We may think about this a lot when we invest in a purebred dog. I know I did as a child, and even as a veterinarian, this logic of 'making some of my money back with breeding and selling the puppies' seemed to make sense.
Until I found this article on the myth of making money as a breeder.
Average Profit or Loss on Litter
The average number of pups:
born in each letter .....……..7
Dying before eight weeks.......2
Sold per litter.....………….....4
Given away or kept by owners......1
Then;
The percentage of breeders…
who had at least one pup returned to them ....31%
who had legal complications with buyers..…....8%
who’s bitch or pups encountered medical problems endangering animals lives......63%
whose bitch will not be bred again*..........49%
The average expenses incurred to breed the bitch and raise pups until they were sold:
| Original cost of bitch | $462.29 |
| Cost of male | $772.57 |
| Veterinary Expenses | $430.09 |
| Extra food for pregnant/nursing bitch | $73.44 |
| Food for pups | $175.65 |
| Equipment for deliver and housing pups | $282.13 |
| Salaries lost because of absence from work | $247.20 |
| Ads and other costs to sell pups | $173.31 |
| Total average expenses: | $2,616.68 |
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| Average number of hours spent with bitch and pups until they are sold: | 345 |
| Multiplied by minimum wage (x$3.50) | $1,207.50
|
Average income from sale of litter: $2,345.71
Average amount LOST per litter sale: $2,488.47
Even if you don't count paying yourself, the loss is ONLY $1,280.97
The 35 breedings included a litter form each of the following: one Alaskan Malamute, one Border Terrier, one Borzoi, one Boston Terrier, one Doberman Pinscher, one English Springer Spaniel, one German Short Haired Pointer, one Great Dane, one Kuvasz, one Labrador Retriever , one Lhasa Apso, one Mastiff, one Samoyed, one Siberian Husky, one Vizsla, two Dachshunds, two Golden Retrievers, 2 Norwegian Elkhounds, 2 Rottweillers, two Shetland Sheep Dogs, three German Shepherd Dogs, three Newfoundland, and four Poodles (one Miniature, three Standards).
* It may be the result of increased danger to the bitch’s health, a strong possibility of reproducing a serious genetic abnormality in future pups, or extreme financial loss.
This data was compiled by Ms. Linda Johnson in 1987 (hence the low minimum hourly wage), but the data is still accurate.
Just some food for thought if you consider 'breeding to make some money back'.
