How much to pay for an OES
My best friend has been talking about getting an OES puppy since she found out I was getting one, which is great.. my boy will have someone to play with (from his "neighborhood"  . She called last night and told me she found a place a few hours north that sell AKC OES pups for under $500.00 (I paid ALOT more for mine).
My question is this... did I get ripped or is this normal, to have some breeders sell lower... much lower than other breeders? I told her I figured the pups were not really OES pups but she insisted they were because of the AKC regestration. I don't want her to get taken but then I hope I didn't get taken either. Can anyone help? |
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| A pup that cheap is most likely from a puppy mill or at the very least a very irreputable breeder. Someone selling them for that would certainly not have bothered to do the important health testing on the parents to ensure they are going to produce healthy pups etc... |
| Oh they could be AKC OES for $500.00, the question is going to be what quality of pup is she getting for that money.
From my available resarch, the internet and newspapers, it seems that every OES for $500 is a backyard breeder dog. That is someone who breeds just to have puppies, is doing it for cash or just thinks that they have a nice dog and it should reproduce. These people do not do anything to improve the breed, they do not do health testing, they seldom socialize their puppies and cannot mentor new puppy owners on questions they may have. The best place to go for a good puppy is a reputable breeder who does health testing, has signed a code of ethics and is breeding to better the breed. AKC registration DOES NOT automatically mean quality. It only means that paperwork has been filed saying that both parents are purebred and even then it's not a guarentee. As for cost, it seems that most show breeders are charging between 1,000 and 1,500 for pet dogs. (That is very informal info, most of it overheard at shows!) |
| Thanks guys! Amy is coming over later & I will let her read for herself what you guys have said. I told her I figure you get what you pay for but I don't know a whole lot about this breed so other than that, I can't tell her anything more. |
| If I am correct in reading your location (Ar) as Arkansas, When I was looking for a pup I ran across a breeder in northern Arkansas that was selling "pet quality" OES for $500, as well as a long list of other puppies. That immediately rang a bell with me as a puppy mill. No thanks. I agree that pet quality pups should be between $1,000 and 1,500; show quality will probably run $2000 and up depending on the breed line and Champion titles placed on the parents and ancestors.
I strongly recommend she contact www.oldenglishsheepdogclubofamerica.org for referrals to breeders. |
| I paid $500 for Tasker almost 10 years ago but the breeder "gave me a deal". The other puppies in the litter were 3 times that much. But Tasker, according to the breeder) didn't have good markings (I'm still not sure what she ment by that) and had a small amount of brown (very objectionable in an OES) on his butt (the brown dissappeared). So I would assume that your friend has found puppies from a breeder who may be breeding for quantity rather than quality. |
| Hi
I don't know how anyone could breed sheepdogs and sell them for $500. unless your not putting any time into them, no shots, cheap food, no socialization, out in the barn/yard, etc. then yes I guess you could make a profit as that is what they are looking for. they breed their bitches each season also,until they can't produce any longer. this day and age the price of everything is high. When people call me about puppies, I sell mine for $1500 plus shipping, and they tell me they can get one for $500, I tell them... Oh I thought you were looking for a Sheepdog, but I see your looking for a CHEAP Dog. That is usually the end of the conversation. I, like most reputable breeders, breed to improve our lines, sometimes you run into a problem so you do the best you can to fix it. It takes a lot of work to get to the point where your truly satisfied with what you are breeding. Showing is a passion, and you have to have good stock to do well. If you doing it right there is a lot of heartache, WORK, and time put into a litter. Yes you can pick up a puppy for $500 and not have a problem, but you can also get one that has tons of problems. It is a guessing game but at least with the people I know we will stand behind our dogs, help people with problems, give advice etc. Barbara |
| Most breeders i talked to charge 1500. I talked to one that charged a bit more for show quality pups (but i think they put more of a guarantee in for those dogs--instead of just genetic issues, they would guarantee hips, and the dog would have to be shown)
As one breeder said to me.. (this isn't quite exact) 1500 is the average going price. You might find one for 800 from a byb, and they may be a GREAT dog... but please just make sure they've at least checked for hips (and possibly eyes). |
| I know that $1500 sounds like a lot of money, but it is well worth it in the long run. When you consider that hopefully because of good breeding you can avoid potential health problems that are so agonizing mentally to watch your baby go through as well as very very expensive. I am talking about hip displasia, thyroid problems, etc. You pay more up front but hopefully make it up in the long run with a healthy dog. I would pay double if I was guaranteed not to have to watch my loved one "suffer" with hip displasia. Just my opinion.
