You Get What You Pay For.
When it comes to the cost of buying a well bred Great dane, some might be given to thinking they are buying by the projected eventual kilos! When justifying the cost of a Dane, pets are often from $1200 - $1500 and show dogs from $1800 - $3000 A pop..depending on the breeder, and also the colour, and the breeding..whether or not it is ‘sired by an import’ or in the case of Harlequins for instance, hard to get either in number or in perfection of markings etc., then there is the cost of feeding and registration and vaccinating and worming ..not to mention any sundries that occur. (like perhaps microchipping which at the moment is optional in most states except NSW-so I‘m led to believe, or screening for problems)..By all accounts, these when add up per litter are not ‘huge’ amounts as outlays go. Enough do burn a hole, but not thousands..(though, feeding a litter of 8 dane pups, 3-4 times a day isn't ’chicken feed’ in money terms.and if you skimp, they will suffer) Anyhow…. let me put cost into perspective another way. Imagine hiring someone who was the professional equivalent of :A geneticist, A kennel maid, A Vet Nurse, A midwife, and A baby sitter rolled into one who has to live in and be on call 24 hours a day. What could you expect an hourly rate to be, and what would your outlay be for a duration that is more or less 18ish weeks worth of service? (I haven't even mention till now the possible stud fee, or maybe the cost of traveling to the suitable sire, or sending the bitch to him via plane?, or cost of importing a sire, or semen, sundry costs for storing, shipping, testing…. ??...or the actual artificial insemination. the pre insemination tests...or pre whelping time of looking after a bitch, feeding her and exercise and possible vet checks).. I dread to think of what it would all add up to ...…
Remember I said Professional..Unlike the person who sits home and uses the dog down the road because it is there and the same breed, the Good Breeder who is doing it ‘for the showring’ has the standard of the dane, the heritage of the breed and the future of it in mind and in his care and is trying to preserve or better it in some way...Raising a litter properly in good health , knowing its hereditary background and how to join genes together to an advantageous end –not just for the showring, but also so that the litter are also happy healthy pets– who have been possibly helped into the world if malpresented or stuck..., watched over, sleep next to, possibly hand supplemented if necessary, whisked to the vet ‘in case’ something was deemed not right, (how would you know what was wrong..sometimes some things are not obvious to the untrained eye) being there to feed them 3-4 times a day when they are weaned..cleaning up after them from the time they start eating solids….A breeder is therefore in my humble opinion, obliged somehow to put a $ on their time and effort, their expertise, knowledge of what they are doing and doing well, if indeed they have a reputation for breeding excellent dogs, and they are justified in charging for a professional ’service’.
You get what you pay for is so true. The delightful puppy you take hope might have been rolled on and killed by a tired mum except for the breeder who sat vigilantly next to or stayed as close as possible nearby so it didn’t happen, And ‘slept’ (using term loosely) next to them at night for sometimes up to a week, or more, leaping up at every squeak and shuffle, until they are more mobile and eyes start opening,
Knowing that if there was something congenitally wrong with a pup (and mother nature does play awful tricks now and then!) before it was ready to be sold, and not selling it to an unsuspecting buyer..(White danes for instance have been sold as ‘rare’ these can be deaf, blind, fully or partially..) There are many things you get with a conscientious reputable breeder...and one of these things is a bigger price tag for the puppy, and in the established long time ones, a wealth of knowledge and experience to back them and YOU up, so everything goes smoothly as possible)
Certainly there are those backyarders who are making a quid out of the unsuspecting, and people do pay large sums for unregistered danes, (and of course very paltry amounts too)..whos breeding is highly In question, who's genetic background is totally unknown to both parties, but desperation will drive people to buy from these vendors, if nothing else is a round, and they want a dog, and wont wait.,. Harlequins suffer the most ‘abuse‘ this way, as the colour only is the selling point, and the ‘breeder’ will cash in on this fact. (Putting high price tags on the mismarks and calling these rare is an old trick) You might get lucky occasionally, but ‘in the trade’ we know of many who haven't.
So if you choke on your cuppa when you casually ask ‘the price’ for that much desired pure bred Great Dane pup, stop for a minute and consider the time ,effort, patience, sleep deprivation, work, knowledge, and yes the money that went it to achieving it and you might then understand that most times..you get what you pay for..and in this case, its so much more than just ‘a dog’...and in a world where peoples time and knowledge is rewarded - the more educated or skilful or talented you are, you will realize a skilful, knowledgeable breeder can produce a ‘product’ that is superior in many ways, not to mention the ‘company backing’ you get..Breeders invest themselves, their dog world reputations and their heart and soul in their dogs..and buying from a breeder like this is getting someone who isn't only bent on ‘selling something’ to who ever comes along, but to someone they feel will do justice to their puppies, treat them with the same regard they themselves would, and be there to educate The owner and offer info along the way or advice that actually saves money for owners, not helps them spend it.
