Most Expensive Dog Breeds

The most expensive dog breed is the Tibetan Mastiff, with breeder prices of $1,500 to $10,000 according to Adopt a Pet and Spot. It also holds the reported record: a Tibetan Mastiff puppy was said to sell for about $1.9 million (12 million yuan) at a luxury pet fair in China, though that figure came from a local paper and was never independently verified. Among the 32 breeds on breedcosts.com/, the Cane Corso and Goldendoodle have the highest typical breeder prices, topping out at $5,000 each, though rare colors and champion lines push some breeds, such as the French Bulldog, far higher.

Breed	Puppy price	Insurance per month	First-year cost	Lifetime cost
Goldendoodle	$2,000–$5,000	$40–$70	$5,480–$9,440	$28,700–$50,600
Cane Corso	$1,500–$5,000	$50–$100	$4,900–$10,200	$25,700–$45,400
English Bulldog	$2,000–$4,500	$70–$110	$5,340–$9,020	$22,420–$35,300
French Bulldog	$1,500–$4,500	$55–$95	$4,210–$8,390	$21,400–$34,680
Cavapoo	$1,500–$4,000	$27–$70	$4,270–$8,090	$28,190–$45,750
Maltipoo	$1,500–$4,000	$25–$55	$4,200–$7,960	$27,300–$44,860
Bernese Mountain Dog	$1,500–$4,000	$65–$130	$6,080–$10,860	$27,560–$50,100
Pomeranian	$1,500–$4,000	$35–$60	$4,120–$7,420	$26,340–$42,220
Biewer Terrier	$1,500–$4,000	$27–$55	$4,170–$7,610	$25,890–$42,260
Poodle	$1,200–$4,000	$32–$60	$4,880–$8,920	$34,410–$51,200
Bichon Frise	$1,500–$3,500	$35–$60	$4,620–$7,420	$31,240–$45,500
German Shepherd	$1,500–$3,500	$44–$80	$5,080–$8,510	$25,700–$41,620
Golden Retriever	$1,000–$3,500	$40–$95	$4,380–$8,340	$25,800–$41,780
Shiba Inu	$1,500–$3,500	$35–$60	$3,820–$6,620	$23,260–$35,420
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel	$1,500–$3,500	$35–$105	$4,020–$7,560	$24,040–$44,800

The table lists the 15 breeds on this site with the highest top-of-range puppy prices, sorted from highest to lowest. Rare breeds that don’t yet have their own page appear in the top 10 list below.

The Most Expensive Dog Breeds To Buy

This list ranks breeds by the top of their typical breeder price range. Figures for rare breeds come from Adopt a Pet and Spot; figures for breeds with a page on this site come from that breed’s cost breakdown.

1. Tibetan Mastiff: $1,500 to $10,000. A giant, ancient breed with scarce bloodlines and strong status appeal. Puppies are costly to breed and raise.
2. Azawakh: $5,000 to $8,500. Spot ties the price to limited breeding lines, import costs and the work breeders do to protect genetic diversity.
3. Chow Chow: $1,000 to $8,500. A small breeding pool, a distinctive look and high upkeep keep prices high. Adopt a Pet cites $1,000 to $4,000, while Spot puts the range at $3,000 to $8,500.
4. Löwchen: $1,500 to $8,000. A rare breed with very limited availability. Adopt a Pet lists $1,500 to $3,000, and Spot, citing HowStuffWorks, reports $4,000 to $8,000.
5. Dogo Argentino: $1,000 to $8,000. The breed is rare outside Argentina, and breeders select their dogs strictly. Adopt a Pet quotes $1,000 to $4,000, and Spot reports an average near $8,000.
6. Afghan Hound: $1,000 to $7,000. Show-ring appeal and a large frame drive the price. Adopt a Pet lists $1,000 to $3,500, and Spot puts the range at $2,500 to $7,000.
7. Pharaoh Hound: $2,000 to $6,500. The worldwide population is very small, and breeders focus on preserving the breed.
8. Portuguese Water Dog: $2,000 to $6,000. Adopt a Pet ties the price to a small breeding population.
9. Cane Corso: $1,500 to $5,000. Responsible breeders spend $500 to $1,500 per parent on hip, elbow and heart screening. Show puppies from titled parents start around $3,000, champion lines can reach $5,000 to $8,000, and non-standard colors like chocolate and lilac sell for $2,500 to $6,000 or more.
10. Goldendoodle: $2,000 to $5,000. Mini Goldendoodles average about $2,900 to $3,000, curly F1B puppies cost more than F1 litters, and breeding-rights F1B dogs can top $6,000.

