The Tibetan Mastiff is the most expensive dog breed to own. It has a whopping average purchase price of $2,500. Recognized as an excellent guard dog, the Tibetan Mastiff has an average grooming cost of $70 per professional visit. The breed’s life expectancy averages 10 to 14 years, and medical bills can reach around $3,000 due to common health issues like hip and elbow dysplasia.
Methodology: GOBankingRates.com looked at the following factors that can impact the overall cost of owning different types of dog breeds: purchase price, grooming costs, and potential healthcare costs. If costs could not be found for a dog, that specific breed was excluded from the study. All factors were given a score within a range, where 0 equaled least expensive. The total scores were then multiplied by the corresponding weights to obtain the grand total.
1. Purchase costs were calculated using figures from various dog breed sites, including (but not limited to) DogBreedsList.info and Dogs.PetBreeds.com. If websites provided a range, the lowest price was used. Cost was then weighted most heavily (3x) in the study.
2. Grooming costs were taken from personal grooming websites that list prices for dog breeds. If websites provided a range, the average was used. Grooming costs were weighted second (2x) in the study.
3. Potential health care costs for common problems included the minimum total of all common conditions in each breed of dog, as specified by Embrace Pet Insurance. This factor had the least weight (1x) in the study.