It is an exciting time!
You are looking for a new dog or puppy to share your life with. You can’t wait to get one, but …
How to get a cheap dog that will fit with our budget?
There are generally four places where we can get a dog or puppy –
The first step in “how to get a dog” is to decide on a dog breed. Do some research on popular dog breeds and find one that is right for our family and current lifestyle.
Dogs have a lot of bad habits, so think carefully before getting one.
How to Get a Dog 1
Accredited Dog Breeder
These are dog breeders that are registered with an accredited organization such as-
- American Kennel Club (AKC),
- The Kennel Club UK, or
- Canadian Kennel Club (CKC).
Each club has a section that lets us search for dog breeders that are registered with them. These breeders have to follow rules of conduct set by the club, and are frequently active participants in showing their dogs in club events.
Accredited dog breeders tend to breed healthy puppies, whose parents have been screened for hereditary issues. They will usually socialize their puppies early-on because that will help with subsequent conformation competitions. Many will also breed for good puppy temperament.
As a result, dogs from such breeders end up having fewer vet and puppy training bills.
Even though puppies from accredited breeders may not be cheap at first glance, they actually end up being cheaper dogs in the long-run because of their good health and temperament.
These puppies usually sell for about $800 to $2000, for the breeds that are more rare.
Some things to look for from a good dog breeder:
A good dog breeder …
- Will want to meet with you, or interview you over the phone, before selling one of her precious puppies. The more questions the breeder asks the better, because that shows she cares what kind of home the puppy is moving to.
- Will show you the mother and father (if available) of the puppies, and let you interact with them. The temperament of the parents will affect the temperament of the puppies.
- Will breed from champion bloodlines, and provide you with the puppy’s “family tree” that will contain many champions.
- Will have proper health certifications for the puppies’ parents. This will vary by breed, as different breeds may have different hereditary or genetic issues.
- Will give you some kibble, a blanket that smells like the litter, sometimes a crate, and the puppy’s favorite toy. This will make the transition of homes easier for the puppy. The kibble and smelly blanket are especially important.
- Will not over-breed their dogs. It is expensive and time consuming to properly care for a litter of puppies, so accredited breeders do not breed very often. Places that have litters every month or every other month, are likely puppy mills that are trying to generate as many puppies as possible to maximize profits.
If possible, it is a good idea to get our puppy from a local breeder. Someone local can hook us up with nearby club activities, and will also be available to give us puppy training advice. My breeder also visits me from time to time, and we get to set up some fun play sessions with her dogs.
How to Get a Dog 2
Backyard Dog Breeder
Unlike accredited dog breeders, backyard breeders do not need to follow any rules of conduct and are usually less experienced.
Backyard dog breeders tend to be –
- Hobbyists who are experimenting with dog breeding,
- Dog owners who get accidental litters, or
- People who are looking for some supplemental income.
As a result, they are less careful about health, temperament, and socialization of their puppies.
Backyard puppies may have genetic defects, unsound temperament, and may be skittish around other dogs or people. This may ultimately lead to dog aggression.
Most of the puppies advertised in online buy-a-puppy sites (e.g. www.puppyfind.com) are from backyard dog breeders or puppy mills. Accredited dog breeders spend the time to seek out good dog owners from their club connections, and rarely, if ever, advertise on these sites.
Getting an online puppy may be quicker and more convenient, but they are more likely to have health and temperament issues.
In the long-run, backyard breeder puppies will end up costing us more in terms of time, money, and heartache.
Puppies from online sites range from about $100 to $1000, with an additional $200-$300 if shipping is necessary.
How to Get a Dog 3
Pet Store
Good dog breeders who breed healthy and balanced puppies will never place their dogs in a pet store to be sold. This is because they care about their puppies very much, and take a very active and hands-on role in placing their dogs into good homes. They often establish a long term relationship with their puppies’ owners, and regularly check up on how their dogs are doing for their entire lives.
Pet stores have very little quality control on how their puppies are treated while at the store. Pet stores also do not screen who they sell their puppies to.
Most, if not all of the puppies in pet stores, come from backyard breeders or puppy mills.
Puppy mills are only interested in making as much money as possible. Their dogs are often treated cruelly, and are kept in small and dirty cages for their entire lives. They are not handled, groomed, or exercised. As a result, pet store puppies commonly have a lot of health issues, inherited genetic issues, as well as serious temperament issues.
If you love dogs, DO NOT get a puppy from the pet store as that will only support the cruel puppy mills behind them.
How to Get a Dog 4
Dog Adoption Agency and Dog Shelter
These are dogs that have been surrendered, seized, or abandoned by their owners. To adopt a dog in need, we may go to a nearby SPCA, city-run animal shelter, or a dog rescue group.
