Wow, $1500-$2000 for a puppy! Golly, and here people gave me grief last year over my 2 litters, who were placed for $800!
Can't just say stud fee equals pup price. A $1,200 stud fee is just the start. $200 or $300. for Prog testing. Boxes. Extender and shiping can be $80.00 to $160.00 a pop. So to breed a litter is more like almost $2,000. So yes, the pups are worth every penny of it. But it depends on your area and if you have a Puppy mill person selling them for alot less. We all stick together in our area.
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As a puppy buyer, I would want a puppy out of adults that have proven themselves worthy of being bred, have final clearances, etc. Otherwise there really is no difference between that litter and one between two family pets- it is the same roll of the dice. If a breeder wants to take a risk on a 10 month old puppy as a producer, that is their choice, but I would not pay premium prices for a puppy out of that litter as the buyer's risk is much higher, and the eventual puppy buyer is expected to care for that dog for the rest of its life, including all of the resulting expenses. When said puppy dog is bred to an equally unproven bitch, the risk just increases, A 10 month old puppy is not old enough to have proven themselves worthy of anything except possibly being kept as a prospect. No one has invested anything in that dog to a meaningful extent, so to charge premium prices for its offspring seems ridiculous. Every breed club out there provides guidelines regarding what to look for in a breeder and in the sire/dam of a potential puppy. This goes against everything recommended and good common sense.
We ARE paying double for puppies out of champion sires, etc. Bitch owners pay higher stud fees for proven dogs as well. This is what theoretically makes the difference between backyard bred pup prices and well-bred pup prices. The breeder actually invest their time, $ and energy into their dogs and ensuring they are breeding only the best. When we see more and more young puppy males being bred to bitches that do nothing but sit in a whelping box, I have to wonder what the difference is between that and a BYB litter, other than the price."
This is utter nonsense. I have a young boy not yet 2 yrs. He has OFA EX prelims/elbows pass/Echo/Optigen/EIC clear/CERF , I hardly think that using a young dog with those clearances is the same as a BYB ! Expecially when both of his parents are MBISS CH.with all their clearances. Some people speak without knowing anything about the subject!