Poodles Monthly Expenses [Complete Poodle Budget]

Many people underestimate just how expensive Poodle ownership can be. On this page, we are going to run you through the average cost of owning a Poodle. Trust us, some of the Poodles monthly expenses may shock you.

Budgeting is a huge deal when you are a pet parent. If you cannot afford to protect and cherish your dog, then please do not adopt a dog. It wouldn’t be fair to them. 

Costs for the First Year of Owning a Poodle

We are going to put aside the initial cost of a Poodle here. This is because the price can vary quite wildly. A Poodle adoption fee can cost as little as $150, and the Poodle price of a purebred can cost well more than $4,000. We are confident that you have already factored the cost of the Poodle into your budget.

This isn’t the only expense that you will have in the first year of owning your Poodle, though. There are a few costs that you will need to pay out of pocket. Thankfully, these should only pop up in the first year. They are not ongoing expenses.

Crate for your Poodle – $100 to $200

You need to train your Poodle, and a crate is the best option for this. Expect to spend somewhere between $100 and $200 on a decent crate. Thankfully, these retain their value well, so you should sell them on the Facebook Marketplace when done with it. You will also be helping out another budget-conscious dog owner.

Beds and Leashes – $50-$200+

A decent bed is something that will last your dog for a good few years. Try to get a decent-sized one if you want to save some money. It will allow your dog to grow into it over time. This means no ‘puppy-sized beds.

Leashes and collars could potentially last the lifetime of your dog. Buy something decent here. An adjustable collar is a must so that your animal can grow into it.

Year One Veterinary Care – Up to $1,000

There are three things that your Poodle will need done during the first year of their life:

• Microchipping
• Spaying/Neutering
• Vaccinations

The last one will be an ongoing expense which we want to discuss in the next section. Most adopted dogs will have been microchipped and desexed, so you may want to look into that.

Depending on what your dog had already had carried out when you received them, we estimate vet bills to be anywhere between $50 and $200 per month. The cost could be a little bit higher than this, depending on where you live. 

Dog Bowls and Initial Toys – $50+

These are items that you will probably be replacing in a year or two, particularly the toys. However, you will still need to budget for them at the start. Your Poodle needs somewhere to eat and drink from, after all.

Dog Training – up to $1,200

Not everybody will need professional dog training. However, it will help to ensure that your dog is a bit easier to manage as soon as possible. So, you may want to see whether you can fit it into your budget.

Ongoing Poodles Monthly Expenses

Now, let’s move onto the expenses that you will have to be dealing with every year of your dog’s life.

Pet Insurance – $200+ per year

Do not get a dog if you cannot afford to insure it. The costs if your dog ends up getting sick and injured without insurance will be too high.

The cost of the dog insurance will vary depending on the coverage you opt for. However, an estimate is somewhere between $100 and $200 per year. The cost will go up as your dog gets older.

Poodles are not the most expensive dog breed to insure – but their long lifespan means that you need to consider increase in this cost over a decade and a half. Given that older dogs can get hip dysplasia or other serious injuries – there is a chance that the dog insurance will pay for itself many times over!

Vaccinations – $100-$150 per year

Vaccination costs may be included in the insurance policy, so you may need to check that.

Many people do not realize this, but Poodles and other dogs need booster vaccinations each year for a whole range of different conditions. Suppose your dog regularly comes into contact with other dogs while out walking. In that case, keeping up to date with the vaccinations is an absolute must. 

Other Treatments – Up to $300 per year

Your dog will need to be treated for the following each year:

• Worms
• Heart worms
• Fleas

Again, if you have the right insurance policy, then the cost of these may be covered already. However, if they aren’t, you will need to free up $300 in your budget somehow. 

Larger dogs like a Standard Poodle will sometimes need more medicine (at higher cost) than a miniature Poodle or Toy Poodle.

Food – Around $700 per year

Of course, the food you feed your dog will significantly influence how much you are spending each year. The better quality and the more nutritious the food, the more you will be paying for it.

For good quality food that will help keep your dog in tip-top condition, we suggest you may spend around $700 per year. However, you can spend as little as $400 and still get something good for your dog. As a pet owner you can make some food, or shop for pet food specials to lower this cost.

If you want to save a bit of money here, then try to avoid overfeeding your dogs. Many people give their dogs way more food than they need, and the cost of that can start to add up rather quickly!