City Shelter
City shelters are usually underfunded and undermanned. To keep their dog population to a manageable size, dogs that are unclaimed and not adopted after a short period of time, are usually euthanized.
City shelter dogs are examined for health and temperament by staff, before they are put up for adoption. In addition, shelter dogs are spayed or neutered, and are up to date on their shots.
If we are looking for a cheap dog, consider that these health procedures more than pay back for the initial adoption fees.
City shelters have adoption fees that range from $50-$100.
SPCA
SPCAs (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) are privately funded, non-profit organizations.
They are better financed than city shelters, and usually have a no-kill policy. Most SPCAs get their dogs from surrounding city shelters. They temperament test all available dogs, and choose the ones that are healthy and most adoptable. They may also accept owner surrendered dogs, but only after the dog passes a temperament test. As a result, dogs at the SPCA are usually healthy and have good temperaments.
I used to visit my local SPCA for dog-to-dog socialization sessions. Almost all the dogs I met there were very playful, well socialized, and friendly to people, as well as other dogs.
If we are looking for a cheap, well-temperamented dog or puppy, our local SPCA may be one of the best places to find a furry friend.
SPCAs have adoption fees that range from $100-$300. Most SPCAs will also throw in a free dog obedience training class, and many give adopted dogs a big discount in subsequent training courses.
Rescue Group
Rescue groups are privately funded, non-profit organizations, with a particular mission.
For example, there are a variety of rescue groups that are devoted to saving dogs of a chosen breed. Other rescue groups may be devoted to special needs dogs, old dogs, retired racing dogs, dogs in dire need, etc.
Rescue groups will often take-in dogs that are about to be euthanized at the shelter. Most rescue groups have less stringent temperament tests than SPCAs or city shelters.
As a result, dogs from rescue groups may vary more widely in terms of temperament.
However, many rescue group volunteers will spend time to foster, train, and rehabilitate problem dogs, before adopting them out.
Adoption fees range from $100-$400.
How to Get a Cheap Dog or Puppy?
While considering where to get a cheap dog or puppy, it is important to factor in the costs for the entire life of the dog, rather than just the initial cost of getting the puppy. What we pay for in terms of food, toys, vet bills, and training classes will far outweigh the initial purchase or adoption fee.
A healthy and well-adjusted puppy from an accredited breeder or dog adoption facility, will have cheaper and fewer vet visits, as well as require fewer training classes.
- Vet visits range from a minimum of about $40 for an examination, to about $100 or more if medication is needed. Another $100+ may be required if the dog needs to be sedated for an examination.
- Training classes range from about $80 to $150, and usually last for 4-8 weeks. Private training sessions range from about $80 to over $100 per hour.
At the very least, a puppy with good temperament will save us $100+ per vet visit because he does not have to be sedated for an examination. When we add in the cost of extra training, and possible property destruction from a less carefully bred puppy, we are looking at many thousands of dollars more throughout the dog’s lifetime.
This does not even take into account the cost of emotional distress to us and our family, from an unhealthy, and unbalanced puppy.
In the long-term, cheap puppies come from accredited dog breeders, or our local SPCA, because they are healthy and have good temperaments.
Getting a Dog or Puppy Does Not Always Mean Buying One
Owning a dog is expensive.
The initial cost of shots and spaying or neutering can add up to about $500-$1000 in just the first few months.
Add to that the cost of dog food, dog medicine (Heartguard), dog toys, obedience training, vet visits, and yearly booster vaccine shots, and we are looking at a yearly cost of over $1000 just for maintaining the dog.
Getting a puppy or a dog is a lifelong commitment.
Consider carefully before taking on the responsibility of caring for another precious life. If we want a dog but do not have the time or financial resources at the present moment, there are other ways to spend quality time with a canine friend.
- Volunteer at our local SPCA or a nearby rescue group.
- Get to know our neighbors who have dogs, and volunteer to help them walk their dogs. We may even start charging them a nominal fee for our services.
- Get a part-time job as a pet sitter, or at a dog training facility once we are more comfortable with dogs.
Hello,
i wish I had found your website BEFORE getting a puppy! I thoughtlessly got a “morkie” from a backyard breeder, paid a lot, and paid more in time and money because of all his behavioural and health issues! He’s got a skin problem since he has a lot of dandruff and some yellow/red bumps near his ear, right side of his back, and lower tummy area. I actually noticed one of the bumps on his back when we went to pick him up from the “breeder” but I thought it was just a knot in his fur or something so I forgot about it, but now he’s scratching constantly and it’s making it super hard to train him (for example when we say “sit” he would sit and start scratching or when we say his name he might start coming toward us but then stop to scratch). He also licks and bites at his lower tummy area.
