Hi. The fact that you ensured the breeder is not a puppy mill is a good first step. It is only the first step. Not having full clearances for a few generations is a bad sign. It’s a huge red flag. Depending on references is not enough. Even the most notorious puppy mills can provide good references.
This is an ethical issue and much more. By using this breeder, you can be setting both you and your dog up for possible years of pain, movement limitations, sadness, and incredibly expensive vet bills. My first steps would be to ask a Golden Retriever club what to look for and to ask a veterinarian about the breed and issues to watch out for.
When I looked for my new puppy, I searched over 150 breeders from California to Pennsylvania. I live in California. I know people who have experienced the pain and expense of a puppy whose sire and dam were not fully cleared. I didn’t want that experience, nor did I want to support such a breeder.
I looked at each website. If the clearances of both parents were not online, I dismissed that breeder. After that preliminary cursory look at clearances, I closely looked at them and at the pedigrees going back a few generations. I also made sure the puppy parents were registered with the AKC. After those steps, my choices were down to 81 breeders.
I then looked to see what type of training the dogs had (were they trained for therapy, agility, etc.). While this was not an absolute determining factor, it did help in reflecting the time and attention given by the breeder. I also looked at the home environment: is the litter raised with children, are they in the home most of the time, what does the outside look like, how much socializing will they receive? These were all important factors. After that part of my research, I was able to eliminate another 47 breeders, leaving me with 34 possibilities.
The next step was to find out at what age the puppies would go to their new homes. If they would be 7 weeks old or less, those breeders were out of consideration. Now I was down to 29. I then called each of the remaining 29. I had a list of questions asking about the temperaments of both the sire and dam, the home environment of each (it is rare that both live in the same home), how much socializing they will receive, if they will be socialized with children, and the name and contact information of their veterinarian. If the breeder wasn’t welcoming of my questions, that breeder was crossed off my list. I then contacted the veterinarians and asked about their experience with the breeder and the dogs.
After that, I was left with 17 breeders. I called each a second time and asked if they would provide photos of the litter once a week along with some additional questions ( these questions were based on the conversations with the specific breeder and respective veterinarian). If they weren’t going to provide photos and/or they were not receptive to my additional questions, they were off my list.
That left me with 11 breeders. I then looked at the next breeding for each. I wanted a breeding the result of which would mean that my puppy would come home any season but winter. It was my personal preference not to house train a puppy during a wet and windy winter.
I finally settled on a choice of 2 breeders - one in north east Illinois, and one in eastern Washington State. I went with the one in Washington. My Kyra was born in April of this year. My husband and I drove 16 hours each way to get her. We are thrilled with our choice. Our veterinarian is so impressed with her (health, growth, socialization, and behavior that she asked where I got her. The veterinary nurses love her and walk her around. When she was only 9 weeks old, they said she behaved as though she had completed at least 6 weeks of formal training. She had not yet even begun formal training. They said this was a sign of an excellent and caring breeder.
Yes, I did a lot of work. My dog will spend her whole life with our family. I wanted to do my best to ensure that the beginning of her life (from conception to at least 8 weeks old) was as good as possible, as this lays the foundation for the rest of her life. Next week she will get her AKC STAR puppy certificate!
Please don’t support any breeder who cannot provide good, complete, and up to date clearances at an absolute minimum. People who purchase puppies from such breeders perpetuate and encourage these unhealthy and unethical practices.
This is an ethical issue and much more. By using this breeder, you can be setting both you and your dog up for possible years of pain, movement limitations, sadness, and incredibly expensive vet bills. My first steps would be to ask a Golden Retriever club what to look for and to ask a veterinarian about the breed and issues to watch out for.
When I looked for my new puppy, I searched over 150 breeders from California to Pennsylvania. I live in California. I know people who have experienced the pain and expense of a puppy whose sire and dam were not fully cleared. I didn’t want that experience, nor did I want to support such a breeder.
I looked at each website. If the clearances of both parents were not online, I dismissed that breeder. After that preliminary cursory look at clearances, I closely looked at them and at the pedigrees going back a few generations. I also made sure the puppy parents were registered with the AKC. After those steps, my choices were down to 81 breeders.
I then looked to see what type of training the dogs had (were they trained for therapy, agility, etc.). While this was not an absolute determining factor, it did help in reflecting the time and attention given by the breeder. I also looked at the home environment: is the litter raised with children, are they in the home most of the time, what does the outside look like, how much socializing will they receive? These were all important factors. After that part of my research, I was able to eliminate another 47 breeders, leaving me with 34 possibilities.
The next step was to find out at what age the puppies would go to their new homes. If they would be 7 weeks old or less, those breeders were out of consideration. Now I was down to 29. I then called each of the remaining 29. I had a list of questions asking about the temperaments of both the sire and dam, the home environment of each (it is rare that both live in the same home), how much socializing they will receive, if they will be socialized with children, and the name and contact information of their veterinarian. If the breeder wasn’t welcoming of my questions, that breeder was crossed off my list. I then contacted the veterinarians and asked about their experience with the breeder and the dogs.
After that, I was left with 17 breeders. I called each a second time and asked if they would provide photos of the litter once a week along with some additional questions ( these questions were based on the conversations with the specific breeder and respective veterinarian). If they weren’t going to provide photos and/or they were not receptive to my additional questions, they were off my list.
That left me with 11 breeders. I then looked at the next breeding for each. I wanted a breeding the result of which would mean that my puppy would come home any season but winter. It was my personal preference not to house train a puppy during a wet and windy winter.
I finally settled on a choice of 2 breeders - one in north east Illinois, and one in eastern Washington State. I went with the one in Washington. My Kyra was born in April of this year. My husband and I drove 16 hours each way to get her. We are thrilled with our choice. Our veterinarian is so impressed with her (health, growth, socialization, and behavior that she asked where I got her. The veterinary nurses love her and walk her around. When she was only 9 weeks old, they said she behaved as though she had completed at least 6 weeks of formal training. She had not yet even begun formal training. They said this was a sign of an excellent and caring breeder.
Yes, I did a lot of work. My dog will spend her whole life with our family. I wanted to do my best to ensure that the beginning of her life (from conception to at least 8 weeks old) was as good as possible, as this lays the foundation for the rest of her life. Next week she will get her AKC STAR puppy certificate!
Please don’t support any breeder who cannot provide good, complete, and up to date clearances at an absolute minimum. People who purchase puppies from such breeders perpetuate and encourage these unhealthy and unethical practices.
