Want to get a Great Golden Retriever? Get a Great Breeder First

It’s settled – it’s got to be a golden retriever. And you know that to find one you have to find a good breeder first – you want only the best of the best. Retriever parent breeders are much harder to get than ordinary retrievers because most owners tend to neuter their dogs when they are still pups.

So how do you get one? Retrievers are common in the countryside, and you are bound to find a Dog owner who has done a good job with his dogs. What you need to find is a knowledgeable breeder, but this is not easy as well, especially if you don’t live in the countryside. Keep looking – you are going to have your retriever for the next 15 years.

Start by educating yourself about retrievers. Learn about the breed, the cross breeds that come from it, how long they live, what they eat and what they don’t like, how much exercise they need and any other kind of information you can get your hands on. Get to know about health issues. Temperament is not a big issue with retrievers but learn about that too.

Remember, everything good has to have a weakness or two somewhere, so make sure that you learn what the weaknesses of a golden retriever are. They can sometimes suffer bad hips (usually a result of bad breeding). Know who the parents of your pup were and what kinds of other pups they produced. Have a chat with Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and let them check for signs of disease, not just in the pup but in the parent dogs themselves. A reputable breeder will welcome the chance to have his dogs checked as well. Have them check for cataracts, especially in the breeder pair.

There are ways to know a good breeder:

• They are proud of their dogs and will talk openly and freely about them.

• They’ll tell you any ribbons that the dogs have won and medals they may have won too.

• They’ll allow you to spend time with both the breeder pair and the pup so that you can get a feel of what you are getting and also so that the pup can get to meet you.

• A good breeder will tell you what kind of homes they want their pups will end up in. They have a kind of emotional connection to the dog, so they want it to go to a loving home.

• A good breeder, should the pup not take very well to its new home, will be willing to take the pup back at no cost and without any ill feelings.

Finding a great golden retriever is not hard as all that – the secret is to find a proper and reputable breeder, and he will support you in the transition to make sure that your new pup settles and loves his new home.