You decide to buy a German shepherd puppy, but you don't know how much it will cost you? Many future German shepherd owners are looking for an answer to that question, but the truth is that there is no one unique price.
The price of a German shepherd puppy depends on many factors. Even before they come into this world, you can know the approximate price of a German Shepherd puppy.
So what is it all that sets the price for a German shepherd? Why can some puppies cost even $5,000 and some puppies you can find for less than $1,000? Are there any differences between an expensive and a cheap puppy? Let’s find out!
The average price of a German Shepherd dog in the world.
Before we start to explain what everything affects the price of a German shepherd puppy, let’s see the average price of the puppy in the world. The average price of a German Shepherd puppy in the world is around $2,200.
The price range of German Shepherd puppies is $700 - $5,000. In some countries, you can buy a world-class German Shepherd puppy for less than $1,000, and the reason for that is the bad economy of that country.
Just as you can pay less, so you can pay much more than the average price. The most expensive German Shepherd dog was a Danny von der Barenschluct. His new owner has paid $18,000 to get this German Shepherd dog, but Danny is a fully trained and BH certified German Shepherd dog from Kraftwerk K9.
Suppose we don't need a professionally trained German Shepherd, but an ordinary puppy which we can train letter. How much you will pay for that? It’s time to see the average price of a German Shepherd dog by the countries.
The average price of German Shepherd dog in the United States of America.
The German Shepherd dog is one of the most popular dog breeds in that country. There are about 79 million dogs in the United States of America, and around 4.6% of registered dogs are German Shepherds. That's over 3.5 million registered German Shepherds in the USA.
High demand means a high price. According to AKC, the average price of a German Shepherd in the USA starts at $1,500 and can go up as high as $3,000
The average price of German Shepherd dog in the United Kingdom.
Since COVID-19 and lockdown, the price of German Shepherd dogs in the United Kingdom has increased by 49%, and the average purchase price is £920.
The prices can be higher or lower. On average, you can find a German Shepherd puppy in the UK from £500, up to £5,000, and according to THE SCOTSMAN, the German Shepherd is the 7th most popular breed in the United Kingdom.
The average price of German Shepherd dog in Australia.
The popularity of German Shepherd dogs in Australia has increased in the past couple few years with an average YoY increase (Year-over-Year) of 120%.
According to Hill’s, the German Shepherd dog is the 6th most popular dog breed in Australia. But if you want to have this wonderful dog breed, you must pay around $750 - $1,500 for a good-looking puppy.
In some cases, if you decide to buy a puppy, and you want to register your German Shepherd puppy, you will need to spend near to $3,500!
The average price of German Shepherd dog in Canada.
The German Shepherd dog holds the silver medal spot in Canada. They are the second most popular dog breed in that country.
According to Google Canada, people are more interested in dogs than cats this year, and the most popular dog breed was a German Shepherd.
And what about their price? Well, the price starts from $800 to $2500. Due to the increasing interest in this breed of dog, the price has also risen, and will probably continue to grow.
The average price of German Shepherd dog in India.
German Shepherd is a very popular dog breed, and their popularity in this country only grows. The price of German Shepherd in this country starts at Rs 18,000 ($240) to Rs 40,000 ($530) and can go up to Rs 80,000 ($1,060).
In India, the German Shepherd is the second most popular dog breed.
What determines the price of the German Shepherd dog?
Many factors determine the price of a German shepherd puppy, but the main factors in deciding the price of a puppy are the puppy’s parents, your location (country), demand for German shepherd puppies, way of upbringing, and you.
Did you know that you can get a German shepherd just for $300? If you decide to adopt a German shepherd, you can get him for around $300. There are nearly 14,000 pet adoption shelters available just in the United States, and on average, about 1.6 million dogs are adopted annually.
If your budget is limited, please don’t spend the last money that you have on an expensive puppy. You can buy a less expensive puppy or adopt. By adopting you will provide a home for an abandoned dog.
The price of a German Shepherd dog depends on many factors, but usually, these 5 factors have the biggest impact on the price of the puppy:
- Parents of German Shepherd puppies
- Your location, the country in which you live
- The demand for German Shepherd puppies
- Way of upbringing a German Shepherd puppy
- Personal choice (you)
Parents of German Shepherd puppies.
