would you spend $2000 on a puppy?

i have never had an expensive dog. usually had freebies or cheapy ones. i really want to get a labradoodle! but the cost about 2 grand! i would definately have to save up for that. DH doesnt want to spend that much money on it in case it ends up running away or getting hit by car etc. the other option is to get a reduced price and have the pup as a breeding dog. so we would have to keep him a full male until about 4 years old when we can get him desexed and every now and then he would have to go a stay with a female to DTD.

what do yuo think?>

I would! Especially if it means getting the breed of dog I know would fit perfectly with my family & our lifestyle.

thats what i am thinking lisa, and i have researched heaps of breeds and it is a pretty good match. :-)

Short answer - NO. LOL I'm with your DH on this one. I just cannot justify that amount of money on an animal sorry :) Both for the reasons that your DH said and also because I have an issue with dog breeding - many 'purebred' dogs are so overly inbred to produce pups with 'perfect' traits that the dogs have many, many health problems that are very costly to fix. I would rather source a free dog from a pound or someone giving them away before buying one. But if you were absolutely adamant that you wanted one, I would be looking into it very seriously and finding a breeder that does not use inbreeding/small gene pool for their breeding dogs to reduce the chance of getting a puppy that is destined to be sick.

Having spent $750 on the first dog, then $820 on the next dog, I would say no. Our first one did get hit by a car, we were so careful with him, but he was so fast and the bloke who hit him was speeding.

We went with an Aussie Terrier due to the traits they have and we wanted to be so careful with personality due to the kids. The first one, for a pure breed, whilst physically was fine (just a bit big), but he was a complete nutter and did not contain any of the calm traits of the breed. The 2nd dog, is much better trait wise, but still a bit big, I think the breed standard needs updating as they are just not as little as they once were.

They really are two different dogs, pure breed is no guarantee of nature. After talking to a breeder of a different breed, he confirmed this. Many are bred for look in the judging ring, not for personalty, so you can get some nutter dogs amongst the pure breeds.

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Short answer - NO. LOL I'm with your DH on this one. I just cannot justify that amount of money on an animal sorry :) Both for the reasons that your DH said and also because I have an issue with dog breeding - many 'purebred' dogs are so overly inbred to produce pups with 'perfect' traits that the dogs have many, many health problems that are very costly to fix. I would rather source a free dog from a pound or someone giving them away before buying one. But if you were absolutely adamant that you wanted one, I would be looking into it very seriously and finding a breeder that does not use inbreeding/small gene pool for their breeding dogs to reduce the chance of getting a puppy that is destined to be sick.

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I agree. I would not. It is just an animal, what are you *really* paying all that money for, you know? It will live just as long as a normal dog, eat just as much, poo just as much etc etc, only difference being that it is inbred (most likely, all to some degree but some a lot more severely). If you can afford it though, and can afford for it to die prematurely, then do it :D I personally dislike labradoodles as they are notoriously stupid dogs, so I guess the $2000 would be going towards their looks :rofl:

We did :) we have an american staffy - she's a blue :heartbeat: we could have bought a blue for around 900 - 1500 but that is without papers. plus air freight and health vet check as we got her from SA and we live in Syd.

Alot of people made comments like 'it's JUST a dog' well yes she is a dog (thanks for noticing) which were REALLY annoying! But we were considering showing her but just dont have the time for the extra training :(

She is pure and we were definately not going to buy an amstaff WITHOUT papers cos I wanted to make sure if anyone said she was a pitty I would be able to prove otherwise. When we picked her up from the airport one of the guys said 'oh she looks like a pit bull' I was like 'Um, she's an american staffy - thats why we got papers'

I have heard of other people selling their pups as a certain type of breed but they weren't. we did ALOT of research on the breeder and he was FANTASTIC! Our puppy is SO SO funny, and is FANTASTIC with kids, she has an awesome temperment as well.

