I fully agreee with Mirka. I will say even more: Wolfdogs are one of the few breeds were the price of a puppy do not depend on the quality of the puppies.
It depends only on two things:
- the country of origin of the breeder.
You can buy a good quality puppy for 400 EUR (Slovakia), 600 (Czech Republic), 800 EUR (Italy, France), 950 EUR (Germany) to.....even 2500 EUR (I will write about it later). Sure many things are cheaper if you are living in CZ or SK, or PL. But only if we are talking about "basic costs": accomodation, registration and veterinary fees aso. So there is really huge difference if we talk about "ordinary" breeders. Under the concept of "ordinary breeder" I mean someone who is just breeding (or I should better say: 'producing') Wolfdogs - using low or average quality dogs, without any "bonus" points: (feeding of low/average quality food), covering by their own males without paying attention to quality of the stud dog, without showing or training their dogs. If we are talking about such breeders than there is really a HUGE difference. But....
.... if we will compare the costs of "true" breeders: which visit many dog shows, many competitions, if we talk about people which we can see during the summer camps, which come with their dogs to the most important dog shows in the origin countries, if we talk about breeders which cover their bitches abroad with the best males available than there is really no difference if we talk about the costs of breeding.
So to be honest the price depends from the country of origin of the breeder but it should not be the case. Because in many cases there is no explanation for it. My friends breed also a rare breed of dogs. Last time they were looking for a new puppy and the buyied one for 1000 EUR in West Europe. Normal, right?
But....the parrents of the puppy have great pedigree, they are Interchampions with many, many titles, HD-free, with many other veterynary checks. The breeder is very well known.
Next case: some time ago I was looking for a German Shepherd Dog for my friends (my work was to translate the emails). They decided to buy a puppy from one of the most famous GSD breeders in Germany. Father of the puppies is now one of the best GSDs, mother have also some titles and some working exams. Both of course HD-free, aso.. The litter had a very low "HD-Zuchtwert". And they paid 600EUR for the puppy....
Now my question: why some breeders from West Europe ask for a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog puppy about 1000 EUR if there is really no explanation for it? If the parents are (sometimes even) low quality, witouth any show results (and working exams, blah), sometimes even both not HD-free or without any HD-results. Why they ask so much if they make "home businness" - the dogs are kept in kennels like domestic animals and they breed them like domestic animals.
I think the situation is a little bit sick because someone who is looking for a good puppy only basing on the price he will have very bad surprise....
- the breeder's high opinion about himself.
Even in one country there are huge differences between the breeders. And here again: in many cases there is no explanation for it. Anyway not in quality of the parents of a litter or quality of ther puppies. Examples: in Czech Republic you can buy a great puppy from a very interesting female which almost quarantee very good quality puppies for 600 EUR. But for 800 EUR you will also get a puppy from poor quality dogs. In France you can have very nice puppy for 800 EUR but for German Shepherd Dog looking CzW you will have to pay...1000 EUR. In Italy you can buy a great puppy from a bitch which was covered in Slovakia by a very nice stud dog and you will pay for it 800 EUR but you can also buy a low or at last average quality puppy for 1500 EUR only because the breeder is a good salesman. And the best: I heard about the case that a breeder asked in Italy 2500 EUR for a usual puppy of a dog which was disqualified on the bonitation because of character faults and only because the interested person said, she is interested in breeding with the puppy.
So in the end: I know the puppies in West Europe are averrage more expensive. I know it is impossible that a puppy can costs in some countries 500 EUR. I know there are litters which are really worth 1000EUR. But in the most cases the breeders are asking too much and the buyers simple pay too much.....