The parents of the German shepherd puppy play a major role in determining the price of the puppy. If you decide to buy, for example, a puppy that parents are state champions, guess what? You will need to set aside a large amount of money for such a puppy.
If I buy the puppy from whose parents are world or national champions, my puppy will also become a world champion? Maybe. If you decide just to play a lot for your German shepherd puppy just because he comes from a famous family, our advice for you is don’t buy.
There is just one reason why they have become popular and champions. A lot of training and practice. You can also teach your German shepherd puppy, which you paid $800, everything that these national dog champions know. Practice is the key, and also patience because dog training can be stressful.
Your location, the country in which you live.
You probably know about this, but the prices of products and services vary greatly around the world. If you live in the United States, you need at least $800 to buy a healthy and well-bred German Shepherd puppy. But if you decide, for example, to buy a German shepherd puppy in India, you’ll pay just $200. That is the average minimum price.
Before you buy a German shepherd puppy, we suggest you check the prices in the "neighbors countries", you may find a better offer.
The demand for German Shepherd puppies.
If the demand is high, the price will be high. Price follows the trend, and the German shepherd is the #3 most popular dog in the world. But there is a reason for that.
German shepherds hold a high price for several reasons. They are really good home guards, one of the most child-friendly dog breeds in the world, smart, strong, and fast, mind-blowingly fast for such a large dog, very protective, and much more.
If you want to know all the good benefits of buying a German shepherd puppy, you’ll need to read and learn more about that.
Way of upbringing a German Shepherd puppy.
If you decide to buy a German shepherd puppy that from an early age learns the best habits and grows with the best food, you will pay much more than for the “average” German shepherd puppy.
Also, have in mind when you pay for a German shepherd puppy, you don’t give money just for a puppy. You pay for all drugs and vaccines which he has received since he was born, to grow into a healthy dog, for food, and the time that person spent caring for your future puppy.
Raising German shepherd puppies is not such a simple process and requires a lot of effort and attention. It is up to you to decide
Personal choice (you).
We are the ones who ultimately decide how much we will pay for a German shepherd. If you decide to buy a German shepherd puppy, you will need more money than you would need if you decided to adopt a German Shepherd.
If you decide to buy a German shepherd puppy from the national champions, you will need more money than you would need if you decided to buy the “average” German shepherd puppy.
Things that matter.
We can search and talk about the price of the German Shepherd puppies all day, but the best source of all these information are actually a German Shepherd owners.
We have been publish the short survey around the whole world about this topic, and now, we will share all these exclusive information and statistic with our community.
Should you buy German Shepherd with, or without papers?
This is a personal choice. We can’t answer this question with “yes, you need to buy a puppy with papers” or “no, you don’t need papers for your puppy”.
If you are buying a puppy with papers, you will get proof that this puppy is pure GSD (German Shepherd dog), proof of puppy parents, and also proof of vaccinations, vet checks, and any details on microchipping.
These puppies (with papers) are always more expensive, and that’s normal. But if you want to take your dog to the shows and competitions, you must buy a German Shepherd dog with papers because puppies without papers can’t go on the dog shows and competitions.
But what if you want to buy a German Shepherd dog with papers? Then you must be very careful, especially if you don’t know that dog breeder. You also want to check and see puppy parents before you buy a puppy.
And most German Shepherd owners bought their puppies with papers (around 55% of owners are bought their puppies with papers).
Conclusion.
If a German Shepherd puppy doesn’t have papers this doesn’t mean that this puppy isn’t purebred. If you fall in love with that puppy, and you don’t want to train your dog professionally, make a good research and get that puppy.
On the other hand, if you want to take in the future your dog into sports competitions and train him professionally, invest a couple of hundred dollars more, and buy a puppy with papers.
You can find a well explained article about this topic on DoggySaurus.
Should I buy one, two, or more than two German Shepherds?
Usually, the new German Shepherd owners have been thinking about getting two or more puppies at the same time.
Buying more than one puppy isn’t a good idea if this is your first puppy ever. Before you get a puppy, you must have some basic knowledge about their habits and behavior, and by the time, you will learn more about this beautiful dog breed.
And most German Shepherd owners are bought only one puppy (over 93% of people are bought only one puppy).
Conclusion.
Some people are buying more than one puppy because they think that if their puppy doesn't have a friend, he will get bored, and this is so wrong. But if you strongly decided to get more than one puppy, go ahead, but have in mind that you need to invest a lot of time into them.
