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Yes and no ... depending on a few factors.

Again, this is educational material, not sales talk, so please listen. We get so many sad story emails. I posted some on the bulletin board and on other pages.

This is not to promote ourselves. We breed only after we have already secured approved confirmed 4+ homes - excluding the additional free pups we promise friends & family. The point is, this is not a typical kennel operation and we need no promotion. So, do I have your attention?

Now, let us say it costs on average $750 to $1000+ to properly raise a healthy pup to age 2 months, including pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and post pregnancy costs. You'll see how (with a breakdown report) via the link below. For now, just assume this is the case.

1- Now let us say, a breeder is selling a pup for $500. This means one of two possibilities:

A puppy mill operation that has a very low health care budget. This pup is doomed. Its future is what you would expect in nature, in the wild, where average 2 pups per litter make it, and average 1 pup per litter reaches maturity, and even that pup - in large breeds like Danes, will most likely have shoulder, hips and other problems at any point from age 4 months to 2 years, and will likely suffer problems in maturity and will have a low longevity. Very few lucky pups will have a healthy life. It's just like in us humans in underdeveloped countries VS a woman with the luxury of supervised and diet-enriched pregnancy and proper post pregnancy and infant health care. Everyone I knew with a pup from these compromised breeding operations had problems. Everyone, sooner or later. In other words, there is no way, a $500 pup sold commercially (not a special favour) would be a good decision.

b- Unless, it's a rich family and are they are generous. Don't hold your breath! I have seen it once in my life.

2- Now, a breeder selling his pup for $5000 + (see the link for actual current advertised pups - and you'll see that their

parent Danes, good yes, very good maybe, but in some cases are not as the elite exceptional Danes). So, why so

much? Again, two possibilities

a- It is a fact that people have the perception that the extreme expensive is got to be the best or at least very good (you get what you

pay for concept) and since a Dane is a long term, a decade or more of commitment and enjoyment, those who can afford it will sacrifice the few thousand dollars more to feel they did what it takes to secure a GREAT Great Dane.

More than once I got a request from a new breeder who wanted to use my sire and she would say (my dam is a $3500 pup) meaning it's a great pup.) When I saw the Dane, she was by no means a breeding quality. So some breeders use this line of thought and breed once every couple of years or so and make more money than breeding every year or even twice a year from two females if they sold the pups at $1500. So ... If the price is so high, it should be good enough yes (should), but even then, it may not be any better than a good $1200 pup with good parents, educated breeder and a good care programme. Still, certainly you are paying too much. And, I'll blow the whistle on someone here ... one breeder who sells her pups on limited registration for $4,500 applied for a breeding female from me. I still have her application!

b- The breeder is claiming unrealistic expenses and you are paying based on a strictly elaborate expense unrelated to the quality of

the pup. See the link presenting expense breakdown by a breeder showing $5000 a pup expenses. In reality, this pup will only be

as good as a good $1500 well cared for pup pup.

3- Finally, the average $1500 pup. And that too has two possibilities - in either case, the breeder may have two nice

looking Danes:

a- The breeder did not spend what it takes to secure a healthy pup and to prevent potential problems otherwise would be expected.

His cost might have been $200 or $300 a pup and he is selling it not so cheap to make it look legitimate and to make money.

The pup is of a great quality. It was given the proper pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and post pregnancy care (which costs as I said

about $700 to $1000 average plus some personal and time expenses by the breeder) and the breeder is making a very reasonable compensation of about $300 a pup. This is what you are looking for when you are shopping for a pup.

I have dedicated a whole page to present a breakdown on proper cost of breeding a healthy pup, which is just under or just over $1000 on average - sometimes considerably more if there are unexpected needed extra vet visits, and sometimes is a little less. Please click below to read it. However, the most important part of the breeding is the supplementary health care.

As I said on that page, if we leave it to "nature", in the wild, most pups will develop health problems common in large breeds - which can be totally eliminated with supplementary diet. Any good breeder knows this is true. Our Danes live well past a decade, some made 12 and 14 healthy years and I NEVER had one single case of the problems that would happen in nature (or in puppy mills).

It is a fact that the problems of large breeds can be 100% prevented by correcting their physical development with proper care starting with THE MOTHER prior to and during pregnancy.

A careful experienced diet including glucosamine, chondroitin, methyl sufonyl methane (or msm), several specific B vitamins such as riboflavine, chlorthydate, cyanoncobalamine as well as several other vitamins and minerals in a very specific ratio - given a month prior to pregnancy and a different combination-ratio throughout pregnancy totally eliminates such potential danger.

One breeder said that dog food already has glucosamine and chondroitin. Well, she didn't know that the Dane pup would then need to eat 2.5 kg a day of that food to get the booster he needs for a healthy Dane development during the first 10 weeks of his life. The following 3 months to age 6 months, he can be OK with good giant bred puppy formula supported by raw meat and goat milk and a it of supplementary support, then past 6 or 7 months the critical development period is over. Without the care and expense during the first 3 months of the puppy's life (and during pregnancy) the Dane will later have the problems he would have in the wilderness (or in puppy mills).

Her problem of course, to be frank, is that, for example, "cosequin" tablets for joint health development in Dane pups is $55 for one 60 tablets bottle, meaning almost $1 a tablet. Supplementary feeding of the mother for 2 months before pregnancy, 2 months during pregnancy and the the pups for 2 to 3 months can mean minimum $5 a day plus another $3 goat milk, raw meat and special food daily - which would cost about $170 + $380 a pup ( $170 pre-birth based on an average 7 pups litter - and the cost of the pup's 2-3 months of the same diet is another minimum $380) - meaning that this area alone would have cost her about $550 a pup.

And, with just the basic Vet visits of the pup at age 6, 8 and 12 weeks at

about $80 a visit including vaccines, that's another $240 a pup, meaning

about $790 cost per pup so far without taking into account even the

mother's pregnancy costs. So, of course a cheap pups breeder is not

going to care about such supplementary - or perhaps even vet care

expense. It wouldn't make business sense to them of course.

The fact remains, and I insist, the explained expenses are a must or

the pup otherwise will, sooner or later, develop problems.

The mother must be on supplementary diet during pregnancy and the pup must

be assisted to compensate for a need we created when we developed the breed.

Ignorant breeders who breed Danes, Hounds or Mastiffs as if they are

poodles send pups away they will disappoint and cost the family and that pup