Labrador Retriever Forum
Where is the site that explains to a puppy buyer why pups from good, reputable breeders cost more than fly by night breeders.
There's one on the Woodhaven site.
Is this what you are looking for?
"Why pay more for a pet puppy?"
"The $1,000.00 Puppy vs. The $300.00 Puppy"
$1,000.00 - Both the sire and dam of this puppy came from top quality breeding stock which was developed over years and years of selective and knowledgeable breeding. Both meet the requirement of the written AKC and LRC standard for the breed in conformation as well as temperament. Each has a pedigree, which has been studied and thoroughly researched. These dogs have been selected to breed to each other because they can both contribute to the excellence of the breed as well as complement on another.
$300.00 - The dam of this litter was purchased from a local pet store and originally came from a puppy mill. She was sick off and on the first year of her life due to too many different types of intestinal parasites and malnutrition. The sire, an over-sized male, lives down the street and was purchased from an ad in the newspaper. Neither owner has ever heard of the AKC or LRC written standard. Neither owner has seen a written pedigree. The female is skittish and snappy. Her owners hope that having a litter will calm her down.
$1,000.00 - Before this breeding ever took place, both male and female had tests including hip and elbow X-Rays, eye tests, at least one had a heart test to determine that there were no physical or genetic problems that might be passed on to offspring. The breeder is well aware of the genetic problems to which the breed is predisposed and uses no animal for breeding unless it is certified clear of defects by a qualified Veterinarian. The health of her pups is guaranteed.
$300.00 - The breeder is often unaware of the genetic problems within the breed. Trips to the Veterinarian, except for dire emergencies or yearly shots, are considered too expensive. The breeders' hope is to make money off the sale of the puppies. If he keeps expenses down, he can by that new couch he's been wanting. Puppies are usually sold with no guarantee.
$1,000.00 - The breeder wishes to maintain a good reputation. His goal is to produce beautiful and sound specimens, which anyone would be proud to own. Profit, if any is made, goes toward future breedings, always aimed toward the betterment of the breed, or for show entries, handler's fees, new equipment and important veterinary tests. Both the mother and pups are fed the highest quality diet. Many trips to the vet assure him that mother and pups are thriving under the very best care. The pups are raised in a busy part of the house where they are socialized, groomed and exposed to different kinds of stimuli. They are touched and talked to, cuddled and even sung to. They are never sold before they are seven weeks old. Every buyer is interviewed at length and pups are placed only in homes where they will receive the finest treatment.
It is not unusual for the breeder to spend time with each new owner, educating and answering questions. Follow-up calls are made to make sure the pups are adjusting well. Each new owner receives a bill of sale and health guarantees, vaccination record, minimum four-generation pedigree, guarantee of registration with the AKC or CKC and thorough puppy care and nutrition information. If the puppy is not considered to be of such quality as it will better the breed the puppy is sold with a limited registration or non-breeding agreements. The new owners are encouraged to continue a relationship with the breeder, and to call and ask questions at any
time during the dog's life.
$300.00 - These puppies are born in a box, in the garage and receive little care other than what the mother gives. To cut costs they are weaned on generic dog food and allowed to nurse on the mother as long as possible to keep food bills down. The bitch's health declines rapidly due to poor health and some pups are weak and runty. They are sold as quickly as possible because advertising and vaccines are expensive.
They are sold without having had their dewclaws removed, without shots, parasite checks, vet examinations, guarantees or information of any kind. They are sold to anyone who has the cash. If the new owner is lucky he may receive a AKC or CKC registration application. Although the puppy is of very poor quality, it is sold with full breeding rights. The new owner usually disappears with the pup, never to be seen again. If the market is not good, the breeder takes the leftover pups to the local pet shop.
The comparison you have just read is hypothetical, but very typical of what we see all too often. Although not every breeder who charges higher prices is reputable and ethical, pet buyers should keep looking until they find one that is. When I am asked why my prices are higher than those in some newspaper ads, I mail a copy of this article. Those buyers who respect the quality and excellence are wonderful customers and become "partners" in this hobby.
Those that are simply seeking companion pets deserve nothing less than a nice quality, healthy and trusting animal, as well as a breeder they can count on."
Prospective puppy buyers may ask “Why the pups are so expensive? The better question is
"Why are those newspaper puppies so cheap?”
Remember. There's wine and then there's fine wine. That is how the Lab loving breeder views his dogs.
(Author Unknown. If you wrote the above article, please contact ******** Labradors to receive credit.)
Thank you, one and all.
