What does an English Shepherd cost? How much are annual expenses?

English Shepherds are a rather rare breed in the United States. As their name suggests, these dogs are mostly found in the UK. Surprisingly, these dogs are not terribly expensive. You can typically plan on spending about $500 to $1,000 on a puppy from a qualified breeder.

However, those outside of the UK may need to import these dogs. This extra cost can raise the price tag by about $500 – not counting the time of work you’ll need to take for traveling yourself. Some breeders do ship, but these are rare.

While these dogs do cost less than most other breeds, they still do cost quite a bit of money to upkeep. Usually, you can expect to pay about $3,600 for their first year. This isn’t including the actual price tag of the puppy. Most of these costs are due to the supplies you’ll need to purchase, such as a dog bed and dog crate.

After the first year, your prices will be much lower. After all, you’ll already have most of the supplies you’ll need. You can expect to pay closer to $1,000.

Keep reading below for most information on how to budget for these dogs.

How much is an English Shepherd?

If you purchase from a breeder, you can expect to pay $500 to $1,000. However, there are also other places that you can purchase your puppy from. Many of these are cheaper, though you can’t really get much cheaper than $500.

Below, we’ll outline everything you need to know about where you adopt your English Shepherd puppy from.

Getting a puppy from Craigslist

You can often find all sorts of puppies on craigslist. However, this breed likely won’t show up in these advertisements. They are simply too rare. The only way to get them is through a breeder in most cases. Even then, they usually need to be imported.

If you do happen to find an English Shepherd on Craigslist, you should be cautious. These puppies are often cheaper for a reason. Their owner simply put less time and money into their care. Therefore, they can afford to sell them for less.

Often, these “breeders” do not health test their breeding dogs, which increases the odds that a genetic condition will be passed onto the puppies. This health testing is essential for spotting genetic conditions and preventing unhealthy dogs from breeding.

Furthermore, most of these puppies do not receive the proper vet care. They are often not taken to the vet and do not receive their first vaccinations. This increases your veterinary costs for the first year.

Getting a puppy from a rescue

In the United States, these dogs aren’t going to appear at a rescue. They are simply too rare. It is nearly impossible to find them outside of a breeder, and most breeders have a contract that states dogs cannot be turned over to a rescue. Therefore, there simply aren’t any dogs to end up at a rescue. Breeders are your only option.

However, it is true that dogs from rescues are a cheaper option. You can usually expect to pay about $50 to $300 for a rescue dog. The cost revolves mostly around the amount of health care a dog needed while at the rescue. Puppies usually cost more, as they required more preventative vet care, like vaccinations.

Because rescues help rehome dogs of any breeding, it could be that you will not get a pure-bred English Shepherd puppy. The dog may be crossed with other herding breeds such as Australian Shepherds or Border Collies.

Getting a puppy from a breeder

This is going to be your most expensive option, but it will likely be your only option for this breed. They are simply too rare. You may also need to look at breeders in other countries, as it is difficult to find English Shepherd breeders in the United States. If you need to import your dog, your prices will be higher due to the airplane fees.

Often, these dogs only cost about $500 to $1,000 when purchased from a breeder. If you need to import them, you can expect to pay around an extra $500.

This is slightly more expensive than purchasing from a rescue or off of Craigslist. However, you get a lot more bang for your buck. For instance, breeders often health test all dogs before they breed them, which leads to healthier puppies. Their puppies also receive more vet care. This extra care will lower your vet costs over the first year.

Cost of health test

Most qualified, successful breeder health test their dogs. This is one of the few sure ways you can prevent genetic conditions from being passed onto the puppies. Because this breed is rarer, there is less consensus over what health tests a breeder should perform. There is no specific guideline, for instance. Therefore, each breeder tends to just do what they think is best.

Like most large breeds, their hips are typically checked for hip dysplasia. This condition occurs when the hip doesn’t line up exactly like it should, which leads to arthritis-like symptoms. It is genetic, so affected dogs will often pass it onto their puppies.

X-rays are required to test for this condition, so it usually costs at least $300. Sometimes, breeders can get it done for as low as $100 if they go to a clinic. However, these are not available in every area.

Annual costs of owning an English Shepherd

You can expect to pay about $3,600 for this dog’s first year. This includes all the supplies that your pooch needs, as well as the care they’ll need throughout the year. This price is so much higher because you’ll need to purchase quite a few items when you bring your dog home. These supplies include things like leashes, dog bowls, and beds.

After that, you can expect to spend closer to $1,600. This includes food, vet care, and all other preventative care.

Expenses like emergency surgery, dog boarding, and dog walkers are not included in these totals. You should have an emergency fund for vet care just in case your dog gets sick.

Vet expenses

Because these dogs are larger, they tend to have higher vet bills. As they grow larger, their bills will go up. Vet bills are typically more expensive for all larger dogs simply because they need higher medication dosages and often more hands during surgery.

For the first year, you can expect to spend about $600. This cost will go towards your puppy’s vaccinations and vet checkups. If your puppy is sick, you can expect to pay a bit more. Parasites are very common in puppies and can cost a few hundred to treat. More invasive issues will cost more.

After the first year, you’ll likely spend about $600 a year still. Your dog will be bigger, so trips to the vet will cost more. Flea, tick, and heartworm prevention will also cost more due to their larger size. As they grow, expect your costs to increase.

However, adult dogs don’t need as many vet visits or vaccinations, so the cost tends to balance out.

Food costs

Due to their larger size, you can expect to pay quite a bit for food. Puppies are smaller and don’t eat as much, so you can expect to pay about $300 a year. You can expect to spend about $500 on an adult’s diet each year. The higher cost is due to their larger size. They’ll simply require more food.

These prices are assuming you’re purchasing high-quality food. We do not recommend skimping on nutrition and paying less for cheaper dog food.

Training costs

We typically recommend professional training for these dogs, though they aren’t terribly difficult to train. You can expect to spend about $100 to $300 on a series of group training sessions. Private lessons are more expensive, though we don’t recommend them.

Group lessons provide socialization and training, while private lessons only provide training. Socialization is important, so take the opportunity to introduce your dog to new puppies and people.

Factors influencing the price

Like most breeds, a dog’s pedigree helps determine its price. If a dog has a more impressive pedigree, it will often cost more. Breeders that are more experienced will often charge more for their dogs, as well.

The amount of vet care a dog receives matters. If a puppy already has their first vaccinations, you can expect to pay more for them. This extra care does mean that you won’t have to pay for their first vaccinations, though, so you will end up saving some money in the long run.

Price considerations

While these dogs are inexpensive to purchase, they are not particularly cheap to take care of. They will cost thousands of dollars each year to upkeep, so plan on spending an appropriate amount. Despite the price tag on the puppies, they are not a “budget” breed.

You should also plan for emergency expenses, like illnesses. These can cost thousands to treat, so we recommend some sort of emergency fund to help pay for them.

The bottom line

English Shepherd puppies are extremely inexpensive to purchase. They may cost as little as $500 in many cases. Most do not go over $1,200 for even the best puppies.

However, while they are cheap to purchase, they do cost quite a bit to upkeep. As larger dogs, you can expect them to eat more and rack up higher veterinary expenses. Most dogs will cost about $3,600 for their first year, while adults will cost closer to $1,600.

Be sure to budget appropriately for these routine expenses, as well as emergency costs.

Author: Kristin

Kristin was born in Tennessee and currently lives there with her husband and children. She is passionate about educating pet parents and helping them make the best possible decisions for their pets. She currently owns one dog, two cats, a lizard, and a variety of fish.