How much does a Mastiff cost?

Mastiffs are beautiful, loyal and powerful dogs. Many owners decide on them when looking for guard dog who will keep their property and family safe.

One question that always comes is: How much does a Mastiff cost? What prices can you expect to pay for them? And is it best to get them on Craigslist or through a registered breeder?

The quick answer: You can find a Mastiff puppy for as low as $300 on your local classified ads. If you go with an AKC breeder, expect to pay around $1,300. Prices for dogs from champion parents can be as high as $2,800. Rescues may have Mastiff mix puppies available for $150.

How much is a Mastiff puppy?

The price for a Mastiff puppy will heavily depend on where you go to acquire him. You may be able to find a Mastiff puppy cheaply through your local classified ads. Rescues may have Mastiff puppies available, though they often are mixed with other breeds such as Labradors.

On the other hand, when going with a registered breeder, you will certainly get a good puppy from a long pedigree – but the price is considerably higher. Let’s look at different ways to find your Mastiff puppy and what their costs are!

Mastiff puppies in classifieds

Many future dog owners turn to classified ads such as Craigslist to find their puppy. This will let you get comparatively low prices – as low as $300 for a Mastiffs – but these come at an additional cost.

Most people who sell puppies on ads like these haven’t invested into health tests of the parents and medical check-ups for the puppies. Often puppies have not even been dewormed and vaccinated – making them prone to being sickly right off the start.

Unfortunately, Mastiffs are not the healthiest dog breed. They tend to have a variety of breed-specific conditions, such as:

Joint problems
Back problems
Inheritable eye diseases.

The tendency of Mastiffs to have eye issues can lead to complete blindness in dogs as young as 3 or 4 years old (through progressive retinal atrophy).

If you buy a dog from Craigslist, chances are the parents have not been selected to be healthy. You may set yourself up for thousands of dollars in vet costs as well as a lot of heartbreak when your Mastiff gets sick early in life.

Rescue Mastiff prices

Most rescues will rarely have pure-bred Mastiff puppies available. You may however be able to find a Mastiff mix puppy. Typical adoption costs for 8 week old puppies may be $150-$350.

These costs always include deworming, vaccinations and a microchip. Some rescues let puppies go to their forever homes after a pediatric spay or neuter surgery – others may give the owners a voucher so they can have it done for free later.

Sometimes adult Mastiffs get surrendered to a rescue. As long as they have a pleasant temperament and no behavioral issues, you can also consider adding an adult dog to your family.

Cost of a puppy from a breeder

Purchasing a Mastiff from an AKC breeder will be the most expensive option on our list – but also the one with the best guarantees.

Reputable breeders will always health-test their breeding stock. They don’t pair dogs that have shown heritable diseases. Breeders will also put a lot of time and effort into raising puppies – from providing enrichment over feeding them highest-quality food to taking them to regular vet checkups.

This comes at a price – a Mastiff puppy from a breeder will be around $1,200. This cost will increase for a Mastiff from champion parents. If you are purchasing a show quality puppy, expect to shell out up to $2,800.

Yearly dog ownership costs

Once you own a Mastiff puppy be ready for monthly expenses – and they can be quite big, depending due to these dogs’ size!

Mastiffs will need large amounts of high quality food. They also shed – you need to either brush them at home or take them to a professional groomer monthly.

Mastiffs grow rapidly and will go through several collars in their first year of life.

Lastly, their vet costs will also be higher than for smaller dogs – especially for surgeries such as a spay or neuter.

Why are Mastiffs so expensive?

Breeding healthy Mastiff is expensive. The parents of a litter need to be checked for a variety of different health conditions Mastiffs are prone to. This can cost thousands of dollars for each parent of a litter.

Feeding Mastiffs high-quality food is expensive – especially for a nursing Mastiff mom. While a Mastiff puppy might been to have a high price tag, keep in mind that responsible breeders do not “make money” off many litters. In fact, many just about break even.

In addition, some breeders might charge extra for especially popular colors or patterns of Mastiffs.

The Bottom Line

Mastiffs are expensive dogs. The ongoing costs of owning a Mastiff are no joke – these giant dogs require a lot of food, training and vet expenses.

Unfortunately, Mastiffs are prone to developing eye conditions that can even lead to early blindness.

You should avoid getting a low-price Mastiff puppy off of Craigslist, even if it seems tempting. Selecting a puppy from an AKC-registered breeder or finding a Mastiff through rescues is the way to go. The same applies if you are looking for a similar Molosser dog breed, such as the Carne Corso.