So, You Expect To Make Money Breeding...
I am always amazed by the individuals who "Oooh, you must make lot of money from the puppies". The
fact is, if you are doing it right, getting all the necessecary vet checks etc., you rarely make money on
a litter. The cost of having a litter of puppies adds up, even if no complications are encountered.
The cost estimated below for a litter of four puppies until eight weeks of age are on the low end of
normal, especially the cost of the bitch herself. A good breeding-quality bitch (wich for many is the
same as a show-quality bitch) can cost between $800 and $2000. The following assumes that you are
getting the necessary testing, that you are breeding to a stud of quality that is equal to or better than
the bitch, and that everything goes perfectly with the pregnancy and delivery.
Item Estimated Cost Prior to breeding:
purchase of bitch (adult) $800.00
supplies: crate, toys, etc. $100.00
OFA check $125.00
vWD check $140.00
Thyroid check $50.00
Eye check $25.00
Total prior to breeding $1540.00
At time of breeding:
brucellosis and culture $70.00
round-trip shipping of bitch $320.00
stud fee $350.00
Total at time of breeding $740.00
For a litter of four puppies:
extra food/vitamins for dam $50.00
food/vitamins for puppies $70.00
dewclaw removal $48.00
first shots (at vet's) $50.00
vet check of puppies $80.00
Total cost for puppies $298.00
Total cost of litter: $2578.00
This $2578 does not include the cost of of the time you have spent on the litter: the time spent
socializing and housebreaking the dam; sleeping beside the whelping pen waiting for the puppies;
assisting in the delivery; cleaning the puppy pen; going to the vet for dewclaws,shots,etc,; and
interviewing potential buyers for the puppies.
Now look at the price of pet puppies in your part of the country. Even if all four puppies from this litter
are sold, would you recover your cost? For example, pet puppies from reputable breeders here in
Phoenix area sell for $400.00. At that price, I would loss $978.00 on this litter. ( And if I kept one puppy
from this litter, add another $400.00 to that figure.)
But, you say, I won't have some of these expenses for the second litter. I can make up this deficit by
breeding her a second time. Not really. Assuredly, I won't have the purchase price of the bitch, nor
even the vWD or OFA testing cost. But I will have everything else. These expenses total $1413.00,
again not accounting for the time I put into this endeavor. Again, if I sold all four puppies for $400.00, I
would get $1600.00--a profit of $187.00. At this rate, I would recoup the loss from the first breeding on
this bitch's seventh litter and have a total profit of $56.00.
There are only two ways to make a profit breeding dogs. One way is to reduce costs. Yes, I can learn
to do some things myself, such as give shots to the dam and her puppies myself and do the dewclaws
myself. Many reputable breeders do these things for themselves. This will reduce my cost a tad.
I could also not get the OFA, Eye, Thyroid, vWD, brucellosis or cultures done. That would save me
quite a bit of money. But then, how would both I and the purchaser know that these puppies did not
inherit a genetic disorder? These are not the actions of a reputable breeder.
This second method of making a profit would be to establish a reputation of breeding top quality show
dogs and selling show prospects and show-quality older dogs for an increased price. However, this
really does entail more work and expense because I would first have to demonstrate that my dogs do
win in the show ring on a consistent basis. Ah, but this would involve paying entry fees, handlers or
traveling to the shows myself, buying grooming supplies, paying for photos of my wins and
advertising these wins etc., etc., etc.
Is there really any profit to be made in breeding dogs?
I am always amazed by the individuals who "Oooh, you must make lot of money from the puppies". The
fact is, if you are doing it right, getting all the necessecary vet checks etc., you rarely make money on
a litter. The cost of having a litter of puppies adds up, even if no complications are encountered.
The cost estimated below for a litter of four puppies until eight weeks of age are on the low end of
normal, especially the cost of the bitch herself. A good breeding-quality bitch (wich for many is the
same as a show-quality bitch) can cost between $800 and $2000. The following assumes that you are
getting the necessary testing, that you are breeding to a stud of quality that is equal to or better than
the bitch, and that everything goes perfectly with the pregnancy and delivery.
Item Estimated Cost Prior to breeding:
purchase of bitch (adult) $800.00
supplies: crate, toys, etc. $100.00
OFA check $125.00
vWD check $140.00
Thyroid check $50.00
Eye check $25.00
Total prior to breeding $1540.00
At time of breeding:
brucellosis and culture $70.00
round-trip shipping of bitch $320.00
stud fee $350.00
Total at time of breeding $740.00
For a litter of four puppies:
extra food/vitamins for dam $50.00
food/vitamins for puppies $70.00
dewclaw removal $48.00
first shots (at vet's) $50.00
vet check of puppies $80.00
Total cost for puppies $298.00
Total cost of litter: $2578.00
This $2578 does not include the cost of of the time you have spent on the litter: the time spent
socializing and housebreaking the dam; sleeping beside the whelping pen waiting for the puppies;
assisting in the delivery; cleaning the puppy pen; going to the vet for dewclaws,shots,etc,; and
interviewing potential buyers for the puppies.
Now look at the price of pet puppies in your part of the country. Even if all four puppies from this litter
are sold, would you recover your cost? For example, pet puppies from reputable breeders here in
Phoenix area sell for $400.00. At that price, I would loss $978.00 on this litter. ( And if I kept one puppy
from this litter, add another $400.00 to that figure.)
But, you say, I won't have some of these expenses for the second litter. I can make up this deficit by
breeding her a second time. Not really. Assuredly, I won't have the purchase price of the bitch, nor
even the vWD or OFA testing cost. But I will have everything else. These expenses total $1413.00,
again not accounting for the time I put into this endeavor. Again, if I sold all four puppies for $400.00, I
would get $1600.00--a profit of $187.00. At this rate, I would recoup the loss from the first breeding on
this bitch's seventh litter and have a total profit of $56.00.
There are only two ways to make a profit breeding dogs. One way is to reduce costs. Yes, I can learn
to do some things myself, such as give shots to the dam and her puppies myself and do the dewclaws
myself. Many reputable breeders do these things for themselves. This will reduce my cost a tad.
I could also not get the OFA, Eye, Thyroid, vWD, brucellosis or cultures done. That would save me
quite a bit of money. But then, how would both I and the purchaser know that these puppies did not
inherit a genetic disorder? These are not the actions of a reputable breeder.
This second method of making a profit would be to establish a reputation of breeding top quality show
dogs and selling show prospects and show-quality older dogs for an increased price. However, this
really does entail more work and expense because I would first have to demonstrate that my dogs do
win in the show ring on a consistent basis. Ah, but this would involve paying entry fees, handlers or
traveling to the shows myself, buying grooming supplies, paying for photos of my wins and
advertising these wins etc., etc., etc.
Is there really any profit to be made in breeding dogs?
