The answer to this question depends on whether you take all factors into account or not. If all you see is a puppy and a price tag, then it is likely you will think that a purebred Pomeranian puppy is expensive for “what it is”, and the breeder is obviously making a huge profit.
However, if you see the price and then the breakdown of the costs and efforts incurred you may just change your mind on the expensiveness of the puppy. After reading this article you may even start asking yourself just WHICH corners are being cut so that people can sell their puppies (and still make a profit) for so much less....
Our approach to breeding dogs’ stems from a passion and love for dogs. Corners are not cut, and pennies are not pinched when it comes to care, attention, or nutrition. The physical wellbeing and mental health of our Pomeranians comes first!
Spacious living spaces are provided, lots of outdoor time, walks, playtime, and a safe sleeping space are a given. Frequent brushing, washing, nail trimming etc are of course also provided.
All breedings are done rationally and with the sole purpose of improving the breed according to the breed standard and careful care and consideration are taken when pairing 2 dogs with one another. Years of experience, research and testing are employed to ensure genetic diversity and dogs that are sound of mind and structure. In short, ensuring that every ingredient that makes a Pomeranian a Pomeranian are there!
Not all breeders are created equally, you can find out more here.
1. Obtaining a breeding female:
These are the costs you do not see when purchasing your purebred Pomeranian puppy. First things first of course, you will need to obtain a female Pomeranian of breeding quality. Now, if you think finding the right pet puppy is hard, try to guess what she will look like as an adult and whether she will be breeding quality or not… even for experienced breeders this is a gamble.
There are 2 choices here, buy a puppy and hope for the best or buy an adult female and be as sure as you can be. Prices for a show/breeding prospect female puppy are around 4000 euros. Prices for an adult, significantly higher.
Assuming we choose to buy a puppy, we will now need to raise and care for her for the first 2 years before she is old enough to have a litter. Should no health issues arise we can add another €500-1000 onto the purchase price.
Costs €4000-5000. Not included is the travel to visit the puppy or transport costs for the puppy.
2. Time to plan the first breeding!
Should we not own a (suitable) male Pomeranian we will need to find a suitable stud (male dog) to breed with our female. Stud fees range from €800-1500 depending on the quality and pedigree of the male.
Additionally, it is wise to perform progesterone tests to ensure the viability of the breeding, which comes to about 100 euros.
Total cost: about €800-1600. Not including travel to the stud, the stud never travels to the female.
3. Best case scenario: the breeding is a success!
We have 2 months to prepare for the birth of the puppies. In the meantime, we need to ensure we have everything we need, such as a whelping box, towels, blankets, special food for mother and babydogs, specialised heating and some basic medical utensils.
We also recommend an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy and an x-ray just before the birth to confirm the numbers expected in the litter.
Costs €300-700. Not including travel to and from the vets.
4. Mandatory registration and pedigrees
By law all puppies must have a microchip implanted and receive an EU passport. Additionally, the puppies will receive their first vaccines (possibly rabies vaccinations too) and a pedigree will also be requested.
Costs €200-250 per puppy. Not including travel to and from the vet.
Until now we have reached on average a cost of €6475 for this one litter. Important to keep in mind that on average Pomeranians have 1-3 puppies per litter. None of the above costs factor in any time needed for research, travel, time off work etc.
The puppies are about to arrive, and it is always a very exciting moment whether it is the first litter or the one hundredth! Below we will showcase 2 examples on different ends of the spectrum of what can be expected:
Note:
In our below examples we have not included in any cost breakdowns provided the around the clock 24/7 care of at least one person (but usually 2) to watch over, care for, brush, wash, train, provide supplementary feeding every 2 hours when necessary, or just the simple "know-how" obtained from years of experience as well as (expensive and sometimes fatal) mistakes.
This around the clock care (even for the "perfect easy" litters lasts for at least 10 weeks.
Not to mention the knowledge needed to tube feed, dealing with fading puppies, difficult births, puppies that won't feed, mothers that do not want their puppies, mothers and/or puppies that die during labour and the heartbreak that comes with it.
And simply the emotional burden of trying to guess what is the right thing to do at the right time.
I got incredibly lucky! I found a stud that was only a 45 min drive away. We went over there twice and had a successful breeding. How successful? My vet told me ‘Caramella’ was expecting 5 puppies, which is like, super rare in Pomeranians!
