Mood:
a-okTopic: Costs of Redbones
Rob and I get calls from folks looking for hunt and show puppies, started, and finished dogs a lot. Many times, newcomers want to know how much a dog of a certain caliber will cost so I thought I'd give you my thoughts on the subject.
Rob and I have been raising these dogs for a long time and we've seen flucuations in the market but still, there are some steadfast rules of thumb that seem to stay true through the good and bad times. Ultimately, you get what you pay for-- I'll explain as I go.
First up: Puppies! How much should you expect to pay for an 8 wk old puppy?
Well, if you are just looking for a redbone pup and have no interest in hunting or showing the pup, you will likely have a little bit of difficulty finding a pup. Why? Because coonhunters, in particular, will not sell to pet homes as a general rule. This is because they do not breed for companion stock and therefore, the pups they create are bred with it's intended job in mind: to tree coon.
There are a few redbone kennels that seem to cater to a pet market. My opinion is that those are NOT reputable breeders nor reputable breeding practices so their puppies shouldn't be considered.
Instead, if you are looking for a pet/companion puppy- I would look for a reputable CAMPAIGNING kennel and would likely concentrate on show stock as they will be bred with a little less instinct/drive and may be more suitable as a pet.
With that said-- costs of a companion puppy will likely be around $450-700. A top quality show 8 wk old puppy will range between about $350-700. A top quality hunting bred puppy will range from $350-800, sometimes $1000.
With any given litter, we generally give a price break to active campaigning homes. This is because we understand how much time and money you will be investing to promote your Tree Rizin' puppy.
Keep in mind, that we generally retain more than one puppy from any litter that we are going to keep and once we thin those puppies back, "pick" puppies will generally cost a bit more than their littermates. You are getting an opportunity to essentially "bump" ahead of everyone that bought a puppy before you and take one of our keepers.
Now- hunting prospects.... if the dog is "ready to start" (has had no formal training) or "lightly started", expect to pay between @ $500-1000 depending on the breeding. If the dog is "well started"-- running and treeing steadily with other dogs and/or treeing his own coon occasionally: $800-1200. If the dog is running and treeing his own coon consistently: $1500-2500. For a competition quality hound (or a nice young finished hound), you should expect to pay between $2500-5000.
Remember- you are paying for work that you did not have to put into a started or finished hound and at about $350/month training fees, you can see that buying a finished hound certainly has it's merits.
For a national quality show prospect that is of show age- expect to pay $750-1000. For a proven show dog, you should expect to pay $1200-2000. For a finished, highly campaigned show dog: $2000 and up and a lot of times, these dogs/bitches will be sold with the breeder retaining breeding rights or a puppy back deal.
Everyone prices puppies and dogs differently. I would expect that with the AKC market now a reality, we can expect that prices may see a break between full and limited registration and I would also remind those looking for a show pup to be sure that they are doing their homework. Try to choose stock that is bred for dual purpose and show stock to keep the conformation where you want them.
For those looking for a pleasure hunting hound, look for breedings out of hunting bred stock rather than show stock.
Keep in mind, that the above guidelines are what Rob and I would personally be willing to pay for a dog of the caliber listed. I hope you find it helpful as you search for the perfect dog for you.
