So You Expect To Make Money Breeding...

By Kathy Kozakiewicz, Istari Shelties

2739 N. 21 Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85009

602-254-2328

The costs estimated below for a litter of four puppies until eight weeks of age are on the low end of normal, especially the cost of the bitch herself. A good breeding-quality bitch (which for many is the same as a show-quality bitch) can cost between $800 and $2000. The following assumes that you are getting the necessary testing, that you are breeding to a stud of quality that is equal to or better than the bitch, and that everything goes perfectly with the pregnancy and delivery.

This $2578 does not include the cost of the time you have spent on this litter: the time spent socializing and housebreaking the dam; sleeping beside the whelping pen waiting for the puppies; assisting in the delivery; cleaning the puppy pen; going to the vet for dewclaws, shots, etc.; and interviewing potential buyers for these puppies.

Now look at the price of pet puppies in your part of the country. Even if all four puppies from this litter are sold, would you recover your costs? For example, pet puppies from reputable breeders here in the Phoenix area sell for $400. At that price, I would lose $978 on this litter. (And, if I kept one puppy from this litter, add another $400 to that figure.)

But, you say, I won't have some of these expenses for the second litter--I can make up this deficit by breeding her a second time. Not really. Assuredly, I won't have the purchase price of the bitch, nor even the vWD or OFA testing costs. But I will have everything else. These expenses total $1413, again not accounting for the time I put into this endeavor. Again, if I sold all four puppies for $400, I would get $1600--a profit of $187. At this rate, I would recoup the loss from the first breeding on this bitch's seventh litter and have a total profit of $56.

There are only two ways to make a profit breeding dogs. One way is to reduce costs. Yes, I can learn to do some things for myself, such as give shots to the dam and her puppies myself and do the dewclaws myself. Many reputable breeders do these things for themselves. This will reduce my costs a tad.

I could also not get the OFA, Eye, Thyroid, vWD, brucellosis or cultures done. That would save me quite a bit of money. But then, how would both I and the purchaser know that these puppies did not inherit a genetic disorder? These are not the actions of a reputable breeder.

The second method of making a profit would be to establish a reputation of breeding top quality show dogs and selling show prospects and show-quality older dogs for an increased price. However, this really does entail more work and expense because I would first have to demonstrate that my dogs do win in the show ring on a consistent basis. Ah, but this would involve paying entry fees, handlers or traveling to the shows myself, buying grooming supplies, paying for photos of my wins and advertising these wins etc., etc., etc.

Is there really any profit to be made in breeding dogs?

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Last modified: January 21, 1999