The Cost of Breeding

 When a pet parent is looking for a puppy, it can be really confusing to look at the prices - some breeders charge $800, some $4000 - and it is reasonable to wonder "Why? What's the difference?"

Always look at what you're NOT getting for those lower prices - responsible breeders are going to offer you a lot more in terms of health, quality, great temperament, reliable information on coat type, guarantees and warranties, and lifelong support. You will see the lower prices from those who don't care or don't have the experience to know what they should be providing to both their dogs and their puppy buyers.

It is not possible to responsibly breed healthy, happy, and high quality dogs on the cheap.
We are proud to provide the best possible care for our Doodles. We do not skimp on what our dogs need and deserve, and that costs money and time. Our personal and financial commitment is reflected in our Doodles' health, happiness, and exceptional quality as delightful family pets and emotional support dogs.

The start of any responsible breeder's journey is research and education.

A dog breeder wears many hats - we need a working knowledge of healthy, functional body structure, sound temperament as well as ideal temperament for our dogs' intended purposes, layman's veterinary medicine and care, genetics, nutrition, effective and safe puppy rearing techniques, website building and maintenance, social media, marketing and advertising, dog training and enrichment, grooming, customer service, networking, accounting, legal issues and contracts, professional-level cleaning and sanitation procedures, photography, videography, and more.

All of this takes time and effort to learn - before we bought even one potential breeding dog, we devoted hundreds and hundreds of hours to our education.
We'll assign an hourly wage of $15, although a responsible breeder's skill, knowledge, and expertise is worth far more than that.

Cost of research and learning before breeding a litter:  800+ hours at $15/hour would be a minimum of $12,000.

Taking the Plunge

Purchasing that very first dog intended for breeding is an adventure, complete with anticipation, excitement, and some anxious moments too.

The cost of a quality breeding prospect Petite Doodle puppy is generally between $4,000 - $6,000. Please take note of that word "prospect" - there is no way to guarantee that a puppy will grow into an adult of high enough quality to consider breeding.

It is quite common for dogs to just not make the grade, and they are instead spayed or neutered as beloved family pets, and the breeder must start over.

Cost of a new breeding prospect: $4000 - $6000. Cost of time spent in raising each dog to breeding age: $7,200+

In addition to the normal veterinary costs of raising any puppy, when you are a responsible breeder you are going to be doing a LOT of health testing of your potential parent dogs to make sure their future puppies have the best possible chance of a long, happy, healthy life.

Our Doodles are DNA tested using three separate laboratories for maximum accuracy. We are testing for parent breed percentages, coat type, color and patterns, and most importantly numerous hereditary health disorders.

Cost: $300 per dog

This is just a beginning - a responsible breeder never stops at simple (and relatively inexpensive) DNA testing only. There are common health disorders in all breeds and mixes that cannot be tested through DNA. All responsible breeders also test their potential parent dogs for the structural disorders prevalent in their breed(s).

In Petite Goldendoodles and Golden Cavapoos, the recommended test areas are: hips, elbows, eyes, patellas and hearts. In addition, all of our dogs with Cavalier King Charles Spaniel ancestry are evaluated for healthy skull shape and cranial proportions, and if they measure brachycephalic (or borderline), we MRI scan to clear them against Syringomyelia or "SM" and Chiari-like Malformations or "CM". 

These tests are performed by licensed veterinarians, including board certified specialists, and then submitted to OFA (The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and Canine Health Information Center) and PennHIP for evaluation and certification.

Cost: $2000 - $10,000 in the first 24 months, per dog tested.

Retesting every year for eyes and hearts until the dog retires from breeding, retesting at 5 and 10 years after retirement.

For each dog, the cost of routine and as needed veterinary care must be factored in. This section includes only standard veterinary care for dogs of breeding age - the cost of reproductive veterinary care is detailed later, and we have not included veterinary care needed after a dog is retired from breeding.

For a young, healthy dog we generally expect to pay $800 - $1000 per year in veterinary costs including checkups, vaccines, parasite prevention, and the occasional minor mishap requiring a visit.

Any dog can require immediate veterinary care at any time. We expect to see, on average, one urgent care or emergency veterinary visit per dog before they are retired.

Cost: $800 - $1000 per year, plus urgent/emergency visit of $3000 & up

Responsible breeders know that a high quality diet is just as important for our dogs as it is for us.

Most commercially processed dog food on the market, kibble and otherwise, is what we'd consider junk food. The price is kept down with unnecessary (and sometimes harmful) fillers like grains and legumes, processing destroys many of the original nutrients, and, frankly, it's really boring for a dog to eat exactly the same bland nuggets every day of their lives.

