Hi I am considering importing an Altobello puppy to the US. The price is $4000 including shipping, crop/dock. Is this price standard from this kennel? Thanks

In my opinion that's a heck of a lot of money for what you get.

Everyone has a different opinion and ultimately a dog's worth is based on what the buyer is willing to pay for a given dog.

Personally I do not think the Altobello dogs are worth that expense when you can import cropped and docked dogs for much less.
And you have plenty of options for reputably bred cropped and docked dogs in North America for less.

Altobello is a megakennel, and more along the lines of a commercial operation - this means you will likely not get lifetime breeder support in the same way you'd get by going to a smaller breeder here in North America.

Why were you looking at Altobello in particular?

I really liked European look of their dogs. I am open to buying in the US but I was not able to find a US breeder with european bloodlines that did not already have Altobello in them. I am ok with a higher price as long as it is justified.

Do you have another breeder suggestion? I am looking for very high quality European bloodline. I would also to buy in the US so I could visit the breeder. I am located in Central Florida. Willing to drive a decent amount for the right pup. Also ok with importing.

Thanks for any advice you can provide.

is there a particular reason you are wanting a European Doberman? if you have been looking at photos and articles online there is a lot of misleading stuff out there when comparing Euro and American. most people are not familiar with what a well-bred American show line Doberman looks like. Are you near Orlando? There are a bunch of big shows coming up surrounding the AKC national Royal canin show in a few weeks where many top Dobermans and breeders will attend. I would really encourage you to go. If you want breeder support and a puppy with a solid temperament and from health tested parents an American "show" breeder should be worth considering.

There are a few breeders in the US who breed high quality European Doberman lines. Most of them breed working lines, although there are a couple who use showlines, which is what I am assuming you are looking at, in particular the Eastern European showlines.

Though it should be understood most people who are members of and participate in UDC activities have a strong inclination towards performance, sport and work so they will be striving to produce active dogs. You can get lower drive puppies in any given litter but if you are not interested in sport or performance or work, you should make that very clear to any prospective breeder, that you are primarily looking for a companion.

There are also a couple of breeders in Canada which is far from Florida, but closer than Serbia.
https://uniteddobermanclub.com/udc-breeder-directory/

Kansa Dobermans are members on this forum and have specialised in blending the top bloodlines from around the world in their program. They are highly knowledgeable and experienced and they might have suggestions for your area.

A friend of mine was recently looking for a primarily showline european stud for one of her bitches and she seems to have particularly liked one of the Bell' Lavoro dogs. I believe Vicky goes back and forth between NY state and FL.

As with any breeder do your due diligence. Ask about health testing, most importantly, ask to see the health test results/and or certificates. If they claim the dog has been OFA'd, crosscheck in the OFA database.
Before breeding you'd want your puppy's parents to have had an echocardiogram and a holter monitor test within 12 months prior to mating (and ideally within 12 months prior to whelping, evening), and that the breeder actually keeps up with the yearly testing.
Thyroid is also an important yearly test to have.

Ask about the genetic status of vWD. Ask about the hip ratings. Ask about eye certification (especially for european dogs).

Other things ideally you'd want to see would be elbows and knees and liver/kidney panel. Other relevant tests could be: DM status, MDR1 status, DINGS status.

Your preference is your preference. I prefer to stack the odds in my favor and choose long living, health tested pedigrees from a breeder who I would choose to support. I don't support glorified puppy mills who treat their dogs as commodities and their kennel like a zoo, but that's my preference. And my preference is health over looks. I would HIGHLY suggest finding out the pedigree of the puppy and then searching Doberman databases to see how the dogs in the pedigree died and at what age.

Best of luck.

Stay away from Altobello! A couple of years ago I imported my Dobermann (Blackjack Bluffer x Casablanca) from Dejan at Altobello. She arrived to the US with urinary incontinence, we discovered later was due to a pelvic bladder and widened urethra. She also suffered from demodectic mange where she lost patches of hair all over her body. She was sick all the time with pneumonia, conjunctivitis, vaginitis, etc. At 9 months old, she had a closed pyometra which cost us $4,000. Her urinary incontinence required yet another surgery of $3,800. After surgeries and medications failed, we had to put her down at just under 2 years old. Her sister is on his website, Bomba diAltobello. He bred her knowing all the health issues we had with her pure blood sister. I absorbed every cost and Dejan offered me no new puppy or help. He told me she was healthy when he sent her, insinuating that I had caused these problems. I have a suspicion that he sent her to the US knowing there was no way I could send her back. I know their dogs are beautiful, but save yourself the heartache and go anywhere else!!