FAQ
How much does a Havanese puppy cost in Australia?
At present the price of a puppy on limited register from a registered breeder would be approximately $3500 (AUS).
Why are puppies from a responsible breeder so expensive?
You have heard of the expression that you get what you pay for. Well at Beljala Kennels you definitely get what you pay for.
It costs quite a lot of money, as well as time and effort, to produce a litter of healthy pups. No expense is spared and no corners are cut to ensure the welfare of our dogs and puppies.
Some new owners do not understand just how much time and money we have put into raising our new born babies, we are there with the whelping mum all the time no matter how long it takes for her to deliver her new born. We do have many sleepless nights when awaiting the birth of the expected litter and when the new mum is not experienced and still has a lot to learn about raising her babies. Then there is the extensive amount of time in the day to day raising of the puppies.
Some of the ongoing costs (time, money and effort) for all our dogs, adults and puppies includes:
immunisation
regularly worming
regular vet checks,
given flea and tick and heartworm treatment,
fed a high quality and premium dog food along with fresh or tinned meat,
have their beds and play areas cleaned out and disinfected daily with the best and safest disinfectant
given toys and various other things to keep them stimulated
played with and socialised - are part of the family
provided with quality, comfortable bedding
are kept clean and their coats are in top condition through regularly bathing and grooming with the very best products and equipment
shown at dog shows to ensure that our dogs are good specimens of the breed (costs include entry fees, travel and often accommodation)
our dogs are Champion, Grand Champions, Supreme Champions or are from proven imported dogs.
come from health tested lines
registration with the NSW Pet Registry (Companion Animals Registry).
We are not backyard breeders or puppy farmers.
We do not breed extensively and do not make money out of breeding.
Having happy, healthy, well socialised dogs costs a lot of time and money.
Our dogs and puppies welfare, both physically and mentally, is our primary consideration.
As responsible breeders registered with Dogs NSW and the Australian National Kennel Control we:
pay yearly membership fees
have all our dogs and puppies registered with these bodies
underwent an extensive Breeders Education Course and passed a written exam and Kennel inspection
abide by the Code Of Ethics, the Companion Animals Act and all requirements of the Department Of Primary Industry
are members or Executives of Breed Clubs such as Varieties Of Bichon Related Breeds Club Of NSW Inc to promote the Havanese Breed.
To produce a healthy, well socialised puppy for you to take home with confidence at 8 weeks of age or older we:
ensured that the mother was in top condition even before considering breeding her
made sure the mother was up to date with her immunisation and worming
selected a suitable stud dog
paid a substantial service fee to use the stud dog
had blood tests done on the mother to ensure she was healthy throughout the pregnancy
had the mother checked by a vet during pregnancy and given an ultrasound to ensure the puppies were developing properly
had an xray near to whelping to ensure that the mother could pass the puppies, that they weren’t too big for her and to find out how many puppies to expect to ensure that all puppies are born and none retained when whelping is done.
fed the mother a special food to ensure that she was taking in sufficient nutrients for her health and the health of the puppies
ensured that we had special equipment and everything necessary for the birth
if necessary involve the vet at the time of whelping and in some circumstances, for the welfare of the mother and puppies, have a c-section (rarely)
weighed and recorded each puppy’s weight daily from birth for the first six weeks of their life to ensure that they are getting enough of their mother’s milk and that they are gaining weight satisfactorily
provided mother and puppies with heat pads and a heat lamp to ensure that the puppies are warm enough
in some rare cases, hand rear puppies or provide supplentary feeding if the litter is large or the mother doesnt have enough milk
wormed the puppies every 2 weeks
weighed and recorded each puppy’s weight weekly (after the first six weeks) until they leave us to ensure they are growing adequately
kept the puppies and their environment clean, cleaning them out several times a day
started the puppies in toilet training habits
fed the puppies at least four times a day with premium puppy food to ensure they were getting everything they needed for their healthy development
washed and groomed the puppies regularly so they are used to this
immunised the puppies at 6 weeks of age
microchipped the puppies at 6 weeks of age
had the puppies vet checked and provide a written health report at 6 weeks of age
registered the puppies with the Companion Animals Registry
registered the puppies with Dogs NSW (this is compulsory for all registered breeders of pure bred dogs) All puppies are sold on limited register (unless otherwise agreed) which means they are sold on the condition that they are not for showing or breeding purposes.
spent considerable time playing with, and socialising your puppy, to ensure it is the best companion for you
Raising puppies is an extremely time consuming and labour intensive task.