Responsible breeders may differ in what they feed, but some things are universal: we all research heavily, evaluate our dogs' health on our food of choice regularly, and we don't skimp on quality and variety. 

Cheap dog food is a false economy: higher veterinary bills, shorter lifespan, and less mealtime enjoyment can be the result. Oh, and let's not forget: better food = smaller & better poops!

Cost to feed our delicious, nutritious homemade food each year: about $600 per Doodle.

If everything has gone well so far, the next step for a responsible breeder is to prepare the home and property for everything that will be needed before that first litter arrives. It's a long list and these are just some examples:

Property improvements/adjustments for safety and cleaning protocols, fencing, covered dog exercise areas for shade and safety from predators, concrete or other digging prevention and sanitation measures, outdoor enrichment equipment such as agility obstacles, swimming or wading area for hot days, grass areas for more active play and training, outdoor curriculum items for litters, equipment and supplies for outdoor cleaning (buckets, hoses, disinfectants), storage building, security cameras and alarms.

Home improvements/adjustments for the comfort and safety of the dogs and the humans, safe and private whelping areas for Mamas (whelping bed and rest area, privacy screens, veterinary equipment including incubator, ultrasound), toddler puppy areas, baby gates, dog beds and other comfortable areas for the dogs to rest (although they will always prefer our sofas!)

Equipment and supplies for brief confinement as needed (dog crates, exercise pens), grooming (tables, clippers, shampoos, conditioners, detanglers, brushes, combs, nail clippers, bathing tub, dryer), training (leashes, harnesses, collars, treats, toys), socialization (strollers, cleaning wipes, gas for vehicle to travel to various areas for training variety and socialization, treats, poop pickup bags), feeding (food dishes, lick mats and slow feeders, water dishes, freezer space for food and ingredient storage).

Cost: $15,000 & up, plus improvement, maintenance and replacement costs as needed.

It's taken us quite a lot of time and money to get here, hasn't it? And the journey is far from over!

Breeding expenses in normal situations include pre-breeding veterinary visit for bloodwork and physical, progesterone testing, stud fee, veterinary visit for artificial insemination if needed, x ray(s), baby doppler, extra food and supplements for Mama, whelping bed, bottle and tube feeding equipment, and a seemingly endless list of small supplies and equipment from hemostats to dozens of towels to extra bedding to heat lamps or pads, puppy scale, and a wide variety of medications and supplements.

Litter raising expenses in normal situations include hundreds of hours of time, cleaning and sanitation supplies, advertising costs, DNA testing for each puppy, veterinary expenses for Mama and puppies, puppy food, enrichment items, supplements, puppy strollers, go home bags.

If anything goes wrong, additional expenses add up in a hurry - c-section, emergency veterinary care, round the clock every 2 hour feeding of puppies if Mama can't nurse, mastitis, failure to thrive, IV support at home, medications.

Cost: $6000 minimum if everything goes well ($10,000 or more if there are complications), plus time at 300+ hours from pre-breeding checklist to puppy go home date at $4500.

Whether the IRS classifies any individual breeding program as a hobby or as a business, there are going to be business type expenses.

These can include: Federal and State income taxes, sales tax, LLC or other entity fees, employees, payroll taxes, accounting software and accountant fees, city, county, and state fees, bad debt, banking and credit card processing fees, legal fees, gifts for guardian homes, veterinarians and veterinary staff, groomers and other professionals who help us, donations of time, money, and supplies to shelters and rescues, volunteer time in the community, support for local emergency services. 

Also factor in pre-sale and after-sale support to puppy parents including on call help as needed throughout the dog's life, referrals for training or veterinary issues, resources like videos and articles or virtual or live classes, social meetups, assistance with rehoming in case of a personal crisis. 

Other expenses will depend on a breeder's focus and program - for us, there are donations of trained dogs for placement as Emotional Support Animals for those suffering from depression or anxiety, and low income seniors.

Cost: $10,000 & up per year and 1200+ hours per year of our time in training, education, public service at a minimum of $18,000 per year.

At this point, you might be wondering why in the world anyone responsibly breeds dogs - as you can see, it's not to get rich.

The answer is very simple: it's love. We love the dogs, we love our breed(s), we love their purpose in life, and yes, we love people, too. We couldn't bear to trust our precious pups to a new home if we weren't confident that that home is perfect for that Doodle, so we love getting to know you and your family, and making you part of our extended Doodle family.

This article is intended as a snapshot of the cost of responsibly breeding dogs.

Income and expenses will vary year by year, litter by litter, and are impacted by the breeder's knowledge, experience, attentiveness, location, breeding goals, and yes just plain luck.