How much is too much for the "Pet Quality" Rottie

[BigNewbie]

I'm a bit peturbed at what I've found to be excessive pricing for dogs that aren't going into the show ring or anything else for that matter... I bought a BYB puppy for my first rottie and feel that she's a gem but I wouldnt want to perpetuate bad behavior from anyone; Having said that, I don't really consider the non show dog to be superior so why the excessive pricing???(for this I mean $600.00plus)

[LavenderRott]

I don't breed but my mom used to breed pomeranians many years ago.

A good breeder has both the bitch and the sire tested for many things. I again, don't breed, so I am not sure about all of the genetic problems that are tested for. I do know that both parents should be OFA certified. One parent, at least, is usually shown to prove that he/she is a superior specimen of the breed.

These things take cash. Not to mention the puppies vet visits and tail docking.

I was considering paying much more for a pet quality puppy.

The other thing is, people are more apt to take care of something that they paid a lot of money for. This is not always true, but it is one line of thinking.

[Rott-Wiley]

So, are you saying that $600 is too much money to pay for a pure bred healthy rottweiler puppy? I hesitate to mention that paying for the puppy is only the start of this . . . .

[Judi W]

I understand what you are saying, however, I will also tell you that there are breeders out there that breed very seldom, only when they want something for themselves every several years or more. Because they are breeding for themselves, they have titled, tested and studied like crazy to produce the best litter they can for their next generation and their concern for the pups they are not keeping is the best home. Prices are not always as high as you might think.

The advantage. Careful selection of breedin partners, strong confidence in the health, soundness and temperament of the offspring and you can fairly well expect a long lived healthy dog. The people I hear of on this forum that are paying huge sums for orthopedic surgery (they could send a child to college), health issues from immune disorders, allergies, and so forth make it look like pound smart and penny foolish.

[Carina43]

I don't know...but prices have certainly been stable! I bought my first Rottie pup in 1986. I'm not sure if the term "back yard beeder" was even known then; I bought him from an older German couple who had brought the bitch from Germany with them, and they adored their dogs, they just had the mom & dad and really didn't fit the current definition of BYB's. Neither dog was titled or anything. I paid $500.00, and Ajax was the most amazing dog.

My second dog was from a minor league breeder in Colorado (both parents titled), bought as pet quality - $500.00. Another amazing, wonderful, healthy dog.

Cooper was bought from a very well respected, code of ethics breeder, champion parents, all health screening, the whole nine yards - he's long haired, obviously not a show dog - in 2001 - $500.00. :) (And for the record, he's the only Rottie I've had - including the two shelter Rotts - with congenital health defects. He has elbow dysplasia and an abnormally narrow trachea. Go figure. But he has the greatest temperament! :) )

I see Rottweiler puppies in the newspaper for $300-500 all the time, when I can bear to look at the pets classifieds. :( I think uneducated people see terms like "AKC registered" and "German bloodlines" in a newspaper ad and are impressed, and pay the price.

[frontierrots]

Mine sell (and I have none planned so this is not a pitch) for $700. Limited registration and they must be spayed or neutered.They are not allowed to leave before 10 weeks old. I do not sell beyond Canada or the US area

I offer $100 rebate if the pet buyer has the hips OFA'd at 2years and another $100 rebate if the buyer has the heart cardiologist certified at 18-24 months

My parent dogs will be hip and heart certified, the pups are started in clicker training and housebreaking, they are crate trained and have met at minimum 150-200 people and have been to at least 3 different environments. I have a twice a year newsletter and a lifetime of support

I'll tell you, even my buyers tell me I should go up because my babies are worth it. I just can't bring myself to.

[DivaDog]

If you are just wanting a good pet I would suggest looking at your local shelters and rescues for a pet that won't cost you so much. I am a little biased though of all my cats and dogs I have never purchased a single one and I love them to death:) Our newest family member is Zitoe, a lab/rott mix that we adopted from our local shelter for the soaring price of $25:D Shelters can have full breed dogs too, and you may be able to find a rott rescue that would have the right pet for you. Of course if you're wanting certifications etc. that probably wouldn't be the way to go, but for a wonderful pet it has been wonderful for us!

[spidey]

It's quite common in Europe (apparently) to have just one price for all puppies in a litter, with the exception of those with obvious faults. In many ways this makes sense to me. Anyway, $600 doesn't seem at all excessive for a well-bred dog from good, tested, proven stock (my first dog, a Springer Spaniel, was over $800 in the early 80's). Besides that, the purchase price, no matter how high or low, will in all likelihood be the smallest expense involved with dog ownership. Proper vet care, good food, obedience classes etc will all cost you more in a year than even the most expensive puppy. There's often no bargain in looking for a cheaper puppy, especially if it comes without a guarantee, which is likely.

[BostonRott]

Hi,

Judi hit the nail (or perhaps me!) right on the head. I don't breed much, only for me, and have spent the past 7 years studying, learning, training and testing. I am on my second litter in the period of a year, and will not have any more for 2-3 years. I bred my bitch back to back b/c I didn't get the female that I wanted from my first litter, and my repro specialist has advised me that breeding on back to back heats is healthiest for the bitch, if she is in good condition prior to the breedings, and an overall baseline of good health. Back to back, then skip, said to be the healthiest (can be supported with literature and reference book searches).

