04/21/2025
This right here!
We are blessed to work with wonderful families who do tend to understand the cost and commitment we put into our dogs, so this is luckily not a question we field often. But sometimes people genuinely donāt know what goes into it unless we tell them!
Raising dogs this way is our investment in your future puppy, to help them have the very best life with you š¾š
The True Cost of a Puppy: What Youāre Really Paying For
We often receive messages from people asking, āDo you offer a discount?ā or āCan you work with me on the price of a puppy?ā And while we understand that budgets matter, we also hope people understand the reality of what goes into raising a quality, well-bred puppy. It is not simply a business. Itās a way of lifeāand one filled with love, sacrifice, and heartache.
What many donāt see is the journey that starts long before a litter is even born. We invest in carefully selected breeding stockādogs that are not just beautiful, but healthy, sound in temperament, and proven in their lineage. These dogs often cost thousands of dollars on their own, and thatās before training, certifications, health testing, and care.
Planning a breeding isnāt done on a whim. It requires months, sometimes years, of preparation. We study pedigrees. We consider genetics. We travel, consult, test, waitāand hope. When the day finally comes and the dam is confirmed pregnant, our hearts are full, but the real work is just beginning.
Whelping a litter is one of the most intense, emotional experiences a breeder can go through. Many of us sleep on the floor next to the whelping box for daysāor weeksāon end, waking every hour to check pups, help with feeding, and make sure the mother is okay. We live in a state of constant watchfulness and exhaustion. There are no days off. No āsick days.ā Just a deep sense of responsibility that doesnāt let up.
We clean constantly. We track weights. We assist with nursing. We sanitize, feed, socialize, and soothe. And then there are the emergencies. The moments when a puppy is failing and youāre rushing to the vet, praying youāre not too late. The nights you sit quietly crying, holding a puppy you couldnāt saveābecause no matter how experienced you are, loss still hurts. It never gets easier.
Vet bills pile up. Quality food, supplements, vaccinations, microchips, deworming medsāit all adds up quickly. And these arenāt shortcuts weāre willing to take. Because our goal isnāt just to raise puppiesāitās to raise great puppies. Confident. Healthy. Stable. Well-started. And ready for the life theyāll share with their new families.
We are with them around the clockāday and nightāuntil they go to their new homes. We miss holidays, cancel trips, and put our personal lives on hold. Our own families often come second to our four-legged ones. Because this isnāt just a job. Itās a calling. And we feel a tremendous obligation to do it right.
So when someone asks for a discount, itās hard not to feel like everything we pour into this is being undervalued. Youāre not just paying for a puppy. Youāre paying for the years of experience behind that puppy. For the sleepless nights. For the heartbreaks. For the endless hours of care, cleaning, training, and love. Youāre paying for peace of mindāknowing that the dog you bring home was given the very best start in life.
Weāre not here to mass-produce dogs. Weāre here to preserve a breed we love, and to match our puppies with homes where they will thrive and be cherished.
If our price seems high, itās because the cost of doing this the right way is even higher.
We ask for understanding, and more than anything, respect for the process. Because behind every puppy is a breeder whoās given their whole heart to raise themāand thatās something you simply canāt put on sale.
Home-based preservation breeder of CKC registered Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs in Eastern Ontario. OFA Health tested parents, proven Champions