I wonder if it could be some kind of mites or infection. Also, he likes to sit and lie down on his pee pads and whenever we give him food or throw toys he’ll bring it back to the pads to eat/play with; we’re trying to teach him to do these things in his crate but he keeps going back to the pads..
Today we gave him a bath with a natural puppy shampoo (aloe, oatmeal etc that are supposed to be soothing) but afterward he’s still scratching constantly so I don’t think it helped.
We went to one vet but I don’t think he did a thorough examination because he didn’t notice the bumps and was about to complete the exam until we pointed them out to him. He said it could be that he previously had fleas but like you said, that’s really doubtful.
He also has severe separation anxiety, constantly whining, fussing, barking, and last night he barked for 3 hours straight.
The breeder claimed he is “pee pad trained” but we have found many puddles outside his pee pad and he seems to think his pad is his bed because of the taking toys/food to it habit.
This is adding so much stress and worry to my life, it is affecting my work and just I don’t think I (or my family and neighbours) can cope if this goes on longer! I don’t know how we could give him up either though, I would probably be even more depressed afterward. We are all having a very tough time, I don’t know if all the time and money we are spending and will spend will be worth it. I feel like I am a terrible person and I’ve been in tears several times already. My family is not rich and I don’t think we can afford expensive treatments or taking him to multiple vets, or private training. I would really appreciate any advice you could give me and thank you so very much. I wish I found your website BEFORE I bought my puppy, it is a wonderful resource and I hope many others can find it before they make bad decisions like I did.
Hello Jessica,
Thank you for sharing your story with us.
In terms of the bumps, it wouldn’t hurt to just talk to your vet again about it, and push him for an answer given that it is still causing itching. Another possibility is to go to a skin specialist. I went to specialists twice with my dogs -once to examine Shania’s crooked leg and then again to examine Sephy’s cracked tooth. Both times it was very useful. The specialist was able to identify the issue and come up with a list of options of us.
At the very least, it helped to reduce some stress for us because now we know exactly what is wrong, and what steps we can take.
In terms of the pee-pads, likely the puppy grew up on a pee-pad and is used to it. But this is something that can be trained away with time and patience. Is it possible to train puppy to go potty outside instead of on a pee-pad? In that way, there may not be a need for pee-pads at all. Here is a bit more on my experiences with puppy potty training.
Here are a couple of articles more about my puppy training experiences-
http://shibashake.com/dog/puppy-obedience-training
http://shibashake.com/dog/how-i-trained-my-husky-puppy
My Shiba Inu was also a very stressful puppy, but things got a lot better with time and training. Now, he has fit in quite well with the family, and is happy and enjoying life. Hope this helps.
Let us know how it goes.
Never ever ever get your dog from a backyard breeder. My family just bought a “morkie” (not even a real breed of dog) from a backyard breeder for $800. Not only did was the breeder untruthful, but she was only breeding to make money to support her large house and expensive car. Our puppy has caused me so much stress in the past few days and also my family members – I was in tears several times already and it’s only been a couple of days. It feels like it’s been a week. It’s consuming my life and worrying me constantly because he has bumps and is always scratching/licking/biting at these spots. We’ve ruled out fleas and tried giving him an oatmeal/aloe puppy shampoo bath but nothing has helped. We’ve spent so much time, money and frustration, I don’t know how we can go on with this as his scratching problems and temperament problems are making it near impossible for us to live our lives!!! But it would kill me to give him up, this is completely awful. don’t make our mistake and STAY AWAY from backyard breeders. if you have advice please let me know as well. I’m really worried at this point and don’t know what is the right thing to do now that I’ve gotten my family into this situation.
Hi!Anon would it help if you sell it to me please…..out there the price is too much for me..and I really love Siberian Huskey..I am 16years old..Please contact me at [email removed]…
Dear Lucy,
It is generally not a good idea to post your email in a public area. Some people write programs to browse through public pages, extract e-mail addresses, and then spam them with ads, etc. It may also result in stalking and various other types of abuse.
For your safety and privacy, I am removing your email address.
Also, based on her comment, I believe that Anon has a Morkie. As for Siberian Huskies, one possibility is to participate in a fostering program from a Sibe Rescue. They usually have many dogs that are in need of some help and a temporary home.
Another alternative is to walk dogs at a nearby shelter or rescue. One of my friends is currently doing that to get ready for when she gets a new puppy. She is having a lot of fun and also learning a lot about training and walking dogs.
