As many people, you too might be wondering how much one Australian Shepherd might cost.
If this is the thing with you, then it is safe to suggest that you pretty much decided that you want a dog and you choose the Australian Shepherd.
Knowing the rough price of these dogs will help you with the time of the purchase, because if you are able to spend that money right now, you can get your new pet right away.
However, if it is too expensive for you at the moment, you can wait for another time when you will have the financial ability to buy one.
Australian Shepherd Price Range
The initial price of the Australian Shepherd’s purchase depends on many factors and in short – it can vary from around 800$ to 3000$ and even more.
The normal price that you might pay is between 700 and 1700$, but paying over 2000$ is considered for a premium purchase for which you might want to ask a lot more questions about the dog and raising some doubts.
Stay alert for breeders that want to sell their Australian Shepherds for cheap.
Price under 700$ is something that in most cases have to tell you that there is something wrong with the dog or the person that is selling it.
In this case the dog might have some health issues and even severe problems that will not show at the beginning.
Therefore, before you run for the cheap purchase, you should do your homework on the topic and we advise you not to go and buy the cheapest Australian Shepherd around you
if you want to eliminate the risks and problems that come with this kind of purchase.
so,
How much does an Australian shepherd cost?
In general, a healthy and normal dog should be worth above 700$ and this is the minimal price.
Even around this price, you should be suspicious and double-check everything, also ask a lot of questions.
Bear in mind that if you want to adopt an Australian Shepherd from a shelter, instead of buying a puppy, it will cost you a lot less, so in this case the caution about the cheap price do not apply.
We made a list that will help you understand how the price of the Australian Shepherd is formed and what kind of things can affect it.
The Australian shepherd puppy price depends on the following factors:
The first one is:
The bloodline
One of the most important things forming the price is the bloodline of the Australian Shepherd.
It has to be purebred.
This is the most important factor for the price. But have in mind that some breeders want high prices for their puppies without them being purebred.
Documents and papers
Another important thing that determine the price is if the dog has all of the necessary documents and papers.
But why these documents and papers are so important?
The documents for registration can confirm the bloodline of the dog.
If you are buying from the United States of America, you should know that here there are several registries, but the most recognized and reputable is the American Kennel Club (AKC).
The documents are very important factor, because they guarantee that the dog you want to buy is a purebred one.
In the papers you can find the name of the puppy, the kennel where it was bred in the form of kennel number, the name and details of the breeder and of course the names of the siblings of the dog.
This information can help you understand the names, ratings and descriptions of the parents and other ancestors of your dog.
But the most important thing about the documents is that they will guarantee the hereditary qualities of your Australian Shepherd.
Have in mind that a registered Australian Shepherd will cost you more that an unregistered one, because there are certain fees for the process of registration, which the breeder have to pay.
Also this procedure cost time and effort.
If you want a cheaper price, you might want to consider buying an unregistered Aussie and after that go and register it by yourself.
Of course, you will have to pay these aforementioned fees, but have in mind that some of the documents might require the signature of the breeder, not yours, so you still might need him.
Health condition
Another important factor that can define the price of the Australian Shepherd puppy is the health condition of the dog.
If you find a good deal for a puppy with all the necessary documents and price around 700$ and with good bloodline, do not rush to buy it and beware.
There might be something fishy about this deal and the most common thing is that something might be wrong with the health of the dog.
Buying a completely healthy Australian Shepherd is vital if you want to make a good purchase and enjoy the time with your new pet.
Check the documents from the veterinarian and see what is the overall health condition of the dog.
The Australian Shepherd’s are pretty healthy in general, but there is always a risk.
Buying cheap, but yet ill dog, is very bad deal and you should avoid it.
After all it might get better with some treatment but all of the negative emotions that you and your new pet will experience are not worth it.
More price forming factors
Breeder quality
The price of your Australian Shepherd can differ a lot depending on the breeder you are buying from.
If you want to be secure and safe about your purchase, we suggest to buy from a reputable breeder that has registered his Australian Shepherds with the American Kennel Club (AKC).
