A Guide to Breeding Golden Retrievers
Breeding golden retrievers is much more complex than it seems. There is a big gap between a legitimate ‘backyard breeder’ and a legitimate ‘serious hobby breeder’. The added work of becoming a reputable breeder contributes service to the breed, the customer and the quality of life for each dog.
Knowing the Breed Standard is the first step in becoming a quality breeder. The Breed Standard describes all aspects of the perfect golden retriever and serves to maintain the breed. Any reputable breeder uses the Breed Standard as the basis for their breeding program. It is important to know that the breed standards for American and British Golds are different. The first question is deciding whether to breed American or British style dorados. One can find the American guidelines on the American Kennel Club (AKC) website. British rules can be found on the KC (The Kennel Club) website.
Another pillar of the upbringing of these noble dogs is their health. Most of the health problems that plague golden retrievers are related to genetics and therefore directly to breeding. To prevent health problems in puppies, the parents and ancestors of the litter must be free of these diseases. The most common health problems are hip and elbow dysplasia, heart problems, eye problems such as cataracts, and cancer. Any breeding pair must be OFA (Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) certified for hips, knees and heart. They must also be CERF certified for the eyes. Also, make sure all dogs have been vaccinated and dewormed. Records must be kept to verify the health of the dogs. It is standard for a quality breeder to provide a guarantee so that the customer can return the dog within a reasonable time.
A good breeder in America should be a member of the Golden Retriever Club of America, an all-breed club, a local Golden Retriever club, or all three. It is recommended to keep a record of a 3-5 generation pedigree to verify that the dogs are purebred goldens. It is also recommended to have an AKC registration application for each puppy to apply for registration in the breeder’s name. A good breeder can provide registered names and AKC numbers of the parents of each litter and puppy. Please note that charging extra for documents is against AKC rules.
Goldens are naturally talented dogs! Having the dogs involved in the show ring, obedience and agility competitions, and hunting and tracking trials increases the credibility of the dogs and the breeding program. Famously active and large in size, plenty of outdoor space is essential for dorados. Since it is so important to the customer, any potential buyer should be allowed to spend time with each puppy’s parents. Puppies need to be socialized at a young age, as a breeder would not want to sell little monsters to customers. As a general rule, puppies should not be sold less than 7 weeks of age. It is considered that a breeder provides a set of written instructions on training, care and feeding.
Breeding golden retrievers is a full time job. A breeder must be prepared and committed to birth and raise a litter of 8 to 12 puppies. Having clean, warm and adequate facilities is essential. Overseeing breeding, veterinary care, cleaning, paperwork, puppy socialization, feeding, and sales requires long hours and a lot of work. Breeding is no walk in the park, and having a lot of passion for dogs is a prerequisite for this job. It’s lucky that golds are so good at returning this love!