If you’re trying to budget how much an Australian Labradoodle will cost you, you’re in the right place. Many dog lovers consider price as a factor in whether they bring an Australian Labradoodle home or not.

That being said, it’s important to keep in mind that price isn’t the only thing to consider. When you bring home an Australian Labradoodle, you will spend a lot of time and energy to raise them. This is time and energy you could’ve spent elsewhere but chose to spend with your new Australian Labradoodle.

In this article, we’ll talk about;

1. How much an Australian Labradoodle really costs (with examples)
2. What determines the cost of an Australian Labradoodle
3. One-time expenses you need to budget for
4. Yearly expenses you need to budget for

Let’s dive in!

How much is Australian Labradoodle?

The initial cost of purchasing an Australian Labradoodle is $2500 to $4000. The cost will vary depending on a couple of factors such as;

• Are you buying or adopting an Australian Labradoodle?
• Where is the breeder or rescue/shelter located?
• What’s the breeder’s reputation?
• What physical characteristics does the labradoodle have?

Let’s take a look at these factors.

Buying from a Labradoodle Breeder vs Adopting from a Shelter

First off, Australian Labradoodles are considered “designer dogs”. This means due to their mixed breed nature, they are high in demand and will be priced higher than other breeds.

Buying from a registered Australian Labradoodle breeder in the US will cost upwards of $2500. The more reputable a breeder is, the higher the price will go. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Breeder	Location	Initial Cost
Hale’s Australian Labradoodles	Bakersfield, California	$3500
Agape Labradoodles	Denver, Colorado	$3000
Labradoodle Lane	Dade City, Florida	$2750
Royal Paws Labradoodles	Houston, Texas	$2800

Adopting from a shelter/rescue, on the other hand, will cost $100 to $1000 depending on which shelter/rescue you adopt from. Keep in mind it’s very difficult to find these designer dogs in shelters/rescues due to high demand. By the time one or two land in these centers, they are adopted out in the blink of an eye.

Let’s take a look at some shelters/rescues you can find an Australian Labradoodle and the cost.

Shelter	Location	Adoption Cost
IDOG Rescue	Houston, Texas	$100 – $750
Doodle Rescue Collective	Nationwide	$300 – $1000
Doodle Dandy Rescue	Houston, Texas	As per dog

As you can see, adopting from a shelter/rescue is cheaper than buying from a breeder. You will just need to get in the loop with shelters/rescues around your area so that when they find an Australian Labradoodle, you will be top of mind.

It is also important to know that a rescued Australian Labradoodle will need more care, empathy, and patience than a labradoodle from a breeder. Some of these Australian Labradoodles have encountered difficult things at the hands of their former owner, environment, or other factors. You will need to take them with an open mind, heart, and patience. If you don’t have these, it’s not fair to you or to the dog to adopt.

Breeder’s Reputation

If you have been browsing for a while, you may have noticed a huge variance in how much an Australian Labradoodle is. One main reason is the breeder’s reputation.

We have 3 types of breeders; professional, backyard, and puppy mills. These breeders have their own brand, motive, and pricing.

If you’re buying from a professional breeder, you can expect to pay a minimum of $2000 per puppy. If the Australian Labradoodle has unique features, you can expect to pay up to $4000+.

This type of breeder is part of organizations such as ALAA which direct breeders to uphold the set standards for breeding Australian Labradoodles. You may notice they have a badge similar to the one below displayed on their website.

Aside from this, the breeder will have a stellar reputation in the breeding world to complement their skills, expertise, experience, and great output. This type of breeder will seek to understand why you are buying an Australian Labradoodle, how you plan on taking care of your doodle and if you are a good fit. They will also answer all the questions you have and invite you to visit the location to have a look around.

The other two types of breeders, backyard and puppy mills, are generally after profit.

The backyard breeder may start breeding as a side-hustle to earn more money. This breeder will usually be inexperienced and will not offer the standard health guarantees. They also tend to be wary of allowing visitors to their property.

Puppy mills are the bane of breeding Australian Labradoodles. They don’t care about the health of the parents, the conditions the dogs live in, or whether you go home with a healthy doodle. All they care about is your dollar and making a profit.

If you do your research, you will notice their prices are very low (ie. $400) and they are very secretive about how and where they breed. They will also ask for payment in advance and will become defensive if you ask questions that dig deep.

Location

Location is another factor that weighs how much you will pay for your doodle. If you live in expensive states such as California, New York, Maryland, Washington DC among others – you can expect to pay higher. If you live in more affordable states, you can expect to pay the average or lower depending on where exactly you live.

One-Time Labradoodle Expenses

Let’s have a look at the average cost of one-time items for your new doodle.

Item	Price
Australian Labradoodle Puppy Price	$2000 to $4000+
Spay/Neutering	$250
Fence	$400+
Essentials (leash, bowls, crate, etc.)	$200
Vaccinations	$75 to $100
Microchip	$25 to $35

Yearly Labradoodle Expenses (on average)

Item	Price
Yearly vet exam	$2000 to $4000+
Yearly vaccines	$250
Vitamins	$400+
Supplements	$150
Dog food	$750
Grooming	$500
Accessories	$150
Waste disposal	$200
Heartworm medication	$80
Toys	$100
Training	$50 to $60 per class
Accommodation (when going on vacation/traveling out of state)	$25 to $100 per night

Conclusion

Owning an Australian Labradoodle is an expensive venture but worthwhile. If you’re on a budget, we recommend you save up and have at least $2000 to $3000 in savings for your doodle for out-of-pocket or unexpected expenses like illness/injury.