Choosing Golden Retriever Puppies
| Don't let a Golden Retriever puppy choose YOU! |
You may have been advised by well-meaning friends to let a Golden Retriever puppy choose YOU. "The puppy who comes to you first," they may advise you, "or the puppy who seems to like you the most. Take that one!"
Don't listen to them.
Their well-meaning advice usually results in all the bold and pushy Golden Retriever puppies (who are often the most difficult to raise!) being snatched up, while the gentler puppies (who usually make calmer, more obedient pets) wait politely in the background.
Most families are making a big mistake when they let the most brash, forceful Golden Retriever puppies choose them. Sure, these cute little dynamos are a blast to play with -- for an hour at the breeder's house. But they can drive you crazy if you have to live with them 24 hours a day.
| A Golden Retriever puppy can act like he LOVES you without being suited to you at all. And a Golden Retriever puppy can be perfectly suited to you without launching himself immediately into your lap. Give each puppy a fair, thoughtful evaluation on his own merits. |
| First, evaluate the litter as a whole |
Your first look should be at the litter as a group. If there are four Golden Retriever puppies and three of them are running away or staying at arm's length or woofing suspiciously at you, I'm sorry to say that your visit is over.
No, you shouldn't buy the FOURTH puppy, the one who "seems" okay. The chances are too great that shyness or distrustfulness is in his genes, too, and simply hasn't caught up to him yet.
Don't let a breeder laugh off his puppies' timidity with assurances of, "Oh, they just haven't been handled much." Lack of socialization means laziness or ignorance on the part of the breeder. You do not want a Golden Retriever puppy from a lazy or ignorant breeder. If he can't even socialize properly, who knows what else he screwed up in breeding or raising these puppies?
 Golden Retriever puppies who hide or tuck their tails or shrink away from you are not safe choices as pets. Don't try to convince yourself that you can "bring them out of their shell." You don't know what's going on in these puppies' genes. Shy puppies usually become shy dogs who may snap defensively at anything that startles them.
If the litter isn't running away, what should they be doing?
Normal Golden Retriever puppies are friendly, curious, trusting. They mill around your feet, tug at your shoelaces, crawl into your lap, nibble on your fingers, or sit looking at you with a trusting expression.
After a while, they may stop playing with you and begin wrestling with one another. This is good, because you can tell a lot about the individual puppies by the way they interact with their littermates.
- Which ones are strong, outgoing, bossy, noisy?
- Which ones are quiet, submissive, gentle?
- Which ones grab all the toys and win the tugs-of-war?
- Which ones seem delicate or picked on?
 Most families do best with a Golden Retriever puppy who is neither the boss of the litter nor the lowest on the totem pole. Look for good-natured, middle-of-the-road Golden Retriever puppies who don't bite fiercely or grab all the toys away from the others, but who do join in happily and hold their own.
Clap your hands gently, snap your fingers, jingle your car keys, shuffle your feet, whistle softly, cluck your tongue.
- Which Golden Retriever puppies are interested?
- Which ones come over to investigate?
- Which ones are apprehensive?
You want an alert and confident Golden Retriever puppy. A nervous puppy who is afraid of sudden sounds or quick movements will not do well in a busy household. A puppy who is completely oblivious may be too dull, too independent, or unhealthy.
| Evaluate individual Golden Retriever puppies |
Next, ask the breeder if you can see each Golden Retriever puppy who is available for sale, individually. Ask him to remove the other pups.
You want to see how each puppy reacts when he is away from his littermates. Sometimes a Golden Retriever puppy who seems bold when "his friends are backing him up" will become uncertain or anxious on his own. Or sometimes an energetic puppy will calm down when not being egged on by the others; given your undivided attention, he may become quite the lap-sitter.
- What is his general expression and body language?
- Does he keep his tail up or mostly down?
- Is his tail wagging, even hesitantly?
- When you talk to him, does he look at your face?
- Does he cock his head and listen to you?
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