As people are looking for ways to stand out and get a puppy from a good breeder, I thought it might be useful to list some of the more common things breeders (or at least I) hear from potential puppy buyers. Some of them are just common, others inspire an automatic eye roll. Just be aware.
"I'm looking for a therapy dog." -- I hear this constantly. And 90% of the people saying this have never had a therapy dog, and never follow through.
"I'm looking for a calm dog that will cuddle with me." -- Good luck. For the first 2-3 years, Goldens can be very energetic. Just look in the puppy forum and see all the threads complaining about that.
"We want a Golden Retriever that will be good with our 2-year old." -- Ummmmm, okay. Needle sharp puppy teeth, boundless curiosity (by puppy and child), and no sense of what conduct is appropriate (by puppy and child), what could go wrong? Rather than saying that, try to explain why pairing a puppy with your toddler is going to be a good idea for either of them.
"I'm looking for an English Creme because they don't get cancer." -- Never, ever say this. If you don't know why, I can't help you.
"I just want a pet; I'm not interested in a show dog." -- Out of a litter of 10, there might be 1 show dog. Guess what the other 9 are? Yup, pets. And you're not getting a show dog anyway, so don't say this. It just makes you sound like you don't care about the puppy, just getting a good bargain.
"My kids are old enough to learn responsibility, so we want to get them a puppy." -- Big red flag for me and lots of breeders.
"What color will the puppies be?" -- Other than some shade of "gold," from light to dark, there is usually no way to know until they are on the ground, as the color of any ancestors from generations back could be expressed in a particular puppy (but see English Creme).
"I'm looking for first pick male/female." -- This is just a pet peeve of mine. We don't have "picks." And besides, don't people feel like they are getting a leftover puppy if someone is stuck with "last pick?"
"We might want to breed down the road." -- Saying that might get you crossed off some breeders' lists.
"We don't want to crate train. That's just cruel." -- If you say this, you sound uneducated. Maybe the breeder will educate you, or maybe they will just move on. I guarantee the breeder crates her dogs, and now you've just insulted her. Nice.
"Can we make payments on the puppy?" -- No. No, you can't. Save up.
What else? I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of things.
"I'm looking for a therapy dog." -- I hear this constantly. And 90% of the people saying this have never had a therapy dog, and never follow through.
"I'm looking for a calm dog that will cuddle with me." -- Good luck. For the first 2-3 years, Goldens can be very energetic. Just look in the puppy forum and see all the threads complaining about that.
"We want a Golden Retriever that will be good with our 2-year old." -- Ummmmm, okay. Needle sharp puppy teeth, boundless curiosity (by puppy and child), and no sense of what conduct is appropriate (by puppy and child), what could go wrong? Rather than saying that, try to explain why pairing a puppy with your toddler is going to be a good idea for either of them.
"I'm looking for an English Creme because they don't get cancer." -- Never, ever say this. If you don't know why, I can't help you.
"I just want a pet; I'm not interested in a show dog." -- Out of a litter of 10, there might be 1 show dog. Guess what the other 9 are? Yup, pets. And you're not getting a show dog anyway, so don't say this. It just makes you sound like you don't care about the puppy, just getting a good bargain.
"My kids are old enough to learn responsibility, so we want to get them a puppy." -- Big red flag for me and lots of breeders.
"What color will the puppies be?" -- Other than some shade of "gold," from light to dark, there is usually no way to know until they are on the ground, as the color of any ancestors from generations back could be expressed in a particular puppy (but see English Creme).
"I'm looking for first pick male/female." -- This is just a pet peeve of mine. We don't have "picks." And besides, don't people feel like they are getting a leftover puppy if someone is stuck with "last pick?"
"We might want to breed down the road." -- Saying that might get you crossed off some breeders' lists.
"We don't want to crate train. That's just cruel." -- If you say this, you sound uneducated. Maybe the breeder will educate you, or maybe they will just move on. I guarantee the breeder crates her dogs, and now you've just insulted her. Nice.
"Can we make payments on the puppy?" -- No. No, you can't. Save up.
What else? I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of things.