General Prices:
I used to charge different prices due to color or gender. However, I don't feel it's fair for someone who wants a female to have to pay more than someone who wants a male, and it's not fair to me to do the same amount of work and lose just as much sleep but get paid less for one puppy, just because it was born a certain color or gender. I work hard to raise each puppy as if it were my own and I have put years of work into making sure I have the best adults to create the prettiest and best tempered dogs. So the price is going to be made simple by saying I charge $2000 per puppy regardless of gender or color, or $2500 for a "tcup" sized one because they are more rare and require a lot more work on my part when they are so tiny.
I used to charge different prices due to color or gender. However, I don't feel it's fair for someone who wants a female to have to pay more than someone who wants a male, and it's not fair to me to do the same amount of work and lose just as much sleep but get paid less for one puppy, just because it was born a certain color or gender. I work hard to raise each puppy as if it were my own and I have put years of work into making sure I have the best adults to create the prettiest and best tempered dogs. So the price is going to be made simple by saying I charge $2000 per puppy regardless of gender or color, or $2500 for a "tcup" sized one because they are more rare and require a lot more work on my part when they are so tiny.
Maltipoo Puppies: $2000 Each It's not every litter but if there is a Teacup sized maltipoo it will be $2500.
Purebred AKC Champion Maltese Puppies: $2500.
*I am a licensed breeder...for every puppy I raise I owe almost $200 in taxes but I dont want to put that expense on the new family so I cover those fees for you. Yes my prices are high, but I also do more work than any other breeder I know to make sure you get a puppy that's already used to a family schedule. Please keep that in mind when deciding if my puppies are worth the price you pay. (almost every past family has responded with "worth every penny!)
A few things that determine my prices are quality(my stud, Zeus has Champion bloodlines!), supplies used, time invested, and the amount of vet bills we've inquired for their care. And the biggest reason my puppies are not cheap is the fact I put more time and work into my puppies than any other breeder I've ever met! You won't find many who are willing to get up all through the night starting around 4 weeks old to start the crate training process like I do. (In fact I haven't found a single breeder who does this!) It's a LOT of work and with kids of my own it is very exhausting! I have to have some reimbursement for all the hard work or I'd be insane to keep raising puppies the way I do. :) And something else i've learned that i feel is a huge advantage of buying from me is that I will actually answer your questions almost immediately! Working with breeders that make you wait DAYS for an answer to your question is torture! When I'm excited and want to know about a puppy or dog, I want to know the answer yesterday haha! So I understand when you're trying to decide what breeder to trust and have questions for them you want to hear back soon. You will either get my response immediately or within a few hours...definitely SAME DAY! My personal experience has been that working with some breeders is so stressful because you'll send a list of questions but they'll only answer one, or they won't respond for days....so you panic thinking you're missing out on other puppies while you're left waiting for a response from them. Don't worry, ask my husband, it's like i become your slave during this process....he's seen me get up and let my dinner get cold because I was answering phone calls or responding to texts because I didn't want to make the family wait. I am trying to have some boundaries because I know I need to always have my family time come first, but I do understand how it feels to have to wait when you're anxious so I will respond quickly!
Initial cost for toy breeds seems high, so there are several things you should consider when deciding whether a puppy is worth the price you have to pay.
RED FLAGS TO BE AWARE OF!!!
(even if you do not buy from me PLEASE read this info and educate yourself about what to watch for with other breeders/kennels) One important thing to remember is that you usually get what you pay for. Most breeders will tell you what you want to hear....if you tell them you want a tiny 3-4 lb dog they will sell you a "tcup" one....but don't be surprised when your dog ends up being around 12 -15 lbs or more as an adult. I have personally had these frustrating experiences and this is why I try to give you the most accurate adult weight that i can possibly predict, usually determined by the parents weight and the weights of past puppies from those parents. This is why you should ALWAYS see your puppies parents/the breeders's home in person before you ever buy, or at least make sure you can trust the breeder before purchasing. ASK A LOT of questions...if the breeder doesn't want to help you and ease your fears, then they only want your money. IF it's hard to get them to help you BEFORE you buy a puppy, imagine how hard it will be to get help AFTER they have your money!! I have personally had breeders tell me the puppy won't be over 4-5 lbs when the parents are 10-12 lbs....I'm sorry but that does not normally happen! In fact, when you mix them, it is true one bonus is they have what vets refer to as "hybrid vigor" which seems to make for a healthier dog, but also for this reason the mixed breeds tend to turn out just a little HEAVIER than their parents. For example if both parents are 5 lbs your dog will probably be around 5-6 lbs full grown. Also question your breeder's integrity if they're telling you they have a 3 lb female that has produced 4 or 5 puppies in a litter! That's not even physically possible!! My 5 lb dog usually only has one or two...so run away if a breeder is claiming to have 2-3 lb adults that they're breeding. Tcup dogs are usually not healthy(just ask your vet), and you have to worry about "hypoglycemia", which is low blood sugar, so I actually try to stay away from producing tcup size dogs. I don't know anybody who wants to be in constant fear of their dog having a low blood sugar attack because they've missed a meal and has to go to the emergency vet once a month. To tell you how rare a "tcup" size dog is, in 9 years we've only had 2 to stay that small! So if a breeder is claiming they have them every litter...I'd run as fast as possible. If they'll lie about one thing, they're lying about much more.