Oh and whoever said you can't buy love. They were wrong. |
| I paid my Sheepdog $500 at a pet shop, but she ended up with severe bilateral hip dysplasia and I had to have her euthanized at 5 years "young", which is a pity. I paid a lot of money for the veterinarian and for medication, and it broke my heart to see her suffer. It's been two years now and I'm ready for my new puppy who will be coming home next summer. You can be sure that this time, I'm getting her from a reputable breeder - and paying $1500. |
| We've had two sheepies, both of whom were pet quality. They each cost $1000, and came with AKC registrations, as well as complete health histories signed by the vet. I would be suspicious of a puppy that cost much less, unless you were getting him or her from a reputable rescue.
Good luck with your new addition, and I hope everything works out for your friend. |
| our breeder has 1500.00 price. with a very good backround. many champs |
| I paid $600.00 for Benjamin, keep in mind that the breeder is my hubby's boss/friend..........I don't know that I would call them back yard breeders......they have mom and dad as family pets (farm dogs) and just enjoy them treminously. Ben is from the first litter, so I don't know that they charged so little due to that fact or what have you....but they all came with up to date shots/records, AKC registration, letter for vet, full access to vet records for pups, mom & dad....and a full retun policy, if it didn't work out they made sure that all buyers knew that they were more than willing to take any pup, in addition, they have the liberty to check on any pup at anytime.........and remove them if the circumstances are not up to par....... |
| I paid 1376 dollar(8500 dkr) for molly, so the average price is almost the same in Scandinavia. She is of course registrate in the kennel club, and here parents and grandparents is healthy.
The breeder had the litter checked 2 times by the vet and she is chip marked |
| Paying more doesn't always mean you're getting more.
I bought a gorgeous OES boy 6 years ago for $800 from a woman who lived about 15 miles away from me. Both parents were OFA'd (Dam - good, Sire - excellent), CERF'd and AKC Champions. Almost every dog in the puppy's pedigree was a champion. I was somewhat skeptical because they were cheap compared to what the other breeders I talked to were charging, but as I've gotten to know the breeder over the years, I finally asked her why her puppies seemed less expensive than the going rate. She said she wasn't trying to recoup her investment, she just wanted to find good homes near her for the two puppies she didn't keep. She had the litter because she wanted a puppy for herself from the girl she owned. She ended up keeping two puppies from the litter and showed them both to their championships and does therapy work with three of her 4 dogs now. We took our puppies to the same training center for obedience training. She came to my house and taught me how to do grooming and line-brushing. She really wanted our puppy to be well-cared for. We visit her and her dogs a few times a year and share information on the gang's development. She treats her dogs better than most people treat their kids. She sends our boy presents for his birthday and Christmas. Whenever I would complain about my guy (he ate socks and emptied garbage cans when he was young) she offered to take him back and refund my money, especially when she figured out I wasn't following her advice! She meant it and I stopped complaining. She is a constant source of information and is always willing to help me if I have a question or concern. My guy is a total joy and the nicest, healthiest dog I've ever owned. I think that's partly due to how the breeder helped me understand how to train and take care of him properly. It's really important to try to understand the motives behind why a person produces a litter. I almost passed up this little guy because I thought if you paid more, you got something better. That's not always the case.  |
| I too like Misty paid only $450 10 years ago to a backyard breeder, not knowing any better, and ended up with a severly dysplastic dog that we were LUCKY to get 10 1/2 years with her. BUT we paid for all of her bad breeding in vet bills over the years - she also had skin problems and eye problems. Also it is no fun watching your lovable baby suffer.
But the guest above who posted about OFA certification is the key. You can get this information directly online with the sire's and dam's registration numbers. If the breeder is reputable, they won't care that you are checking the parent's backgrounds. In fact it is an indication that you are being responsible. Good luck to your friend. There are no guarantees as I reminded my husband when we just completed this search. BUT you don't want to encourage unhealthy breeding by buying from backyard breeders. It is not fair to the dog. That being said, we wouldn't have traded the ten crazy and wonderful years we had with our Mopsy and I am glad that God chose us for her. We truly were the fortunate ones. |
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