Typical Cost Of Owning A Puppy?!?
August 25, 2009 by admin
Filed under Care & Training Q&As
okay. i really want to be prepared. so to begin the process of getting a puppy, i should know the cost of one. right? i really want a female havanese puppy. what’s the typical cost for buying a beauty? and what about all the other costs (shots, training, doggie school, leashes, toys, food, spaying her, etc.) thanks!!! and please answer as much as you can! =)
Related Havanese Training & Care posts:
A Havanese puppy is going to run you a decent amount from a reputable breeder. A good place to start is here:http://www.akc.org/breederinfo/breeder_s…
This will help you locate a breeder. Do some research on them and their policies for selling a puppy. Determine whether they are reputable or not (or post the breeders website or what they say here, and we will be more than happy to help) and go from there.
A leash is around 5 dollars. At Joann’s crafts, the retractable leash is 2 bucks. A collar, depending on the kind you want, around 5 as well. If you buy from a reputable breeder, the shots will most likely be complete, unless the parvo vaccinations are still needed. These are done every two weeks up until 16-20 weeks of age. It’s about 20 dollars for the shot. Go to a small vets office. Never Banfield. They overcharge and will want to do numerous unnecessary testing on the dog and try to overvaccinate.
Doggie school. If you go to Petsmart for that, it’s 99 dollars. But this is easily done by you by educating yourself on how to potty train, how to teach sit, lay down, etc. It’s fairly simple and helps you bond. Food, depending on the size of the bag could range from 10-18 dollars or so for a good brand. Spaying. You can get that done at your local shelter for a very low cost. They usually do it for about 35 dollars at the shelter. Most veterinarians (like mine) have a set price for the first 10 pounds, and then charge per pound. My Miniature Pinscher got a quote of 100 dollars, weighing 16 pounds at the time. A bit overweight for her breed, however. For a puppy, it will be significantly less than that. At a vet and not the humane society, you’re looking at around 60 dollars probably, depending on where you live.
Toys. Puppy toys are cheap and she doesn’t need a whole mess of them. A kong is about 6 dollars. The fluffy squeaky toys are from 3-5 dollars a piece. They’re fairly cheap. You can get things from eBay which can be cheaper, from Petsmart which may be a bit more expensive, even from Wal-Mart although I would look at the reviews of specific toys to see how satisfied others are with it and that it poses no threat to your puppy. Hope I helped.
minus the cost of the puppy here is a list
food-20
crate- 80-180
shampoo-8
leash and collar- 40
training- up to 500
treats- 35
toys-50
shots- depending on where about 100
puppy pads-15
odor remover-20
id tag- 8
microchip- 25-125
spay neuter- 60-300
bowls- 10-40
bed-15-100
emergency fund-1000
so you are looking at like 2 grand without the cost of the pupy
A pup will cost anywhere between $1500-$3000 in their first year alone.
Cost of pup: $700-$1000 from a responsible, reputable breeder.
Vaccinations : $150-$300 for 2 boosters and a rabies shot, depends on local vet costs.
Training: $200-$500 depending on if you do group or private classes.
Food: $200-$600 depending on the quality you feed, the better the quality the more expensive it will be, but the healthier your dog will be and the less you’ll end up spending on vet visits. I spend $100+ a month feeding my 2 Labs on Blue Buffalo, $1200+ a year, but it’s worth it.
Accessories ( leashes, toys, crate ): $150-$300
Spaying: $50-$400, depends on if you go to a low cost spay/neuter clinic or how much your regular vet charges.
Of course, all costs depend on the breed and the kind of lifestyle you want her to have. For example, show dog owners may spend $300/month on grooming while a companion owner may spend $40 every other month on grooming. Vet costs completely depend on your vet. Call around and ask how much puppy checkups, shots, and spaying cost. Get referrals for a good vet– don’t pick one just b/c it’s cheapest. We did that with our kitten and she got an infection when she got spayed and it cost us $$$$ to get it taken care of by another vet. Roughly though, here are some estimates:
Puppy checkup: $40 (just the checkup. Shots are extra.)
Spaying: ($70- $120)
Collar: ($7-ish for regular, more for harness or head collar)
Leash: Depends what kind you’re getting. Retractable leashes will be $20-ish while a plain leash will be about $7-10.
Food & water bowls: $7-15 EACH, more for automatic dispensing ones
Training: $100-$140. Petsmart training isn’t the best, by the way.
Food: $20-60/bag, depending on the quality. She won’t eat much though. A 40 lb bag will probably last you 3 months or more if you feed her the recommended amount.
Toys: You can buy toys at the dollar tree or spend an arm and a leg at pet stores. Your choice.
Monthly flea/tick meds: $13-20 MONTHLY
Heart worm pills: Can’t remember the cost, but again, monthly.
Crate: $60
Grooming: Probably $50-60 a pop, every other month.
Plus, if she gets sick, you’ll have to pay for emergency vet visits. Don’t kid yourself– you’ll have at least one of those in the first few months.
In the first month of owning your dog, in addition to the cost of the dog, you’ll probably spend at least $400, not including training or crate. With vet, crate, training, toys, food, bowls, leash, collar, grooming, spaying, treats, etc., the whole shebang, you’re going to spend at least $600 or more!