We are actively looking to add a New Havanese Puppy to our family. Our current Havanese was available on Petfinder when we adopted him at 10 weeks old and didn't even know he was a Havanese. Trying to find another Havanese and not necessarily looking for a championship pedigree but have grown to love the Havanese breed. We are in NC and can make reasonable driving accommodations however it seems many breeders can really overprice new puppies. I understand the old saying you get what you pay for yet I still believe there are Havanese Breeders who are moderate and want to find what is best in providing a loving and safe home for the pups.
Does anyone know of anyone with current litter of Havanese puppies that willing to provide moderate offers to a good Home? Please let me know and e-mail me at W.Forsythe@Hotmail.com.
Please no scammers as my wife was already heartbroken by some of these scammers out there. [
Welcome! What a cutie!!! I too am looking for a Havanese, waiting is so hard! Every single breeder I have asked all along the East coast has said their puppies are $2500. Good luck!!
I am afraid that is the right price range for a well bred Havanese breeder who is doing what they should in terms of health testing and raising their puppies properly. And beleive me, they are NOT making a lot of money on puppies at this price. You may find some a bit lower and some higher. But that is right in the right ballpark. Significantly under that, and you aphave someone who is cutting corners. And I don’t mean just in terms of “show dogs”.
Welcome to Havanese Forum. You have a great looking Havanese!
Check this current thread with regards to prices paid by HF members for their Havanese: https://www.havaneseforum.com/6-gen...-what-did-you-pay-your-purebred-havanese.html
Realize that many members purchased their dogs 5 - 10 - 15 years ago so that skews the price range lower. In fact, I expect my dog would be at least 50% MORE than what I paid for him 6 years ago (and that would still be a bargain for what I have) I would expect that a good Havanese will have all the right testing and genetics to expect one that will be healthy, sturdy, intelligent, and some basic training before being sent home to their forever family. In my opinion, that will be a Havanese puppy in the $2000 to $3000 price range. If you want a Havanese with the potential to be a show dog, expect prices to be much higher than that.
It is possible to find a "bargain" in the marketplace. But that usually includes a lot of heartache and a much higher cost in the long run with potential severe medical issues, behavioral issues, and perhaps a shorter life span than the normal 15+ years. So be very careful about "bargains" because they are not "bargains" in the long run.
If you do find something that appeals to you, I recommend that you run the breeder past this forum before you put down any money. You would be surprised at how some breeders get certain reputations (some good and some bad) and often someone on this forum will know about their reputation (good or bad).
As an aside, I spend more PER YEAR on my Havanese than I paid for him originally. The expenses include high quality (expensive) food, frequent grooming to keep his coat in tip top condition, toys & equipment, and minor (but expensive) medical attention to keep him at the peak of good health..................and he is worth every last 100 dollar bill of all that! :wink2:
If money is tight I would seriously reconsider getting a second dog. I would not want to sacrifice the quality of care I provide for my first dog to get a second one. A second dog means more time and more money. Good quality food and vet care are not cheap. And if you use groomers or dog sitters that adds to the expensive. If you are planning on doing your own grooming, you can save money but this means more time. Although Havanese are generally healthy, I would prepare for for unexpected. They can get injured or ingest something bad or wind up with some unforeseen health issue which could cost even more money. And if you get one from a breeder who is not reputable, the chances of a health issue go up. I personally think a single dog can be just as happy as one in a multiple dog household. You may have lucked out with the dog you got on PetFinder, however I read some of the bios on their dogs and there are some very sad cases out there. I admire people who have a heart for rescues but I know I could not deal with one.
Havanese puppies are in great demand. We are currently getting about a thousand inquiries a year for the around 20 puppies we produce-around three inquiries a day, on average. Other breeders tell us the same thing. None of the breeders we know would have a puppy available for maybe up to a year, by being on their waiting list.
Your dog is beautiful! How old is he, and what is his name?
