actually thinking about it I paid $500.00 but was over 15 years ago so if I remember correctly that was a alot back then.

while the economy may be part to blame for slow puppy sales, let us not forget that the number of breeders is always on the rise.  more breeders, more choices, etc etc.    the more people who breed will drive prices down as more poeple will look for cheaper pups. 

i agree with Chris about people feeling that they can get a "better" dog if it comes from europe.  never understood this logic, but have seen it happen dozens of times.

john

If you know the right people or have right connections you have alot better chance of getting a good dog from Germany IMO. Lots of quality breeders in the States.

nme0906, A good trainer will know what to train him on by his strengths.Whether air scenting..ground scenting etc etc

Echoes of Great Depression as Dow takes another dive

Tom Bawden in New York, Times UK

The Dow Jones dived a further 350 points yesterday, giving America’s key economic benchmark its worst June performance since the Great Depression, as oil hit a record and analysts said that the fallout from the credit crunch was far from over.

Citigroup’s shares fell by $1.18, or 6.26 per cent, to $17.67 in New York, their lowest since October 1998, after William Tanona, a Goldman Sachs analyst, tripled the net loss he expects the group to make in its second quarter to 75 cents a share, or $3.75 billion (£1.9 billion).

Shares in Merrill Lynch tumbled by $2.41, or 6.8 per cent, to $33.05, as Brad Hintz, an influential analyst with Sanford Bernstein, changed his second-quarter forecast for the group from an 82 cents a share profit to a loss of 93 cents a share, or $832 million.    The banks’ woes helped to push down the Dow Jones industrial average by 358.40, or 3 per cent, to 11,453.4, its lowest level since September 2006. Yesterday’s decline means the Dow is 9.4 per cent down this month, its worst percentage drop for June since the 18 per cent reduction recorded in June 1930.

A fall of $1.38, or 11 per cent, in shares of General Motors, to $11.43 spooked investors further after a note from Goldman Sachs advised selling stock in the largest US carmaker. GM’s shares are at their lowest since 1954.Goldman Sachs’s change of heart on GM was prompted, in part, by a rise of $5.09, or 3.08 per cent, in the price of a barrel of crude oil in New York to a record of $139.64 as Libya threatened to cut its output.

Furthermore, Chakib Khelil, the Opec president, said that oil could hit $170 a barrel over the summer if, as expected, the European Central Bank increases interest rates, in a move that would further depress the dollar.

Investors were offered some respite after the markets closed, as reports emerged that the Federal Reserve was exploring ways to make it easier for private equity firms to invest in banks.Strict regulations effectively prohibit private equity firms from making significant investments in banks by imposing onerous requirements on them. However, these firms are sitting on billions of dollars of cash when banks need new capital to stem huge losses that have resulted from taking hefty writedowns on loans and investments in mortgage-related securities.

Under federal law, any party wishing to own more than 24.9 per cent of a bank must register as a bank holding company, subjecting it to heavy regulation and a huge financial commitment if the bank gets into difficulties. A holding of 9.9 per cent also subjects the investor to a huge level of scrutiny. It is understood that although the Fed cannot overturn these laws it can be far more lenient in their interpretation.

Ugly dog, You are very right!! It just amazes me that people breeding for show or work base their survival upon puppy sales.By the way it is "Hunker down"..unless you have a "Bunker".Thank you for your contibution on this thread K9 sar..It would be great if there were donations of dogs.Of course there are alot of "Good" breeders in the USA but most remain behind the scenes..Desert Ranger.I agree Bob Mckown there needs to be more education about the breed..Im going to go there

Hopefully the good breeders survive and the backyard type thin out.  SInce I never breed my female counting on finding a strong pup in the US.

Pandora has here CGC and training for her BH and SCH-1 Before we decided to breed her with Andy

Wow, I guess I was very lucky.  $400 for my male.  The trainer said he was one of the best working K9's he'd seen in 25 years.  My female was $550 and was a hell of a Schutzhund III prospect until injury (according to trainer and judge of her BH).  Don't get me wrong, usually a grand up is the cost, though I have known some excellent breeders/handers that have dropped the cost so the pup gets a great working dog home.

I think it might be easier to get a good working line for a lower price vs getting a good showline.   I once traded a guy a pup for a lawnmower and gave one to a young man who came by selling vacuum cleaners.  MOre important to me for the dogs to be in good homes with alot of activity than money as these pups were very high drive and needed active owners who trained them. Most i ever paid was $2500 for a showline for my daughter and my wife actually prefers the showlines over my working lines as she was more loving and sociable.