Beware of breeders who ask for cash only (esp for deposits)...they do this so there is no paper trail (not only to avoid taxes) but its also a way that they dont have to keep their promises of health guarantees because you cant prove (without a lot of hassle) that the puppy came from them. And then the really dishonest ones can claim you never sent the deposit in the first place.
Also beware of breeders who claim their puppies are doggy door trained! This typically is a red flag for a puppy mill. They use the term doggy door trained and so families think they mean that they've been raised in their home and are trained to go outside. NO, this means they've been raised in a kennel, and there is a doggy door on the outside of their dog run, so they can go outside as they please. It does not mean they are housetrained and most times have never even been in a house except for the day you come to pick up your puppy. I have lots of reasons why buying a puppy from a kennel is a big mistake. One, you'll likely pay more in vet bills to get them healthy than if you just find a reputable breeder, even if their prices are much higher. Two, your puppy will have no problems peeing/pooping in it's own crate and will take months longer to housetrain because it's so used to having to be in a cage all it's life that the concept of holding it is just not there when they've been raised in a kennel instead of a home. Three, they do not have the genes to be the beautiful dog you think you're getting because most puppy mills do not care about the quality of the bloodlines in their adults, they also don't keep small dogs to breed like they claim. They want bigger females so they can produce more puppies. So they'll take a large female, claim she has all tcup size puppies, and make a huge profit this way. Some of the adults I've seen at these kennels aren't even TOY size, they're miniature poodles and that's how they have 6+ puppies in a litter and just claim they're "toy or tiny toy size" when you'll actually end up with a dog that's a medium size instead of lap size. Four, when they're raised in a kennel, and their parents have been raised in a kennel, they are probably used to constant barking because all they've been around is dogs...not people. So they will tend to be very yappy and be very nervous around people. Nobody likes a puppy who shakes all the time because they are scared to be held. I could keep going but you get the idea of why it's not in your best interest to support a puppy mill or kennel breeder.
OH, and if kennels have lots of different dog breeds that they raise....then they probably aren't very educated or passionate about the breeds they raise and they're not trying to produce the best quality of each breed, they're just in it for the money. Their website might be beautiful, but I wouldn't support breeders who have a ton of different dogs. Its also not hard for people to steal other breeders' pictures and claim they are their adults. If you don't go to their kennel (most won't let you inside of them) then you don't know what your puppy's parents actually look like! Most kennels have a "Nursery" set up where you will think their puppies are so spoiled...but even if they do spoil the puppy, the adults are probably not given the same treatment. I've never been allowed inside of breeder's kennels, they only let me see their nursery room. :(
Although prices vary depending on the breeder, you should keep in mind that those who can sell a toy breed dog for really cheap are probably cutting corners and not giving their adults nor the puppies vet care that they need. You should never support a breeder who will not give their puppies vet care and provide you with a health guarantee. Breeders who are not licensed are keeping all the profit so don't be offended when a licensed breeder wont take less, remember a chunk of that is going to sales tax if they eat the cost for their buyers like i do. I have had several people choose to go with a cheaper puppy they have found and then a few months later they have written to tell me they wish they had bought from me. A few people I've talked to have lost THOUSANDS of dollars by buying from someone else because they ran up so many vet bills trying to get the puppy healthy again, or there were health issues that caused them to have to return their puppy due to defects passed from the parents. Nobody wants to raise a puppy to find out a year later that it has health issues...so even if they offer a refund, think about how hard that would be to just "return your dog for a refund!" So buying cheaper isn't always a great idea...you could end up spending lots more in the long run. Always get from someone who uses the vet for their puppies shots and who isn't afraid to give you lots of references!
IF your husband (sometimes it's vice versa) is trying to convince you to get a "big dog" because they're cheaper as puppies...let him know you'll save in the long run! ;) As far as supplies go for the life of your toy sized dog, everything they need is cheaper because it is a smaller amount (for example, amount of food, flea/tick products, grooming bill). I owned Alaskan malamutes growing up and trust me I know what i'm talking about! I spent a fortune in food alone to feed those big guys! Loved my big boys to death, but once they passed away and I got a small dog, I really enjoyed being able to buy a bag of dog food and it lasting more than 2 weeks. :) And REALLY, REALLY, enjoyed NOT having to clean up bags of hair each season! But as always, this needs to be a family decision, and I won't sell to you until I'm confident everyone in your family will love this new puppy.
** Size of puppies cannot be guaranteed due to so many contributing factors that i have no control over....my estimates are from the "toy breed puppy growth chart" as well as past puppies sizes from the same parents. In 10 years of raising small breed dogs we've only had ONE puppy to ever grow way more than we anticipated....she was almost twice the size we originally estimated(11 lbs full grown instead of the 6 we expected). Vet says there is always a slim chance this can happen in nature. All the others have been right on my predictions or not more than 1 or 2 lbs off. NORMALLY, all our puppies are less than 10 lbs and average around 5-8 lbs full grown. (so far our biggest was 11 lbs, so ours are still smaller than what most breeders offer)
