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Rottweiler Puppy Price: What Will a Rottie Pup Really Cost You

Rottweilers are currently the eighth most popular purebred dog breed in the country - this according to none other than the American Kennel Club (AKC). The AKC, of course, is the official purebred dog registry in the United States. But being in the top 10 comes with a price. In this case, it is the hefty price tag owners pay to get their hands on a Rottweiler puppy. Because the investment is steep, there is a ton to think through before you decide the Rottweiler is the right dog for you. In this article, we help you think through the financial aspect of owning a Rottweiler. Rottweiler Puppy Price According to a CBS national news report, a young Rottweiler puppy typically costs between $1,500 and $2,500. Keep in mind that this is just the cost of acquiring your Rottweiler puppy and does not include any of the other supplies you will need to care for your new pup. Learn About Rottie Puppy Prices Today In this YouTube video, you can get a to-the-point overview of both Rottweiler puppy price and the less visible costs of daily dog ownership. In the remainder of this article, we will review the various expenses breeders must bear to breed Rottweiler puppies. Why Rottweiler Breeders Charge So Much for Puppies So why are Rottweiler puppies so expensive? This is a smart question to ask, especially if you run into what seems like a "great deal" on a Rottweiler puppy. Knowing the general price range for Rottweiler puppies helps you sniff out when a deal sounds so good it bears further investigation. In other words, there is a reason beyond just simple supply and demand for why a Rottie puppy costs so much. Rottweilers are expensive to breed from start to finish. For example, as King Rottweilers breeder points out, just finding healthy parent dogs takes a number of pre-screening health tests, each of which have a cost. In the next sections we break down the typical cost categories and expenses estimates for producing a litter of healthy Rottweiler puppies from start to finish. Major Costs of Breeding Rotties There are a number of less well known expenses a Rottweiler breeder has to budget for when planning each litter of Rottie puppies. - Canine health insurance for parent dogs. - Health pre-screening tests for parent dogs. - Breeding stud fees (if the breeder only has a female). - Transportation or shipping your dam to the stud's location for breeding. - Mom-to-be veterinary ultrasounds and checkups. - Pregnancy food and supplements as needed. - Whelping supplies, including whelping box, heater, blankets. - Whelping emergency medical supplies and canine first aid kit. - New puppy supplies, including formula, collars, puppy pads. - Emergency veterinary care if whelping becomes difficult. - Post-whelping veterinary exam for new mom and puppies. - Puppy food. - Puppy vaccinations and pest treatments. - American Kennel Club registration fees for parent dogs and each puppy. - Advertising and marketing to place the puppies with good owners. - New puppy packets for prospective owners (sample food, AKC papers, veterinary vaccination papers, contracts, leash, etc). - Kennel costs and overhead expenses. - Website and email expenses. - Lifetime commitment to take back each puppy if the new home does not work out. Why You Don't Want to Get a Rottweiler Puppy for Cheap As you can now see, the costs of breeding Rottweiler puppies can add up very quickly. And these costs persist for each litter! Even minor health problems for the dam (mother dog) or a puppy could easily blow the breeder's whole budget and eat into or destroy any profit from sale of the puppies. Of course, this only applies if the Rottweiler breeder you purchase your puppy from is a reputable breeder. By reputable, we mean a breeder that prizes producing healthy Rottie puppies more than just making a profit from selling those puppies. According to the Humane Society of the United States, there may be as many as 10,000 puppy mills in active operation - and this is just in America alone. There are countless more operating under the radar outside the U.S. and shipping their puppies into the country for sale. And backyard breeders, the puppy mill's slightly less toxic cousin, abound both in and outside the U.S. Why do puppy mill breeders do it? Unpleasantly, the profit potential is substantial when you are breeding an in-demand dog like the Rottweiler that people are willing to pay thousands of dollars to acquire. The less a puppy mill breeder spends to produce each litter of puppies, the more profit the breeder stands to make per puppy. However, that low sticker price also means you are buying a puppy whose parent dogs have not been pre-screened for serious genetic health issues. You are buying a puppy who was given the cheapest food and probably has not gotten vaccinated or treated for worms and pests. There is also a high chance you are buying a puppy that has not been properly socialized to people. A puppy mill Rottweiler may come to you having already suffered neglect and abuse, with the understandable behavioral and health issues these can cause. Worst of all, when you buy one of these Rottweiler puppies, you send a message to the backyard breeder or puppy mill operation to keep breeding more puppies. As PAWS charity points out, puppy mills and backyard breeders produce puppies that may be cheap on the front end but come with a decade or more of emotional and financial heartache attached. A Rottweiler Breeder's Actual Costs Per Litter of Puppies Southern States Rescued Rottweilers charity outlines the estimated costs to breed a single litter of puppies. Keep in mind this is just an estimate - costs could end up being much higher if there is even a single medical complication. Keep in mind that, according to the AKC, a Rottweiler can breed between six and 12 puppies in a single litter. - Pre-screening health tests cost $200 per parent dog. - Orthopedic Foundation for Animals registration costs $100 per parent dog. - Stud fees and transportation costs $750. - Whelping supplies cost $200. - Veterinary exams and pregnancy food and supplements costs $700. - Basic whelping veterinary care costs $500. - Puppy vaccinations costs $50 per puppy, which adds up to between $300 and $600. - AKC registration costs about $25 per puppy depending on litter size. - Puppy food and whelping box supplies costs $150. From this list, you can see that there are no emergency veterinary expenses included for either the mother dog or the puppies. And still, the Rottweiler breeder's costs work out to be around $3,200. Add in an emergency veterinary C-section for the mother dog and that costs around $1,500. You also don't see any of the overhead expenses associated with keeping and maintaining the kennel, maintaining the website, attending dog shows to enhance the parent dogs' pedigree, advertising and marketing for puppy owners and providing for parent dogs. Many Rottweiler breeders also employ staff part-time to care for, socialize and pre-train the puppies to make sure they have the smoothest possible transition to their new homes. The costs can easily add up into the tens of thousands of dollars annually. Now you understand more about why Rottweiler puppies have such a high price tag. You also know why it is worth paying to get a healthy Rottie puppy

