If you're trying to decide whether you want to bring a dog into your household, one of the main things you'll want to look at is the cost. You'll want to take a closer look at your budget and figure out if dog ownership makes financial sense for you. Is it cheap to have a pet dog? Read on to learn more about what a dog is likely to cost you.

Buying Your Dog

How much it costs to buy a dog will vary based on many factors. In some situations, you'll be able to get a dog for free. In others, you could spend thousands or more on your new pet.

Generally speaking, you'll be able to get a dog for less if you adopt your pet through a shelter. Typically, a shelter will charge fees for adoption, but these fees will be reasonable. You'll spend much more if you get your pet through a breeder. Purebred dogs tend to be quite expensive, and designer dogs will be costly too. You can also find dog breeds that are affordable, this can help you to save you some money.

Veterinary Care

After you've bought your dog, you'll have to cover many ongoing expenses. One of these is the cost of veterinary care. If your dog hasn't already received vaccinations, that's something you'll have to pay for immediately. You'll also need to cover the cost of regular check-ups and set aside money to cover any emergency medical expenses.

One way you can make this cost more manageable is to invest in pet insurance. Pet insurance is often available at a very reasonable price, and many policies provide an impressive level of coverage. Look into pet insurance if you want to avoid high medical bills for your pooch.

Food Expenses

Another regular expense you'll have to cover is the cost of dog food. What you'll spend on dog food will vary based on the brand that you choose to buy. While you may think that the cheapest dog food is the most cost-effective option, that won't always be the case.

If you feed your dog lower-quality food, your pet could experience health issues as a result. This could lead to you spending more money in the long run. Instead of picking cheap, low-quality food, you'll want to consult with your vet so that you can find affordable food that will provide your dog with the nourishment it needs.

Training Costs

After you introduce a dog into your household, you'll need to train your dog. Although this is something you can do yourself, you should be aware that it will take a lot of time and effort on your part. You may want to avoid going out while you work to enforce certain rules with your dogs.

Alternatively, you can pay to have your dog trained by a professional. If you choose to do this, the most affordable option is to pay for obedience classes. These classes are designed to be supplemented by training from you. You can also hire a professional that can come to your dog and provide training, but this can be a big expense.

Boarding Costs

Your dog will require care on a daily basis. If you're going to be away from your home for an extended period of time, you'll need to find someone that will be able to take care of your pet. You could ask a friend or a family member to handle pet care for you, but this won't always be an option.

Other options would be to put your dog in a kennel or to hire a pet sitter. The cost of these services will vary based on the location you're in, the amenities offered, and how long you need someone to take care of your pet.

Additional Pets

Dogs are social creatures. Because of this, many dogs thrive when there is more than one pet in the household. If you bring one dog into your home, you may want to adopt an additional dog later.

As you might expect, owning more than one dog means you'll have to spend more money on dog care. With that said, if you do adopt a second dog, your pet may have fewer behavioral issues. Many shelters also prefer that dogs go to people that already own one pet.

How Much Will You Spend Per Year?

As you might expect, all of these costs can add up. On average, you can expect to pay anywhere from $100 to $1,000 per month on your pet. Yearly costs are likely to be somewhere between $1,500 to $10,000.

It's best to look at these costs and compare them against your budget. If money is tight for you, it might not make sense for you to own a dog right now. Look at other types of pets and see if you can find an option that makes financial sense for you.