How Much Do Dog Breeds Cost To Keep?

Updated November 29, 2020

Ever wondered how much it costs to keep different dog breeds?

Recently I saw a very unfortunate case. The dog was barely 12 months old and had already had LOTS of vet visits. The owners were at their wits end both emotionally and financially. It didn’t help when I said; ” That’s not uncommon for the breed”.

“How were we supposed to know?” they said. I had to agree there wasn’t an easy way. There should be.

Did you know it can cost over four times as much to keep some dog breeds as others? That doesn’t mean having a more expensive breed should be seen as a mistake. There isn’t a right or wrong dog breed as long as you’re prepared.

Later: A chart showing the cost of keeping common Adelaide dog breeds.
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NOW: How to read the chart.

The Major Costs Of Dog Ownership

Here are the five large expenses all dog owners should be prepared for. Prices are in Australian dollars & were accurate at the beginning of 2017.

Medical Care

Some breeds cost twice as much to insure as others! These differences are related to the cost of treating the health problems of different breeds.

I’ve used pet insurance data even though fees are probably higher than fund-it-yourself healthcare would cost (I estimate 25% extra). And of course just because a dog is known for a disease doesn’t mean it will happen every time. However, the costs should be in the right ballpark and allow us to compare dog breeds.

If this makes you wonder what are the benefits of dog insurance, follow the link to learn more!

Food

I’ve used the same high quality dog food that I feed my dogs (Hills VetEssentials) and extrapolated my older dog’s daily food intake, which is much less than the packet recommends. I’ve used the cheapest source of this food that I could find.

It’s still possible to feed dogs quality food more cheaply but not by a lot. It’s also possible my estimates for dogs over 40kg could be a little high.

Grooming

I’ve asked around for grooming prices, but I’ve assumed that short and medium coated dogs will be shampooed at home and not clipped.

Add extra if you use others to do your cleaning or get your dog clipped for summer (which they really love, by the way).

Preventative Health

These costs include:

• Annual health check and vaccination ($90 per year average in our clinic)
• Continuous heartworm control
• Monthly flea control
• 3-monthly intestinal worming

I hope you notice this is reliably the smallest of the four costs!

What’s Not Included?

I can’t put a dollar value on our time, but it’s precious, and all dogs need a lot of it every day. If dog ownership goes to plan, time will never feel like a cost, but it’s without a doubt your biggest investment in your dog.

Other less predictable costs can be associated with training, boarding, transport, public liability, home rents & mortgages, pet accessories etc. These aren’t included either.

I can’t accurately estimate for cross breeds but they should be at similar rates to dogs of the same size and breed.

And now the chart. If you want to see the actual dollar value for each breed, there’s a table at the end. Click here to see the average sizes of each dog breed used in the calculations. Follow this link to learn more about the diseases associated with different dog breeds.

Chart Of Dog Breed Costs

DOG BREED	ESTIMATED MONTHLY COST (AUD)
Afghan Hound	231
Airedale Terrier	151
Akita	203
Alaskan Malamute	194
American Bulldog	212
American Cocker Spaniel	131
American Staffordshire Bull Terrier	154
Australian Bulldog	192
Australian Cattle Dog	146
Australian Kelpie	140
Australian Koolie	140
Australian Shepherd	153
Australian Silky Terrier	87
Australian Terrier	94
Basenji	103
Basset Hound	158
Beagle	123
Bearded Collie	203
Bedlington Terrier	154
Belgian Shepherd	163
Bernese Mountain Dog	217
Bichon Frise	130
Border Collie	138
Border Terrier	95
Borzoi	206
Boston Terrier	117
Bouvier Des Flandres	198
Boxer	178
Briard	224
British Bulldog	169
Brittany	121
Bull Arab	210
Bull Terrier	175
Bullmastiff	261
Cairn Terrier	95
Cane Corso	296
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	106
Cavoodle	144
Chihuahua	82
Chinese Crested	87
Chow Chow	166
Clumber Spaniel	178
Cocker Spaniel	116
Collie	153
Curly Coated Retriever	181
Dachshund	107
Dalmatian	161
Deerhound	232
Dobermann	191
Dogue de Bordeaux	261
English Setter	164
English Springer Spaniel	142
Finnish Lapphund	130
Finnish Spitz	114
Flatcoated Retriever	179
Fox Terrier (Smooth)	98
Foxhound	170
French Bulldog	164
German Pinscher	141
German Shepherd Dog	188
German Shorthaired Pointer	173
German Wirehaired Pointer	171
Golden Retriever	174
Gordon Setter	183
Great Dane	267
Greyhound	181
Griffon Bruxellois	85
Havanese	128
Hungarian Vizsla	166
Irish Setter	174
Irish Terrier	109
Irish Wolfhound	261
Italian Greyhound	99
Italian Spinone	203
Jack Russell Terrier	89
Japanese Akita	203
Japanese Chin	102
Japanese Spitz	102
Keeshond	151
Kerry Blue Terrier	101
King Charles Spaniel	144
Labradoodle (standard/miniature)	187/144
Labrador Retriever	191
Lagotto Romagnolo	173
Lakeland Terrier	95
Lhasa Apso	130
Long-haired Dachshund	100
Lowchen	104
Maltese	131
Manchester Terrier	98
Maremma Sheepdog	206
Mastiff	346
Miniature Dachshund	94
Miniature Pinscher	87
Miniature Poodle	133
Miniature Schnauzer	120
Moodle	141
Neapolitan Mastiff	295
Newfoundland	284
Norfolk/Norwich Terrier	93
Norwegian Elkhound	140
Old English Sheepdog	236
Papillon	85
Pekingese	148
Pointer	166
Polish Lowland Sheepdog	231
Pomeranian	85
Portuguese Water Dog	168
Pug	106
Pugalier	114
Puli	165
Pyrenean Mountain Dog	228
Rhodesian Ridgeback	191
Rottweiler	248
Saluki	153
Samoyed	156
Schipperke	100
Schnauzer (Standard)	144
Schnoodle	140
Scottish Terrier	100
Shar Pei	177
Shetland Sheepdog	109
Shiba Inu	114
Shih Tzu	139
Siberian Husky	146
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier	124
Spoodle	149
St Bernard	315
Staffordshire Bull Terrier	128
Standard Poodle	197
Swedish Vallhund	116
Tenterfield Terrier	83
Tibetan Spaniel	121
Tibetan Terrier	107
Toy Poodle	122
Weimaraner	183
Welsh Corgi	111
Welsh Springer Spaniel	129
West Highland White Terrier	98
Whippet	120
White Swiss Shepherd Dog	193
Wire Haired Dachshund	107
Wire Haired Fox Terrier	96
Yorkshire Terrier	83

Have something to add? Comments are welcome and will appear within 24 hours of lodging.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.