When it comes to the cost of buying a well bred Great dane, some might be given to thinking they are buying by the projected eventual kilos! When justifying the cost of a Dane, pets are often from $1200 - $1500 and show dogs from $1800 - $3000 A pop..depending on the breeder, and also the colour, and the breeding..whether or not it is ‘sired by an import’ or in the case of Harlequins for instance, hard to get either in number or in perfection of markings etc., then there is the cost of feeding and registration and vaccinating and worming ..not to mention any sundries that occur. (like perhaps microchipping which at the moment is optional in most states except NSW-so I‘m led to believe, or screening for problems)..By all accounts, these when add up per litter are not ‘huge’ amounts as outlays go. Enough do burn a hole, but not thousands..(though, feeding a litter of 8 dane pups, 3-4 times a day isn't ’chicken feed’ in money terms.and if you skimp, they will suffer) Anyhow…. let me put cost into perspective another way. Imagine hiring someone who was the professional equivalent of :A geneticist, A kennel maid, A Vet Nurse, A midwife, and A baby sitter rolled into one who has to live in and be on call 24 hours a day. What could you expect an hourly rate to be, and what would your outlay be for a duration that is more or less 18ish weeks worth of service? (I haven't even mention till now the possible stud fee, or maybe the cost of traveling to the suitable sire, or sending the bitch to him via plane?, or cost of importing a sire, or semen, sundry costs for storing, shipping, testing…. ??...or the actual artificial insemination. the pre insemination tests...or pre whelping time of looking after a bitch, feeding her and exercise and possible vet checks).. I dread to think of what it would all add up to ...…
Remember I said Professional..Unlike the person who sits home and uses the dog down the road because it is there and the same breed, the Good Breeder who is doing it ‘for the showring’ has the standard of the dane, the heritage of the breed and the future of it in mind and in his care and is trying to preserve or better it in some way...Raising a litter properly in good health , knowing its hereditary background and how to join genes together to an advantageous end –not just for the showring, but also so that the litter are also happy healthy pets– who have been possibly helped into the world if malpresented or stuck..., watched over, sleep next to, possibly hand supplemented if necessary, whisked to the vet ‘in case’ something was deemed not right, (how would you know what was wrong..sometimes some things are not obvious to the untrained eye) being there to feed them 3-4 times a day when they are weaned..cleaning up after them from the time they start eating solids….A breeder is therefore in my humble opinion, obliged somehow to put a $ on their time and effort, their expertise, knowledge of what they are doing and doing well, if indeed they have a reputation for breeding excellent dogs, and they are justified in charging for a professional ’service’.
You get what you pay for is so true. The delightful puppy you take hope might have been rolled on and killed by a tired mum except for the breeder who sat vigilantly next to or stayed as close as possible nearby so it didn’t happen, And ‘slept’ (using term loosely) next to them at night for sometimes up to a week, or more, leaping up at every squeak and shuffle, until they are more mobile and eyes start opening,
Knowing that if there was something congenitally wrong with a pup (and mother nature does play awful tricks now and then!) before it was ready to be sold, and not selling it to an unsuspecting buyer..(White danes for instance have been sold as ‘rare’ these can be deaf, blind, fully or partially..) There are many things you get with a conscientious reputable breeder...and one of these things is a bigger price tag for the puppy, and in the established long time ones, a wealth of knowledge and experience to back them and YOU up, so everything goes smoothly as possible)
Certainly there are those backyarders who are making a quid out of the unsuspecting, and people do pay large sums for unregistered danes, (and of course very paltry amounts too)..whos breeding is highly In question, who's genetic background is totally unknown to both parties, but desperation will drive people to buy from these vendors, if nothing else is a round, and they want a dog, and wont wait.,. Harlequins suffer the most ‘abuse‘ this way, as the colour only is the selling point, and the ‘breeder’ will cash in on this fact. (Putting high price tags on the mismarks and calling these rare is an old trick) You might get lucky occasionally, but ‘in the trade’ we know of many who haven't.
So if you choke on your cuppa when you casually ask ‘the price’ for that much desired pure bred Great Dane pup, stop for a minute and consider the time ,effort, patience, sleep deprivation, work, knowledge, and yes the money that went it to achieving it and you might then understand that most times..you get what you pay for..and in this case, its so much more than just ‘a dog’...and in a world where peoples time and knowledge is rewarded - the more educated or skilful or talented you are, you will realize a skilful, knowledgeable breeder can produce a ‘product’ that is superior in many ways, not to mention the ‘company backing’ you get..Breeders invest themselves, their dog world reputations and their heart and soul in their dogs..and buying from a breeder like this is getting someone who isn't only bent on ‘selling something’ to who ever comes along, but to someone they feel will do justice to their puppies, treat them with the same regard they themselves would, and be there to educate The owner and offer info along the way or advice that actually saves money for owners, not helps them spend it.