How Much Does it Cost to Start a Dog Breeding Business? (Solved!)

It depends on the scale of your business. Starting off with one or two pairs of dogs, for instance, and running your business from your home could cost as little as $5000 to start up, though you’ll need some DIY skills for building things you’ll need such as kennels.

More realistically, you’ll want to bank on it costing you anywhere from 15 – 25k, so that you can obtain quality breeding stock, food supplies, housing, and budget for the vet visits that you will need to maintain healthy animals and ensure that pups get their vaccinations.

The Small Business Administration can help and is worth looking into. If qualified, you may be able to get a loan to help you to start your business, but you will need to check and ask about the SB7 (a) loan to learn more.

In this article, we’ve compiled a list of questions trending highly on the web this week when it comes to the subject of dog breeding for profit. It’s not easy, but it can definitely be lucrative if you do things right – read on to learn more about what you should know if you want to breed dogs for profit!

How much money can you make breeding dogs?

That’s going to depend on you, as well as the quality of the dogs that you are breeding, and how many litters are produced every year.

For instance, with French Bulldogs, the pups can go for $3500 each, on average, so if you just had 2 breeding pairs producing 4 litters per year, and assuming 6 pups per litter than you are making $84k per year before subtracting your costs.

There’s a little more to the business, of course, but those are your gross calculations to give you an idea. Breeding can be profitable, provided you are breeding the right dogs, but usually the profits will be lower as it is more of a labor of love for most breeders.

Is breeding dogs a good investment?

It can be a profitable investment or it can break you financially. While breeding looks good on paper, most breeders love their dogs and providing the very best can be more expensive than you think.

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For one thing, unless you buy a breeding pair, you’ve got to isolate specific traits that command a higher collar and that takes time and a lot of your pups will be less profitable. Factor in building enclosures, high-end foods, and vet costs and things can start to get expensive.

Can it be a good investment? Definitely – but you need to put a lot of thought into your business model and you will need a practical approach. At first, you’re going to be lucky to break even if you are doing it right.

What is the most profitable dog to breed?

That depends – there are many profitable breeds, but certain dogs are going to be more in demand in certain locations and neighborhoods. Some examples of profitable breeds include the following:

  • Tibetan mastiffs – Puppies can cost $1500 up to $5000
  • Rottweilers – Pups can range $600 to $2500
  • French Bulldogs – Pups average around $3500
  • English Bulldogs – Pups can sell for $1000 up to $6000
  • German Shepherds – Pups can sell for $1500 and up

As you can see, the profits vary, but you also have to factor in demand. A lot of specialty breeds can sell for a pretty penny, but you need to make sure that there’s a market for them in your area.

Is being a dog breeder hard?

Yes, being a dog breeder is hard, especially is you love your dogs (which frankly, should be a rule). You will spend a lot of money acquiring or raising your breeding stock, plus you have to invest a lot of time taking care of your animals, raising them to be friendly and well-adjusted, and you also have regular vet costs.

People raise an eyebrow at pup costs all of the time, but they don’t think about how much time goes into producing those designer dogs with their perfect and interesting coats and temperaments. It’s hard work, but it can be happy work for the right person, too.

Can you get rich breeding dogs?

Some would argue that if you get rich breeding dogs, you might be doing it wrong. That said, you can certainly make a pretty penny, but don’t expect this to happen overnight.

Finding a proper balance between business and love of these animals is crucial if you are going to profit and you’ll need to develop a tough skin – it’s hard to let your babies go.

If you can do this by developing a system, such as interview techniques for potential owners to help you feel better about releasing the dogs, then you can definitely make a profit. Just don’t expect it to be easy.

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A lot of breeders have high hopes and they can end up living on a pittance with dogs they couldn’t place because they couldn’t let them go in good conscience.

Can dog breeding be a career?

Yes, provided that you are selling high-end, quality dogs and that you are business minded enough to create a solid model to help manage housing, vet, and feeding costs, then you can actually make a career out of breeding the best dogs.

For best results, get involved in your local breeding community. You can learn a lot of important lessons by simply asking for advice and this can make or break your success if you have the wisdom to learn from other’s mistakes.

Can I get a loan to start a dog breeding business?

Yes, you can, and the majority of commercial breeding businesses get started with the SBA (The Small Business Administration). This federal entity provides loans for such businesses, specifically the SB 7(a) loan.

So, when you are considering starting your own breeding business, you can start it off right if you do a little research into whether or not you might qualify for this loan.

Do you have to pay tax when breeding dogs?

Yes, like any business, you will have to have a business license and pay tax for any puppies that you sell. All of your business must be filed by means of a business form or through a schedule C that goes to the IRS.

Is it hard to start a dog breeding business?

Yes, it’s a lot of work, although there are a few things that you can do to get started faster. Instead of producing your own breeding pairs, you can purchase good breeding stock, and a loan from the SBA can also help you to do this, as well as to help obtain the equipment that you will need.

You’ll also need to advertise and Facebook dogs groups is a good start and you’ll want to register your business on Google business so that you can get feedback and word will spread to potential clients.

How many dogs should a breeder have?

Some commercial breeders have as many as 20, but it’s better if you start with a smaller number of dogs. You can give them more personal attention and if you are selling a high-end breed, such as French Bulldogs, then you can still make quite a tidy profit with just a small number of dogs as your breeding stock.

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