[Ryan21756]

Hello,
Ryan from Maine here. My wife and I are interested in taking on the imense responsibility of breeding Golden Retrievers. We do not want to become known as a "Back Yard Breeder." We both have moderate experiance with "pet" dogs, but neither of us have breeding experiance or confomration / field trial experiance. I am looking for a direction to go in to learn the in's and out's of breeding a HEALTHY, HAPPY, GREAT TEMPERED, BEAUTIFUL animal. We live in Western Maine. We are not even remotely close to breeding. We have no kennel set ups. No fenced area large enough for multiple dogs. And as mentioned earlier, we have no experiance in showing our dogs. I have no idea how I can aquire "breeding stock" and enter into shows so that we can have proven pedigree. Please. Any help would be great. We are in no rush. We are willing to find a mentor and learn about these magnificent animals and how to breed a quality animal. Thank you in advance for any help you may be able to provide. Ryan

 

[mylissyk]

Start by contacting your local Golden Retriever Club and get involved with the group. Attend conformation/obedience shows and meet the competing breeders there, get to know them. Start with those venues and make friends with people who have experience competing and breeding. From those friends you will learn what it takes to choose a puppy to raise to compete in those venues, as well as field trial, etc. Only after you have successfully raised and competed should you consider moving onto exploring breeding.

I am not a breeder, and these things are the bare minimum you should start with to begin to learn everything you need to know before even considering breeding. From where you are starting breeding your own litters is a very long time in the future, if you do it right.

Good luck, and please don't take shortcuts.

 

[Alaska7133]

Good luck with your goal. Keep us informed on how it goes. It would be interesting to know what steps you go through to get from where you are to becoming a full fledged breeder.