[saltymalty]

Hi everyone. I am curious, how much is the "going rate" for a well bred, AKC maltese puppy? Here, on the east coast they seem to run from $1500 to $3000.

 

[LexiAndNikkisMom]

In the midwest (central IA specifically) the starting price is $500. When I was calling around they seemed to go up to around $1,000. Most were between $600-750 for a female puppy.

 

[doctorcathy]

i live in ca, i paid $1,000 and $1200. i saw some for around $600 too.

 

[Caesar's Mommie]

Caesar was 400 here.

 

[mylittlebella]

In in South Florida and it all depends on the size. You can find some for $500 (the larger ones) and they go up to ridiculous prices.

I paid $850 for Piccolina and since she died the lady that sold her to me bought me Bella from a breeder so I'm not sure how much she paid for her.

 

[nataliecmu]

I really couldn't find puppies for less then $900 here in Michigan. So, I ended up looking in Ohio.. It was worth the drive, Tini and Milo are very healthy and I really liked the breeder... we got them for $500 and $550. The breeder came down $100 on each because we got two!

 

[Elegant]

$2000 for Chanel in California.

The breeder shows them as well. When I was looking for a Maltese, even in Florida and in Michigan, the going rate was $2000 - $2500 for a female. Pricing for males is much less expensive.

~Elegant

 

[saltymalty]

Originally posted by Elegant@Sep 23 2004, 07:12 PM
$2000 for Chanel in California.

The breeder shows them as well.  When I was looking for a Maltese, even in Florida and in Michigan, the going rate was $2000 - $2500 for a female.  Pricing for males is much less expensive.

~Elegant
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Elegant,

Same thing goes here too. Males are less expensive than the females. I was told by another breeder (not the one I'm getting my puppy from) that the reason is because girls can have babies. As soon as she was done saying that, she said that she only sells her pups with spay/neuter agreements in the contract. So what gives with the price difference? Doesn't it become moot if the dog is spayed? And how about a boy who can "collect" stud fees? Shouldn't that be worth some added value? I am sure there is some valid reasoning for the difference in pricing, but dang if I know what it is.

 

[Brinkley & Neyland's Mom]

Prices here range from 400-800 best I can tell.
I got Brinkley in Oklahoma for 400...
Although he is priceless to me!!!!

 

[Brittany Lot]

My breeder (who shows) priced both males and females between $2000 and $2500 here in Ca. I get the impression that they are more popular in California...probably because they are "trendy" here.

 

[saltymalty]

Originally posted by Brittany Lot@Sep 24 2004, 12:05 PM
My breeder (who shows) priced both males and females between $2000 and $2500 here in Ca.  I get the impression that they are more popular in California...probably because they are "trendy" here.
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I think you're onto something. Your maltese is so beautiful. How do you keep it's coat so white?

 

[Maxismom]

Maxi cost 1700 New york

 

[lani]

 

[ButterCloudandNoriko]

Tlunn and I both live in Tennesse. And she's right. It's between 500-800. And Tlunn's also right about them being pricless. (not a mastercard advertisement

)

 

[Elegant]

Lani, who is your breeder? I live in LA county...just wondering!

~Elegant

 

[Brittany Lot]

Originally posted by saltymalty+Sep 24 2004, 10:17 AM-->

<!--QuoteBegin-Brittany Lot

@Sep 24 2004, 12:05 PM
My breeder (who shows) priced both males and females between $2000 and $2500 here in Ca.  I get the impression that they are more popular in California...probably because they are "trendy" here.
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I think you're onto something. Your maltese is so beautiful. How do you keep it's coat so white?
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Thanks! For tear stain prevention I use corn starch during the day and occasionally I'll use 3% hydrogen-peroxide at night. Other than that I don't do anything special I don't think.