At the end of the day - it depends on what you are willing to pay and what you can afford etc and the restrictions of the breeder (when we were looking some breeder's had alot of restrictions)

It's an interesting price, specially when you consider that our labrador, who actually is a full pedigree who's grandfather was bred by the Queen (yes, QEII) cost us $1000.

We paid that for our dog as we were after a working dog - she comes from a line of customs / guide dogs and I was after a dog to train for search & rescue.

I would really be interested to see the breeder you've found, as essentially labradoodles are a cross-breed. They are still only a purebreed, and not a registered breed. Those kind of prices make me think of puppy farms with "designer breeds".

But if you have your heart set on one, and are after a cheaper alternative, then there are rescue groups which are rehoming dogs, and the RSPCA etc. The RSPCA can often advise you of rescue groups, or your local council.
Either way, good luck with getting a gorgeous puppy.

Nope...as much as i love my dog (golden retriever) I can think of much better and more useful things to spend that sort of money on! We got our dog fr $300 from a breeder, normally around $500/$600 but he was a 'discount puppy' because he was about 4/5 months old and the breeders still hadn't sold him.

If you do end up getting a labradoodle, make sure you check out both parents very carefully...I've known a few of them and they were absolute nutters!
Maybe ask around at animal shelters/dog rescues close to you, they may get them in the shelter occasionally and you could adopt one from there. it is suprising how many purebreeds/designer dogs end up in dog pounds.

I probably would if I wanted it bad enough. I have a cat that I paid $600 for and she is now 12yrs old, my kids love her and she is great company. I would go with the one that you can get desexed straight away though.
If you spend that much on a dog it would be worth getting 'pet health insurance' in case she does get hit by a car.
Trillian also has a very good point about in breeding, so if you know anyone who shows dogs or a Vet perhaps take them along when you pick.

Are they really that stupid??? I was thinking that those 2 breeds, being notoriously smart (although labs are hard to train) would be an alright mix. Not that I'm an expert on that stuff.

But no, I wouldn't spend that much - especially when there are so many wonderful pups being put down every year.

I'm another no. We paid $200 for a staffy & would probably pay for another one one day, but no way would I pay that much.
We have 2 bull mastiff's we got for nothing & they are beautiful & perfect for us :)

No I wouldn't. Be ware of 'designer crosses' as they often end up with problems that the full breeds don't have such as hip displasia, etc.

Yep, I would! I specifically wanted a very small dog, kid friendly (to raise with my kids - I was not prepared to adopt an older dog with an unknown history), hopefully intelligent :pray: and a low-allergy dog which wouldn't lose hair. I paid over $2K for my toy poodle 6 years ago. He is everything I was hoping for and as he sits here next to me right now I reckon he was money well spent!! the kids adore him and I do, too. :D DH pretends not to like him :rolleyes: but cuddles him on the couch every night!!

As some others have said, research your breeder carefully to be sure that you get what you are paying for and that they breed ethically. Good luck!:)

no i wouldnt either!! but then again if you can afford then go for it! just remember the associated costs...Food/vet bills etc... and for that price id be insuring it too!

hmmmm... seems like we are all kinda half half here.

i got all the breeder details from the australian labradoodle association and they are registered breeders so this would suggest to me that they are reputable breeders. how do i further check the breeders out though? similarily how do i check out the pups parentage? i have been contacted by 3 of the 5 breeders and two say their pups are 2grand and the other one lists theirs from 1300 to 2200. so it seems the asking price.

the reason i want a labradoodle is because they are advertised as really intellegent so for the people who said they met a lot of nutters i dont know about that. were those dogs taken to obedience training i wonder?> this is something we plan on doing.. maybe that would affect their temperament.. i dunno though.

we were originally going to go with a rescue shelter type place but then i got thinking and i really want to know what kind of pet it will be. i want to know it wasnt abused or mistreated early on in life, which would affect its behaviours as an adult dog in our home. i want to know what general size it will grow to, what general tmperpent i can expect.. the shelter pups are a bit of guess work.

with the health problems.. that is something that worrys me a little. we wouldnt be able to afford a stack of vet bills.. (obviously just the normal ones and the every now and then things) but not ongoing health problem type ones. plus dont want the poor little bugger to have a cruddy sick life. so how do i make sure that doesnt happen?

thanks for your feedback everyone. oh and no it isnt something we can afford, i would have to save up for it! the price is the maing thing holding DH back plus he sees them as 'girly dogs'.

