Once you find a few golden retriever breeders that
seem like good choices, it is important to have a good phone interview. Know what
you want and the questions you want answered ahead time. This will show the breeder
that you have educated yourself enough about the breed for it to be worth both
of your time to meet in person. A quality golden retriever breeder will not be
anxious to get rid of their puppies nor will they be eager to give them away to
the first interested person.
Questions To Ask A Breeder
The most
important questions to ask a golden retriever breeder are about the qualities
of the dogs you are most interested in; such as its temperament, personality,
activity level, and the dog’s parent accomplishments in these areas. Since the
breeder should have carefully researched and tested both parents before the breeding
took place, these should not be hard questions for them to answer.
You
should also want to know which litter this is for the mother, what, if any, health
problems the mother or her line is known to have, and the same for the father.
It’s okay to ask for references of other families who have purchased puppies from
them before. A golden retriever breeder should be an expert on the breed and should
be able to answer any question you have about the overall health and personality
of the dog.
Your Interactions With The Breeder
The questions the
breeder asks you are just as important, if not more so, than the ones you ask
them. This will also give you a true meter from which to judge their commitment
to the dogs.
A golden retriever breeder should ask you about your home
conditions, where do you live, an apartment, condo, or house, and do you have
a yard area for your new pet to play in? Do you have children or other pets? If
you have other pets, are their vaccinations current, what breed are they, and
can you document all of this?
In addition, they should ask you about your
lifestyle. For instance, do you work a lot and/or is your family constantly on
the go? Do you have the time it takes to train a puppy, or to take a growing dog
to obedience, athletic, and/or other kinds of training and events? Do you know
what you are getting yourself into; how knowledgeable are you about the dog you
are buying?
Deciding On A Breeder
Many quality golden retriever
breeders will make you sign contracts before taking home one of their puppies,
the list of items this contract is likely to include are: the parents of the puppy,
their association accreditation, the name of the breeder or kennel, the agreed
upon price, the birth date and sex of the puppy, an agreement that you take responsibility
for its health care and in doing so will take it to regular trips to the veterinarian,
will feed it quality food, and will have your puppy spayed or neutered if you
do not plan on breeding it.
Some may also contain such items as an agreement
for you to put the dogs in competitions, breeding rights, or a commitment that
you will return the dog to this breeder at any time in the dog’s life if you find
yourself unwilling or unable to care for it. Additionally, some golden retriever
breeders will even require a commitment to implant your dog with a microchip sensor.
Golden
retriever breeders are a good choice for purchasing a puppy. They will often have
the golden
retriever puppies in a home environment, rather than a clinical cage like
ones which are often used at pet shops and veterinarians’ offices. Golden retriever
breeders will also have a lot of good advice concerning your puppy in particular
because they have watched it grow into the puppy it is today.
Attention: To discover how
YOU can have the Happiest, Healthiest and Best Behaved Golden Retriever,
get a copy of this Golden Retriever Guide
NOW!