Rottweilers are currently the eighth most popular purebred dog breed in the country – according to none other than the American Kennel Club (AKC). The AKC, of course, is the official purebred dog registry in the United States.

But being in the top 10 comes with a price. In this case, it is the hefty price tag owners pay to get their hands on a Rottweiler puppy.

Because the investment is steep, there is a ton to think through before you decide the Rottweiler is the right dog for you. In this article, we help you think through the financial aspect of owning a Rottweiler.

Rottweiler Puppy Price

A young Rottweiler puppy typically costs between $1,500 and $2,500. Keep in mind that this is just the cost of acquiring your Rottweiler puppy and does not include any of the other supplies you will need to care for your new pup.

Learn About Rottie Puppy Prices Today

In this YouTube video, you can get a to-the-point overview of both Rottweiler puppy prices and the less visible costs of daily dog ownership.

In the remainder of this article, we will review the various expenses breeders must bear to breed Rottweiler puppies.

Why Rottweiler Breeders Charge So Much for Puppies

So why are Rottweiler puppies so expensive? This is a smart question, especially if you run into what seems like a “great deal” on a Rottweiler puppy.

Knowing the general price range for Rottweiler puppies helps you sniff out when a deal sounds so good it bears further investigation.

In other words, there is a reason beyond just simple supply and demand for why a Rottie puppy costs so much.

Rottweilers are expensive to breed from start to finish.

For example, as King Rottweilers breeder points out, finding healthy parent dogs takes several pre-screening health tests, each of which has a cost.

In the next sections, we break down the typical cost categories and expense estimates for producing a litter of healthy Rottweiler puppies from start to finish.

Major Costs of Breeding Rotties

There are several less well-known expenses a Rottweiler breeder has to budget for when planning each litter of Rottie puppies.

