Buying dogs and puppies: What costs do you have to expect?
Created: 06/10/2022 05:52
Six-week-old Bernese Mountain puppies with their breeder © BeckerBredel / IMAGO
Buying a puppy – or any dog at all – should be well thought out.
Because the new family member has to fit in with children, other pets and the mentality of the owner.
What costs do you have to reckon with?
A dog is a social animal that thrives in the context of “its” human or family.
If the dog owner and the dog go well together, many years of friends will be waiting for them.
But just as we cannot easily live with everyone, not every dog is suitable for every master or mistress.
Buying dogs: basic questions when choosing
Professional associations such as the Federal Association for Animal Health e.
V., but also experienced veterinarians and the staff of animal shelters advise to consider a few important factors before buying a dog.
In this way, the right four-legged friend can be selected and the subsequent relationship develops as hoped.
When making a selection, there are various initial questions:
Buying an adult dog or a puppy?
Should it be a pedigree dog or a dog from an animal shelter?
A puppy can be trained from the beginning, while the adult dog already brings habits and experiences with it.
They may not always be positive, so the origin and history should be known.
This applies above all to animals from the animal shelter, which have sometimes passed through different hands.
The willingness to lovingly deal with the special features of the animal is very important.
Buying Puppies: Breeds and Effort
If it should be a pedigree puppy, then from a breeder in the area who is known for serious animal husbandry.
In this case you can experience the puppies in their family environment and assume that the little ones will not be separated from their mother too early.
A puppy will require at least a year of loving care not only to be housebroken but also to learn important behaviors such as leash walking and obedience.
But which breeds are suitable for whom?
Man's best friend comes in many formats from the tiny Chihuahua to the Irish wolfhound, and they all have their own personality traits.
The cuddly little Chihuahuas are bright roommates, while German Shepherds, Border Collies and Boxers are working dogs that require exercise and meaningful tasks.
Terriers like the Jack Russell or the Fox Terrier are adaptable and lively.
However, dogs also become calmer with age - if you like to shift down a gear yourself, you can opt for an older dog.
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Buy puppies: Therefore from responsible breeders
If you're looking to buy a puppy, you should contact your local breeders' association or ask a vet - vets know best who to recommend and who not to recommend.
Because it's not just about selling cute puppies.
A breeder should also make sure that genetic predispositions to diseases typical of the breed do not get the upper hand and that the appearance of his animals does not come at the expense of their health.
Buying dogs from a breeder offers another advantage - namely the opportunity to be able to observe the puppies first.
The small dogs show early on who will develop more briskly and who is reserved or even anxious.
And the puppies sometimes decide for themselves to initiate contact.
Buying dogs: The costs depend on origin and breed
The origin of the four-legged friend determines the costs - an older dog from the animal shelter, which may be difficult to place, costs significantly less than a cute Labrador baby from a recommended breeder.
For a dog from the animal shelter, those willing to adopt pay a fee for veterinary treatment, vaccinations and chipping, which starts at around 200 euros.
A pedigree dog can cost around 1,000 euros, but also many times that.