| How to tell the difference between good Golden Retriever breeders and clueless Golden Retriever breeders. |
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| Purebred puppies are not churned out of a mold. The puppies from one Golden Retriever breeder are NOT the same as the puppies from another Golden Retriever breeder. The knowledge and skill of the breeder has a tremendous bearing on how your puppy turns out. |
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Cara Takahashi:
"I wanted to express how much I am enjoying your web site. Everything I have read so far is right on the money! I am a trainer by profession, a rescuer and a purebred exhibitor. I will be picking up your book as soon as I can and sending people to your web site, for what I can honestly say is the best advice I have seen on buying a dog - period."
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| SOMEBODY is the breeder of every puppy you're considering acquiring The only question that matters is: Was that somebody responsible and knowledgeable, or IR-responsible and UN-knowledgeable? |
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Ms. Joey McDonald:
"Your insight and expertise in raising dogs is unlike anything I've ever read or seen before. You truly have a gift, and I'm just so glad that you've shared it for clueless people like me. I'm also so glad that I found this now, before I got a puppy, so that I can be completely prepared for when I finally get my little companion. I'm going to recommend your site to everyone I know who has a dog!"
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| Responsible, knowledgeable Golden Retriever breeders breed dogs together only after BOTH dogs have been medically tested for health problems. Health problems are epidemic in many breeds because so many ignorant people are breeding their dogs without doing the required health tests. Don't buy from one of these morons! |
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Bill Ford:
"You are a wonderful writer -- your dialogue is so down to earth, so compelling. I have by no means read everything...yet. But it is certain I will. Your style of writing is not only a compelling read, it is certainly informative and on an educational level that anyone can readily understand. Bravo! I have bookmarked your web site as a place to go for some serious down-to-earth, logical, realistic and up to date canine information. I am very impressed not only with the wealth of information you provide but in how it is so well presented."
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| Responsible, knowledgeable Golden Retriever breeders sell their own puppies, right from their own home. They NEVER place a puppy in a pet shop or give it to a "puppy broker" to sell. |
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Good Breeders versus Bad Breeders:
Buying Golden Retriever Puppies
| Purebred puppies are not churned out of a mold. The puppies from one Golden Retriever breeder are NOT the same as the puppies from another Golden Retriever breeder. The knowledge and skill of the breeder -- first, when he selected the parents, and second, when he raised the puppies to the age where you get to see them -- has a tremendous bearing on how your puppy turns out. |
| EVERY Golden Retriever puppy has a breeder |
Some people will insist that they got their puppy from a "private seller" rather than a breeder.
They honestly believe that if they got their puppy from someone who had one litter and placed an ad in the newspaper, they're not buying from a breeder.
Or they believe that if they got their puppy from a neighbor who says, "Our Molly recently had pups. Would you like one?"...they're not buying from a breeder.
These people are wrong.
A breeder is any person
who owns a female dog
who has a litter.
- Even if that person simply owned two pet dogs who were bred together and the puppies advertised in the newspaper.
- Even if the breeding was accidental.
- Even if the father was a mutt down the street, so the puppies aren't even purebred.
If they own the female,
they are the BREEDER
of that litter.
| So unless a puppy is actually born on the street to a homeless female who truly has no owner, every puppy (whether purebred or mixed breed) has a breeder.
In other words, SOMEBODY is the breeder of every puppy you're considering acquiring. |
| The only question that matters is... |
Was that breeder
responsible and knowledgeable
OR
IR-responsible and UN-knowledgeable?
| What do responsible, knowledgeable breeders look like? |
 Responsible, knowledgeable Golden Retriever breeders breed dogs together only when BOTH dogs have been medically tested for health problems.
For the Golden Retriever, health tests include:
- Hip and elbow X-rays looking for hip or elbow dysplasia
- Eye exam by an ACVO-certified canine ophthalmologist
- Cardiac exam by a certified canine cardiologist
| Now, some of these tests are "iffy" about showing for sure whether a Golden Retriever has a certain disease or not. But they're the best we have at the moment. |
The MORE of these health tests a Golden Retriever breeder has done (and can actually SHOW you the certifications for), the happier you should be. Golden Retriever breeders who have done NONE of these tests should be crossed off your list. Immediately.
Health problems are now epidemic in many breeds,
including the Golden Retriever,
because so many ignorant people
are breeding their dogs
without doing the required health tests.
Don't buy from one of these morons!
- Responsible, knowledgeable Golden Retriever breeders breed dogs together only when BOTH dogs have excellent temperaments, i.e. not nervous, timid, shy, hyperactive, or aggressive.
- Responsible, knowledgeable Golden Retriever breeders understand genetics. They don't breed closely-related dogs together, i.e. the same name should NOT appear on both sides of a 4- or 5-generation pedigree.
Unfortunately, you will see a LOT of inbred litters offered by Golden Retriever show breeders and pet shops/puppy mills. The show breeders call their dogs linebred -- but don't be fooled. Geneticists tell us that there is no real difference between inbreeding and linebreeding. Whatever the breeder chooses to call it, if the same name appears on both sides of a 4- or 5-generation pedigree, this is not a puppy for me.
- Responsible, knowledgeable Golden Retriever breeders sell their own puppies, right from their own home. They NEVER place a puppy in a pet shop or give it to a "puppy broker" to sell.
 Responsible, knowledgeable Golden Retriever breeders don't just BREED dogs -- they DO things with their dogs. They're involved in canine activities such as obedience, agility, field trials, breed rescue, and so on. (Bernese artwork by Dino Candelaria of Blackcoral Bernese.)
- Responsible, knowledgeable Golden Retriever breeders can give other responsible, knowledgeable Golden Retriever breeders as references. (NOT just a list of "satisfied" puppy buyers, who almost certainly know much less than YOU do about what really makes a breeder good or bad!)
| Please think seriously about this, because your decision to buy from a particular person will affect future dogs and future owners. Whoever you buy from will most likely breed again -- because you have rewarded him with money. Don't encourage irresponsible or unknowledgeable people to keep doing what they're doing. Buy only from someone who has done all the right things. Someone who deserves to be rewarded and encouraged. |
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Copyright © 2000-2006 by Michele Welton. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced without the permission of the author. |
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