I agree with what everyone has responded so far. I have occasionally wished we had a second dog, but DH is adamant that Shama will be our only dog until we are both retired. Somewhere in this forum is a thread about how dogs don't actually need dog siblings, meaning a person doesn't need to get a dog for their dog. A person should only get a second dog if they have the love, time, and finances to do so (and if the first dog would get along with the second). If you really want a second Havanese, maybe you could get your name on some of the longer waiting lists for a high quality puppy and start saving up your money in the meantime.
Alternatively, you could check with breeders to see if they have older dogs they are considering parting with as they would cost less than a puppy. After Shama's real mama was done breeding, the breeder sold her to a man in California who didn't mind that she was a bit older. A local (MN) breeder is selling a four year old that she held onto for a long time thinking that she would eventually breed her and that she really loved. We (meaning me and not DH) briefly considered adding her to our household.
Good luck, and welcome to the forum! Hope to hear from you again!
We got our puppy from NC and that’s what we paid. I researched for 6 months and prices are a bit higher on the East coast versus West. We made the mistake of going cheaper with our first Havanese and regret it. We love him dearly but the money we saved we lost several times over in vet bills during the first few years. We did the opposite with our third Havanese. She is 1.5 years old and her health has been perfect!
I believe the popularity and expenses account for the price. It is expensive to breed dogs. Think of all of the medical costs alone. Just consider testing, other training, food, and care. Prices increase on everything with time. In 2004, I adopted my Bichon cost was approximately $ 800-$1000 then in 2011, I adopted my Yorkie for approximately $1400-$1500. The cost of Bichons in my area has more than doubled. Yorkies are more common here but still costly. I didn't realize the cost on the east coast differs from the west but it could be because of popularity and demand. In my area, you don't see Havanese dogs.
Years ago when my Bichon, Kirby was alive you rarely saw a Bichon. The first one I spotted was actually out of town visitors who noticed it as well. When we spoke, they commented, " so that's why people here keep asking if their dog is a poodle"!
Same here Ricky! Our 3rd Havanese is 17 months old and our first girl. I don’t even want to crunch the numbers from the past 15 months. Yes on quality food, vet visits, toys, a variety of matching collars for all 3 of them (each with its own tag), enough hair accessories to last our girl’s entire life and I think I’ll stop now😋 We’ve lived below our means for 20 years and now it’s paying off.
Even “backyard breeders” and less experienced breeders price their puppies very similarly to breeders with good reputations, from what I have seen recently. The only time I have seen puppies selling for noticeably less is when they have been sold privately on Craig’s list (in breach of contract). I would be really suspicious of any puppy that is less expensive, because the only way to do that is by cutting costs unethically, by breeding much more frequently (puppy mills) or raising puppies in very poor conditions, without veterinary care, etc. As others have said, these good breeders really aren’t profiting. I’ve heard many say they consider it a bonus when and if they finally break even.
You may hear suggestions outside the forum that more commercial operations walk the line between puppy mill and reputable breeder, and occasionally price puppies lower. The big caution here is when there are too many puppies to provide the individual care and attention they need, it’s particularly evident in a breed like Havanese. In addition to potential potty training and health issues, that early socialization window that is really critical to development, especially in a household with another dog or children/grandchildren, is neglected.
I really don’t think there is a such a thing as a “middle of the road” anymore. Or maybe it’s that the “middle of the road” price of $2500 is what I imagined the price of a show dog to be, when in reality the show dog is twice as expensive.
There are quite a few threads on finding breeders, including a great recent thread about health testing, that you could look through here on the forum. Since the waiting lists are quite long, it does give you time to really get to know breeders and find one you trust. It’s especially important where you already have a Havanese, because working with a breeder skilled at temperament matches with families is especially helpful.
I really don't think there is a such a thing as a "middle of the road" anymore. Or maybe it's that the "middle of the road" price of $2500 is what I imagined the price of a show dog to be, when in reality the show dog is twice as expensive.