Grooming – $300 per year

Your dog will need to go to a professional groomer every couple of months. This can be very expensive. For a dog groomer, Budget at least $300 per year, but if you live in a big city, then the cost may be even higher than this! For most Poodles a 6-8 weekly grooming visit is typical. This will protect the non-shedding poodle hair, and typically also take care of nail trimming.

Dog Toys – $50+ per year

Obviously, the toys’ cost will be dependent on what you buy and how quickly your Poodle gets through them. Do not expect to pay less than $50 for everything that they need for the year, though.

A dog that destroys tennis balls will need a larger ball budget. A frisbee loving Poodle shoudl buy a dog specific frisbee (which does cost more but is more durable).

Remember, if you plan to leave your dog alone for long periods, they will need more toys than one that you are always walking and playing with. 

Dog Treats – $30-115 per year

Dogs need treats. Most of the time, they should set you back under $5-15 per month. They are a useful training tool, so do not skimp on the quality treats here. No more than 10% of the calorie intake inthe diet should be treats.

Dog walker 

Most owners will not need a dog walker – but if you ar enot around often you will need to factor in daily exercise with a hired dog walker. This can be a neighborhood kid for $20 a week or a professional servive for $100 USD plus.

How to Save Money When Raising a Poodle 

As you can see, raising a Poodle puppy isn’t going to be cheap. Thankfully, there are ways that you can save a bit of cash. We don’t really advise you to cut corners all that much, but the following tips should help you save a few dollars here and there. This can really help to reduce the cost of dog ownership!

Buy items on sale

As you saw before, there are a lot of things that a Poodle will need. You have toys. You have beds. You have food. You have other accessories. The cost of this will add up rather quickly.

We suggest that you buy items on sale wherever possible. You may even want to buy in bulk if there is an excellent deal available. This especially applies to food.

Dog food, whether it is tinned or dry, keeps really well. The expiry date is often years into the future. If you have the cash to spare, why not buy it in bulk whenever it is on sale?

You could potentially save $100-$200 per year on dog food alone at the right price. Obviously, you will need to have the space to store it all. 

Check Facebook Groups

If you hang around Facebook groups for a while, you will no doubt see countless dog accessories start to appear. You can probably snap up a good deal on many items secondhand.

The best things to look out for will be those expensive accessories that tend not to be used for all that long. Take dog crates, for example. If you buy one brand new, then it will cost a decent amount of cash. However, you will be using it for a year or two at the max. The same for other dog owners. Therefore, it is incredibly common to find dog crates up on the Facebook Marketplace. Many of them look pretty much brand new too.

DIY Dog Grooming

Your Poodle’s coat will need regular grooming. As we said, going to a professional groomer can cost a lot of money. 

With the right know-how and some accessories (often not much more than some hair clippers), you can groom your Poodle yourself. It won’t always be as good as if you took the Poodle to a professional, but it will be passable or better!

Even if you replace just one of those professional grooming trips per year with a spot of DIY grooming, you will still be saving a lot of money. My top tip is to invest into two types of brushes. Buy your Poodle a milled stainless steel comb. This will NOT bust the budget. The other brush will be more expensive. A quality slicker brush will reduce the frequency of mats and nots – and can increase the time between grooming.

The best stainless steel comb for a purebred Poodle is the Andis comb. It is a budget friendly buy it once (last almost forever) item! For the best Poodle dog brush – see our Doodle coat brush guide (Poodle mix coats are very similar to Poodles)

DIY Dog Treats 

Sure, dog treats will only set you back a few dollars per month, but we are trying to save you as much money as possible here.

There are plenty of recipes online for putting together your own dog treats. The significant benefit is that DIY dog treats will often be a lot healthier for your dog than the store-bought ones, which is nothing but beneficial to your furry friend! 

Conclusion

Do not jump into buying the Poodle breed if you have limited funds. It is not fair to you, and it absolutely isn’t fair to your dog. 

While there are ways to save money, if you cannot afford at least $1,200 USD per year (a monthly cost of Poodle of $100 USD) for the next 17-18 years, owning a Poodle probably isn’t for you. In fact, dog ownership probably isn’t going to be for you in general. 

Buying a puppy from a reputable breeder will cost more than an unethical puppy mill. Adopting a Poodle is ideal and the adoption fee will be hundreds of thousands cheaper. Rarer poodles like a Parti Poodle or Teacup Poodle will not be easily found in rescues.

If as a pet parent you can spend that sort of money, then we are positive that your Poodle is going to have a brilliant life.