I found a cheap whelping pen on a second-hand site and my wife crafted some ‘toys’ from everything and nothing. She’s good at that. We’re all ready to become grandparents!
The birthing went super smooth. All 5 puppies came into this world with minimal assistance needed. Caramella is a natural supermom and takes care of everything! All we must do is follow the guidelines on how to socialize the puppies. It is a lot of fun to do as a couple, but it’s also neat that one of us can do it by themselves when the other one is busy.
At one point, we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to sell our puppies. It took a few weeks, but then word got out and one of the buyers recommended us to their sister-in-law who wanted an adorable puppy too. We now have two left, someone who comes later to have a look at them and we’ll probably keep one for future breedings. It’s perfect!
In the end, we didn’t make our full investment back, but it has only been one litter! And now we have some extra money to enjoy a nice vacation! Breeding is amazing!
I had a hard time finding a stud that seemed a good match for my ‘Lady’. I didn’t realize how hard it would be to find a male that has a compatible body type and heritage. But in the end, I managed to find the perfect one abroad! It was a big adventure, me and Lady jumped on a plane and spent a few days in a hotel to get the breeding done.
Extra cost €400-700
About a week before Lady’s due date, we went to my vet for an X-ray. She had 3 lovely puppies in her belly!! I had hoped for four, but my vet told me that 2 or 3 pups is average for a Pomeranian.
Finally, the big moment is here! I’m about to have my first litter… but something seems off with Lady. She seems really in pain, and nothing has happened for hours. I should go to the vet; does she work on a Sunday evening?
In the end, I had to go to an emergency clinic for pets. One of the puppies was too big and got stuck in Lady’s birth canal. The puppy didn’t make it, but the other two could be saved with a C-section. It was expensive but seeing these 2 pups makes it worth it! Let’s hope Lady recovers quickly and will take good care of them!
Extra cost €900
I’m exhausted, Lady doesn’t recognize her pups and won’t feed them. I must hand raise them myself… I quickly bought replacement milk, feeding bottles, a sterilizer and am now feeding the pups every 2 hours.
Extra cost €200
After day 3, puppy training starts! In the next 10 weeks, I will provide daily exercises and new experiences to help my puppies socialise. Lady still doesn’t want to feed them, but I’m managing. I need some sleep.
At 3 weeks of age, the puppies luckily started eating puppy mousse and puppy biscuits. They’re now 8 weeks old and healthy! I’ve advertised them online, some people showed genuine interest in buying a puppy… I’m well rested and happy! Now we’re off to the vet for their chips and vaccinations.
I am crying my eyes out. When I woke up, one of the pups had passed away. The vet said my puppy had a heart condition. Nothing could be done about it. That’s why Pomeranians are (almost literally) called the “Heartbreak Breed”.
Extra cost €200 for a necropsy.
I’m really worried I’ll never be able to sell my puppy… One woman contacted me, but in the end, she found someone who constantly has 3 or 4 litters at the same time and sells his dogs for only €800. She admitted that my puppy looked nicer, but this one was very cheap compared to mine!
And another man decided to buy a puppy from someone who imports them from out of the EU, after he was able to talk the price down to just a bit cheaper than mine. That vendor didn’t even breed the puppy or care for it!
I eventually sold my puppy at half the price I hoped for. I honestly don’t see myself having another litter any time soon… It caused me so much pain, stress, sleepless nights, and disappointment… Maybe in a year or 2?
Extra costs in this scenario approx. €1850
Our prices range between €2500 and €3500, with nuances on either side of this price range depending on quality, colour and sex of the puppy. Included in this price is a one-year health guarantee. All our parents are carefully selected to ensure the puppies will be as healthy as possible however they are still living creatures.
Also included in their price is expert advice from us, initial training and care, all necessary check-ups by our vet, an amazing puppy package and our continued lifelong support for your puppy! Troubles in puppydise and you don’t know what’s going on? Just send us a message day or night and we’ll figure it out together!
Also, should you find yourself in a position of not being able to care for your puppy at any stage in their life, we will always take the puppy/adult back and find a solution which suits everyone.
A question for you: How much do you think our puppies are worth?
We hope you can see the effort, energy and love we put into our puppies (and parents)! Considering our mission and vision is our effort not worth our price tag?
