Complete Guide to Shihpoo Puppies Average Prices 2019
Our first Shihpoo puppy cost us $600 from a breeder in southeast Idaho back in 2016. Two years later, our second Shihpoo cost us $1,000. Did we get a great deal on the first one or were we taken to the cleaners on the second? Our 2019 survey answers this and other questions about the…
Our first Shihpoo puppy cost us $600 from a breeder in southeast Idaho back in 2016. Two years later, our second Shihpoo cost us $1,000. Did we get a great deal on the first one or were we taken to the cleaners on the second? Our 2019 survey answers this and other questions about the average prices of Shihpoo puppies nationwide.
So what is the average price of a Shihpoo in 2019?
As of our September 2019 survey of 350 Shihpoos for sale online, the average cost of a Shihpoo puppy nationwide is $952. The median or most common price is $850. The lowest listed price is just $150 while the highest price for a Shihpoo puppy is $2,800.
Shihpoo Puppy Breeders Vary their Price by State, Age, Gender and by Added Services
When you are looking to buy a Shihpoo puppy for your home, you don’t have to limit yourself only to breeders near by. Many breeders offer to deliver your new puppy up to 300 miles or so, while others can arrange to ship your new puppy by air for an additional fee. Still others offer neither delivery nor shipping.
Additionally, you may not even be able to find a Shihpoo breeder in your state, let alone in your town. Take a look at the map below to see where you can find Shihpoo puppies for the lowest average price.
Looking at the map, you might notice that ShihPoo puppies are most affordable in the Midwest, although the cheapest online price was in Idaho. What this map does not show is the number of breeders in each state.
Many states only have one breeder with online listings, while others have two or more. Some states, like California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia have five or more breeders using the Internet to market their Shihpoos.
In states with multiple breeders, you can find a wide range of prices. For example, in Wisconsin, with just two breeders advertising online, you can find one breeder selling Shihpoo puppies for $400 each while another sells their puppies for $800 each.
As another example, in Arizona, you can find prices ranging from just $200 up to $750. Contrary to the principle that competition breeds lower prices, Florida (with NINE breeders online) has the largest range of prices. You can find Shihpoo puppies in central Florida for just $350 while some puppies in southern Florida go for as much as $2,499.
What Is the Average Cost of a Shihpoo in Each State?
As of September 2019, only 36 have active Shihpoo breeders advertising online. That does not mean that there aren’t Shihpoo breeders in the other fourteen states or the District of Columbia. Breeders in these areas just are not easily found online.
The following table lists the average costs for Shihpoo puppies in each state, along with the average price for males and females. The total sample size of the survey is 387 total Shihpoos for sale. Average costs from states will small sample sizes (5 or less) should not be considered representative, particularly for average costs by gender.
| State | Sample Size | Average Female Cost | Average Male Cost | Average Cost |
| Alabama | 4 | $850 | $800 | $825 |
| Alaska | 0 | – | – | – |
| Arizona | 4 | $200 | $600 | $500 |
| Arkansas | 0 | – | – | – |
| California | 9 | $800 | $825 | $811 |
| Colorado | 4 | $500 | $900 | $800 |
| Connecticut | 5 | $1,048 | $1,048 | $1,008 |
| Delaware | 0 | – | – | – |
| Florida | 30 | $1,337 | $1,332 | $1,333 |
| Georgia | 13 | $900 | $577 | $627 |
| Hawaii | 0 | – | – | – |
| Idaho | 2 | – | $338 | $338 |
| Illinois | 5 | – | $560 | $560 |
| Indiana | 6 | $900 | $713 | $775 |
| Iowa | 12 | $860 | $879 | $871 |
| Kansas | 5 | – | $380 | $380 |
| Kentucky | 5 | $700 | $493 | $535 |
| Louisiana | 31 | $1,150 | $938 | $1,004 |
| Maine | 0 | – | – | – |
| Maryland | 9 | – | $1,183 | $1,183 |
| Massachusetts | 2 | – | $1,450 | $1,450 |
| Michigan | 8 | $575 | $713 | $644 |
| Minnesota | 1 | – | $600 | $600 |
| Mississippi | 2 | $900 | $800 | $850 |
| Missouri | 13 | $699 | $1,240 | $1,198 |
| Montana | 0 | – | – | – |
| Nebraska | 13 | $995 | $795 | $965 |
| Nevada | 2 | – | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| New Hampshire | 0 | – | – | – |
| New Jersey | 15 | $1,013 | $968 | $992 |
| New Mexico | 0 | – | – | – |
| New York | 15 | $1,054 | $735 | $905 |
| North Carolina | 9 | $1,220 | $1,543 | $1,398 |
| North Dakota | 0 | – | – | – |
| Ohio | 32 | $1,085 | $857 | $957 |
| Oklahoma | 15 | $946 | $667 | $778 |
| Oregon | 0 | – | – | – |
| Pennsylvania | 19 | $764 | $703 | $723 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | – | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| South Carolina | 22 | $770 | $704 | $750 |
| South Dakota | 0 | – | – | – |
| Tennessee | 15 | $825 | $475 | $638 |
| Texas | 10 | $1,064 | $833 | $1,000 |
| Utah | 19 | $1,818 | $1,756 | $1,785 |
| Vermont | 0 | – | – | – |
| Virginia | 11 | $848 | $738 | $768 |
| Washington | 13 | $925 | $1,021 | $977 |
| West Virginia | 0 | – | – | – |
| Wisconsin | 6 | $533 | $667 | $600 |
| Wyoming | 0 | – | – | – |
Factors that Affect the Cost of a Shihpoo Puppy
Besides the breeder, there are several factors that will have an effect on how much you pay for your Shihpoo. These include the puppy’s gender, coat color and pattern, and age. Additionally, breeders offer different services that can greatly affect the final cost of your newest and smallest family member.
