. 1000 right there. Her CH and GCH cost about 6,000. The Stud Fee for Mr. Perfect is large bc it was frozen in 1998- but he is the dog from a health temperament, and structure viewpoint is best for light linebreeding in her pedigree. Then she must have progesterone tests at 1oo dollars or more a pop, then 1,000 to 1,800 to surgically impregnante her one day, and follow it up transurgically the next, and no one in my state can do this so we have to drive to CT and stay in a hotel. If anything went wrong- 3,000 for a c section. Then, I need to buy a whelping box and all the supplies for safe whelping. This is an intimidating venture for me bc I am just a dog trainer, with many bills to pay. The litter could cost 12,000! She might have 3 puppies or even none. No matter how many she has, the litter is not going to make money by any means.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Swampcollie said:


> That is however changing rapidly as new regulations are being considered that will increase the cost of owning intact animals....


Please don't tell me the midwest is going the way of the fruitloop like California.... :uhoh: Because I seriously am not going to neuter my dogs before 3 (if I do) and do not want to work $300/dog for fees into my budget. I'm dodging $50 worth of yearly fees for dog licenses as it is.


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

Ljilly28 said:


> Her CH and GCH cost about 6,000.


Wow! That is a down right bargain for both the CH and GCH. 
I have heard handlers say it is a good budgeting estimate that having a dog handled will cost about 1000 per point. A dog needs 15, so they are Quoting $15000 for just the CH. As Lush proves, a nice dog ready to win and in condition it can take less. 
Even if the dog is owner or breeder handled, the entry fees and travel expenses are not cheep and show careers usually start before a dog even has Hip and Elbow clearances. So, a breeder could have several thousand dollars into a dog by the time they are two and if they don't pass, reputable breeders do not breed them.


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

dlefnedeuQ said:


> My boyfriend and I have been searching around NJ/PA/DE/MD for a golden retriever puppy and it seems that the only breeders that seem reputable charge a great deal for their puppies. We are not looking for a puppy to compete or anything like that, we just want a new puppy to love and to have as a pet and we don't feel that we should pay over a thousand dollars. Does anyone have any suggestions for us?


I understand exactly how you feel. Before I found the GRF and learned a lot, similar thinking led me to buy Goldens from backyard breeders - people without a lot of knowledge who simply bred their dogs out of love for them and for the joy of having puppies, without getting clearances or doing any of the recommended genetic research. 

I got what I paid for. My beloved fur-kids were plagued with hereditary disorders: hip dysplasia that caused them great pain, congenital kidney disease, eye problems, etc. They were/are absolute sweethearts, but treatment for just one hereditary condition can wipe out whatever was saved in the purchase of a puppy. It is a mistake that I will never make again. Investing the extra money to get a pup that has the best possible genetic lineage is worth every penny in my book. 

Please do your research and choose for the long run, not just immediate savings. I think you'll be glad that you did.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

dlefnedeuQ said:


> My boyfriend and I have been searching around NJ/PA/DE/MD for a golden retriever puppy and it seems that the only breeders that seem reputable charge a great deal for their puppies. We are not looking for a puppy to compete or anything like that, we just want a new puppy to love and to have as a pet and we don't feel that we should pay over a thousand dollars. Does anyone have any suggestions for us?


My suggestion is to calculate the _real_ costs of owning a dog when you look at the purchase price. Buying a dog from a careful clearance history is a way of paying a relatively small amount extra upfront in return for a huge reduction in the risk of expensive and painful problems down the road. 

Say you have a $500 puppy from parents with no clearance history and a $1200 puppy from a carefully cleared ancestry. You might not feel like a dog could be worth $1200 or that you shouldn't have to pay so much. You don't _have to_, but it's a smarter, cheaper decision. Here's why:

A dog with clearances comes from an ancestry of breeding stock that has been carefully examined and found free of hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, heart murmurs, and eye issues. Those four clearances knock down the risk of four of the biggest health issues in the breed. You're talking about $5000 easy for joint issues. Heart murmurs can be cheaper, but that's because the dog suddenly dies while you're all eating dinner together. There are also a couple of eye diseases in this breed that are debilitating and lead to the loss of sight or even the whole eye itself.

So you might look at two puppies, one $500 and one $1200, and think that you don't need to spend $1200 on "just a pet." What you don't see in the upfront costs is the difference in risks that you have in front of you. Clearances aren't guarantees, but they pay for themselves many times over. So when you look at the two puppies, instead of seeing $500 and $1200 in bubbles over their heads, see $500+20% risk of $5000+10% risk of $10000 over one and $1200+8% risk of $5000+5% risk of $10000 over the other.

Pick the cheaper puppy, the properly bred one. Not only will you save money in the long run, but you'll be doing something much more ethical. Even if it didn't work for you financially, it would be more responsible to buy the dog with the lowest possible risk of suffering from a debilitating disease.


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## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

With every litter we have, I get at least one person looking for a puppy who has lost their previous Golden after a long and expensive illness. Allergies, hip displasia, cancers, diabeties, you name it. I cringe at the cost of the treatment. More importantly, I feel for these families as they are often brought to tears over the loss of their family member and the pain that the long term suffering cost the family. 

