Dogsey

I only wish Malka. Don't be mislead by thinking that puppy farms and back street breeders don't KC reg. If they are breeding back to back then they register one litter with the KC and the next one with one of these other type of reg places. They just don't go for Assured Breeder thats all
Buying from health tested dogs is the better way. Then doesn't matter if they are reg or not, it means the mother and father have had money spent on them for the basic health tests relevant to the specific breed.

No Malka I don't think it will stop folk buying from the wrong type of breeder.

On the subject, when I researched buying my puppy there were puppies advertised for around 400 up to over 1000, clearly the lower priced pups were from intensively breed puppy farms and the higher priced pups from established breeders (I hope!) I was fortunate to know someone who recommended a breeder to me but as puppy farming is such a problem this post made me wonder what good breeders spend the extra money on...

I would guess health checks, and quality food, vets, etc but I would be interested in a breeders comment, not at all saying the additional cost is not warranted just am genuinely interested. It is obvious when you are an experienced dog owner that if you cannot afford the initial cost you may struggle with on going costs but I feel if the general public were more aware of what goes into the 1000 they are paying fewer would go to puppy farms ...... or maybe that is a rose coloured view!

I only breed from health tested dogs, I have 4 girls of my own, 3 health tested, 1 is going for her hips and elbows in the next few weeks, and has already had her eyes done.
That is purely a one off cost though, the other tests are haemo and also DM, so you're talking getting on for £1k for each dog. On top of that you have your stud fee, again I only use health tested dogs, I have my girls checked out prior to mating and also blood tested so I know when they're ovulating, thats every other day for maybe a week to 10 days at £25 a time. She is also wormed prior to mating. After mating I have them vax with the Canine Herpes Vax, then it is a waiting game for 5 weeks until I get them scanned (£60), 1 week before whelping they have another Canine Herpes Vax. Also I am feeding them quite a bit by then. If anything goes wrong during whelping you can guarantee it is never within surgery hours, been lucky on that one so far though.
Once babies are born then they are vet checked and their mother checked within 24 hours. During her pregnancy she is wormed from day 40 to day 64, usually mine have had their babies by then though. Then I am worming the babies at 2 weeks, 5 weeks and 8 weeks. Also the mother is on about 5 small meals a day. I start weaning at 3 weeks, and also puppy pad training, I am on duty 24/7 and often sleep on the couch prior to whelping and for a few days after. It is a minimum 18 hour day, cleaning umpteen times a day, changing bedding, washer on all the time. If I paid myself £6 an hour even, just add it up as a weekly wage for a minimum 8 weeks, I don't pay myself, but surely I'm allowed something when it is all over with and I am catching up on my sleep. By the time the babies are 6 weeks old I'm spending about £50 a week on food, maybe more, I daren't add it up. At about 6 weeks they go for a litter eyescreen, they are also vet checked, microchipped, vax at 8 weeks, and registered with our Breed Registry (£9 a puppy). I've had some pretty horrendous vet bills when one of my puppies caught a tummy bug from one of the older girls, and then all of them got it, the most poorly one was in the vets for nearly a week on an iv, she made it through thanks to my vet, who also thought she wasn't going to make it.
Just a bit of what goes into rearing a litter, but not all, because there is bound to be stuff missed out, I mean there's fuel costs when you're taking the puppies to vet/eye appointments, lots of things you don't even think to include