The most common add-ons include microchipping, live-video chats with the breeder and puppy before delivery, health certificate and guarantees (1-5 years), dewclaw removal, local delivery, kennel, and even chews and stuffed animals.
How Coat Color and Pattern Affects the Shihpoo Puppy’s Cost
If you insist on a particular color of coat, you should know that the average price range can vary by as much as nearly $500. It might be easy to assume that the least common colors would fetch the highest price for a puppy. After all, that is half of the Law of Supply and Demand, right? On the demand side, however, families looking to add a Shihpoo puppy to their home tend to pay more for the the most common color coats.
Highest Average Price $1,102
Gold (solid yellow, tan, cream)
Lowest Average Price $685
White (solid)
Here is how the average costs of a Shihpoo puppy shake out across the country by coat color and pattern. The percentage in the parentheses indicate how common the coat color and patter was in the survey. Unless noted, the color can be assumed to be solid.
- Gold: $1,102
- Brown: $1,078
- Black – solid or with white patches: $978
- Bi-color – white base with black or brown patches: $976
- Red: $945
- Gray: $800
- Brindle: $790
- White: $685
| Color | Sample % | Average Cost | Median Cost |
| Bi-color | 32.3% | $976 | $900 |
| Black | 27.5% | $978 | $850 |
| Brindle | 10.8% | $790 | $795 |
| Brown | 10.6% | $1,078 | $1,000 |
| Gold | 9.3% | $1,102 | $1,000 |
| Red | 3.7% | $945 | $850 |
| Silver | 0.3% | $800 | $800 |
| White | 5.6% | $685 | $749 |
How Does the Puppy’s Gender Affect the Cost of a Shihpoo?
Of the survey sample, just under 40% of the puppies for sale across the US on the Internet were females. This likely accounts for the fact that female Shihpoo puppies will cost an average of nearly $70 more than for the male Shihpoos ($68.63 more, to be exact).
The average cost of a Female Shihpoo puppy in 2019 is $995.
The average cost of a Male Shihpoo puppy in 2019 is $926.
Female puppies are generally more expensive than male puppies, mostly due to their breeding potential. However, since second and third generation Shihpoo are not common (or even in demand), this explanation does not seem to make sense.
Instead, it is more likely a holdover of the expectation that both breeders and the families looking for a puppy have developed and accepted. If you are considering a female Shihpoo puppy, keep in mind that the cost of spaying will also cost between 10% and 30% more than the cost of neutering a make will be.
The Age of the Shihpoo Puppy Significantly Affects Its Price
The most significant factor influencing the cost of a Shihpoo in 2019 is its age. If you want to purchase a brand new puppy and add him or her to your family when they are just 8 weeks old, you can expect to pay $959 (this is pretty much the same as the average price across the board).
If, on the other hand, you are willing to either rescue a Shihpoo or buy one that is already a year or two old, you can save yourself an average of $405. The challenge is that there are so few adult Shihpoos listed for sale. Less than 2% of all Shihpoos found online for sale during the survey were more than a year old.
If you want to rescue a Shihpoo, young our old, your biggest challenge will be finding one. There are just so few of them. Fortunately, breeders don’t seem to be over producing Shihpoo puppies. Given their hypoallergenic, no- to low-shedding coats, they are not likely to last long at a shelter anyway before another family snatches them up.
Introducing an adult Shihpoo (or even an adolescent) into your has many rewards to accompany a couple of challenges. Rescuing a dog provides both your dog and your family with peace of mind that one less puppy will go unwanted and uncared for.
Some adult dogs may already be microchipped, saving you the $25 to $50 it costs to have it done at the vet’s office. If you are fortunate enough to find one that is already potty trained, you will save yourself the biggest headache or hassle of them all.
