Thinking of getting a puppy? Before you do, ask yourself the one question many new dog owners forget: can i afford a puppy?
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement, but how much does a puppy cost—not just to bring home, but to raise well—is something every future pet parent needs to know.
In this episode, I’m breaking down the real costs of puppy ownership—from initial adoption or breeder fees to gear, training, vet bills, and surprise expenses. I walk you through the full picture of first year puppy costs, plus what to expect for puppy expenses month-to-month. If you’ve ever googled “how much does a puppy cost per month,” this episode is for you!
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Why the question “can i afford a puppy“ is about more than just the adoption fee
- A full breakdown of how much does a puppy cost—including breeder vs. rescue options, gear, vet care, and more
- What to expect when calculating how much does a puppy cost per month, from food to flea prevention
- The sneaky, unexpected puppy expenses that could throw off your budget (and how to plan for them)
- Real numbers and personal stories that reveal the truth about first year puppy costs and how to plan smart
If you’re wondering can i afford a puppy, or asking yourself how much does a puppy cost, you’ll get real answers, not just rough estimates.
I cover both ends of the spectrum—budget-friendly options and premium care—so you can make the best decision for your lifestyle and your future dog.
Tap play and get the full scoop on how much does a puppy cost per month, how to navigate first year puppy costs, and how to plan ahead for all the puppy expenses coming your way.
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Connect with Staci Lemke:
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT:
[00:00:00] Staci Lemke: So you’re thinking about getting a puppy. You’re picturing the wagging tail, the puppy breath, the snuggles on the couch. Maybe you’re even dreaming of road trips, hiking excursions, outings to the dog beach, or how cute your pup’s gonna look. In that little bandana, you’ve probably already thought about the basics.
[00:00:19] Staci Lemke: What breed fits my lifestyle? Should I adopt from a rescue or go through a breeder? Do I have enough time to train a puppy right now? All great questions, but here’s the one most people don’t ask until they’re already knee deep in chewed up shoes and vet bills. Can I actually afford a puppy? I. Not just today, but for the next 10 to 15 years.
[00:00:42] Staci Lemke: If this is you, then you’re in luck. Today on the Well-Mannered podcast, we are breaking down the real cost of getting a puppy from adoption fees, to vet visits, to training food, and all of those sneaky little expenses that catch you off guard. We’re giving you a complete budget breakdown. To help you plan wisely and start strong.
[00:01:05] Staci Lemke: Welcome to the Well-Mannered Mutt Podcast. I’m Staci Lemke, certified professional dog trainer, registered veterinary technician, and proud owner of Manners for Mutts Dog Training. With over 20 years of experience, I’ve helped countless dog owners just like you build stronger, happier relationships with their furry friends.
[00:01:24] Staci Lemke: From private lessons to online courses, I’m here to help make life with your dog easier and more rewarding. I believe in training that is kind, fun, and scientifically proven. Positive reinforcement is at the core of everything I do because it’s the most effective way to teach your dog while strengthening your bond.
[00:01:44] Staci Lemke: Whether you’re tackling basic training, solving behavior challenges, or just looking for tips to keep your pup thriving. You are in the right place. So let’s dive into today’s episode and take the first step toward having the well-mannered mutt you’ve always dreamed of. Let’s start with the initial expenses.
[00:02:04] Staci Lemke: You know, the stuff that hits your wallet before your puppy even pees on your floor for the first time. The first major expense you’re gonna have is either the purchase or the adoption fee. From a breeder, you can expect to pay anywhere from $1,500 to $4,000 or more depending on breed, location, and lineage.
[00:02:22] Staci Lemke: When you buy from a reputable breeder and the emphasis is on reputable here, your money is going toward a long list of carefully managed expenses and planning. These include health testing. The parents a good breeder invests in genetic screening, hip and elbow certification, eye and heart tests, and even more depending on the breed, these ensure that the breeding stock are not passing down preventable diseases.
[00:02:51] Staci Lemke: Then there’s the care for the mother and the puppies. There’s high quality food and supplements for the dam. That’s the mother dog regular vet care before, during, and after pregnancy. Whelping supplies and emergency care if needed, and then there’s raising those puppies. They should be raised in a clean, stimulating environment with a safe indoor outdoor space.
[00:03:13] Staci Lemke: They should implement socialization protocols such as exposure to sounds people and other pets, and they should be begin potty training foundations. There’s paperwork and registration, so AKC, which is the American Kennel Club, or other registry fees, microchips. Many puppies come with a microchip, first vet visits and first vaccines and health guarantees and contracts.
[00:03:36] Staci Lemke: You’re paying for the breeder’s time and expertise. Raising a litter is a full-time job for eight to 10 weeks. Breeders spend dozens of hours per week handling, observing, and caring for the puppies and screening potential homes. All of that adds up. And reputable breeders usually make just enough to cover their costs, not massive profit margins.
