How much does a Bloodhound cost?

The average bloodhound dog costs somewhere between $450 to $1,200. The average cost is somewhere around $750 for your average puppy. Puppies born from proven show dogs will likely cost more than those just meant for pets. If the puppy has any tracking training, they may also be somewhere on the expensive side. Some puppies with documents cost as much as $1,600.

The cost of your puppy largely depends on where you purchase the puppy from. Professional breeders often cost more as they do more health testing and raise the puppies on higher-quality food.

How much is a Bloodhound?

Many bloodhounds will cost around $750 if you purchase them from a high-quality, professional breeder. However, there are also other places you can adopt your dog from.

It isn’t odd to see puppies on Craigslist being sold by your average owner instead of a breeder. These are often much less expensive. Adoption agencies also occasionally have Bloodhound puppies available. Because they aren’t trying to make money, these dogs are often much less expensive.

Getting a puppy from Craigslist

Craigslist and other online platforms often feature puppies of all sorts. Most of these puppies are not bred by professionals. Therefore, their parents often do not undergo the proper health testing, and the puppies may not be fully up-to-date on vet care.

Many of these puppies may have been from accidental litters, which aren’t always purebred. They usually don’t come with papers of any sort, so they cannot be shown. They also cannot have any puppies that can be registered. Of course, this isn’t a huge deal if you’re only looking for a pet.

However, the parents of these puppies are typically not health tested, and the puppies may be missing some essential vaccinations. They may not have been checked for internal parasites and may have similar problems underneath the surface. For this reason, they may lead to more vet bills being incurred down the line.

Getting a puppy from a rescue

Rescues will occasionally receive puppies. However, they typically go very fast and aren’t always purebred. Bloodhounds are specifically rare, as they aren’t your average companion dog. For this reason, it is extraordinary to find them at a shelter, but you may have some success with breed-specific rescues.

These puppies usually don’t come from health-tested parents. Instead, most of them are from oops litters that were later rescued. They may be more prone to genetic problems for this reason. With that said, they do usually receive the proper vet care and vaccinations while with the rescue. If they have parasites, those are treated, for instance. This can lead to fewer short-term vet bills upon adoption.

Overall, most rescues usually charge a low amount for their puppies. You can plan on spending about $200-$400 for puppies in most cases. Much of this is to help the rescue cover their vet bills and other care the puppy needs.

Getting a puppy from a breeder

Professional breeders tend to be the most expensive places to get puppies. However, they are also usually extremely good at what they do. The puppy’s parents are often health-tested to prevent passing down common genetic conditions. During pregnancy, the mother often has many health visits to ensure that the babies are healthy and growing properly. The puppies usually see the vet multiple times after birth, where they are checked for any underlying conditions and given their vaccinations.

All of this extra care leads to fewer health problems down the line. Most puppies from breeders come with a health guarantee, so you don’t usually have to worry about many vet bills shortly after adoption.

Costs of health tests

The American Bloodhound Club of America recommends several health tests before dogs are bred. These prevent passing down genetic problems to puppies. You should always check to ensure that any breeder your purchase from undergoes these health tests. Otherwise, your puppy could potentially have some serious health problems later down the line.

They require hip dysplasia testing, elbow dysplasia testing, and cardiac evaluations for health certification. All dogs being bred by professionals should have this certification.

There are various optional health tests as well. Eye examinations are recommended, for instance.

Degenerative Myelopathy is the most critical disease to check for, as only half of Bloodhounds are free from genetic markers from this disease. However, the club does not require that dogs are tested for it.

These health tests will usually cost a few hundred dollars altogether, which is why puppies from professionals usually cost more.

Annual cost of owning a Bloodhound

The first year of owning a bloodhound is usually the most expensive. First-year expenses can be as much as $3,000, as they need more vet care and often require more one-time purchases. After that, the cost will go down substantially to about $1,800 a year. If your dog has a chronic health condition, it will likely cost more.

Vet Expenses

Your vet expenses in the first year will depend mainly on the vet care the puppy received before you purchased them. If they have not yet received primary, preventative care, you’ll have to take care of much of this by yourself. Depending on any parasites or anything else that your puppy has, this can cost as much as $500.

You’ll also have to spay or neuter your dog, which can cost anywhere between $50 -$500. Many not-for-profits allow you to fix your dog at a discounted cost.

After the first year, you can expect to pay about $125 – $265 per year – assuming that your bloodhound doesn’t develop many health problems. Treating many common problems in Bloodhounds can potentially cost thousands of dollars. For instance, cardiomyopathy may cost anywhere from $600 – $2,000.

Food and Toy Costs

These dogs are pretty large, so they eat a lot and grow rapidly in the first year. You can expect to pay about $500 a year for high-quality food. Puppies will cost about the same, as large-breed puppy food is usually quite expensive. Large breed dogs have specific nutritional needs while growing, which is one reason they are significantly more expensive than other dogs.

Toys will usually cost about $100 a year, as you’ll need to replace toys that your dog has broken.

Training Costs

For a few weeks’ worth of classes, you can expect to pay about $500 if you’re okay with group classes. We recommend puppy classes when these dogs are young, as they offer quite a bit of socialization for these young dogs.

Private classes are often more expensive, costing about $175 an hour. Luckily, these dogs are pretty well-behaved, so they often don’t need much one-on-one training.

Factors influencing the price of Bloodhounds

If you adopt a dog that has already been trained at tracking, you’ll like to spend much more money. These trained dogs can cost as much as $5,000 or more. They often go through a few months to a year of training, depending on the program. For these reasons, they usually aren’t puppies when they are available for adoption.

If you’re looking for a bloodhound as a companion, then you don’t need one that has undergone this much training. Unless you plan on using the dog in the field, there is no reason to pay this extra money.

Besides this, the most common difference in cost is due to bloodline, especially for show dogs. If their parents have won shows, the puppies will likely be more expensive.

Price Considerations

Before adopting any dog, be sure that you have the money to take care of their needs. This includes things like food and toys, as well as expensive vet bills. These dogs are prone to a few expensive medical conditions, so we recommend an emergency fund of at least $5,000 if they develop a problem. Of course, you will also have to pay for annual, regular vet visits, as well as preventative care.

Factor in costs such as dog walkers, microchipping, and any licensing you may need to get. These dogs often don’t need a groomer, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t send them to the groomer every so often for a professional bath.

The bottom line

For a puppy, you should plan on spending about $450 – $1,200 for a puppy. These are pretty inexpensive when compared to other large dogs. They do eat a lot as well, which pushes their annual cost up by quite a bit. You should plan on spending over $3,000 for the puppy’s first year, as most one-time purchases, toys, and vet visits are required. After that, the price goes down to about $1,800 a year.