Costs of Breeding Golden Retrievers – Something to Consider Before You Start Breeding
Breeding Golden Retrievers is much more complicated than most people realize. Also, it is much more expensive than most people think. If you assume that breeders make a lot of money selling puppies, then you may be surprised to learn the truth: they barely break even. If you want to make quick money selling puppies, look elsewhere. So what’s so difficult and expensive about breeding Golden Retrievers?
time and effort
The reputable breeder is a person whose goal is to preserve or develop some qualities of a breed according to the breed standards. It takes an enormous amount of time and effort to study the breed, read books, study pedigrees, visit shows, and communicate with other breeders. If you really want to breed Golden Retrievers, be prepared to spend a lot of time in this business.
the foundation bitch
To start breeding the right way, you need to have a dog of the right quality. It can take up to a year to research pedigrees, find the right breeder, and adopt a puppy. Expect to spend anywhere from $800 to $1500 on your base bitch. It is not the right time to try to save some money.
raise your dog
You cannot start breeding until your dog is at least 2 years old. Here the costs will include everything related to raising puppies, such as vaccinations, food, toys, training, etc. You’ll also want him to get into shows and trails to see how he meets up with the breed standards. Here, your costs will be show entry fees, grooming supplies, it may be the cost of a professional driver, and of course travel expenses.
medical exams
You need to make sure that your dog is healthy and does not pass any genetic disease to its offspring. Most medical tests can’t be done until the dog is 2 years old. You should check the elbows and hips for signs of dysplasia and obtain OFA certificates. Within 12 months prior to breeding, you should have your dog’s eyes checked for signs of eye disease by a fully board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist. A heart clearance test should be performed to confirm that the dog does not have inherited heart disorders. The overall cost of all procedures should be around $320. Finally, the general health of the dog should be examined.
find a stud
If your dog proved worth breeding after shows and medical tests, it’s time to find a stud for your bitch. She will need money for travel expenses to visit shows and trails to see dogs and meet breeders, she will have to make long distance calls and spend many hours researching pedigrees.
breeding cost
If you are going to breed naturally, you will have to cover sending your bitch to the stud’s kennel plus extra pension. If you choose artificial insemination, you will have to pay for the collection, preparation, and shipping of the semen. Don’t forget about the stud fee paid to the dog owner, which typically ranges from $700 to $900.
The birth
You have to be ready to use the help of the vet in case it is necessary. And many things can go wrong. The price of a cesarean section can vary from $300 to $1000 depending on the case.
Growing puppies at 8 weeks
Vet bills, food, vaccinations, deworming, Kennel Club puppy registration, microchips or tattoos and an enormous amount of time required to socialize your puppies, care for them and find them a new home.
What if you have a stud?
It doesn’t make the whole procedure that much easier. In fact, the stud owner shares the responsibility and also needs to monitor the dog’s health and be willing to take care of the litter in case the bitch owner is unable to continue for some reason.
As you can see, breeding Golden Retrievers is far from chip and easy. Whether it is worth it or not is up to you to decide.