When you start searching for any purebred dog, one of your first questions is naturally regarding price.
- How much is a Pomeranian?
- What do people usually pay for German Shepherd puppies?
- Why does someone on Craigslist ask $300 for a puppy but breeders want $800 for the same breed?
Yes, we know how you feel. Once you start searching for a puppy, you start to see a big difference in price and would preferably like to avoid getting ripped off, so here you are searching for answers. Luckily, we can help!
In addition to discussing the cost of Pomeranians, we’ll also provide you with some general tips to help you understand how to “shop for dogs.”
We have spent months looking for dogs ourselves; contacting breeders, writing e-mails, following Facebook pages and perusing forums. You’ve probably done the same thing (or have just started to), so you will find this condensed version of everything we learned to be very useful.
It will help make your search for a Pomeranian much easier!
How Much Is a Pomeranian Going to Cost Me?
We searched far and wide to provide you with an accurate price range, using resources such as PetPom, Reference and even a few breeder websites to see what they were asking for a Pomeranian.
- Our Verdict: $500-$1600
One professional Pom breeder wanted a $4000-$5000 (gasp!) for some of their puppies, which is way too overpriced for the average shopper.
Another breeder asked $1600 for a puppy with an AKC pedigree, which would probably be our absolute maximum if we were looking for a potential show champion that would be competing on a regular basis.
Additional Costs to Consider
If you need to travel to pick up your puppy or if someone will be bringing the puppy to you, then you will need to factor in the additional costs.
Many official breeders cannot ship puppies by airplane any longer, which means you would either need to fly directly to the breeder to pick it up (add on the ticket price) or organize a professional pet escort to bring the puppy to you.
If you’re lucky, the amount of money you spend won’t increase too much since you live close to the breeder.
How Price Is Determined
We can almost hear you asking yourself aloud, “Why in the heck does a teeny little fur ball like that cost so much?”
We could ask why baby clothes cost almost as much as adult clothes for the same reason.
The answer is that price and size have nothing to do with one another. It all depends on the pedigree of the dog (whether or not they have one), the age, the overall health and many other small factors.
We will take a look at a few to help further clarify your, “How much is a Pomeranian?” question.
- Age of Pomeranian. As PetPom mentions in their article, “The window of time to sell a puppy is between 6 weeks…to 8 weeks old…”
6-8 weeks is when puppy prices are usually the highest.
As the weeks roll by, the price usually goes down, so if you don’t mind getting a puppy that is slightly older, you can probably save a bit of money.
Just remember that the longer the puppy spends with the breeder and the breeder’s family, the more habits he or she will pick up from them. It certainly isn’t a reason to avoid a puppy, but if you want a puppy to imprint on your family, it is best to purchase it as young as possible.
Adult Poms with a pedigree might still have a decent asking price, so don’t assume that just because a dog is older that it will cost less.
- Pedigree. If the Pomeranian has a pedigree, the price will be a bit higher. It depends on the parent’s and grandparents’ success in the show ring and how many awards they have won.
Some private families who breed dogs (not serious breeders) may have parents with a pedigree but decide not to get them for the puppies. Getting a pedigree costs money and some don’t want to pay for it, which means that the price would probably be lower. If it isn’t, then you certainly shouldn’t be shy about asking them to reduce the price because the puppies do not have the pedigree.
Poms without a pedigree usually cost closer to $750, and you might even find some breeders that only ask $500 if they really want to sell the puppy. It is, after all, an expense to keep an maintain one!
If you pay anything less than $500, there is a higher risk that you are purchasing an unhealthy, puppy-mill dog.
- Health. So, how much is a Pomeranian with a pedigree but that has health issues?
Good question.
Some breeders are very honest about a puppy’s health issues and let potential buyers know that there is a problem up front. They might even give you the puppy at no cost if the health issue is serious enough (not life-threatening, but it could be something that will require medication for life or the puppy might have an abnormal bone structure, to give you an example).
If the breeder is not giving the dog away for free to a loving home, then we wouldn’t recommend that you pay any more than the Transfer of Ownership fee (and Pedigree fee if the dog has one).
On the AKC website, the combination of these fees is a total of $49, just to give you an idea.
What About Pomeranians Without a Pedigree?
We are of the mind frame that, regardless of pedigree, health, size or color, every dog is in need of a home.
The sad reality is that not every dog is lucky enough to find one, and many of you out there shopping for a Pomeranian prefer a healthy one that can grow old with you based on the money you spend.
Beware of Puppy Mill Dogs.
One of the biggest fears of those shopping for a dog is that they will get a “puppy mill” dog.
There are two reasons that one should avoid spending money on a dog from a puppy mill: the first is that you are supporting these horrible establishments by giving them your money.
The second – and most tragic – is that the puppies from these places are usually ill. Their living conditions increase the likelihood of disease, some are born as a result of inbreeding, and many usually have health issues that end up costing a fortune in vet bills. Some simply don’t survive for very long.
If the puppy does live, there is still a chance that he or she might suffer from serious health issues later on in life.
We found this video to be quite informative and useful. It doesn’t have many views, but the tips that the woman offers are really quite valuable and help you understand how to avoid purchasing a puppy from a puppy mill (and some of the most common red flags to keep an eye out for).
Other Pomeranians
Rescuing and fostering are also other ways to enjoy the breed, and the costs will obviously be much lower.
Senior Poms might cost very little or even be free, but just remember that you’ll probably have higher vet costs as they age.
Fostering could be for a few weeks, or it could be for a few months, so if you have the time to dedicate to a Pom as a foster mom or dad, this is another alternative so that you avoid spending so much money for a puppy.
General Info About the Pomeranian Breed
If you’d like some more general info about this particular breed, we found this video to be informative and thought it gave a pretty accurate overview of these feisty little fur balls!
Our Sources
http://www.petpom.com/cost-of-pomeranian
https://www.reference.com/pets-animals/average-price-pomeranian-puppy-cace872b3fd83a7d
