Pricing Education

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It seems most breeders get this question first from potential buyers: "How much do you charge?" Some breeders find this offensive and lacking in concern for the quality of pup but we understand there is a budget line in the sand for everyone and we want to try to shed some light on the diversity of costs, quality, and care that have great impact on the final price of a pup and why some charge more than others.

Breeding approaches vary greatly. Here are four examples that in order represent a low, medium, and high cost of approach and then the commercial approach:
 

1. Pups usually run $500-$800 - have two dogs that appear to be Rottweilers (may or may not have papers), let them breed whenever they want and basically take care of themselves with minimal or no vet involvement and sell them at low cost. It is possible to get a good dog this way but there is risk and the buyer should take extra measure to investigate the health of the pups.

2. Pups usually run $800-$2,000 - invest in two dogs with proof of pedigree, wait two years to breed, breed only once per year, hands on involvement with litter from birth until time to go to new home, regular vet care, professional quality food provided, treated as pets, some advanced testing and/or certifications to show their quality, some good lineage in pedigree. Sell dogs at a moderate cost to compensate for added inputs and proven quality. While there are always risks, this approach greatly reduces risks to the buyer and helps improve the breed.

3. Pups usually run $2,000 plus - invest in two dogs with high quality show pedigrees, everything in #2 plus showing dogs regularly, more advanced testing and certifications. Sell at high cost to compensate for added inputs. These breeders are investing heavily in improving the breed and adding value to not only their pups but the Rottweiler breed overall. While still not risk free, this is the lowest risk approach to ensuring the highest quality pups and therefore is the most expensive option.

4. Lastly, puppy mills defined as commercial breeding programs is covered well in this article:  https://www.humanesociety.org/puppy-mill-research
    

Here is some great public content we found and with a quick web search you can find more. We have no affiliation with any of these sites and like most websites, most have advertisements for services or products that we have no knowledge about and linking to the website is not an endorsement of any of their products or services.

Summary of breeding costs:  https://breedingbusiness.com/cost-of-dog-breeding/

Cost of raising a litter:
http://www.kentfamilyfarms.com/costs-of-raising-a-litter.html

US puppy prices:
https://www.petbudget.com/puppy-prices/