Just a question... Just surfing the net and of course you come across all kinds of sites and ads selling puppies ranging from $100 - $2000 or more! Just curious about any stories, "good or bad" from people who (themselves or someone they know) has purchased from non-certified breeders. I am thinking the phrase "you get what you pay for comes to mind"...

With a CKC certified breeder you can be assured that they have chosen a sire and dam to produce healthy and breed standard puppies. With the non certified breeder you take your chances.

I'm new to the whole thing myself, I have two puppies that are 9 weeks old. I've learned things from being on this site that has led me to believe my breeder is not one that is prob sought after. I paid $600 a piece and my boys are gorgeous, in great health, are akc with a decent lineage. I just wanted pets, I'm not looking to show or compete so this works for me. I will tell you though that in my search someone attempted to scam me...I replied to an ad on a hobby breeder website and exchanged emails and the guy gave me a song and dance about his wife having died and that she was the breeder and he just wanted a home for the pups he had. The next day he emailed me and said he chose me and to be home the next day for thier arrival. There were red flags and my husband googled the email address and discovered someone that was scammed by this guy. So always beware of dishonest people.

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Here in Canada , CKC Golden pups start at around $900.+. A $600 pup here would be unregistered.

AKC and CKC are just registries that register a dog and tracks its pedigree. It has nothing to do with being certified, whether the dog meets the breed standard, or the quality, health or temperament of the dog.

You do get what you pay for, because a good reputable breeder is not going to give away their dogs, it is very expensive to get both parents certified in hips, eyes, heart and elbows. Those are the basics, but there are even more tests that some breeders will do.

If you read through this forum, there is a wealth of information on buying from a reputable breeder. Many of years of experience. You will also see a lot of sad stories from people that bought from a pet store, puppy mill or backyard breeder. Yes, all these dogs are AKC or CKC, but they are not all bred the same way.

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I think an average price for a well bred golden in the US right now is around 1500. That is less than what I have seen advertised in a pet store.

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My pups are AKC registered, not CKC.

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Just curious, if a pup is $600 how do you know it's not registered? I know you can visit K9data.com to see the pedigree and clearances which is fabulous but how is the standard of price set?

Well put, I was thinking about my response and was back to correct it.

I figured that, I just noticed that she is Canadian and looking for local breeders I live in her area and know that any dog from a reputable breeder will not be offered for under $900. Because by the time the pup is 8wks they will have invested a lot of money in vet visits,food,laundry, possible stud fees, and a lot of time.
Dogs and everything else is more expensive here, that's why we all head south to shop LOL

On a another note you dogs are gorgeous.