Maybe in the meantime you can keep checking out the shelters? Those places are very committed to matching homes with appropriate dogs, and if a pooch has been mistreated badly enough to be a danger, they don't sell them on - or they make sure you can give the time to them.

I have a very (previously) badly mistreated dog sitting at my feet right this minute. She is an absolute joy...it's like she appreciates the love she gets even more. The only 'scars' she bears as a result of the mistreatment is that she runs under the table when voices are raised.

Hi,

We paid $1000 for our Cavalier x Mini Poodle (AKA Cavoodle) and even though DH was not happy at first about getting a dog, he loves her so much. I wouldn't have paid $2000, but only because it's over our price range for a dog.

I also did a lot of research and our Cavoodle is such a lovely, gentle family dog and was very easy to train. She very rarely barks either and doesn't shed everywhere, so all the more reason for my DH to love her :) (Not so good as a guard dog though!)

Good luck! :)

Hollo - all the nutters I've met are at obedience training!!!!! Some from puppy preschool onwards!!!!

There are a lot of very intelligent dogs out there - have a look at what are used for assistance dogs and custom / police dogs. They tend to be the most stable intelligence breeds. Also what do you want the dog to *do* ?

Our big boy we think was mistreated too. He's a big, big dog. My waist height, with a head like a horse, but he has the most placid nature. He doesn't bark, at all. Only thing is I never, ever let my kids near him when he's eating. He snaps at our other dog, so I won't trust him, but thats the only issue I have. He's about 7 or 8, but when he's about to get attention, he's like a puppy. He's just full of love (smelly dog love!) & drool, lol.
Being a bull mastiff & pure bred, with his age & size I doubt any shelter that ended up with him would've passed him on TBH. He has bad hips & had bits of hair missing everywhere, but I sent him to live out on mum & dad's 7 acre block & since he's had so much room to roam he's walking more & better than ever. He's 10 times healthier!
I had him here for a few months & took both dogs to mum's for a weekend. I saw straight away how much he needed to be there, so I left him. The poor old bugger sat & watched me drive away & looked so sad :( Now if I'm out there, he won't leave the house area unless I go. He's been out there for about 3 months, but I think he remembers that I was the first one to treat him well. He doesn't listen to mum yet, lol, but me & dad he does every time. He loves the kids. Jesse gives him big hugs all the time :) He's one of the most loyal dogs I've had. Just lazy & easy going. I think from the marks on him he was chained up alot before. He was sposed to be a pigging dog, but didn't have the heart for it, so he was offered to DH as a kids dog. I don't regret that decision for a second! I just wish he could be here...

i forgot to mention also that the price also includes desexing. would that make a difference in your opinion?

lulu, i know what you mean but its a risk i dont want to take with my kids. i am just a bit untrusting of dogs and kids and i want to feel good about the kind of dog we get and its temprement around the girls.

well labradoodles were originally bred and used as assistance, and therapy dogs, so some of them must be smart? in answer to your question about what i want it to do.. well reading to the kids would be great! hehe just basically want it to be smart enough to learn quickly and follow commands etc. come when called etc.

A friends mother breeds labradoodles and they are stunning, caring, friendly, clever dogs. I think hers sell for $1600 up to $2200 depending on sex and colour.

I personally wouldnt spend that much but I would say if you can afford it go for it and you wont be disapointed.

We have a cavalier cross ****er spaniel and a cavoodle and they are both great breads and great with kids, the cavoodle especially puts up with a lot from DS1. The cavoodle is a bit nutty and jumpy but not to bad. We paid $550 and $450, they were not desexed and not micro chipped.