Just outside the top 10, the French Bulldog runs $1,500 to $4,500 for standard colors, but fad colors push far past that: lilac sells for $6,000 to $12,000 or more and isabella for $8,000 to $20,000 or more. The English Bulldog costs $2,000 to $4,500, and champion-line puppies can reach $6,000 to $15,000. The Samoyed usually sells for $1,000 to $3,000, though Spot says top dogs can pass $10,000.

Why Some Dog Breeds Cost So Much

A high puppy price usually reflects what it costs a breeder to produce a healthy litter, plus how many buyers are competing for few puppies. Five factors come up most often.

C-Sections And Assisted Breeding

Bulldog breeds often need help to breed and give birth. Most French Bulldog litters are delivered by C-section, and English Bulldogs usually need both artificial insemination and a C-section. Many Boston Terriers are also born by C-section. The vet bills for every litter get built into each puppy’s price.

Small Litters

When a litter has only a few puppies, the breeder’s costs are split fewer ways. English Bulldog litters often have just 3 or 4 puppies. The Shiba Inu also has small litters and a modest number of US breeders, which keeps puppy prices at $1,500 to $3,500.

Rare Colors

Colors outside the breed standard often sell at a large premium. A merle Chihuahua costs $3,000 to $5,000, against $800 to $2,500 for a standard puppy. Rare-color Pomeranians and Maltipoos also cost more, and a pure white or agouti Siberian Husky adds $200 to $1,000 over standard coats. Some of these colors, like merle, come with added health risks.

Import And Rarity

Breeds with very small populations, such as the Azawakh and Pharaoh Hound, are scarce wherever you buy, and Spot lists import costs among the reasons Azawakh puppies cost so much. Within breeds on this site, imported lines cost more too: wire-haired Dachshunds from European lines bring the highest Dachshund prices, and imported European Dobermans can run above $3,000. The Biewer Terrier, a recently recognized and still relatively rare breed, sells for $1,500 to $4,000.

Health Testing

Good breeders screen parents for the conditions their breed is known for, and that testing costs money. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel breeders who follow the breed club’s heart-clearance protocol and MRI-screen for syringomyelia charge at the top of the $1,500 to $3,500 range. Doberman breeders pay for Holter monitoring, echocardiograms and DNA tests because of the breed’s heart disease risk. A puppy priced far below its breed’s normal range can mean that testing was skipped.

Breeds That Cost The Most To Own

The puppy price is a one-time cost. Food, vet care, grooming and insurance repeat every year, and for many breeds they outweigh the purchase several times over. Rover’s 2025 survey puts the lifetime cost of a large dog at about $52,075, versus about $16,440 for a small one.

Giant breeds sit near the top on lifetime cost. The Mastiff is a moderate buy at $1,000 to $3,000, but it costs $22,360 to $54,400 over its life, the highest on this site. Its insurance runs $80 to $210 a month, and heart disease treatment alone can reach $5,000 to $20,000. The Bernese Mountain Dog costs $3,580 to $4,360 a year, with premiums of $65 to $130 a month, for a lifetime total of $27,560 to $50,100 despite a lifespan of only 7 to 10 years. The Saint Bernard lands at $27,380 to $45,300.

Grooming makes some mid-priced breeds expensive to keep. The Poodle needs a professional groom every 3 to 6 weeks, and with a 12- to 15-year life its lifetime cost reaches $34,410 to $51,200. The Goldendoodle’s $800 yearly grooming bill helps push it to $28,700 to $50,600.

Flat-faced breeds cost more to insure than their size suggests. The English Bulldog’s premiums run $70 to $110 a month, the second-highest low end on the site after the Mastiff, and the French Bulldog’s run $55 to $95. French Bulldog back surgery for IVDD can cost $4,448 to $26,690, and airway surgery for BOAS $3,437 to $13,749. The English Bulldog’s 8- to 10-year lifespan keeps its lifetime total at $22,420 to $35,300, but a single major claim can add thousands.

Insurance can’t cover pre-existing conditions, so owners of high-risk breeds benefit most from enrolling while the puppy is young. Compare average premiums and what moves a quote on the dog insurance cost page, and see every breed side by side on the dog prices by breed page.

Sources

• Adopt a Pet: The 12 Most Expensive Dog Breeds
• Spot: Most Expensive Dog Breeds
• Global News: Meet the puppy sold for $2 million
• Rover: How Much Does a Dog Cost? (2025)

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