Buying A Golden Retriever Puppy
Before you buy a puppy, please read the following articles!
Golden Retriever Information from the GRCA
Hereditary Health Concerns in Golden Retrievers
Questions to Ask When Interviewing a Breeder
The Greater Houston Golden
Retriever Club maintains a Breeder List of club member
breeders. We recommend that as a starting point in your
search for a reputable breeder in the greater Houston, TX area.
In addition, the GHGRC Puppy Referral pages contain valuable information
for you on buying a puppy!
GHGRC Puppy Referral
Pages
The addition of a puppy to your family is an important event. This creature will be a part of your family for the next 10 to 15 years. Buying a puppy is not unlike acquiring another child: a puppy must be cared for, fed, cleaned, cleaned up after. It must be trained and taught how to behave. It will require veterinary care. It is a living being with intelligence, emotions, a will of its own. It can love and it can feel disappointment and heartbreak. Unlike a child, a puppy never grows up to total independence; it will depend on you to see to its most basic physical and emotional needs for its entire 10-15 year lifespan.
Before you buy a Golden Retriever puppy, PLEASE take a
few moments to learn more about the breed, to determine if it truly is
the right breed for your family, to learn why it is important to buy
ONLY from a responsible breeder, and learn how to locate and recognize a
responsible breeder.
The immense popularity of the Golden Retriever in
recent years has led to an abundance of litters bred for all the wrong
reasons. Increasingly we are
seeing Goldens with poor temperament, some very aggressive and
dangerous. The breed
has a number of significant hereditary health problems, some of which
may be fatal.
Sound and stable temperament, and good health are
basic concerns for ANY puppy buyer, most especially those who want a
pet. You should also
have the right to expect a Golden Retriever puppy to grow up to have the
pleasing appearance expected for this breed.
Sound health, stable temperament, pleasing looks … these are
characteristics that do NOT just happen by accident.
To produce puppies that have
these qualities takes careful planning, researching bloodlines and
pedigrees, knowledge of the breed and breeding.
Raising a litter of puppies that is healthy and well-socialized
requires a great deal of time and attention and commitment on the part
of the breeder. It is much
much MUCH more than simply putting two dogs together in the backyard,
and getting a litter of puppies born under the porch 2 months later, and
sold through an ad in the newspaper when they are 4-5 weeks old.
We strongly encourage you to buy only from a breeder who adheres to the GRCA Code of Ethics, and that at a minimum can offer:
BOTH parents are over 2 years of age
BOTH parents have OFA hip, elbow, and cardiac certification
BOTH parents have a current CERF eye certification
The litter pedigree shows 6 generations or more of OFA cleared hips, hearts, and eyes, and 3-4 or more generations of cleared elbows
The breeder offers a written sale contract
The breeder is involved in training and competition in one or more venues with their dogs (conformation, obedience, field trials or hunt tests, agility, tracking)
The puppies are raised in clean surroundings with lots of human interaction, and the breeder allows you to visit and inspect their premises