  • Canine health insurance for parent dogs.
  • Health pre-screening tests for parent dogs.
  • Breeding stud fees (if the breeder only has a female).
  • Transportation or shipping your dam to the stud’s location for breeding.
  • Mom-to-be veterinary ultrasounds and checkups.
  • Pregnancy food and supplements as needed.
  • Whelping supplies, including the whelping box, heater, and blankets.
  • Whelping emergency medical supplies and canine first aid kit.
  • New puppy supplies, including formula, collars, and puppy pads.
  • Emergency veterinary care if whelping becomes difficult.
  • Post-whelping veterinary exam for new moms and puppies.
  • Puppy food.
  • Puppy vaccinations and pest treatments.
  • American Kennel Club registration fees for parent dogs and each puppy.
  • Advertising and marketing to place the puppies with good owners.
  • New puppy packets for prospective owners (sample food, AKC papers, veterinary vaccination papers, contracts, leash, etc.).
  • Kennel costs and overhead expenses.
  • Website and email expenses.
  • Lifetime commitment to take back each puppy if the new home does not work out.

Why You Don’t Want to Get a Rottweiler Puppy for Cheap

As you can now see, the costs of breeding Rottweiler puppies can add up very quickly. And these costs persist for each litter!

Even minor health problems for the dam (mother dog) or a puppy could easily blow the breeder’s whole budget and eat into or destroy any profit from the sale of the puppies.

Of course, this only applies if the Rottweiler breeder you purchase your puppy from is a reputable breeder. By reputable, we mean a breeder that prizes producing healthy Rottie puppies more than just making a profit from selling those puppies.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, there may be as many as 10,000 puppy mills in active operation – and this is just in America alone.

There are countless more operating under the radar outside the U.S. and shipping their puppies into the country for sale. And backyard breeders, the puppy mill’s slightly less toxic cousin, abound both in and outside the U.S.

Why do puppy mill breeders do it? Unpleasantly, the profit potential is substantial when you are breeding an in-demand dog like the Rottweiler that people are willing to pay thousands of dollars to acquire.

The less a puppy mill breeder spends to produce each litter of puppies, the more profit the breeder stands to make per puppy.

However, that low sticker price also means buying a puppy whose parent dogs have not been pre-screened for serious genetic health issues.

You are buying a puppy who was given the cheapest food and probably has not gotten vaccinated or treated for worms and pests.

There is also a high chance you are buying a puppy that has not been properly socialized to people.

A puppy mill Rottweiler may come to you having already suffered neglect and abuse, with the understandable behavioral and health issues these can cause.

Worst of all, when you buy one of these Rottweiler puppies, you send a message to the backyard breeder or puppy mill operation to keep breeding more puppies.

As PAWS charity points out, puppy mills and backyard breeders produce puppies that may be cheap on the front end but come with a decade or more of emotional and financial heartache attached.

A Rottweiler Breeder’s Actual Costs Per Litter of Puppies

The southern States Rescued Rottweilers charity outlines the estimated costs to breed a single litter of puppies.

Keep in mind this is just an estimate – costs could be much higher if there is even a single medical complication. Remember that, according to the AKC, a Rottweiler can breed between six and 12 puppies in a single litter.

  • Pre-screening health tests cost $200 per parent dog.
  • Orthopedic Foundation for Animals registration costs $100 per parent dog.
  • Stud fees and transportation costs $750.
  • Whelping supplies cost $200.
  • Veterinary exams and pregnancy food and supplements cost $700.
  • Basic whelping veterinary care costs $500.
  • Puppy vaccinations cost $50 per puppy, up to between $300 and $600.
  • AKC registration costs about $25 per puppy, depending on litter size.
  • Puppy food and whelping box supplies cost $150.

From this list, you can see that there are no emergency veterinary expenses included for either the mother dog or the puppies. And still, the Rottweiler breeder’s costs work out to be around $3,200.

Add in an emergency veterinary C-section for the mother dog and that costs around $1,500.

You also don’t see any overhead expenses associated with keeping and maintaining the kennel, maintaining the website, attending dog shows to enhance the parent dogs’ pedigree, advertising and marketing for puppy owners, and providing for parent dogs.

Many Rottweiler breeders also employ staff part-time to care for, socialize and pre-train the puppies to make sure they have the smoothest possible transition to their new homes.

The costs can easily add up to tens of thousands of dollars annually.

Now you understand why Rottweiler puppies have such a high price tag. You also know why it is worth paying to get a healthy Rottie puppy.