What Dog Taxidermy Costs, and Why This Decision Is Different
If you're pricing out dog taxidermy, you're almost certainly grieving. This isn't a trophy on a wall, it's a way to keep a family member close, and that changes how the money feels. So here's the honest answer up front, without the sales gloss. Traditional dog mounting runs from about $1,500 for a small dog to $7,000 or more for a very large one, and freeze-drying, which is the more common route for pets, runs roughly $1,200 to $5,000 depending on your dog's weight. Where you land inside those ranges depends on size, method, breed, pose, and who does the work. For the full walk-through of the process itself, our dog taxidermy guide covers the methods, timeline, and how to find someone who'll honor your dog. This page is about the money.
Freeze-Drying vs Traditional Mounting: The Two Price Paths
Most pet preservation happens one of two ways, and they cost differently. Freeze-drying preserves your dog's actual body, dried in a vacuum chamber over months, and it has become the default choice for pets because it keeps their real features and their exact final pose. Traditional taxidermy tans the hide and fits it over a sculpted form, which gives you full control of the pose but replaces the internal structure. For a look at how these prices sit alongside deer, birds, and other animals, see our full taxidermy cost guide.
Freeze-Drying Prices by Size
Freeze-drying is priced almost entirely by weight, because the processing time in the chamber scales with the animal. Typical ranges:
- Very small pets (under 1 lb): $650 to $900
- Toy dogs (1 to 2 lbs): $1,200 to $1,600
- Small breeds (2 to 6 lbs): $1,800 to $2,400
- Medium breeds (6 to 19 lbs): $2,400 to $3,200
- Large dogs (20 lbs and up): $3,000 to $5,000
Freeze-drying suits small and medium dogs particularly well. For very large dogs, the processing time stretches out and not every facility handles animals that size, so quotes climb toward the top of that range and beyond.
Traditional Mounting Prices by Size
Traditional taxidermy is also driven by size, since a bigger dog means a larger custom form and many more hours of skilled labor. Typical ranges:
- Small dogs (under 20 lbs): $1,500 to $3,000
- Medium dogs (20 to 50 lbs): $2,500 to $4,500
- Large dogs (50 to 80 lbs): $3,500 to $6,000
- Extra-large dogs (80 lbs and up): $5,000 to $7,000
Premium work on a large dog, especially a long-haired breed that needs meticulous grooming or a flat-faced breed whose face is harder to reconstruct, can reach $6,500 to $10,000. That top tier reflects a specialist's time, not a markup.
What Actually Drives the Price
The ranges above are wide because several factors move your quote within them.
Size Is the Biggest Lever
A 12-pound terrier and a 95-pound shepherd are completely different jobs in materials, form size, and labor hours. Size sets the tier before anything else does. This is why you should have your dog's weight ready on the first call.
Breed Complexity
Flat-faced breeds like Bulldogs and Pugs are anatomically tricky, and the facial reconstruction alone takes far longer than a Labrador. Long-haired breeds such as Collies and Golden Retrievers need careful hair setting and grooming after mounting. Both push you toward the upper end of a size bracket.
The Pose You Choose (Traditional Only)
With traditional mounting, a resting or curled pose is less labor-intensive than a standing or walking one, which needs internal armature work and precise leg positioning to look natural. The more dynamic the pose, the more hours it takes. Freeze-drying limits you to natural resting or sitting positions, which is part of why its pricing is more predictable.
Condition of the Body
A dog that was frozen quickly and kept in good condition is straightforward to work with. Damage, prolonged warmth before freezing, or skin issues can add restoration work or, in some cases, make quality work impossible. An honest taxidermist will assess this before quoting.
Who Does the Work
A newer taxidermist and a pet specialist with fifteen years of breed-specific portfolios will quote very different numbers for the same size dog, and the difference in the finished result is real. This is not the kind of work where the cheapest quote is the smart buy. Where the money goes on any mount is mostly skilled labor, then the custom form and materials, professional tanning, the display base, and shop overhead. Labor is by far the largest piece.
Timeline: What You're Waiting For
Preservation is slow work, and rushing it produces results you'll regret. Traditional mounting typically takes 8 to 15 months from drop-off to delivery, because the hide has to be professionally tanned before the detailed facial reconstruction even begins. Freeze-drying runs 3 to 12 months, with large dogs at the long end because they simply need more time in the chamber. Your dog's body stays frozen or in process the entire time, so there's no pressure to decide the pose on day one.
How This Compares to Cremation
Preservation is a significant investment, and it's worth knowing the most common alternative. Individual pet cremation runs about $150 to $600, a fraction of taxidermy, and many families find deep meaning in keeping ashes, scattering them, or having them set into memorial jewelry. Neither choice is more valid than the other. If cost is the deciding constraint, cremation is the accessible path, and there's no shame in choosing it. Our pet taxidermy overview lays out the full range of preservation and memorial options across dogs, cats, and other companion animals.
A Word on Spending This Money
People sometimes feel strange about the price of preserving a pet, as if grief should have a budget. It doesn't work that way. If keeping your dog nearby brings you comfort, that comfort is worth what it costs to you, and a well-done mount lasts for decades. What matters is spending it on the right person. A cheap mount from someone who rarely works on dogs is the one purchase here that people genuinely regret, because a beloved pet done poorly is difficult to redo. Spend your budget on proven pet experience, not on getting the lowest number.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is freeze-drying cheaper than traditional taxidermy for a dog?
For small and medium dogs the two are roughly comparable, both landing in the low thousands. For large dogs, freeze-drying (around $3,000 to $5,000) often comes in under premium traditional work, though the processing timeline is longer. The right choice is usually about preservation method and pose, not price alone.
Why is preserving a dog more expensive than a deer shoulder mount?
A dog is preserved as a full body rather than a head-and-shoulders wall mount, which means far more surface area, a full custom form, and many more labor hours. Full-body work of any species sits well above shoulder-mount pricing for that reason.
Does a bigger dog always cost more?
Yes. Size is the single largest price driver for both methods, because it sets the form size, the material volume, and the labor hours. A small dog under 20 pounds starts around $1,500 traditional, while an extra-large dog over 80 pounds starts around $5,000.
Can I lower the cost without cutting quality?
The honest levers are choosing a simpler resting pose over a dynamic standing one, and getting quotes from more than one experienced pet specialist rather than assuming the first number is fixed. Cutting quality by hiring someone without dog experience is the false economy to avoid.
The Bottom Line
Dog taxidermy costs $1,500 to $7,000 or more for a traditional mount and $1,200 to $5,000 for freeze-drying, with size as the main driver and breed, pose, condition, and the specialist's skill filling in the rest. Freeze-drying is the more common route for pets because it keeps your dog's real body and features. Whichever you choose, put your money into proven pet experience, budget for a long wait, and know that if this brings you peace, it's worth it.