As for the health issues all breeds have some issues they are more prone too.

Good luck

Hun, they go through all kinds of tests, quite rigorous actually. We adopted this dog from the side of the road, so we did take chance......but we could tell in a way. She is/was so shy and gentle.

Poodles are (I think) considered the smartest of the lot of them. I was under the impression that the lab/poodle X came into being to stop the stupid amount of hair being dropped. Poodles don't drop hair, Labs are horrendous for it.

Alot of the 'smarter' dogs (border collies, kelpies etc) are working dogs and I think it's awfully unfair to keep a working dog in a backyard.

Have you had a dog before? I have great dogs....but I would never get a puppy with small kids around. For me, I just can't devote the masses of time you need to get the great dog with little ones there. Both awesome dogs (just lost my staffy though :( ) had huge amounts of time spent on them in the first 2-3 years and thats what I feel produced the results.
Not to mention the patience with toilet training (oh the joys of stepping in dog poo in the middle of the night), the repetition that's needed in the early years (not months).

Anyhoo, that's my big fat opinion ;)........I didn't consider myself a dog person until recently and listen to me blabbing on!

ETA- Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are AWESOME, gentle and great for families....in my fat opinion.

If you do get this dog I'd advise against going the non-desexing option - he'll be a much more difficult puppy/dog to live with if he's not desexed (aggression, constant spraying/marking his territory) and he might escape if local lady dogs are on heat. I don't agree with people having undesexed dogs as pets. I'd hate for your furbaby to get out and cause an unwanted pregnancy - too many puppies in pounds because of this.

I also think it sounds odd that this breed costs $2000. My Mum has purebreed dogs (boston terriers) and they have all cost under $1000.

Also I think it's great you're going through a breed association and not a petshop. Petshops are awful and get their dogs from puppy farms with horrible conditions for the dogs.

I always wanted a Cavalier when I was younger! They are gorgeous dogs.

Unfortunately "intelligence" doesn't equal "well behaved"...if they aren't given the training and the stimulation (mental and physical) to keep their active minds busy then they will become destructive and naughty. I second Lulu, shelter dogs are put through various behaviour tests, and a lot of them are sent to foster carers until their forever home can be found so the carers would be well aware of any issues the dog may have...just my 2c.

But if this breed is something that you really want and you can justify paying that much money for one then go for it. Desexing is only about $150-$200 depending on the vet/dog so for $2000 I wouldn't really take that into account. If it was a $500 dog then I would...

A lot of the problems aren't immediately apparent and will appear as the dog gets older. Some will be apparent like heart conditions etc though. As for the reputation of the breeder - being in the association doesn't mean anything really - they can still inbreed their dogs of only breed from a small pool of dogs to get specific traits in their dogs such as temperament. Personally, I would be asking this breeder what the parentage is and the family tree of the pups basically. You want to know if there has ever been any cross breeding - fathers over daughters, mothers over sons, brothers and sisters - the works.

As an example, in Britain, pug dogs have been inbred to such an extent that out of the 10,000 pugs in Britain, GENETICALLY there are only 30! That is the extent of the problem in that country. But like I said, if after you do all your research and you still want one, then by all means get one, but you have to expect that any dog you get could potentially have a lot of health problems.

