What a pedigree puppy really costs, and why

Where the breeder's money goes

Health tests for the parents (300 to 900 EUR per dog), show titles, a vet-attended birth, vaccinations and deworming for the whole litter, registration, food for three months and the breeder's time, every day.

A litter of six Golden Retrievers costs the breeder between 4,000 and 6,000 EUR before the first puppy leaves, and that figure assumes nothing goes wrong. A caesarean adds 800 to 1,500 EUR; a puppy that needs a week in the clinic adds the same again. Divide the normal figure by six and each puppy carries roughly 800 EUR of direct costs before the breeder has earned a single euro for twelve weeks of work.

The price list in our dog breeds section starts at 1,400 EUR and rises with the size of the breed, the rarity of the colour and the titles of the parents; the figures below explain the difference.

What the parents' health tests cost and why they matter

Hip and elbow X-rays scored by a specialist cost 250 to 400 EUR per dog; the eye examination 60 to 120 EUR each year; a heart ultrasound 150 to 300 EUR; and the breed's DNA panel 100 to 250 EUR once in the dog's life. A breeder who tests both parents spends 600 to 1,800 EUR before the mating, and repeats the eye and heart checks every year or two.

The test is not a formality. Hip dysplasia in a Labrador Retriever costs the owner 3,000 to 6,000 EUR in surgery at four years old; a heart murmur in a Cavalier shortens the dog's life by years. Parents with HD-A or HD-B hips, clear eyes and a normal heart scan are the only reliable way to avoid both, and the results are printed on every pet page on our site.

What our service adds and what it includes

Breeder visits, the video call, the contract, the vet preparation, the documents, the transport coordination. It is included in the pet price; delivery is quoted separately.

Before a breeder appears on this site we have been to the kennel, seen the mother and the conditions and read the parents' test certificates in the original. After you reserve, we arrange the video call, draft the contract in your language, book the vet for the passport and the fit-to-travel certificate, and coordinate the nanny and the route. The breeder is paid when the puppy is handed over to you, not before, which is what makes the purchase safe. How the whole sequence works, step by step, is on the how it works page.

The price breakdown of a 2,000 EUR puppy

Here is where a typical 2,000 EUR companion puppy price goes, using the real cost figures above for a medium-sized breed from a breeder with two tested parents.

• Share of parents' health tests, titles and stud fee: about 250 EUR
• Vet care for the litter, vaccinations, deworming, microchip, passport: about 300 EUR
• Food, bedding, heating and cleaning for twelve weeks: about 200 EUR
• FCI registration and export pedigree: about 80 EUR
• Breeder's time, premises and risk: about 600 EUR
• Our breeder checks, contract, documents and coordination: the remainder

Delivery and the first year on top

Delivery is quoted separately, because it depends only on where you live: from 150 EUR by road within the Balkans, 350 to 800 EUR by road to Central and Western Europe, and 600 to 2,200 EUR for an in-cabin flight with a nanny; your country's estimate is on the delivery page before you reserve.

Then comes the first year, which most price comparisons leave out entirely: the third vaccination and the yearly booster, neutering at about a year, puppy school, a crate, a bed, two leads, insurance and food. For a medium breed that is 1,200 to 2,000 EUR in the first twelve months, and 60 to 150 EUR a month after that.

What a cheap puppy usually hides

Untested parents, a mother bred every heat, no socialisation, no guarantee and often no real pedigree. The money saved at purchase is spent at the vet.

A puppy advertised at 500 EUR cannot have had tested parents, two vaccinations, a passport and twelve weeks of food, because those alone cost more than that. What it has usually had is a mother bred twice a year in a shed, no vet since birth and a departure at six or seven weeks, before the second vaccination and before the puppy learned anything from its littermates. The first clinic bill for parvovirus is 800 to 2,000 EUR, and the behaviour problems of a puppy taken too early last a lifetime.

What you should expect for your money

Parents' test results in writing, a visit or video call, a written contract, a pet that arrives with every document and a person who answers the phone afterwards.

Add to that a breeder who asks you questions, because a good breeder is choosing a home, not closing a sale, and a puppy that leaves at twelve weeks, house training already begun, used to a crate and a car. If any one of those is missing, the price is not low; it is simply being paid later.

How the deposit and the payment work

After the video call you sign a reservation agreement and pay a deposit that holds the puppy for you; the balance is paid before departure, and the breeder receives the money only when you have the puppy. If the vet's fit-to-travel examination finds a problem, the deposit comes back in full. The exact percentage and the refund rules are written in the questions and answers and in the contract itself.

If the budget is the deciding factor between two breeds, the guide to choosing a breed compares the monthly costs of small, large, short-coated and long-coated pets side by side.

Frequently asked questions