Good luck!
how can get one when my mom keeps telling me no.
Hello Anonymous,
When I was growing up, I really wanted a dog too but my mom was not too keen, since she would have to be the one doing most of the work. 😀 Finally, we did get a family dog … here is our story –
http://shibashake.com/dog/i-want-a-dog-should-i-get-a-dog
i really must have a beuatiful,young age puppy in my perfect house with my kids and it would see the pleasant visitor cames!we’ll have a wonderful time with a beutiful,young,little cute puppy in this big space appartment!p.s.this puppy could sleep in my room or my nice cildrens perfect,comfortable bed.this would be a much new and better life with a new puppy.i do not what to my old dog since it died $ad.i rally want to see how this year this cute puppy is gonna be well trained and has good behavior!i can’t really wait to get a puppy for myself and my crazy,and raally fun!
I’ve recently come across your website and have been reading much about your wonderful dogs. In fact, I just recently purchased a Shiba Inu puppy who is supposed to fly in here on the 23th of this month, so I am preparing myself for his arrival. This however leads me to asking you this question.
Unfortunately, I had found your page a little too late and noticed that you said sites such as puppyfind.com aren’t good for finding a puppy. In fact, I actually found the puppy I just purchased from there. I spoke to the woman on the phone about the dog, she told me about the puppy I purchased, such as his behavior, how he is doing with potty training. She also sent me pictures of my puppy’s parents (the parents appeared to be family dogs, since they were sitting with children). Do you think this puppy sounds like he comes from a good home, in which, he may be free from being aggressive? Or do is it hard to tell since he more than likely is from a backyard breeder and the chances of problems are higher?
Thank you for your time and your wonderful blog! I appreciate it!
Hello Riza,
Congratulations on your soon to arrive Shiba puppy.
I actually also found Shiba Sephy from an online puppy place and he is from a backyard breeder. I got him before finding out about such things. Essentially, his breeder was just starting to show her dogs.
We went over there to pick up Sephy and got to briefly meet his mother. After a brief meeting, she ran out of the house to the cul-de-sac and did not come back. Luckily Sephy is a healthy dog, but I think his temperament is only so-so. He tried to bite everyone (including the breeder’s husband) when we tried to put a collar on him that first day. That should have been a warning sign, but we just didn’t know, and we really wanted a puppy.
His breeder was only interested in collecting her money, and did not ask us any questions about our home situation, our experience, etc. She was happy to let her puppy go to wherever and whomever as long as she got her money.
In contrast, my Sibe breeder asked me many questions, first over the phone then when we visited her to see the puppies. Afterward, she brought the puppy over to us so that she could have a home visit. Both puppies were already comfortable with collars and even riding in cars. Both of them were also well socialized with people as puppies. My Sibe breeder also set us up with local club events and visits us when she has some free time.
The good news is that Sephy is doing pretty well now, but we had to put in a lot more work in the beginning. Some of that was breed related, some of it was owner related, but I think some of it was also temperament related due to not very careful breeding.
Hope this helps to answer some of your questions. Let us know how it goes with your new puppy, and take lots of pictures! 😀
So is that your dog?
The puppy pictures are of Shania, a Siberian Husky. Now, she is over 4 years old and all grown up. Her red friend is Shiba Inu Sephy.
I think of them as my friends and companions. 😀
how much can it be under 200 dollars because i love dogs
I love shiba’s!!!:) They are the perfect pet, especially when you live in Japan!
Hi Im going to be moving into my First house with a A pretty good wide backyard and also psyched to get my first Special Dream puppy since I was a young boy im 19 and Really Interested in German Sheperds also Golden Retrievers but I prefer German, whatever comes to my convenience Is there anywhere I can get a good healthy New Born Puppy My Maximum Limit is $1000 give or take 2,3 hundred more. Please Any Good information will be Helpful.
– Sincerely Gevo A.
Congratulations on getting a house Gevo.
A great way to find a good breeder if by going through the American Kennel Club breeder resources.
http://www.akc.org/breederinfo/breeder_search.cfm
For German Shepherds, they list the parent club as –
German Shepherd Dog Club of America
http://www.gsdca.org/breeders-classifieds
Also check out the regional clubs in your area
http://www.gsdca.org/join-the-gsdca/regional-clubs
Their websites will usually have a list of accredited breeders in your area. The people who run these clubs are usually also a great source of information for the breed.
Share some pictures with us when you get your puppy. I am thinking of getting a GSD as well at some future date.
very long hub, but I read it! Thanks
Hello Lauren, Did you get a Jack Russell? Congratulations on your new puppy.