[00:03:59] Staci Lemke: If you decide to go with a rescue, and I encourage you to do that, you’re usually looking at about a hundred dollars to $500, and that often includes your vaccine, your spay, or neuter, and your microchip. While the adoption fee is significantly lower, rescues also put a lot into each dog. The difference is that rescue organizations are often non-profit funded by donations, grants, and volunteers.
[00:04:25] Staci Lemke: Your adoption fee helps cover spay and neuter core vaccines like distemper, parvo, and rabies deworming and fleer tick prevention. A microchip and sometimes additional treatments like dental work or care of any injury. Rescues also have to cover the cost of foster homes or kennel boarding crates, beds, toys, any cleaning supplies, many rescues, transport puppies from overcrowded shelters, rural areas or other states, which means you have to pay for gas tolls, vehicle wear, and time.
[00:04:59] Staci Lemke: Some rescues even provide training, assessments, basic manners, or help matching puppies with appropriate homes. The lower adoption fee is possible because rescues, fundraise, rely on volunteers and aren’t aiming to make a profit. But that doesn’t mean these puppies are cheaper to care for. It just means that someone else is helping cover the cost.
[00:05:20] Staci Lemke: So yeah, it’s already a big difference, but we’re just getting started. Once you get that new puppy home, there are some initial but necessary expenses. There’s your first vet visit, even if your puppy comes with vaccinations. It’s smart to get a wellness check within the first few days. Plan on two to $400, depending on your vet and what’s needed.
[00:05:41] Staci Lemke: There’s vaccines and preventatives. You’ll need a series of puppy vaccines, usually starting between six and eight weeks and continuing every few weeks until around 16 weeks. Your budget for that should be a hundred to 300 if it’s not already included when you get your puppy. Some breeders or rescues included.
[00:06:00] Staci Lemke: If not expect to pay anywhere from 250 to $2,000 for a spay or a neuter, depending on your dog’s age, breed size, where you live and where you take your pup for the procedure. I know that sounds like a really large discrepancy, so let’s just break it down a little bit more. Where you go to get your spay neuter done can affect the cost.
[00:06:23] Staci Lemke: There are low cost clinics or shelters, and these are often subsidized by grants or donations, so you might pay as little as $500 or as much as say, $300. Some areas even have mobile clinics or community events with deeply discounted rates. Then there’s private veterinary hospitals. These charge more because they offer individualized care.
[00:06:45] Staci Lemke: Full blood panels, pre-op exams, post-op pain meds, and more attentive monitoring during anesthesia, expect 500 to a thousand dollars or even more at a private veterinary hospital, and then there are 24 hour specialty clinics that may charge up to $2,000, especially if the procedure is more complex. A small 10 pound chihuahua is much easier and faster to do surgery on than a hundred pound Great Dane.
[00:07:11] Staci Lemke: Large or giant breeds need more anesthesia, more time, and may have higher surgical risk. Some breeds, especially deep chested or brachiocephalic dogs like bulldogs require extra care and monitoring, which increases costs. So in case you don’t know, brachiocephalic just means a very flat nose. So think Bulldog French Bulldog, pug.
[00:07:34] Staci Lemke: Puppies are typically easier and cheaper to spay or neuter than older dogs. And if your dog has already gone through a heat cycle or has certain medical complications like an undescended testicle or is pregnant, the procedure can be more involved and more expensive. I. The level of care provided can also affect the cost.
[00:07:52] Staci Lemke: As I said earlier, high-end veterinary hospitals often include pre-surgical blood work, IV fluid, advanced monitoring equipment, laser surgery, which can reduce recovery time, post-op pain management, and take home meds. All of that adds up to a higher but often safer experience. The bottom line, basic, safe, affordable options do exist, especially through local shelters or spay neuter programs.
[00:08:19] Staci Lemke: If you choose a full service veterinary hospital, you’re paying for more personalized care and lower surgical risk. It’s not about cheap versus expensive. It’s about a understanding what’s included and choosing the best option for your puppy and your peace of mind. You got a puppy dreaming of fuzzy snuggles and sweet puppy breath.
[00:08:39] Staci Lemke: But instead, you and all your possessions are full of teeth marks. Sound familiar? What if I told you raising a puppy doesn’t have to be like this? Join me in my online course. Help My puppy is biting me to get step-by-step instructions on how to teach your puppy what’s appropriate to bite and chew on and save your hands and arms.
[00:09:00] Staci Lemke: Don’t sacrifice another pair of your favorite shoes. Go to manners for mutts.com/puppy. Biting to sign up. Now, moving on, we have gear and supplies, so you’re gonna need things like a crate, bed, bowls, leash, harness ID tags, cleaning supplies, toys. The list gets long, really fast. Initial setup can run around 150 to $400.
