Now ... here is a brief financial analysis just so you would understand. Some people believe the ads of crafty salesmen selling you a gold alloy coin for $10. What you need to ask your self is; if the gold is $1000 per oz, how much gold is in that coin, what are the manufacturing and other costs and what is the profit the seller makes.
A pup is a pup? you just breed two good Danes and sell pups? Think again.
A woman wanted to buy a pup to breed her. I explained the following issues to her:
1- There are too many breeders out there. No shortage of pups. In fact, right now, there are over 2000 Dane pups for sale online right here in Canada & USA only.
If you just breed without educated control - and most breeders don't have that knowledge - you'll end up with a large litter, 10 or 12 pups. The more pups per litter, the more the mother's resources are divided and the lower the pregnancy quality per pup. The higher the number of pups per litter, the lower the pup's health and immunity level and the higher the future health risks. I control the size of the litter.
2- If you have a large litter, how will you sell that many pups in 8 weeks? How will you find good homes for that many pups when there are hundreds of available cheap pups by backyard housewife breeders and puppy mills? My average litter is 6 or 7 pups and yet, even though I have one litter a year and I advertize on several paid sites and papers, I struggle to find that many good homes. Many breeders end up with many Danes and they sell them at age 4, 6 or 10 months or older for little just to get rid of them. Those pups were never meant to be kept by the breeder and are basically a commercial product and as such, they were not given the cost needed for proper care and it's the unfortunate family that will suffer that fact a couple of years later. The available supply of Dane pups is much more than the demand, and yet, there are more backyard breeders starting every day who will learn this fact the hard way. One nearby breeder has 6 Danes now near a year old and finally had to offer "Free" to get rid of them. These Danes are going to develop health problems for sure as I'll explain below.
3- Breeding Danes, Hounds and Mastiffs is different. There are many technical areas that require special knowledge without which the pups will have health problems. Giant breeds are never to be bred by just mating two good healthy parents, nursing the pups and selling them. That's why in many countries now, breeding Danes requires a license and a special clinic. Many Danes have health problems and short life span for this reason, ignorance or business approach with no concern for the Dane's special needs. Danes, as a breed developed by man, the Danes' bones development needs, make it a must to provide them with more than what mother's milk offers. In fact, the main role of mother's milk is the antibodies in the first few days. Mothers 's milk is not sufficient alone for Dane pups especially if it's a large litter. If you leave it to nature, you'll get the problems they would get in nature where an average 1 - 2 pups per litter will have healthy survival. As I explained, it's like say to a pregnant woman leave it to nature and never mind doctor checks or special care, supplements and diet. Children in underdeveloped countries suffer future health problems and short life span for the same reasons Danes in puppy mills do.
Without an educated supplementary corrective and preventative diet, the pups will have shoulder, hips and other problems and a short life span. Commercial breeders don't want to accept this proven fact. Dane pups have a potential vulnerability to develop problems as their body, their bones fast growth, need more supplements than nature often offers and if not provided they will later develop problems.
The minimum cost of this special care doses is an average $1-2 a day for the stud for 6 months pre-breeding = $250
$2+ a day for the mother for a year pre-breeding =$700
$3 additional supplements for the mother during the 2 months before breeding =$180
$5 a day for 2 months during pregnancy= $300
$2 daily for 4 months post pregnancy = $250
That's about $2000 Say you have a larger litter of 9 pups = $200 per pup cost pre birth, just in this area of expense.
+$4 to $6 daily per pup for 2 months =$300. Now you have $500 cost per pup at 8 weeks without any other basic costs such as the price of two breeding Danes (good for 3 breeding in their lives) food, Vet expenses ... etc.
Just the cost of vet visits alone ... well, the average pregnancy involves 3 visits for the dam including ultra sound and blood tests and the 3 visits for the pup involving dewormings, basic exam, and the 8 weeks health check, a total cost share of over $200 per pup just vet costs. Now you are at $700 cost per pup.
One report will show you how our cost per pup is often in range of $1100 - based on the litter costs and size. It will also show you a report by a wealthy breeder who breeds for fun for friends and family and it costs them over $5000 per pup. Hard to believe? read it.
As I said in another page, the shoulders, hips and short life span problems can be 100% corrected with proper care of THE MOTHER prior to and during pregnancy and the pup's corrective and preventative supplementary diet.
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 - administered for two months prior to pregnancy and a different combination-ratio throughout pregnancy totally eliminates such potential danger. This is a scientific fact proved by the approval of the formulas designed for Danes and by the fact that my Danes average 10 - 14 years life span.
4- The knowledge to meet Danes-Hounds-Mastiffs' special dietary supplementary needs is a must. Without knowing what you are doing, the breeder could cause more harm than good. And without administering supplements the Danes will definitely suffer. Once again, Danes are not to be bred like poodles and German Sheppards. Those who assume that mating a couple of (presently) healthy Danes and nursing a litter and selling them is good enough, they forget the fact that those pups grow to develop health problems.
I encourage you to take the time to read the several reports written over a few years covering the subject of breeding costs. Tour this section. You'll surprise yourself with facts you may not have thought of. The first page was written in 2006, a couple of pages were written in 2008 and another page replaced them in 2009 but I decided to post them all.
Finally, though $1500 is the expected pet pup price, if you are a good home with a fenced yard, time at home to spend with the Dane, are financially able to care for the Dane and will give him the love and attention, but, the price is an issue, talk to me, I am often able to accommodate good homes, reduction or installments, but that's of course is the exception. We often are able to give away a pup to a good home for much less as a result of one or two cases:
- when a confirmed home (deposit paid) change their mind. The deposit is applied as deduction towards a suitable applicant.
- when a family voluntarily offers as more than $1500, which allows us to reduce the price for a good home that doesn't have extra cash.
Send an application, and once we are happy we have a good home and we have an extra pup, we'll be able to help you have your Dane within reason.
How much & why - page 2
A more detailed report on costs. Breakdown per category.