Before you buy, think twice. Read this article by American Kennel Club, and learn why is better to get only one puppy for the first time.
If you are buying for the first time a German Shepherd dog, our recommendation is to get only one puppy so that you can have enough time to teach him and inform yourself.
Can I adopt a German Shepherd dog instead of buying?
Of course that you can adopt instead of buying a puppy, and this is a personal choice. In fact, around 18% of new German Shepherd owners have adopted their German Shepherd dogs, instead of buying them.
There is nothing wrong with adopting a dog, but you must be more careful and more responsible when you are doing that.
Maybe the dog has some trauma, and you must work harder and be patient in order to earn his trust, and this isn’t something easy.
Conclusion.
You must make this decision by yourself, and be ready to take a “risk”. When we say risk, we mean the problematic behavior that dogs can have, but they are so smart, you will see. In just a couple of weeks, you can perfectly train your German Shepherd dog with a basically commands.
Should I buy a male or female German Shepherd?
This mostly depends on the reasons why are you getting a German Shepherd. If you want to train your dog to be a guardian dog, or to train them for other sports activities, you may want to get a male puppy.
There is nothing wrong with the females (we personally have a female GSD, and she is amazing), but males are more protective than females, and that’s the reason why most people are getting male puppies.
But this doesn’t mean that females aren’t protective at all. Females can be also dangerous as males and great home and family protectors.
Also, a male German Shepherd dog usually tends to pick one person with whom they bond the strongest, while females can enjoy with the whole family.
Around 65% of our voters are bought male German Shepherd dogs.
Conclusion.
This part also comes down to personal choice. No matter what you choose, male or female, you must train and raise them well in order to get a lifetime companion. We are sure that you won’t make a mistake when you buy a German Shepherd dog, no matter which option you choose.
How much should I pay for a well-bred German Shepherd?
Finally, the part we’ve all been waiting for, prices. This is one of the most popular questions, and on that question, there isn’t one universal answer. Prices may indeed vary.
Here is the graph that we create, which is based on the German Shepherd owners.
- 15.5% of owners have paid their German Shepherd less than $100
- 29.3% of owners have paid their German Shepherd between $100-$500
- 27.6% of owners have paid their German Shepherd between $500-$1000
- 8.6% of owners have paid their German Shepherd between $1000-$1500
- 3.4% of owners have paid their German Shepherd between $1500-$2000
- 8.6% of owners have paid their German Shepherd between $2000-$2500
- 3.4% of owners have paid their German Shepherd between $2500-$3000
- 3.4% of owners have paid their German Shepherd more than $3000
Conclusion.
The ideal price of a new puppy, based on our statistics and votes of GSD owners, is between $100-$1000 because around 72% of owners were paid that price.
If you pay more this doesn’t necessarily mean that your puppy will become a latter a perfectly trained adult dog. Without work and train, your GSD will be depressed and probably more aggressive.
Personal experience.
Not that long ago, my family bought a female German Shepherd dog, without letting me know. As we know, usually females are less aggressive, have a smaller body, and are not that protective as males.
But if your train them basically from the first steps (we got her when she was 2 months old), things can be a little different.
She is absolutely beast! She doesn’t know for fear and her body is in better shape than the most male German Shepherds dogs. Her energy is on the maximum level, also as her intelligence. She starts alone, without my command or any training, to protect our home from strangers, and she was only 5 months old at that period! And what is the reason for that is...?
Having enough exercise each day, training your dog every day, proper diet, and taking necessary vitamins each day.
You don’t need to be an expert to have a well-trained dog. In this modern world, you can get instant access to your answers to your questions and problem, thanks to the internet.
Oh, there is more! We paid her $70, and she doesn’t have papers. Of course, she gets all the necessary vaccinate and has a vet record book.
Conclusion.
The final price of the German Shepherd depends on many factors, we have singled out the most important ones. Someone will pay less, and someone will pay more. Is it a lot to pay $800 to get a German Shepherd? Our answer is not really.
You will get a new friend which is not like any other, a friend who would give his life for you and your family. Whether you decided to buy or adopt a German Shepherd, you made a good decision.
Learn more.
We decide to prepare for you more additional information about German Shepherd price. We hope that you will better understand German Shepherd is one of the most expensive dog breeds.