[00:09:27] Staci Lemke: What I tell my clients is not to spend money on fancy things when you first get your puppy. Because they’re either gonna chew it up or they’re gonna grow out of it. Wait until they’re fully grown and over the puppy stage, and then buy the fancy stuff. There’s the cost of training, and please don’t skip this one.
[00:09:43] Staci Lemke: Training is important. Even if your puppy is cute and cuddly, they’re going to need to help learning how to live in our world. A good group class is gonna run you two to $400 private sessions, they’re optional, but can be very helpful. Expect to pay a hundred to $200 per hour. So when we add all that up, your total upfront cost.
[00:10:05] Staci Lemke: A breeder pup. Anywhere from 2,400 to $6,000 or more. Your rescue pup, total upfront cost 450 to 1300. And again, these numbers are just estimates. Just to give you an idea, a lot of it is gonna depend on where you live and where you get your puppy and what kind of puppy, and all of that stuff. Okay, so that’s your initial investment.
[00:10:28] Staci Lemke: Now let’s talk about what it actually costs to live with this adorable creature every month. So food for a medium sized dog, expect to spend at least a hundred dollars a month on quality food. Bigger dogs are going to eat more tiny dogs a bit less. So, just to give you sort of an example, I have two Australian Shepherds.
[00:10:49] Staci Lemke: They’re about 30 pounds and 40 pounds a piece. I feed them a fresh diet that is frozen and I just defrost it and give it to ’em. And between the two dogs, it is $300 per month. Then there’s preventative healthcare. This is things like heartworm medications, flea and tick preventatives, usually about $40 a month.
[00:11:11] Staci Lemke: Treats, toys, and entertainment. Yes, you will buy more than you think, and you will justify every single toy. Expect to spend $15 to $40 a month grooming if you’ve got a fluffy breed poodle or poodle mix. Regular grooming is non-negotiable. About $120 a month depending on the size of your dog and how you want them groomed.
[00:11:35] Staci Lemke: So shaving them down is gonna be cheaper than hand scissoring, a nice floofy little dog. Or you could learn to do it yourself. Pet insurance, and this is something that’s optional, but it’s worth considering. Vet bills can add up fast, especially if your dog gets a disease like cancer. Or gets hit by a car or something like that, insurance helps soften the blow, and most plans are between 30 and $75 a month.
[00:12:01] Staci Lemke: Again, that’s gonna depend on the type of dog you have, what your deductible is, how much coverage you want, and the age of your dog Also. Another optional expense would be a dog walker or a daycare. And again, this isn’t something that’s required, but if you work long hours or you travel on a regular basis, this is something you’re gonna need to consider.
[00:12:21] Staci Lemke: And it can be anywhere from a hundred to $600 a month depending on where you go. Or if you’ve got private in-home people coming to your house. Now we come to the surprise expenses or what I call the oops fund. And here’s where it gets real puppies, chew cords, eat socks, swallow things they shouldn’t, and unfortunately they don’t time their emergencies around your payday.
[00:12:44] Staci Lemke: Some things to budget for, emergency vet visits can be anywhere from 500 to $2,000, and believe me, $2,000 here in California. Is low balling. The last time I had an emergency with my dog and he got aspiration pneumonia and had to spend three days in the hospital, it was five grand, and this is where having pet insurance can really pay off.
[00:13:07] Staci Lemke: As an example, one of my clients had a dog that was having some heart problems and ended up having to have a pacemaker installed. Luckily, they had pet insurance to help cover the cost. Another thing you might consider is that if you ever have a family emergency and you have to travel, all of a sudden you may need last minute boarding or pet sitting, and that’s usually gonna cost you more than if you book in advance.
[00:13:32] Staci Lemke: Another thing to consider is that you’re going to have to replace any furniture or baseboards or shoes that your puppy chews up. So depending on how you manage your puppy’s environment. That can be priceless or it can be painful. Having a dedicated emergency fund and good pet insurance can make the difference between peace of mind and financial panic.
[00:13:55] Staci Lemke: So, is it all worth it? Well, let’s be honest, dogs aren’t cheap, but the love, companionship, fun and joy that they bring, that’s hard to put a price on still. It’s a commitment, not just of love and time, but of real money. So before you take the plunge, run the numbers, talk to a trainer. Talk to Yvette. Ask questions, plan ahead.
[00:14:18] Staci Lemke: Because when you do it right from the start, raising a puppy becomes a lot more joyful and a lot less stressful. Thank you for joining me today and taking the time to help your dog become a more well-mannered mutt. If you’ve got questions about today’s episode or an idea for a topic you’d love to hear about, let’s connect.
[00:14:37] Staci Lemke: You can find me on Facebook and Instagram at Manners for Mutts. Also, be sure to visit manners for mutts.com for links, resources, and more. If this episode helped you and your pup, I’d be thrilled if you left a review on Apple Podcasts. Your feedback helps me create even more content to support you and your furry friend.
[00:14:59] Staci Lemke: Talk to you next time.