Personally, no I wouldn't. Firstly because I would prefer to re-home a doggie from an animal shelter who would otherwise potentially be put to sleep. Secondly because close family have been stung TWICE buying a 'designer' breed (labradoodle) in fact - the first one had to go because of hip issues and the second had to go because of serious behavioural issues. I'm not saying that their issues were necessarily all related to breed, but they did spend A LOT of money buying these puppies only to lose two of them. And they did their research, went through breeders etc and still had trouble.

thanks everyone.. i just wish it was a little cheaper and i would go for it without all this procrastination. a friend has a labradoodle they got it for 600 at a pet shop. i just dont want to do that (even though it is cheaper) i wanted to go with a breeder.. but yeah the money is a lot. i will have to keep thinking on it.,

lulu, we have had a dog before. got her for 30 bucks from a pet store. she was a pretty 'dopey' dog. ended up quite big, and had some fear agression. would growl at us when we went near her food bowl. i just didnt trust her at all. when DD1 got old enough to want to go outside all the time we decided to give her up to the rspca. very hard decision cause we (and especially DH) loved her to bits. we called them up to see how she waas going with her socialisation and if anyone had taken her home yet and they said they had to put her down because she was so scared and agressive at everyone that no one could get close enough to her. so i just dont want something similar to that to happen again.

i felt bad for giving her up in the first place cause she was our responsibility but i weighed it up and the kids safety came first.

oh don't feel too bad hun. Some things can't be helped. Dangerous dogs are a no no and if something could have been done, the experts would have. It seems that pup was even out of their range of expertise.

It doesn't matter what type of dog you get, you can never ever trust them with children 100%. Granted yes that some breeds of dogs are more likely to attack a child than other breeds, but ANY dog has the potential to bite a child. My kids have been snapped at by our Kelpie just because they accidentally trod on her tail and frightened/hurt her and it was instinct to spin round and snap at what hurt her, so just because a dog is 'bred' to have a particular temperament or are considered family friendly dogs, doesn't mean that they will be kwim?

yeah i know what you mean trillian... but i have nver heard of a kid being mauled by a labradoodle or labrador etc. but i do know that no dogs are 100% safe.

Hollo - our city council lists the number and breed of dog attacks in their reports, and you see pretty much every breed of dog in there.

To answer your original question - the price is a bit steep for us. We were originally looking at a labradoodle, $2,500 for a chocolate, plus quite a waiting list. We decided to go with labrador instead. For us, we wanted the labradoodle as DH is allergic to dogs. Mind you, she sleeps with her head on his pillow each night!!!! We've spent close on $1,500 on various obedience / agility / scent training so all up, the cost would be around $2,500 but that's as opposed to total cost of $4,000. If you want it, and it seems to me you do want this dog, you've thought it through, then go for it.

I would strongly suggest you ensure you view the hip / eye scores of the parents / grandparents / known siblings and get your pet insurance *and* hip / eye scores on your new arrival - that will give you a good idea of what you'll be in for cost-wise in future years.

Well my Maltese x shihtzu cost me $220 4 years ago - to me she is worth $2000, but I wouldn't have paid that for her! Getting a dog that will suit your lifestyle and family is very important, so if you feel that is the right dog for you, then go for it!

Re the vet bills - I would budget for roughly $300/year for vaccinations which includes heartworm, around $30/month for flea treatments and worming. If you do both of those things you are well on your way to having a healthy dog - oh and a safe well fenced in yard.

Hope this doesn't sound judegmental - but don't buy from a pet shop if you are ethically minded - pet shop puppies are usually 'puppy factory' dogs - not nice at all.

I asked DP would he have allowed me to pay $2K for our girl and his response was the same as mine - she is priceless.

I could talk all night about the joy she has brought to our lives (including the holes and initial destroying of plants and clothes on the line).

I would pay $2K for a doggie and I would also rehome a rescue doggie. It depends what you're looking for.

In finding a breeder, we went to dog shows and spoke to various breeders and viewed their dogs. It was the best experience in understanding the breed and the breeders. From this there is one breeder I wouldn't buy from given her attitude (so rude and of the opinion she is the best).

Our breeder took the time to understand our lifestyle and picked our girl from the litter, based on the personality of our old girl (very dominant). We also viewed the parents and was explained the family history (titles and breeding lines).

We have invested many hours in training her from puppy school to obidence school.

The only thing I would ensure (as mentioned by LuLu) is having vet checks and certificates for any known problems for larger breeds (hips etc).

All the best in finding a new addition to your family.

