What To Look For In A
Reputable Golden Breeder
Finding a reputable
breeder for any breed is a difficult task but may be even harder for a
breed as popular as the Golden Retriever because there are so many
people out there breeding Golden Retrievers. We are here to help you
find out how to determine who is a reputable Golden Retriever Breeder.
In our opinion, a Pet Shop that is "Selling" dogs would not be a place
to look. This does NOT include such places as PetSmart and Petco that
allow rescue groups to use their facility to try to place/adopt pets.
These rescue groups typically match the dogs temperament to the
families. Some rescue groups will do all vetting before adopting; others
don't have the funds and will let you know what needs to be done. They
will also help educate you on the dogs to determine if that breed is a
match for you.
Reputable breeders should always have a link from their website to a
Golden Retriever Rescue organization as those Goldens need homes more
than any Golden Retriever breeder's puppies. Some benefits to adopting
is that you are helping a dog in need, you get to meet the adult
temperament, you can evaluate the energy level of the dog and you can
get a dog beyond the puppy chewing stage. These dogs are not always
abused dogs as some think. Some are from homes who have lost jobs,
moving, kids activities keep them to busy, or they have to move to a
retirement home. Some simply can't afford the medical needs of the dog.
A reputable breeder can help give back to the breed that they love and
care for so much by referring you to a local rescue group, especially
when 1) they have sold all their puppies 2) you can't afford a breeder's
fees and 3) an adult dog with some training would better fit into your
household. Please ask a Golden breeder if they are a member of a Rescue
organization and how they help that rescue group. If a Golden Breeder is
a Golden Retriever Rescue member, it would be likely that they are also
a reputable Golden Retriever Breeder! It shows how much they love the
breed.
We would also caution you on going to BYB's, otherwise known as Backyard
Breeders. More likely than not, these breeders will not have done health
checks on their dogs and will have breeding 'pairs' and don't know or
care of the health issues that are in the breed. They may sell their
puppies to anyone who will pay the price for them. If you cannot afford
to pay the price for a puppy from a reputable breeder, please do
consider a Rescue Golden as mentioned above! BYB's typically may not care
if the dog would be a good match for your family. They may not ask you
questions about how you plan to care for the puppy initially when it
can't go a "work day" without a potty break. They may not care if you
spay/neuter your puppy. They may simply want the puppies gone once the
puppies become too much work for them. They may also sell the puppies
before they are ready to leave their dam and littermates.
Puppies should remain in the litter until at least 7 weeks old.
The best place to find a reputable breeder would be by finding a serious
hobby breeder. This would typically be a breeder who participates in dog
events and competitions such as AKC conformation, obedience, field, or
other performance events such as agility and rally. Most reputable
breeders will ask you lots of questions before they consider selling you
a puppy. They will be able to explain why they produced this litter (not
just my kids wanted to see puppies born). They will be able to tell you
what health issues are found in their pedigree (there are NO pedigrees
that are completely free of health issues.) The task is to minimize and
create the best odds of a healthy puppy with a great temperament. Many
reputable breeders also have dogs that have come from their breeding
program who are certified therapy dogs. These Reputable breeders will
have at minimum, health clearances by the OFA for Hips & Elbows (after
dog reaches the age of 2) , Board Certified Cardiologist clearances for
Heart (after dog is 1 year old) and Board Certified Ophthalmologist
clearance for Eyes (tested within past 18 months). Their puppies should
be raised in their homes and well socialized.
Puppies should be sold on a Limited Registration, preventing them from being
used in a breeding program unless you are a vested breeder, looking
towards a great future for the breed. It's easy to think two dogs
should be bred just because they have their clearances, but a lot of
research should be done to see if those lines are compatible -- have
those lines already produced problems or have they already proven to
produce good results? Sometimes, an experienced breeder will cross lines
that are totally unrelated and unproven together but they will have looked
at what the individual lines produced and not doubled up on health
problems.
A reputable breeder should
ask what you expect from your new dog. Do you want to hunt, do therapy
work, take the dog to dog parks, or sit on the couch and go for quiet,
short walks? A breeding done for high drive hunting dogs could produce
puppies too energetic for you. A very alpha temperament puppy wouldn't
be good for a household with young children. Is the breeder experienced
enough to know the difference?
As
discussed above, a serious hobby breeder is one who participates in AKC
competitions with their dogs. If you are doing your initial breeder
search online, bookmark those websites for Golden breeders who state
that they compete in those events and have produced Goldens who have
titles in those events. The more venues their offspring have titles in,
the better, as the Golden Retriever is an intelligent dog and has the
potential to excel in all of the AKC Conformation and Performance
events. Look at the pictures of the dogs on those websites and see if
that is the 'look' you wish to wake up to every morning. While every
Golden Retriever should meet the AKC breed standard, there are different
'types' of Goldens. Some Goldens who are conformation champions may also
have performance titles and may have a different 'look' than strictly
performance titled Goldens.
