How Much Do Boxers Cost?

How much Boxers cost as puppies ranges from $800 to $3,000. This prices varies depending on how, where and who bred your puppy, and a higher priced pup doesn’t always mean better quality. But the upfront costs of buying a Boxer pale into insignificance when you add up what you pay over their lifetime in kit, veterinary bills and food.

Contents

• How much do Boxers cost from ethical breeders?
• The cost of raising a litter of puppies
• Upfront costs
• Ongoing budgeting

Expensive Puppies Vs Low Price Puppies

Cheap puppies aren’t always a false economy, but they are higher risk. Low prices suggest a lack of care, health testing and experience on the part of the breeder.

How Much Do Boxers Cost From A Good Breeder?

A reputable, responsible Boxer breeder will usually need to charge over $1500 for their puppies. This is because they will pre-test breeding dogs for all known genetic conditions for which health testing exists. This type of breeder will not breed dogs with known heritable (genetic) health conditions that could be passed down to the puppies.

A reputable purebred Boxer breeder will maintain an active breeder registration with the American Kennel Club (AKC). This is important, because the AKC can fine or drop a breeder who fails to comply with certain kennel management and breeding standards and then they will lose their show and kennel marketing rights.

When you are considering how much do Boxers cost from this type of breeder, you should receive these benefits as part of your purchase price:

• Puppy pedigree certification (“puppy papers”).
• An initial guarantee of good health.
• A take-back guarantee if the puppy is not a good fit with your family.
• Written records of all required vaccinations/de-worming.
• A new puppy pack with food samples and care recommendations.
• Open access to that breeder’s knowledge and mentoring as your puppy grows up.

Not surprisingly, you will typically pay more on the front end for a Boxer puppy from this type of dog breeder. But there is a reason.

Boxer Breeding Costs

Take a look at what Boxer breeders often spend to breed, whelp and raise a litter of healthy purebred Boxer puppies!

• Initial pre-screening health tests: $500
• Veterinary exam and brucellosis test (canine STD): $150
• Stud fee: $600+ per attempt
• Pregnancy/puppy food and vitamins: $150
• Puppy whelping, weaning and growth supplies: $200 per litter
• C-section (if needed): $1,500+
• Post-delivery litter check: $100
• Puppy vaccinations: $60 per puppy
• Worming: $80 per puppy
• Ear cropping (if practiced): $200 per puppy
• Tail docking/dewclaw removal (if practiced): $20 per puppy
• AKC registration: $25 + $2 per puppy
• New puppy packets: $50 per puppy

You can see that a breeder’s costs can add up quickly, especially if there are pregnancy or delivery complications. The set price for a puppy may also fluctuate depending on the breeder’s cost to produce that particular litter.

The good news is, research demonstrates that spending more up front on a purebred Boxer puppy can protect your wallet later by eliminating the possibility that your dog has inherited serious genetic health issues that require expensive ongoing veterinary care.

Backyard Boxer breeder

A casual or “backyard” Boxer dog breeder may see dog breeding as a hobby, a way to make a bit of extra holiday cash, or even an “oops” from that night when the neighbor’s unfixed male dog dug under the fence and knocked up their unfixed female Boxer.

The main point to understand with this type of breeder is that the entire breeding process is conducted casually. It is unlikely that any health pre-screening tests were performed to ensure parent dogs are sufficiently healthy and genetically sound for breeding.

This type of breeder may or may not make sure the puppies are up to date on all required vaccinations, de-worming treatments and other recommended preventative veterinary care.

Sure, the puppies are cute, and the price may seem right, but you are taking a risk with your wallet and your heart by purchasing this type of casually-bred Boxer puppy.

Puppy mill/import breeder

Today’s puppy mill breeders operate both stateside and internationally, often breeding Boxer puppies in places with far less animal cruelty oversight and then importing those puppies to sell to unsuspecting new owners.

Puppy mill breeders are in the dog breeding business to make a profit, plain and simple. The less they can spend on the parent dogs and the puppies, the more money goes back into their pockets.

Puppies are typically kept in squalid conditions, fed inferior food, denied access to preventative veterinary care and sold as “cheap Boxer puppies” online, in pet stores or even out of the back of a pickup truck.

Worst of all, every purchase of a puppy mill-bred Boxer puppy sends the message to breed more puppies.

This important article details how to spot a bad dog breeder.

What about Boxer rescue?

At this point, you might be wondering if you can just rescue a Boxer puppy instead? The answer is yes, and rescuing a relinquished dog is such a great way to give a worthy dog a second chance at a forever home.

   

Be aware you are more likely to find adult Boxer dogs than Boxer puppies at canine rescue shelters. However, adopting an adult boxer can have its own advantages and the price certainly is right!

Most rescue organizations assess a rehoming fee of between $20 and $500 and some offer this service free of charge.

Up Front Puppy Costs

• Food and water bowls. $25
• Toys and teething aids. $50
• Dog crate and liner. $75
• Dog bed. $50
• Travel crate and liner. $60
• Leash, collar, I.D. tag. $40
• Microchipping. $45
• Spay/neuter. $200
• Training course. $100 (4 sessions)

Even shopping for deals, you are already looking at an initial cost of $645 – in addition to the puppy purchase price – to welcome your Boxer puppy home.

Ongoing Budgets

• Puppy food and treats. $60 per bag.
• Puppy pads. $25 for 150 pads.
• Toys. $50
• Veterinary care (annual exam/preventative). $85 per visit
• Flea/tick/heart-worm treatments. $120 per year
• Dog license. $15 per year
• Pet insurance premiums. $40 to $60 per month

Because Boxers have a flat muzzle shape (known as “brachycephaly”) they can be more expensive to own and to insure than many other dog breeds. Annually, surveys show the average cost to own a large dog breed like a Boxer can range from $1,000 to $1,800+.