How Much Is That Doggie?

One of the questions most often asked of a breeder is "How much are your puppies?" or  "How much money do you win

at the dog show?"  I find it amusing that people actually think we do this for money...

Dog showing exhibitiion is an expensive HOBBY and should be done for the love of the dogs and the breed and done ethically, you will never recoup even your expenses much less a profit. I wanted to enlighten the average person as to the expenses and devotion that is involved in continuing a line of dogs. I will attempt to break down some average costs, the  time and hard work  that goes into owning and breeding quality dogs. Lets see where do I begin?.......

First you have to find that special first puppy....

This will take alot of time, going to shows talking to breeders, looking at pedigrees reading books looking at magazines, visiting kennels, phone calls... hoping you make the right decision you finally find a puppy to start showing.

Getting someone to part with a quality show prospect is a feat in itself, you will need to prove that you are worthy to obtain such a prospect as you will see why by the end of this article.... Show quality male  $ 1500.00 

(8 years ago)  Vaccinations dewormings 150.00

Now you have your first puppy and its time to take him to some classes you have read books and watched others at shows to learn how to groom bought all your equipment grooming table, tack box brushes combs, sprays, show collar, lead and classes.... $600-750 at the very least.. now I remember my breeder telling me you will need at least three crates one for the car one for the hotel and one for the show...I remember thinking "Well thats just plain lazy, I only need one...I can carry it ..let me tell you I am not a lazy person but three shows later I had decided I need more crates ...LOL

Three crates ..... 200.00  9 weeks of classes and over an hours drive for a good class 300.00  Total 1200.00  We are ready to show.........

Your first show... we have a dog to get ready this entails spending the whole day before getting that trained dog ready for the show...let the grooming begin!

First the bath, this is at least a 3-4 hour adventure wet to completely dry Livestock blow dryer to get the job done faster...200.00 ...shampoo...20.00 cant use cheap shampoo this is a competition...trim feet, line comb, yes have to get down into that thick coat and get EVERY hair your competition has and you must also...conditioner , body sprays ...finally hours and hours later your boy is gorgeous only thing is the show is over two months away but this must be done religiously to keep that show prospect in tip top condition ...show dogs cant get show ready the night before this is an ongoing process... Whew....now to get into bed after getting all the stuff loaded into the car the show is at 8 am sharp so since its two hours away it will be an early morning...

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Alarm clock goes off 3 am...I have decided what to wear the night before I have the car loaded go to let my magnificiently groomed dog outside to potty ..what's this the whole yard is wet..its RAINING!!! Finally after much added work I have dog and myself loaded into the car for the 2 hour drive, cant be late as they dont wait for you if your late and you dont want to break the points by not showing up as everyone else has paid their money and have done as much hard work as you. Entry fees are high 28.00 to 32.00 per day so in a three day weekend with motel fee and gas and parking for the RV you can easily spend 500-600 for a weekend..for the chance of getting a point towards your Championship..Yes, one point if your lucky, see you have to beat every male there to get a point and they want those points too... weekend over have to pack everything up and head home have to get to work early Monday morning to pay for this hobby! And my boy needs dog food... we managed to get our first point!!  Have to get an official win picture with the judge 35.00 dollars.dd text.

Ok... fast forward to the future we have attended around 15 of these shows from Atlanta, Georgia to Dallas Texas with a National Specialty once yearly this is a week long show with lots of Chows, just placing in the 4 ribbons in each class is an accomplishment winning points at a National Specialty is an honor!  Now your boy has all his single points and needs whats called a major win, need two of these from two different judges... you must beat 8-9 chows to get 3 points at once. Quite a feat as there are some nice dogs there and you must beat them all..not once but twice! to become a Champion...finally you do it your boy is a Champion....soooo around 9,000 dollars later without a handler...thats even more money if you cant do it yourself... and he just turned two years old as with a job you can only do a show once or twice every couple of months....

Now after all that work you pray he passes the majority of his health screenings or at least the major ones or its back to start all over again!!

Health screenings HIps, elbows eyes, knees and heart,thyroid another

500.00  not too mention your a nervous wreck while they sedate your beautiful boy to get the x-rays...

I did it I finished my first Champion now I need a nice bitch to start my foundation with..this will prove to be even more important than the male as this is your mother earth from which all of your line will come from...the search begins....