The thing is, these "show/breeding" puppies aren't available for a "higher price" They aren't available AT ALL to the average person. EVERY.SINGLE.BREEDER I know personally will not place a puppy they have bred with someone that they do not know very, VERY well personally on a show/breed contract for ANY price. They would much prefer to place their very best puppy in a top-notch PET home on a limited registration than see that puppy get into the wrong hands, exploited in the wrong way for the wrong purposes. So in my eyes, if I saw a two-tiered price structure for puppies on a breeder's webs site, that would be an immediate red flag.
Even then, when a dog is placed in a show or potential breeding home, as often as not, the breeder retains co-ownership of the puppy, and the new "co-owner" would STILL pay the full purchase price of the puppy. The contract would specify when how full ownership would transfer to the puppy owner. That is how Panda came to me. Her breeder and I co-owned her for the first year and a half. That was fine with me, because her breeder and I are good friends, and I was perfectly happy to work with her on the decisions we made for Panda. (and she ALWAYS let me have the final say) It doesn't always work out so amicably though, so buyer beware.
Tom King has a number of times stated something like, they enjoy breeding the occasional "Best in Show" puppy, but what REALLY makes them happy is breeding "Best in Home" puppies. And I think, ESPECIALLY in the case of a companion breed like ours, where highest and best use IS as a companion animal, that should be the goal of ALL breeders.
Yes, I saw it right after I posted. Just another second or 2 and I wouldn’t have embarrassed myself. Sorry, I’m trying to remember that I can’t literally accomplish 3 things at once.
I forgot to add, I love the cute photo of your Havanese on the chair!
My husband thought it was completely insane to pay more than a couple hundred dollars for a dog. I’m not a big spender, though, and he eventually came around, but it was because he loves me and not because he was excited about spending that much. Sometime before our puppy was 6 months old I ended up at the vet because he ingested something and I sent my husband the estimates for the xrays, and then for the surgery if it didn’t pass. He immediately responded, whatever it takes! He wants another Havanese, too. They’re just so easy to fall in love with
I forgot to add, I love the cute photo of your Havanese on the chair!
My husband thought it was completely insane to pay more than a couple hundred dollars for a dog. I'm not a big spender, though, and he eventually came around, but it was because he loves me and not because he was excited about spending that much. Sometime before our puppy was 6 months old I ended up at the vet because he ingested something and I sent my husband the estimates for the xrays, and then for the surgery if it didn't pass. He immediately responded, whatever it takes! He wants another Havanese, too. They're just so easy to fall in love with
Sounds like "Dave the dog hater" in our house. LOL! Started out "NO DOGS"
Eventually, it was "I still hate dogs, but Kodi is the exception"
Now he has TOTALLY caved and can talk dogs with the best of them. To the extent that a couple of years ago, I talked it over with the Kings to make sure they were OK with it and added His name to Pixel's papers so that he is OFFICIALLY Pixel's owner. Of course it doesn't really change anything (other than costing me $30 or something) But he LOVES the fact that she is OFFICIALLY "his dog".
My husband also couldn’t believe the money, but then he cost us WAY more than that with everything he’s eaten (chocolate bar took us to the ER in the middle of the night), the time he got kennel cough and was coughing so hard he was making himself throw up (thanks groomer), that time he jumped as a puppy and broke his paw (we have an amazing vet and thank god it healed perfectly in a cast without surgery). What I feed him lol. Toys. Now he doesn’t bat an eye at any of it.
Get vet insurance. The puppy cost is the least of it.
And for some reason Havanese run 1500-2000 here. Literally every breeder charges this. BUT yorkies and Maltese are super popular. Lists for years. And easily 4-5k. Supply and demand!
You are right Melissa. A puppy costs so much more than the initial deposit and price. But they are worth it. The love they give is priceless. I know you didn't think twice about that ER visit or the care. You just want them well and healed and the relief softens the medical bill cost.
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