Estimating the Cost of Owning a Golden Retriever

Interested in purchasing a golden retriever? Before asking questions about initial costs and annual upkeep expenses, consider the enormous responsibility of pet ownership. This attractive canine breed provides a good temperament, lots of love, and exhibits a social grace that warms the hearts of those around them. That being said, the golden owner needs to have lots of time, patience, and a little money set aside to care for the golden retriever. Speaking of money, one needs to consider all the acquisition and maintenance costs when it comes trying to figure out the annual cost of owning a golden retriever.

Purchasing a Golden

This particular breed is typically sold from breeders, pet stores and farms. I would highly recommend getting a referral from a trustworthy vet who most likely can put you in touch with a reputable golden breeder. The last thing a prospective golden retriever buyer wants is to purchase a poorly bred "pure bred" golden that lacks intelligence and has potential for hip problems later in life. Exercise due diligence and research breeders and ask lots of questions. The cost range for the golden pup purchased from a breeder will range between $500 and $1500. If you see costs lower than that you might want to confirm AKC registry and observe mother and father canines to confirm quality. Even then, there may be some underlying issues that a novice purchaser may not realize.

Veterinary Costs

The first year is always the big whammy when it comes to vet expenses. The dog will undergo a vast array of treatments which include de-worming, vaccinations, and spay/neutering, Plan to spend about at least $500 to $600 dollars for initial year vet visits. Every subsequent year will most likely involve heart worm exams and tablets, fecal exams, flea and tick prevention, and any possible follow up vaccine boosters or bortadella vaccines for those that decide to board their dogs for one reason or another. These annual costs will run an average of $250 per year. These veterinary costs will spike up if the golden gets sick, bit, or injured which will inevitably happen during his or her life.

Food

The golden like any other mammal needs to eat, so this expense is automatic. As food costs are influenced by consumption volume, diet is all dependent upon the size and sex of the animal. I have a fifty five pound female golden that consumes approximately forty pounds of food each month which is approximately $37 for a bag of food of that size. This annual costs racks up to around $450. That cost does not factor in another twenty five to thirty bucks for treats. This annual cost will go up significantly for a 65 to 75 pound male capable of much more eating.

Grooming

A golden retriever requires occasional brushing and a good number of baths throughout the year. We usually give our dog a bath and brush twice a year and a bath and cut twice a year. The trip to a groomer for bath and cut will run at least $40 to $50 a trip. This cost goes up significantly if the owner decides to have extra pampering done by the groomer. Two times out of the year I take our golden girl to the groomer and it sets me back $100 annually. The other two bathing sessions are done in a do it yourself dog wash which costs me only $10 an hour to wash, bath, blow dry, and brush the dog. The overall pet expense for grooming will set one back between $120 and $300 per year. Additional onetime costs will include a brush, towel, and shampoo which will be about thirty dollars.

Supplies

A dog, just like people require lots of accessories. The pet supplies are numerous in the puppy stage as one will probably have to purchase a crate which runs between fifty to a hundred dollars. Additional puppy supplies include chew toys, collars, leash, training treats, and an obedience class. These extras in the first year will run about two hundred and fifty dollars.

As the dog gets older, the trips to the pet store will decrease as the dog exhibits less chewing once finally leaving the "pup" stage. The dog will require occasional leash and collar replacements and toy replacements which will be no more than $50 per year.

Unforeseen Costs

The Golden Retriever breed is a very incessant chewer as a pup. As exhausting as they can be, these golden terrors need to be monitored at all times. When left to their own devices, they will chew just about anything in sight. The chewing habit will quickly get the dog in trouble and you may be faced with replacing furniture legs, coffee table ends, and shoes thus putting a serious dent in your household finances. Keep these costs under control by crate control when the dog cannot be supervised and also implement substitution of toys when the dog is getting into nasty chewing habit. The costs of bad behavior can also be mitigated by enrolling in a less expensive obedience training class.

Summing up the costs

As mentioned there is the upfront cost of acquiring a dog which will average about $750. First year costs will consist of the acquisition cost of $750 plus another $1,250 for veterinary, food, grooming, and pet supplies bringing year one total to about $2000. Every subsequent year should only consist of routine exams, booster vaccinations, food, grooming and supplies which will average about $1000 annually.