Anyway.......I had two prices for my first litter: $700 pet, $1200 working/breed. This time, I decided, one price for all: $1000. You are paying for the genetics of these puppies, for the time that I have put into my bitch, for the health screenings on both parents, the titles on both parents, and the hard work that I have put into raising the litter. What you decide to do with the dog later is your perogative.

Puppies are matched to homes based on fit. "Picks" only come into play if there are not enough puppies, and one puppy fits two homes, or if there is one home left and one puppy, and the don't match.........I'll wait on the right home.

If $1000 is too steep, I send people elsewhere. The bloodlines I work with are known for good hips, parents are all elbow cleared, temperaments have been tested and proven via titles, dogs are breed tested, and of course, puppies are guaranteed. I feel they're worth it.

[Anne]

My experience has been that getting pup who is the progeny of show champions is no guarantee that orthopaedic surgery won't be needed. My dog comes from excellent stock but needed ACL surgery. This cost considerably more than the price of the pup. The purchase price was a drop in the ocean compared to the cost of surgery.

[Miabella]

I, for one, would be willing to pay alot for a pup from the right litter. My first Rottweiler was a shelter dog who was obviously from a BYB. This dog had pretty badsevere HD, poor conformation (extremely underangulated) that led to cruciate tears, and she died from cancer before she turned 5 years old. I spent over $8,000 in vet bills on that dog in the few years I had her, and she was still dead at age 4 1/2. So from my perspective, a very carefully bred pet quality pup for $2,000 would be a bargain.

[TrishB]

Something else you have to remember is that people aren't breeding for 'pet quality'. It may sound harsh to say it this way, but 'pet quality' pups are a side effect of trying to breed solid working / show specimens.

As others have said, the parents will have (most often):
- working titles
- temperament titles
- conformation titles
- hips certified
- elbows certified
- eyes certified
- heart certified

And the pups will have:
- tails and dew claws removed
- veterinary care from birth to going home
- first shots
- first dewormings
- socialization

Care included has been:
- heath tested parents before they were bred
- veterinary care for the bitch during her pregnancy
- increased diet support to the bitch during pregnancy
- puppy cleaning
- puppy socialization
- weaning puppies
- diet support to the pups

Administrative costs:
- paper work for all certifications
- registrations for kennel clubs
- club memberships
- showing / trials costs (which can get expensive)
- advertising the litter
- endless emails and phone calls to prospective puppy buyers

Trust me, if you got a breeder to track every minute of every day that they dedicate to getting a healthy litter of pups on the ground, you'd quickly find that their hourly rate is penny's. :( They aren't doing it for the money, they're doing it for the love the breed. The price is just a way to recoupe some costs and to ensure that they go to dedicated homes.

Your pet quality pup took just as much time and care as the show quality pup. Even though they'll be taken in two different directions, the cost is the same to raise both. That's what you're paying for.

In the end, you'll get a well tempered, structurally sound, beautiful puppy that you can enjoy and love. :D

[MontanaRott]

Price is an interesting thing, as someone here said you get what you pay for. I think through experince that has been born out. We got our first rott in 1990 and paid 500 that to us was a lot of money, but she was a great dog, healthy and sound and very stable in temperment. After her death in 98 we bought a puppy for 450, her hips went at 5mo and we spent 1600 on a TPO surgery only to find that her elbows were bad. She ended up with temperment issues related to an older dog in our home, she was placed by her breeder, with a family who were not looking for a working dog and is doing well.
Our pup now cost us 1500.00, BUT we feel with his lines that is money well spent. We should not have an outlay of money for surgeries etc like we had with our previous dog. With her we had a dog that we had over 3k in and ended up placing her in a non-working home!
So big money up front or big money later? But the BYB who charges big bucks for non-proven stock is another issue altogether.

[spidey]

My dog comes from excellent stock but needed ACL surgery.

To be fair, cruciate injuries are not like HD - they're an acute injury caused by something the individual dog does, not a genetics-related malformation the way HD is.

[BostonRott]

Spidey,

I would respectfully disagree with you. There are many breeders both here and in Germany who absolutely feel that cruciates run in bloodlines.

An unstable joint (over- or underangulated) will be more likely to blow apart during strenuous work, than one which is conformationally correct. Part of the reason some of us really value working titles........they not only prove temperament, they show that structure holds up over time.

Joint conformation is absolutely inherited. People go to X male b/c he has great forechest (shoulder and elbow joints). They breed their male to Y female b/c she has gorgeous rear angulation (hips, stifle, hock).

Often, people don't think of soft tissue injuries as a heritable trait, but if you look beyond the injury, at the reason that this happened, there is a strong correlation in certain lines.

I'm not saying that there aren't some ACL's that aren't pure bad luck, but I have stayed away from certain studs b/c of a history of cruciates in their lines. It's not listed in the Korbuchs, but talk to the old time European breeders and they'll tell you which lines are prone.