Your Puppy will go to his new home with you with lots of support.
Every puppy will be:
vaccinated,
microchipped,
wormed,
health checked by a vet prior to it leaving Beljala Kennels and provided with a written vet report
DNA tested for parentage
provided with six weeks pet insurance,
a puppy pack,
Poo scoop
poo pick up bags
two metal bowls for food and water
a licker waterer and bottle
brush
metal comb
fine tooth comb
shampoo
conditioner
grooming spray
no rinse shampoo
powder
several toys
blanket
piece of dry bed
pet chews - pigs ears, kangaroo tendons etc
collar
lead
small transport crate
an information booklet,
a Havanese welfare tracker,
a week’s supply of wet and dry food
full documentation will be supplied with the puppy
useful tips and information to ensure the safety and welfare of the puppy.
As responsible breeders we will provide you and your puppy wiTh life-time support. We are only a phone call away.
Additional things to remember when buying a puppy from Beljala Kennels
Our prices are fair, and in line with most other breeders. You will receive a good quality puppy one that has been vet checked with a written health certificate.
As part of our health program the parents have had hip and elbow x-rays with results entered on the ANKC register, had their eyes checked and cleared by canine Ophthalmologist and the results recorded with ANKC data base, had their patellas checked by a vet, and been DNA screened. Our puppies are health checked by a registered Vet and DNA profiled for future research and to provide you with a guarantee that you are buying a pedigree Havanese with the parentage genetically documented.
Some breeders claim that the puppies have been “raised in the home”. This term has been used quite loosely in some kennels. Just because the puppies were born and are raised under the same roof that the breeder sleeps does not mean that it is raised in the home. They are sometimes kept in a back room and receive limited stimulation or human contact. At Beljala Kennels the puppies are born and raised in the centre of the house. The mother and puppies spend the first week in my bedroom so I can check on them day and night. They are then moved into the whelping box and puppy raising pen in our lounge room. They are picked up and cuddled several times throughout the day. They see and hear everything that happens in the household. They are cuddled and loved by our 6 year old grandson and 2 year old granddaughter. They interact with our cat and other dogs. They have a variety of toys to play with. They stay living in the centre of our house until they go to their new homes. As we have so few litters each year we can spend plenty of time and give lots of attention to our babies when we have them. Commercial breeders or breeders that have many litters per year find it difficult to give as much time to their puppies as we can devote.
When you buy a puppy it is important to see where the puppies live and were raised. It is also important to meet the parents. At Beljala Kennels you are welcomed into our home (COVID rules permitting), you can see where the puppies live and you are introduced to the parents and all our other dogs. Beware of breeders that bring you one or two puppies to look at and do not, or are reluctant to, show you the parents.
When buying a puppy it is important to ask the breeder questions and check that the claims the have made regarding the raising, temperament, health, and social interaction of the puppies and information about the parents of the puppies is accurate. We welcome questions and are happy to provide proof of our claims.
Puppies are encouraged to use a puppy toilet from the beginning. Some puppies are really good and try to use the toilet regularly however young puppies have little bladders and sometimes can’t make it to the toileting area. Every effort is made to encourage the puppies to develop good toileting habits but we need to remember that we are dealing with very young animals and reliable habits will take some time and maturity to develop.
Our Havanese are from very carefully chosen lines which give us healthy, good quality pups. The parents are excellent specimens of the breed. We breed from imported and local lines and promote diversity in our breeding.
We may consider puppies for pre-approved homes overseas. However, this is rare and we are selective on where our puppies are homed. Prices will vary from those mentioned above depending on quarantine and other regulations.