Nope, no and no.
I am with some of the other girls, if you are willing to spend that much why not go to a shelter? :)

I would also baulk at the price, but i really think that it comes down to research and knowing the breeder. make sure you can visit the actual premises (this is a biggie to avoiding 'fake' breeders...ie puppy farms). check out both the parents for temperment and see the way in which mumma is with her pups and with other people. it is a big investment (a lifetime!) and is your right to know exactly what you are bringing home.

Also, i recommend keeping an eye out on petrescue and purebred rescue websites. there are a few around these days and could be a way of seeing what else is on offer. i know for example that the RSPCA in canberra would get alot of labradoodles into their shelters and i remember the carers always commenting on how lovely they are.

TBH the initial buy price fades away fast anyway. things can always go wrong...even with a cheapo rescue dog! our Dawg Stella needs a full knee reconstruction for $3.5K, she has epilepsy, incontinence the works LOL! poor wee poppet. and she was a bog standard lab x rescue pup. (it's for this reason that i recommend checking out BOTH parents! in our case Dad Dog was the 'lucky dip' LOL!).

We paid $1000 for a choc lab puppy 5 years ago. $2000 for a labradoodle - are they really worth that kind of $$$!?

Still Im a believer in buying puppies from registered breeders. You know where they are coming from; you can view their parents. You generally get a healthy dog (although there always has to be the odd one that gets health probs no matter what). So I say if its what you want, go for it. Maybe find a similar breed though for a lower price?

We spent $1600 all up on our two labradors 5 years ago and I thought that was about as exxy as I could go before feeling ridiculous for spending such a large amount of money for a dog.
Our current puppy is an Aussie Bulldog (while a new "purebreed" its unrecognised by the Kanine Council, why I dont understand considering every dog is a mix of something if you trace it right back) but she is worth $1500. We havent paid for her because we are in a breeding agreement with friends of ours that are registered breeders. Its a great route if you want a pricey dog but dont have the cash upfront to pay outright for the dog :)

I couldn't justify $2000 on a dog....

We had Border Collies when I grew up on our farm a mum and one of her pups, the mum was brilliant, excellent temperament and brilliant working dog, her pup, was a nutter, rarely did what we wanted and always cause trouble :rollseyes:, I thne won a pure Bread Border Collie, through the local Field Days, from a very well respected breeder. But after we got the dog home, we lost every bit of respect for that breeder, my dog had been beaten and had been done so by a male. Only I was able to go close, no males could get near him, he was very skinny, undernourished, and extremely timmid and was uncontrollable. I spent hours and hours working with him, to lift his confidence and and so that he would go with my dad. We disocvered that he had gone through some training with the breeder as specific whistles he would do certain things, so we came to the conclusion that he was what they considered a "dud". So we were very wary of even the respectful breeders after that point.....

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Alot of the 'smarter' dogs (border collies, kelpies etc) are working dogs and I think it's awfully unfair to keep a working dog in a backyard.

ETA- Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are AWESOME, gentle and great for families....in my fat opinion.

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I completely agree with NOT having working dogs in the city, it upsets me seeing them cooped up in a backyard with limited opportunity to run or do what they are designed to do :(

Also a friends has had a couple of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and they are brilliant!!! Definitely have a look at them :D

i am one that will always go to a breeder for pets. our dog (golden retriver) cost $950 and our cat (russian blue) cost $600. they are both worth every cent. they are both fantastic with the kids. we checked out the breeder thoroughly and met the parents in both cases.
have you considered a spoodle at all? i know two people that have them and absolutely love them. they cost around $1200. pm me hun if you would like me to tell you their particular breeder.
i think $2000 is probably a bit excessive, but if you are in a financial position to be able to do it, then i would. i can understand why you would want to go this option having been burnt in the past with your last dog. i think the most important thing with pet ownership is finding the right 'match' from day one. doing your research and finding the right pet for your family situation, which it sounds like you are doing.