Picture taken from www.dogbreedinfo.com
From the desk of Sharda Baker.
Hi and Welcome Everyone!
This is Sharda with another Golden Retriever newsletter!
How to find the best Golden Retriever breeders?
Let’s start!
Being a dog breeder is not like being a doctor, lawyer or teacher; there are no set training or educational requirements to the job.
Rather the health, temperament and adherence to breed standards or their animals are the measure by which a breeder is judged.
Most Golden Retriever breeders have a genuine love for their animals, and breed them responsibly and in the best interests of the individual animals – as well as the breed as a whole.
After all, breeders’ reputations are based on the ability of the puppies they sell to develop into champions of the Golden Retriever breed.
Unfortunately, as with most things, there are those who consider themselves breeders who are more interested in making money than raising dogs.
Why get a puppy from a Golden Retriever breeder?
Purchasing your puppy from a Golden Retriever breeder provides you with:
- Peace of mind as to the medical background of the puppy’s parents in current and past generations.
- Quality assurance that the puppy that you purchase will meet breed standards and specifications.
- Support in understanding and working with the breed of your choice – the Golden Retriever.
- Advice as to vaccination regimes, medical concerns associated with the breed, local trainers and handlers, and other questions you may have.
The breeder’s role is to continue to choose dogs to breed that will enhance the most desirable characteristics of the breed, and minimize any undesirable characteristics.
A Golden Retriever breeder will usually be active in showing animals, and will be very aware of the current trends in the breed, so they will be actively pursuing the breed standards.
In addition to being aware of current and future trends, a good breeder will also be aware of the history and lineage of each individual dog that they have, and will be aware of any potential problems in breeding into another line.
What should you ask a Golden Retriever breeder?
Breeders that are concerned about advancing the breed, and who care for each of the puppies they have will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.
They will, in fact, probably want to ask you several of their own before deciding if you are right for their puppy.
As the buyer you should consider getting the following information from the Golden Retriever breeder:
- Does the breeder have a contract to purchase that clearly outlines the guarantee of health and a return or refund policy?
- Does the breeder know or has he/she worked with both the parents of the puppy?
- Can the breeder provide a lineage chart for the puppy tracing back several generations?
- Will the breeder let you see the other animals in the kennel and is the kennel clean, well maintained and animal friendly?
- Are you allowed to see other adult dogs and puppies that the breeder owns socialize together?
- Does the breeder limit the amount that you handle the pups?
- Does the local, state or national breed organization or club recognize the breeder?
- How often does the breeder allow the female and male to breed and reproduce?
A good Golden Retriever breeder will be concerned with the safety and health of the puppies, and will only allow serious buyers to handle the puppies.
If you are just enquiring about the breed you may be able to see them from a distance and may be able to interact with the adult dogs.
A breeder may also limit how long you are in the kennel with the puppies at any given time, even if you are a serious buyer.
That’s it for today.
Hope you learned something.
I’ll be back for more about Golden Retrievers.
Until then!
All the best and take care
Warmly,
Sharda Baker