Interested in adding a Doberman puppy to your family and wondering how much it will initially cost you? I go over the breakdown for the first month Doberman puppy total cost of ownership in this article. You must be fully and financially vested before making the commitment.
Puppy and dog ownership is a rewarding experience. However, the rewarding experience does not come cheap. Before you go out and rescue a dog or plop down $2,000+ for a puppy, understand the cost implication of having a fur buddy in the family.
I mentioned “rescue,” because sadly, ⅓ of the dog owners I’m acquainted either give up or re-home their rescued or adopted dogs. They simply don’t want to or can no longer bear the financial burden of supporting their rescued dogs. Unfortunately, they are also the first to tell people to “adopt don’t shop” and announce to the world, whenever chance they get, that their dog is a rescue – as if it was a badge of honor. Rescued dogs are easy to acquire with minimal upfront costs. So when the tough gets going, they are also easy and often the first to let go. It’s a sad reality but it happens way more often than people care to admit it.
In addition to the cost of acquiring the puppy, there are many one-time initial investment followed by monthly recurring costs. I haven’t even include additional costs such as puppy kindergarten, neutering surgery and optional weather-appropriate clothing.
Puppy Supplies
Leash, dog collar and harness
This area is really contingent on your spending budget. If a basic flat collar and simple nylon collar is all you need, the cost can be as little as $30-$50. Keep in mind that all things equal, your Doberman puppy’s neck will grow approximately 1″ a week. Your Doberman puppy will outgrow that ½” flat puppy collar it came home with at 8 weeks within 3 weeks. We also purchased a medium sized Pawaboo dog safety vest harness for $10.99. It is a dual purpose harness: walking harness and car safety harness. Atlas is beginning to outgrow his medium size harness, so we’ll need to upgrade him to a Large harness ($15.99) soon.
We got Atlas a medium Fi Smart GPS collar for $149, a 6′ Elite rigid leash with KONG snap and swivel for $64.65 and a fashionable size 18 red OmniPet Signature Leather Studs & Spikes Dog Collar for $20.18.
If you are going to train your Doberman puppy, then a long loose training lead is a necessity. We got the 30′ long lead by Leashboss for $25.98.
Our total initial investment in the collar & leash department: $271.00 Bare minimum, basic collar & leash: $40.00
Dog Tag ID
The average cost of a dog tag ID is about $15 with personalization. We got a laser engraved polished brass dog tag for Atlas from Taglec for $30.00
Taglec dog tag ID: $30.00 Dog tag ID: $15.00
Paper towel, cleaning spray
During the first two weeks, we easily used up at least 6 full rolls of paper towel. We also used up ¾ bottle spray of Rocco & Roxie enzymatic odor and stain remover. We ended up ordering a one gallon supply for standby.
Cleaning supplies: $84.00
Car seat cover
Our 2019 Hyundai Tucson Limited is equipped with a regular SUV size rear fitted seat cover with hammock option by 4Knines.
Rear seat cover: $89.00
Crate and bedding
A medium crate with divider is a necessity – do not let anyone tell you otherwise. However, from our experience, a crate bed or dog bed is NOT necessary – not when your Doberman puppy is still very young (less than 6 months old). If your Doberman puppy has an accident inside his crate on his crate bed, or on his dog bed, he will become comfortable and most likely will continue to pee on it. We got Atlas both a crate bed and a dog bed, but since have taken them away. Atlas will need to earn these items back by being housebroken.
Total crate, crate bed and dog bed investment: $109.00 AmazonBasics medium dog crate: $39.00
Dog food and water bowls
When shopping for dog food and water bowls, we were aiming for top quality bowls as long term investments. After weeks of research, we decided the Yeti Boomer 8 bowls are the way to go. They may be pricey at $49 per bowl, but they are well built, heavy duty and definitely heavy. We acquired two; one red for food and one blue for water.
If basic stainless steel dog bowls are all you need, then a highly rated set will cost between $15-$20.