If COVID restrictions allow, distance is not a problem to the Eastern states and we can assist you with arranging transport. Transport costs are met by the puppy purchaser. We prefer air transport but may consider road transport with certain companies.
Our aim is to breed happy, healthy Havanese with lovely temperaments. We believe that it doesn't matter how beautiful something is, you need to live with it, and the match between puppy and new owner needs to be a good fit. To that end, we temperament test our puppies at 7 weeks of age to ensure that the correct puppy is allocated to the most appropriate home.
We do not keep a waiting list or operate on a "first come, first served" basis. We try, where possible to match individual puppies to individual home situations. We keep the buyers preference for sex and colour in mind. Each puppy has a different temperament. This is why we ask potential buyers to fill in our extensive Puppy Questionnaire to help us gauge the best fit for each puppy. To date all our puppy buyers have been extremely happy with the puppies we have matched them with. Puppy buyers do not necessarily get to pick their puppy. We know the puppies best.
Because we breed to keep a puppy for ourselves for showing and breeding and not just to sell puppies for the pet market, we do not breed often. We are hobby breeders not commercial breeders. We only have one or two litters on average each year.
Our puppies are sold on Limited Registration only. Limited Registration does not mean that you are purchasing a lesser quality puppy. On the contrary, sometimes you may be fortunate to get a puppy that we would class as a show prospect, but simply because the puppy was not of the gender we were looking for or we did not have a place available for them at the time the puppy has been offered to lucky pet owners. Limited Registration basically means that your puppy/dog is registered with DOGS NSW/AKC, however you are unable to show it or to breed from it.
We cannot bred for gender. We do understand that people have preferences for a boy or a girl, however, as we do prefer that pet puppies are desexed as soon as practicable, these gender differences are often not an issue. We ask puppy buyers to sign a desexing contract agreeing that the puppy will be desexed between the age of 6 months and 12 months. It is a good idea to keep an open mind when it comes to the sex for your puppy.
Colour preferences are not always possible to fulfill. Colour is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you will get. A good dog is never a bad colour. Whilst you may prefer a particular colour remember that if you turn down a puppy based on colour alone, you could well be turning down your potential best friend/family member. Temperament should be the deciding factor when getting puppy.
We do like to maintain contact with our puppy purchasers. We have set up a Facebook page for Beljala Kennels Owners and Lovers and we encourage our puppy buyers to join this page. You can meet other Beljala Havanese owners and ask any questions or raise any concerns you may have. Good advice and solutions to problems are posted on this page. We give life time support so its important to keep in touch.
Why do we show dogs?
Showing dogs is an enjoyable pastime for us. We spend a lot of time washing, grooming, training and bonding with our dogs in order to get them ready for the show ring.
Our dogs really enjoy shows and get quite excited when it is time to get in the car to head off for a show. They enjoy “strutting their stuff” and showing off how beautiful they are. They really enjoy going away for a weekend of shows and camping at the grounds.
The purpose of dog shows is to compete against others in the breed to determine which dogs are the closest to the breed standard. It is a way to judge a dog's potential to improve the breed.
If a dog isn't breed standard or doesn't have the appropriate temperament, then the dog will / should not be used for breeding. At Beljala Kennels we breed from Champion and / or imported dogs that meet breed standard and have the potential to improve the breed in Australia.
A lot of dogs that are shown never reproduce. Like us, many people show dogs as a hobby, a sport, and a social event. It is often a fun activity that people enjoy with their dog.
Why buy a pure bred dog?
Basically, when you buy a pure bred dog you know what to expect. Purebred dogs registered with Dogs NSW (or other state bodies) and the Australian National Kennel Control are bred to a breed standard. Every detail about what that particular type of dog should be like - appearance, temperament, size, etc - is clearly set out. When dogs are shown in dog shows they are measured against this standard. When dogs that have been successful in the show ring (ie conform fairly closely with the standard) are bred together, you should be fairly confident
An article from Dogzonline summarizes this beautifully.
Any other questions?
If you have any other questions please feel free to give us a call or send us an email. Our contact details are on the “Contact” page. Click on the link at the top of this page.