I know that people often grunt & grumble over paying $1000 - $2000 for a Dogo Argentino puppy, and they have every
right to if the breeder cut corners. However, for a wellbred pup from an ethical breeder who doesn't cut corners, $1000
is a bargain.
If you are considering breeding, consider the following expenses & make sure that you can afford to spend at least
$2000 on the litter before the first pup leaves your home.
The following are my actual expenses. Show expenses include travel & lodging & sometimes handler fees
Pre-breeding expenses for the Dam
OFA or PennHip X-rays average of $200
CERF eye exam 50
CGC or TT certification
20
1 CH title show expenses
700
2nd CH title
500
points towards MX INT CH 300
OFA Thyroid Panel
90
DNA profiling
42
Total Pre-breeding expenses $1902.00
Actual Breeding Expenses
Health Certificate
63
Airfare
700
vitamin suppliments
36
extra food expenses
66
X-ray to monitor/count pups
80
Total Breeding Expenses $945.00
(stud fee on a dogo w/OFA certified hips & a CH title is normally $2000 w/a 2 normal hearing puppy guarantee.
The owner of the stud I've used chooses "pick puppy" instead)
Whelping & Litter Expenses (for a litter of 6)
Milk Replacement formula $38.00
Dewclaw removal
88.00
Puppy food (4-8 weeks)
150.00
BAER testing ($40-$100/puppy) 240.00 (litter of 6)
microchipping
120.00
1st & 2nd set of shots (adminsitered
by me, it would be 4x more at vet) 90.00
Nemex wormer
50.00
FCPR litter registration
35.00
UKC litter registration 20.00
AKC/FSS litter registration
20.00
misc cleaning supplies
20.00
misc toys & puppy treats/collars 30.00
Total Litter Expenses
$901.00
So, the total breeding & litter expenses equal $1846.00. Since pick pup will be going to the
stud owner, divide 1846 by 5 & each pup ends up costing me $369.20 before it even leaves the home.
This $369.20 is not even taking into account any of the expenses spent on their mother to prove that she is worthy of breeding
in the first place. Nor is it taking into account the $400 - $700 rebates I offer on each puppy.
The only way to truly profit from a litter of dogo pups is to cut corners.
Corners can be cut by not BAER testing, feeding lesser quality dog food, breeding to a local dog, not doing any genetic testing
on the mother & definitely no showing. An X-ray to count pups is completely optional & if not BAER testing,
why microchip? Shots & worming -- let the new owners do that. And rebates -- what? why do that? 3 registeries
-- why even bother - save the money.
The above scenario is just to illustrate what costs go into ethically raising a quality litter of 6 puppies. Dogos
often have to have C-sections to deliver pups & that expense can go up to $2000.00, also, mastitis is common in dogos
& although Bri had to be treated with antibiotics & a vet visit ($56.00), that expense was not included in the above
calculations.