This is an article on puppy prices that I wrote up for my website. It's probably very simular to others you've seen, but it my own words.
http://www.candyheartretrievers.com/puppricing.htm
I also wrote this up for people who tell me "I just want a pet and have no interest in showing or breeding, so I don't care about the pedigree," or something to that extent.
Q: Why should I care about a dog's pedigree if I just want a good family pet and don't intend to show, hunt, or breed my dog?
A: A good pedigree isn't everything, but it is a very good place to start when you want to learn something about a dog or it's line. Even if all you want is a good family pet, you still want a healthy dog, a beautiful dog, and a smart, trainable dog right? And you probably also want to know that the pup was well bred and did not come from an uneducated breeder or a puppy mill right?
Well, a pedigree can tell you a lot about a dog. For example, an AKC certified pedigree will show you the health clearances, if any, of each dog in your pup's family tree. You will be able to see if the parents, grandparents, and great grandparents were tested for their hips, elbows, eyes, etc. This is extremely important if you want a healthy dog.
You can also see if any of your dog's parents, grandparents, or great grandparents earned any titles. Again, if you don't want to show, hunt, or breed your dog you may wonder why this is important, however when there are a lot of champion show dogs in your dog's pedigree you can see that your pup comes from a long line of beautiful dogs with correct conformation. It also means that you have a reasonable expectation of how tall and heavy your pup will grow to be since champions must meet the AKC's breed standard in size and weight, so you can be assured that your pup will not grow to be twice the size it's supposed to. For example, many Goldens today come from back yard breeders and puppy mills and average size is now somewhere around 90 to 110 lbs without being overweight, however the AKC's breed standard for a Golden Retriever is actually just around 65 -70 lbs--much smaller than poorly bred Goldens.
Also, if your dog has a lot of field titles in his or her pedigree this shows that your pup will most likely have a fondness for swimming and retrieving; which is nice if you ever plan to play ball or take the dog to a lake to enjoy the water. Despite their reputation as water dogs, not all Goldens or Labs love the water. In fact, some show dogs today have lost that fondness because it was inadvertently bred out of them when their breeders concentrated too much on conformation and too little on field work or retrieving ability.
A CD or CDX title in your dog's pedigree means that dog earned a title in obedience, meaning it's a smart, eager-to-please dog, and that is capable of learning commands and pleasing it's owner.
If your dog doesn't have any titles in his or her pedigree, how do you know how he or she will turn out? Will she weigh 65 lbs or 105 lbs? Will she be pretty or smart? Just because she's a Golden or a Lab, and just because she's AKC registered does not guarantee any of those things. It only means her parents were purebred. Also, if your dog's pedigree only has titles on one area, such as all show dogs and no hunting or obedience titles, then it may be pretty, but also pretty dumb and maybe even hard to train. Visa versa, if you dog has a lot of field or obedience titles and no show dog titles, it may be smart, enthusiastic, and playful but look like something that crawled out of who knows where. It may even have health problems steaming from the fact that it's body is improperly proportioned or caring too much weight for its breed.
If you are looking for a dog with certain expectations in mind as to how the dog will look, how big it will get, if it will be healthy, and if it will be smart and trainable, carefully examining its pedigree is very, very important.
One last thing to consider is, a well bred, beautiful, smart, & trainable dog will come from breeders who spend the time and money to put titles on them and prove their dogs beauty, intelligence, and performance ability. If a dog has little to no titles in his or her pedigree and little to no health certifications, it either came from a puppy mill or an uneducated back yard breeder and will probably not meet many of your expectations regarding that breed. It's also important to understand that a well bred, well rounded, healthy dog--even just as a pet--will cost a lot of money. Only expect to pay less than $800 or so for a poorly bred dog, because a good breeder's pet puppies sold on limited AKC registration with a spay/neuter contract will still cost a significant amount of money due to all the time and money the breeder has put into their dogs while simply doing their best to breed a dog they can be proud of. If you don't believe in spending much on a dog that is "just a pet" or you simply don't feel you can afford it, that's your decision, just don't expect the same quality. I believe you get what you pay for. Please see: our Puppy Pricing page for more info regarding the price of puppies.
I would use the Woodhaven site. She is a long time breeder who is in the breed and obedience ring. She has tons of informative information there, I'm sure it took years to accumulate and it's very accurate. Anytime I need an answer it's there.
Thank you Woodhaven. 
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Replying to:
Where is the site that explains to a puppy buyer why pups from good, reputable breeders cost more than fly by night breeders.
eww, who said that??
I do NOT remove my puppies thumbs either.
I like mine, and I wouldn't want anyone chopping them off either!