Most adult rescues are also neutered or spayed already, saving you another $50 to $100 at the vet.
If the adult Shihpoo is not potty trained, fear not. You CAN teach old dogs new tricks. You will just need persistence while the dog will need motivation. Do not make this the reason you don’t adopt an adult Shihpoo.
Many families considering an adult puppy worry that their new addition to the home might be “damaged goods.” If you have room in your heart, this might be the best reason of all. If you have ever walked through a dog shelter and taken the dogs there for a walk or to play with, you know that they are generally excited and happy to have the attention they deserve.
How Much You Will Pay for Local Delivery of Your Shihpoo
Most breeders do not offer a delivery service, while many that do will change a typical fee of up to $350 to meet you up to 300 miles away.
This will be most relevant if you live in one of the states where there are no Shihpoo breeders or if you decide to use a breeder in a different state. Some breeders will offer to meet you at a local airport to deliver your puppy, which brings up the additional fees involved with shipping or flying your new pup home.
Given the addition cost, you would spend less money if you were willing to drive those 300 miles yourself to pick up your puppy. If your vehicle gets 30 miles per gallon and a gallon of gas costs $3.50, your round trip immediate gasoline costs will only come to $70.
If you pick up your puppy and have a long drive back home, as we did with our first Shihpoo, I highly recommend having a second person along for the ride to cuddle your puppy and offer that feeling of security.
Take a kennel and soft bedding with you. However, your passenger will likely end up holding the puppy all the way home. Our first Shihpoo made it all the way home on a there and a half hour drive without a potty accident. We stopped once at a fast food restaurant where we found some grass for him to use to relieve himself. He was a real champ.
Keep in mind, also, that your puppy should not be placed near any other dog or in parts and common areas where dogs may have relieved themselves. Until your puppy gets his or her full series of shots (around two months old), he or she will be highly susceptible to the canine parvovirus.
So, on your way home, do NOT stop at public or dog parks to let your puppy out to relieve him or herself.
How Much It Costs to Ship a Shihpoo by Air
The few breeders that offer to ship their puppies out of state by air all recommend or require using Delta Airlines’ pet shopping service. Each of these breeders charge a delivery fee to get the puppy to the airport, in addition to what you will pay for the airline. Some breeders even require the use of a pet name to accompany the puppy in the plane all the way to your local airport
These additional costs (delivery, shipping, pet nanny) can easily add between $1,000 and $2,000 to the final acquisition costs of your Shihpoo puppy.
Extra Services Some Shihpoo Breeders Offer
In the vast majority of cases, the puppy price includes just the puppy, up-to-date vaccinations and dewormer, as well as a health check by a veterinarian. If the breeder you are working with does not offer proof or guarantee of at least these minimal services, you should continue shopping.
Many breeders offer a certificate of health with a health guarantee for one to five years. Hopefully, you will never need to take advantage of such an offer, but it is a good idea to ask what the terms are and what compensation is available should your new puppy be diagnosed with a chronic condition within the terms of the guarantee.
All your breeder if they will provide with and verified medical records from a veterinarian visit or is it will only involve the breeders own notes.
Few breeders include the removal of the puppies dewclaws in the price. Dewclaws are the nails partway up the puppies leg. They roughly correlate to the human thumb and nail.
Removing the dewclaws is not generally recommended. For certain show dogs and hunting dogs, dewclaw removal is the norm. Since your Shihpoo will not be an AKC competitive show dog (since Shihpoos are not a recognized breed), and since Shihpoos are not hunting dogs (except when hunting for his or her chew toys), you do not need to worry about having the dewclaws removed.
A small minority of breeders also include microchipping of your Shihpoo puppy in their price tag. While this may only save you $25 to $50 at the vet for service, your peace of mind is much more valuable.
Finally, a few breeders include a list of items that they will send home with you in puppy delivery of shipment. The most common item is a small bag of the puppy food the breeder has been feeding your Shihpoo. Other items might involve a chew toy, a stuffed animal and even a kennel.
Related Questions
What is the Life Expectancy of a Shihpoo? Shihpoos invert a fairly long life span from both of their parents. You can expect your Shihpoo puppy to live about 15 years or more if you can hello him or her remain health and active. The oldest Shihpoo known loved for 21 years.
Do Shihpoos bark a lot? Shihpoos are not silent dogs but neither are they yippity Yap Yap puppies. You should expect your Shihpoo to bark when he or she heard noises at the door or in the yard. Train your puppy the speak and quiet commands to minimize the barking.
Shihpoos are generally considered low- to moderate-barking dogs. They are intelligent and fairly easy to train, so helping them learn the “Speak” and then the “Quiet” commands can keep their barking to a minimum. See our post on training a Shihpoo to stop barking.
Posted October 12, 2019