Originally posted by Lani@Sep 25 2004, 03:13 PM
When I got Princess, Breeder was asking for $1500. She has champion bloodlines. I think anyone who charges $2500 is sooooooo ridiculous!!!! If people stopped paying such outrageous prices then these breeders would ask for less. I personally would never pay more than $1500 and that's if the parents are both champions.

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Champion bloodlines can really mean anything and doesn't necessarily secure that you are getting a quality dog. A breeder can claim "champion bloodlines" and you'll get a dog without full black points whose great-great-great-great-great grandfather was the "champion" of some random competition. I don't recommend spending $2000+ if you aren't well informed on such issues. It's important to understand what you are talking about when negotiating with breeders or it is possible to get scammed. Zoe's father was champion while her grandfather was the number one breeder/owner/handled maltese in the country in 2001. Combining a trendy area with a "champion quality" dog tends to lead to a high price. It doesn't make it "soooooooo ridiculous," it just makes it expensive.

 

[saltymalty]

I think that this is a very interesting discussion. I can say that our breeder is top-notch in terms of the quality of the pups. But I do have another question, do breeders usually negotiate the price for their pups? I definitely got the impression that price was non-negotiable.

 

[lani]

Elegant,

My breeder was a lady named Rose Rodgers out of Riverside, CA. Her business is called Maltese Falcon.

SaltyMalty,

I believe that anything is negotiable in life. After all, we as buyers are dealing from a position of strength. The breeder only has a small window of time to sell the puppy before it grows into a dog.

Brittany Lot,

That is a good point that people should be aware of. Since I was looking for a quality pet and not necessarily a show dog, that is why I decided that anything over $1500 was too much (you're right, I meant expensive, not ridiculous ). I guess that if people feel that $2000+ is worth it for a show dog, then it's their money, go for it, but I was just trying to say that to a certain extent it is the buyers who determine the price, and if we could send a message to the breeders that $2000 is too much to pay for a dog, then maybe they will start asking for less. After all, how can you put a price on a life? I can understand that it is a business, and that the breeder will need to recoup overhead and make a little profit on top to stay in business and earn a living, but how much profit is too much?

 

[ButterCloudandNoriko]

For me the only thing that really mattered was that they were purebred. Most of them guarantee that they're very healthy but, you can't even count on that. I had a friend who has a teeny weeny maltese, and she had a heart murmur. ButterCloud is very healthy and strong, but he always has ear issues and Noriko never does. Noriko's dad is a champion/show dog or whatever, but like why would that matter to me? I think the only thing you gotta look for in a dog is if he has the right personality that fits yours. But, that could change, too. I thought I brought home a mellow baby. Mellow my butt!

My brother and I are very different too! For example,my brother is so smart, he gets things instantly. And me? I swear I have ADD! I have to study 2-3 times harder to get the same grade he does. It took him a minute to do his accounting hw, and it took me all day! So I don't quite understand how they KNOW that this dog is a certain way.

Dude, what is my point! I dont know what my point is. I don't even know why I put my 2 cents in when I am sick! I'm so delirious! :wacko:

 

[jami]

I live in Ohio and here they go from 800 on up to 3000. I found Lacey in Pennsylvania and I paid 1000.00 for her. She has champion bloodlines going way back and she is just beautiful. She is wonderful so the price doesn't seem to be a problem to me at all. My breeder shows her dogs and breeds them. She keeps the ones that look like they can show. By the way, I went to Pennsylvania because of the breeder but also because she had a litter that would be available when I wanted to get a puppy. She kept Lacey an extra 2 weeks for me because of some traveling I had to do for work. So Lacey didn't come home until she was 14 weeks old. The main thing is to find a breeder that you are comfortable with. I looked for almost a year until I found a breeder I liked and who liked me. Many breeders here in Ohio didn't want to talk to me until the puppies were born and I wanted to find a breeder that would let me see the parents and home before I committed. My breeder let me see Lacey's parents before she was born. I couldn't meet Lacey until she was at least 6 weeks old and then my breeder let me visit and get to know Lacey and learn how to take care of a maltese before I brought her home.