Originally Posted by smitte21

I'd also have to say $1200 isn't bad for a puppy from a reputable breeder. No reputable breeder has a litter just to produce pet quality puppies. The whole purpose in breeding is to better the breed whether it be in terms of conformation, temperament, hunting ability or other health-wise. A good breeder is going to do the tests that are recommended because they have taken the time to show their dogs in the ring to know that they are of the quality that should be bred. They pour over pedigrees for hours on end to try and find the perfect match and they meet these prospective studs to see if they have the traits that they need to improve in their dogs. Breeding is an expensive and sometimes heartbreaking hobby that few people make money at if they do it right. I can tell you we learned the hard way the difference between buying through a reputable breeder and the others who call themselves breeders. If you are curious you can go to my website and read my story as I won't rehash it here. Sufice it to say we lost our first girl from a so called breeder at a very young age and since then have gotten a (show) puppy from a reputable breeder and while the intial cost for our show girl may have been significantly higher she is everything we hoped for and more and she is worth every penny. She is the most well grounded, even tempered dog I have ever met and has been the healthiest dog we have ever owned as well so while she may have costed us more to start with... she's saved us more than the other two combined in the short 4 years that we've owned her. She is worth every penny we paid for her and more.