But have in mind that not every breeder will tell you that or show you the registration papers.
Your duty is to ask him and want to see some documents.
If the breeder is not reputable and something seems fishy about the deal, you might get cheated and give your money for nothing.
Do not forget that reputable breeders with all of the necessary papers for their dogs will sell the puppies for a much higher price than others.
But in these cases paying more is worth it. You can be sure that everything with the dogs is alright, they were taken care of and are in great health condition.
These type of breeders do not neglect their dogs despite the fact that the expenses for them are higher.
They know that at some point the profit from selling the dogs will be bigger and the customers will be satisfied.
Overall, buying an Australian Shepherd puppy from high quality and reputable breeder, even if you have to pay more, is the best thing you can do if you want to make good deal.
But beware for lower quality breeders who sell their dogs for a lot of money, because there might be some around you.
Customer and breeder location
The price of the puppy might be different in different locations.
Some breeders near you might sell their dogs for a lot more than other, that are far from your location. In these cases traveling to them might be a good idea.
If you are located in the United States the prices for Australian Shepherds might differ in every state.
If the price in your state is higher you have to bear in mind that buying a dog from another state might be cheaper, but you will have transportation expenses.
If you are planning to buy your Aussie from a breeder in different state or country, keep that in mind.
Availability
Another thing that is dictating the price on the market, not only in the dog’s department, is the availability.
If something is scarce, the price will be a lot higher than the price for something that is widely available.
From that point, if around you there are a lot of breeders selling Australian Shepherds, the price will be lower than at a place where almost no one breeds these dogs.
In this case, if you have a lot of offers and choice, you can negotiate a good price and get your new pet for a bargain.
But on the other hand, if almost no one near you breeds Australian Shepherds and there is a big demand, you can assume that the price you will have to pay for one will be a lot higher, even premium.
Why premium?
Because if there is no big availability, but the breeder know that his Australian Shepherds are authentic and there are not many others out there, he will charge premium for his dogs.
Every breeder will have his own prices
Logically, every breeder will determine his own prices for his dogs.
This means that the prices will differ at different breeders and that is why we suggest you to check as many breeders as you can to find the best puppy for you. Contact every breeder that you want to buy from and ask everything that you want to ask and see which one will be the best for your needs and budget.
Think about adoption
You can be sure that out there are tons of great Australian Shepherds in the shelters, waiting to be rescued and adopted from some good people.
So, you might want to consider adoption instead of buying a puppy.
This way you would not spend a lot of money for buying, you will just have to pay the adoption fees.
If you think about an adoption from a shelter, you deserve a big applause for the humane act!
Just keep in mind that the rescue shelter is the place where you can find homeless dogs, so you cannot expect the Australian Shepherd to have all the papers and documents.
After all the people from the shelter will give you only what they found and guess what – they found the dog, not his owners or documents.
Costs after the initial purchase
How much one Australian Shepherd will cost you is not calculated only by the money you spend for the initial purchase.
The money that you will give to the breeder are only the beginning.
You also have to take in consideration side expenses that you will have through the entire lifespan of your dog.
If you buy a dog which have some health issues or have problems in the future, you will have to expect some hefty veterinary bills, to spend money for medications, may be special treatments and so on.
You have to keep in mind these things and believe us, it will not cost you a small amount of money.
So if you struggle to gather the money for the initial purchase of your dog, you might want to wait to have more, because after you get it, you will have to pay regularly for its wellbeing and comfort.
You will have to add to the expenses the cost of the food too.
You will have to stack up regularly with good food if you want your pet to be well and healthy.
Also you will have to buy some accessories, brush, shampoo, toys and other equipment for your pet.
Also, even if your dog is absolutely healthy from the beginning, you will have to add up some costs for visits to the veterinarian.
After all you have to be sure that your Australian Shepherd is growing well and everything with it is fine.
Regular checkups to the veterinarian are essential, but they cost money, so keep that in mind too.
In conclusion we can say that sometimes cheap comes out expensive!
And yes, the price is important, but the health condition of your puppy is the most important!