Yeti Boomer 8 Bowls: $98.00 total; $49.00 each Basic stainless steel bowls: $15.00 a set
Puppy Toys
Puppy toys come and go. There are chew toys that are used frequently and needs to be replaced more often. Then there are the rope tug toys that lasts much longer. Collectively, we spent about $75 on chew toys. Of that $75, Atlas has destroyed $25 worth of toys that need replacement.
Puppy chew toys: $75 initially, plus ~$33.00 a month
Vet Visits
We paid $315 for a puppy wellness package that includes fecal test, de-worming, flea treatment, nail trimming and all rounds of puppy vaccination.
Initial vet visit, first 16 weeks: $315.00
Pet Insurance
Atlas’ pet health insurance premium is $76 a month. This includes a preventative care premium option.
Pet health insurance costs: $76.00 a month
Pet Food & Supplements
We are on a subscription service to receive monthly auto-delivery of a 28 lb. bag of kibbles at $47 every 6 weeks.
We go through about $20 in treats and $15 in bully sticks in a month. After a month with us, Atlas’ appetite for bully stick increased, so we upgraded from a 6-pack of 6″ regular bully sticks to 12″ thick bully sticks, 10 count packs for $44 a month.
Since Atlas is transitioning to a raw dog food diet for his evening meal, we spend about $250 in bulk 82 lbs. of ground beef every two months ($125 a month). To make it a balanced meal, we include the following:
- Beef liver, 2 lbs. (every month) – $6
- Eggs, 5 dozens split between Atlas and for cooking (every month) – $7
- Chicken feet (every month) – $6
- Capelins (every month) – $6
- Hempseed oil (every 6 weeks) – $17
- Omega-3 Supplement (every 2 months) – $16
- Kelp Powder, 1 lb. pouch (every 6 months) – $15
- Ground ginger, 1 lb. pouch (every 6 months) – $15
- Baby Spinach (as needed) – $3
- Broccoli (as needed) – $2
- Red bell pepper (as needed) – $1
Initial investment in food and treats is approximately: $307.00 Recurring costs, approximately: $250.00 a month (kibble + raw diet). Kibble-only diet + treats + bully sticks: $111.00 a month.
Licensing
In our city, the cost to license an unaltered dog is $62. Neutered dogs cost $24 a year to license. We will pay the $62 licensing fee after Atlas receives his rabies shot because he is still too young for neutering surgery.
Licensing cost: $62.00 initially, then $24.00 a year annually.
Microchip
We had our vet microchip Atlas with a HomeAgain microchip. The cost was $51, however our pet health insurance policy covers it 100%. If you have time, you can find a cheaper alternative to get the microchipping service done. These include your local animal control center and animal shelter.
Microchip cost: $51.00
Ear posting supplies
We spent about $70 in ear posting supplies, including 1 time costs like craft scissors. The $70 should last us the entire ear posting duration. We estimate that we will need to continue posting Atlas’ ears for a minimum of five months.
Initial ear posting supplies: $70.00
First Month Doberman Puppy Total Cost of Ownership Breakdown
So, how much did we spend total? Not counting recurring costs and the cost of a Doberman puppy, our initial investment on puppy supplies total out to:
$1,576.00
What can a new owner considering a Doberman puppy expect to spend on their first month?
$700.00 ~ $850.00
Our monthly recurring costs for raw dog food ingredients, kibbles, treats, replacement toys, pet health insurance and bully sticks round out to approximately:
$359.00
What can a new owner considering a Doberman puppy expect to spend monthly on recurring costs? It depends if you feed raw and if you have pet health insurance. Let’s assume no on both.
$143.00 ~ $250.00
And there you have it, a complete first month Doberman puppy total cost of ownership breakdown. As you can see, acquiring and raising a Doberman puppy is not cheap. It took us several months to verify that our finance can support raising a Doberman puppy. And we set aside a pet budget many months before we acquired Atlas.
In addition to thoroughly researching the breed, research financial responsibility is just as important. Please do your research before considering adding a Doberman puppy in your family.