While there is no guarantee that your puppy will be healthy, I would always want to stack the deck in my favor by ensuring that the parents, grandparents, and great grandparents are/were healthy dogs.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Leslie B said:


> With every litter we have, I get at least one person looking for a puppy who has lost their previous Golden after a long and expensive illness. Allergies, hip displasia, cancers, diabeties, you name it. I cringe at the cost of the treatment. More importantly, I feel for these families as they are often brought to tears over the loss of their family member and the pain that the long term suffering cost the family.
> 
> While there is no guarantee that your puppy will be healthy, I would always want to stack the deck in my favor by ensuring that the parents, grandparents, and great grandparents are/were healthy dogs.


Yep no guarantee's. I can attest to that.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I have found that often times the reputable breeders are actually charging less than what you find in the puppy mill pet shops.

When I bought Brady from a reputable breeder, I never told my husband how much we paid, because I did not want him to freak out, especially since my brother-in-law had just bought one for half the price from a BYB who claimed he was a reputable breeder. Well, seeing the two puppies growing up side by side, in temperment, health and looks, you can see that we got our money's worth and my husband now understands why Brady is was more expensive.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Megora said:


> Please don't tell me the midwest is going the way of the fruitloop like California.... :uhoh: Because I seriously am not going to neuter my dogs before 3 (if I do) and do not want to work $300/dog for fees into my budget. I'm dodging $50 worth of yearly fees for dog licenses as it is.


You should move to fruitloop Cali. Ours is $15 for altered and $35 for unaltered.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Wyatt's mommy said:


> You should move to fruitloop Cali. Ours is $15 for altered and $35 for unaltered.


 
In my city, I believe an unaltered is a couple hundred and you need to show proof of it being a show dog.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

cubbysan said:


> In my city, I believe an unaltered is a couple hundred and you need to show proof of it being a show dog.


Wow! That's crazy!


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I actually looked it up. I live in a state filled with puppy mills, so unfortunately the responsible owners are penalized. 

The prices are actually, and they are for dogs and cats:

$350 for each breeder
$20 for each litter
$40 for Hobby Kennel
$45 a year for unaltered pet 

pets must be altered before six months, unless owner belongs to a breed club that holds a code of ethics, the pet is a service pet, belongs to law enforcement, or participates in a registered group's competition ( such as conformation, agilitym, etc ) in the past 365 days.


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

cubbysan said:


> I actually looked it up. I live in a state filled with puppy mills, so unfortunately the responsible owners are penalized.
> 
> The prices are actually, and they are for dogs and cats:
> 
> ...


Ok that's sounds more reasonable. I was thinking a couple hundred for an unaltered was nuts.


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## JeffP (Jun 30, 2011)

Wow, I guess we're lucky up here...in our county, fertile is $21 for 1 year, $38 for 2 years, and $108 for 3 years. For sterilized dogs, it's half that.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Wyatt's mommy said:


> You should move to fruitloop Cali. Ours is $15 for altered and $35 for unaltered.


There were GRF members from the California who were facing fairly drastic fees for keeping their dogs intact. Like $300+? I could have sworn that was the LA area?

Over here - intact dogs are generally $20 each. Neutered are $7. If you haven't paid, then you have to pay about about $20 more. If push came to shove, I'd do that. 

But I absolutely would not pay $300+ like people must in other states. That's insane and I can't believe people are just going along with that while the people who REALLY are the problem don't pay a thing for spawning their muttskies. >.<


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## Barkr (Dec 23, 2011)

dlefnedeuQ said:


> My boyfriend and I have been searching around NJ/PA/DE/MD for a golden retriever puppy and it seems that the only breeders that seem reputable charge a great deal for their puppies. We are not looking for a puppy to compete or anything like that, we just want a new puppy to love and to have as a pet and we don't feel that we should pay over a thousand dollars. Does anyone have any suggestions for us?


You are getting a a lot good feedback from these knowledgeable folks, please take heed. Oh yeah here in Toronto $25 altered-$60 un-altered annually


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

Megora said:


> There were GRF members from the California who were facing fairly drastic fees for keeping their dogs intact. Like $300+? I could have sworn that was the LA area?


It could be the _city_ of Los Angeles. I believe they require ALL dogs to be altered.


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

Intact dogs in Dallas- $35 for city tag registration/rabies vaccination.. then the Intact Animal Permit requires:
1. $70 annually
2. Proof of Membership in a pure breed club or go down and listen to incompetent city employees lecture on responsible dog ownership. I chose joining GRCA for about $100 because I chose the magazine option. 
3. Proof of microchip (not required of sterilized dogs) $50. I would do this anyway.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Wow! 6$ neutered and twice that not neutered in Maine. Snow has its' positive points....


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

cubbysan said:


> I actually looked it up. I live in a state filled with puppy mills, so unfortunately the responsible owners are penalized.
> 
> The prices are actually, and they are for dogs and cats:
> 
> ...


I have a hunch the puppy mills didn't factor in when they decided to raise the fees. It's how politicians balance the budget while claiming they didn't raise taxes.


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## CarolinaCasey (Jun 1, 2007)

Licensing my intact boy with a lifetime license here is $50. He needed a microchip for the lifetime license so in total about $100 for the chip and license!  I am shocked at some of the prices Round the country but in another way pleased as it keeps some irresponsible people from owning intact animals. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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