just curious breeder question

[sheltieluver]

When you place adult dogs either they retired or they didn't turn out right for showing whatever the reason do you charge what you would charge for a puppy? Reason I'm asking is a friend of mine breeder was placing one of her dogs and asked if I wanted him since he's one of my favorites. She wanted to chare me 2000 he's 3 years old and wanted me to neuter him. I like him but that seems a bit steep for a 3 year old dog. My sheltie breeder placed her 2 year old with me no charge and a 8 month old litter mate to my male she was growing for show but was too shy and didn't ask for a dime and she had them spayed before I got them. Just wondering if it depends on the breeder.

[JenC]

Depends on the breeder. Some people are just nuts. I had a friend telling me she wanted to rehome one of her girls. She ended up telling me she wanted to sell her for $2K because she was trained as a therapy dog. Well, shucks, don't tell folks you are rehoming a dog when you are trying to sell a full trained dog that has a "job".

To me, maybe there is a small fee to help the breeder recoup a little of the expense of raising the dog. Definitely the expense of fixing the dog. I had a breeder sell a dog to a friend for the exact price it cost to neuter him.

Anything more is just greedy to me.

[barry581]

I re-homed 4 dogs for 4 different breeders, and I didn't pay a penny for any of them. The breeders all knew each other, and I was a referral from one to the other, and so on. They were all more interested in finding a good home for the dogs than making money.

[HammerLover]

2k seems crazy to me. But, I guess if he was a stud and has good lines... But then again, she is making you fix him... :\ Maybe if you negotiate you can get the price down a bit. Like maybe explain to her the charges for a neutering and how you shouldn't even have to pay for it if she is making you. If she wants it done that badly then she should lower the price so someone has enough to even neuter the dog. Also starting pretty low helps a lot.

[windycanyon]

Okay, devil's advocate here. What is the dog trained FOR? If it's a lab trained for hunting, 2 K is VERY reasonable, and bargain basement if hips/elbows/eyes etc are cleared.
Now that said, I did place a 7 yo who was 1 Q shy of CDX, had her JH, RA, Intl Ch, some agility titles etc (plus all clearances!), for nothing back to me. I did ask that the family give a donation to rescue though. They got a completely trained, healthy dog who almost 4 yrs later, still brings great joy to their family. I don't regret it, and I know they got a bargain, regardless.

[dxboon]

Every breeder and every situation is different. I have put several people together through the Lab club I belong to when rehoming is needed. The dogs have been varying ages from a little over a year to 7 years of age, and everything in between. Some of the fees have been at or close to what the breeder charges for a puppy, others have been nominal fees (cost of spay), some have been gratis. Factors like training that the dog has already undergone, pre-existing relationship with the breeder, comes into play.

Ultimately it's the breeder's call on what to charge. If you feel comfortable with the fee, then great; if not, move on. A good breeder is not trying to get rid of a dog ASAP. We are not talking about used toasters here. They will place in the right home, and will wait for that home if needed. Anyone concerned about the cost of a spay/neuter and dickering over that pricing might want to evaluate what other costs come with a dog.

[sheltieluver]

Thanks everyone. I only really delt with my sheltie breeder who didn't charge me anything so I wasn't sure. I'm not taking the dig not bc of the price just because I don't want a pointer but I was just curious bc I do want another lab and I've gone back and forth should I get a puppy from a breeder maybe a slightly older dog a breeder is trying to place or go thru a rescue. The dog does have his champion title and his JH title and I know he's been shown in obediance.

[windycanyon]

Then if he's sound (as in OFAs etc), that is a steal.

It was interesting a few years ago when I got back a pup I bred. He was only ~18 mos old. Was raised w/ small kids, had a JH Q (1 of 1 try, nice job) and OFA prelims to his credit. Familial history would indicate nothing but a good bet all the way around (and that stuck). I had people want to "take him off my hands" for rescue pricing. I said NO thank you. If it were not for the time of year (harvest, read crazy for me), I'd have asked 2x more what I did for him. I returned every penny to the owner and would have regardless of final sales price.

Suffice to say, I dealt w/ people who had no clue what a dog (original puppy price was at least $1000 if not more) cost to train. He ended up w/ a semi retired guy who owned 20+ acres of spring fed duck ponds, someone home all the time, grandkids that think the dog walks on water.... yet I had others who read me the riot act for not selling him for the bargain basement price (some who were supposedly highly educated). I sent those folks links to other breeders "started" dogs pages to let them know what dogs of that training were really worth.

[dxboon]

It burns me when people start talking about dogs like used cars. I get so many emails from people wanting to connect with club members who are "willing" to take a 12 week old puppy "as long as it's discounted." Um, really? You are now getting a well bred puppy that may already be housebroken, or close to it, crate trained, and may have some basic manners because someone has spent an additional month working with it. You want a discount on this puppy because it's not 8 weeks old? Take a hike.

A dog costs what it costs. You don't agree, find another breeder. The upfront cost for a well bred Lab from a reputable breeder is the smallest expenditure you'll likely make on a dog when amortized across the animal's lifetime.

[BaconsMom]

I am going to be with Windycanyon and say that 2,000 is about the normal price for a started hunting lab. I have no idea for bench lines, but I know that several breeders that I know sell their started (so fully hunt trained and tested) dogs for 2-3K.