Cost of a Puppy
WHY IS THE PRICE OF A PUPPY FROM A REPUTABLE BREEDER SO HIGH?
For a newfoundland puppy, on average you can expect to pay $4000-$4500 from a reputable breeder in Canada. Depending on the number of puppies, a responsible reputable breeder might be lucky and break even, but many times they will not. This is a serious hobby for them, and they do their best to produce sound, healthy puppies, even though it means spending their vacation time at home looking after a litter. Don't let the high initial cost turn you away! That $2000 puppy on kijiji will not have health tested parents, parents that have their championships, and have sub-par health care. Most will not look like what a newfoundland SHOULD look like, and they have a higher chance of behavioral issues such as aggression. Many people are attracted to that lower price, but in reality, that dog will likely cost you much, much more in vet bills down the road, and the sad part is some backyard breeders are still charging the price of a reputable breeder with zero health testing.
Let's break down the costs for a reputable breeder:
Food - $1200/dog/year
Vetting - $300 - $500/dog/year for ANNUAL vet visits (exam, vaccines, heartworm & tick prevention)
This does not include additional vet visits for UTIs, ear infections, pyometras, etc
$1500+/dog/year
Grand total:
MINIMUM:
$1,500 per dog/year in annual food/vet bills
$2,100 per dog (showing to CH, health testing)
$3,850 per breeding *
$420 per puppy born
MAXIIMUM:
$3000+ per dog/year in annual food/vet bills
$3100 per dog (showing to CH, health testing)
$7500 per breeding *
$420 per puppy born
* If only 1 or no puppies, stud fees often reduced, except when using frozen semen
​
This does not include extra trips to the vet clinic for common issues like urinary tract infections, ear infections, limping or any other non-routine health care. This does not include costs for elective or emergency c-sections (very common), fading puppies, mastitis, eclampsia and pyometra. This does not include costs of titling in other things such as drafting, water rescue or obedience!
BUT WAIT, there's more...
Our puppies are monitored 24/7 for their first 4 weeks of life and all that time is taken off work. When one of us is sleeping the other is with them in their whelp box or playpen, keeping a close eye. At minimum wage which is currently $15.30/hour x 24 hours x 7 days x 4 weeks = $10,281.60 for the first 4 weeks alone! Most breeders will keep one puppy, but often times will keep more than 1 puppy for future potential breeding/showing.
​
This is excluding the costs/time spent of:
- cleaning up after the puppies
- socializing
- crate training
- desensitizing to noise
- leash training
- temperament testing
- researching pedigrees
- responding to emails and interviewing prospective owners (including long distance phone calls)
- emergencies such as a C-sections which is VERY common in newfoundlands (which adds another $2000).
- raising puppies to 12+ months, doing preliminary health testing and finding out they are not fit for breeding
​