Choosing A Golden Retriever Puppy

Finding the right Golden Retriever puppy can be doggone hard work, but it will be time well spent. I cannot emphasize enough, how important it is at this point, to take your time when choosing a Golden Retriever breeder to purchase your new puppy from.


For a lot of people who have made the decision to get a new Golden Retriever Puppy, they either look in the newspaper for an ad offering puppies for sale, or they go to a pet store. This can be a mistake.

The pet shop is probably the worst choice of all. The first problem is that you will usually pay more at a pet shop then from a quality breeder. I have seen the price be two or three hundred dollars higher in some cases.

The second problem with buying a puppy at a pet shop is that you may have no information about the parents of the puppy they want to sell you.

This is a huge problem because the appearance, temperament, and history of the parents will determine to a large degree, the way your Golden Retriever puppy grows up.

It is easy to get caught in the moment when you go to a pet shop, because all puppies look perfect when their a puppy. If there are any health or behavior problems, they usually will not show up for a year or two, and sometimes longer.

If you do find yourself in a pet shop, and fall in love with that cute little puppy looking at you through the bars of that tiny cage, and you just can’t resist, then here is what you can do, to improve your chances of getting a good dog.

Ask the pet store if you can put a refundable deposit on the puppy to hold it for a day or two. I checked with several pet stores and they all said they would do this.

Have them give you the name, phone number and web site and email address if available of the breeder they got the puppy from.

All of this information will be on the AKC form you receive when you buy your new pet, so they should have no problem giving you this information. If they do have a problem giving you this information, I would look elsewhere for your new puppy.

Ask the pet store for a copy of the AKC form for your puppy. That will identify which puppy you are talking about when you contact the breeder.

Many times pet stores get these puppies from local breeders, so you may be able to visit the breeder and see what kind of operation they have, and check the background of the parents for the Golden Retriever Puppy you are interested in.

If they did not get the puppy locally it should be easy to contact the breeder through the Internet or by phone to find out as much as you can. It is definitely worth the time and effort to make sure you are getting a good dog, because you just can’t tell when they are a puppy.

Buying a Golden Retriever Puppy from an ad in a newspaper can be another mistake. These ads are often placed by Golden Retriever owners, who thought it would be fun to have a litter of puppies. Sometimes it is done for profit, or sometimes just for the experience.

The one advantage over the pet shop is you may be able to see the mother of the pups, and sometimes the father. You should also be able to see the environment they are being raised in. This can be important in the long run. Other than that this can be a risky way to pick out your new puppy.

The problem I have seen when responding to newspaper ads is, quite often only one parent is on the premises. This is usually because the male belongs to someone else. I have had people show me a picture of the father, and papers that he is AKC registered.

Unfortunately this does not give you enough information to make a good decision. The fact that the mother, or the father, or both are AKC registered, is not enough. For a small fee, and a few forms filled out, you can get your dog AKC registered. Don’t think it guarantees the dog or puppy is pure, because it doesn’t.

I have friends that have Golden Retrievers that have AKC certificates, and they have behavioral and temperament problems, and you can see, now that they are a few years old, that they are not purebred.

The best way to be as sure as you can that your new puppy will be happy, and healthy, is to do your homework, and find a responsible Golden Retriever breeder.

Responsible breeders usually have a waiting list of anxious puppy buyers, and probably do not advertise in the newspaper. You may have to do a little research to find a good breeder in your area, but it should be worth the effort.

Why all this concern you ask? There is a very high number of serious health and behavioral problems seen in the Golden Retriever breed today. This has been caused by both, irresponsible, and backyard breeders.

They breed their Golden Retriever which may not be pure, with another Golden Retriever which may or may not be pure. Then those puppies go to new homes, where their new owners may breed them when they get older.

If you get a Golden Retriever Puppy from a backyard breeder, you may find as it gets older, that it has a host of problems ranging from aggression, to shyness, to hyperactivity, all of which are not trademarks of the true Golden Retriever Breed.

Also becoming prevalent in the Golden Retriever Breed is Hip dysplasia, eye problems causing blindness, heart defects that can result in sudden death at any age, epilepsy, skin problems and thyroid problems. In addition cancer and auto immune disorders are also becoming common in the Golden Retriever Breed.

Choosing a responsible Golden Retriever Breeder, that knows the breed, and breeds primarly Golden Retrievers, will give you your best chance at getting a puppy that will live a long happy trouble free life. They do everything they can, by researching pedigrees and screening parents for certain inherited problems before breeding.

The golden retriever club of america

The american kennel club

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