There are tens of thousands of Golden Retriever puppies born in North America every year. You can find them for sale in pet stores and advertised on Internet web sites, in newspaper classifieds or in a number of specialty dog magazines. It might be tempting to buy the first puppy you can find, reasoning that a purebred dog is a purebred dog (after all, they're all related, right?) -- but wait! It is essential to understand that all puppies are not created equal! Pedigrees and registration certificates are not indicators of quality and guarantees can be as worthless as the paper they're printed on.

The two seconds that it takes for you to say "I'll take him" can mean a decade or more of the companionship of a healthy, loving Golden -- or years of dealing with crippling inherited disorders, unsound temperament and behaviour problems. When buying purebred dogs, caveat emptor -- let the buyer beware -- is the best advice to follow. By taking your time, learning about the breed and how to find excellent breeders, you can tip the odds in your favour of acquiring a great dog.

You can find more information about the "Golden Rules of Purchasing a Purebred Dog" at the Canadian Kennel Club website .

Simply put -- find the best Golden Retriever breeder you can! We strongly believe that puppies produced by experienced, responsible and knowledgeable hobby breeders have the best chance of being healthy and sound family companions

One-time breeders who decide to let "Goldie" have a litter so the kids can see the miracle of birth are too often sadly lacking in knowledge about Golden Retrievers and good breeding practices. Pet stores and large puppy production kennels are selling dogs as a business -- and the bottom line is to make a profit. The puppies sold in these environments are frequently very poor examples of the breed, suffering the effects of overcrowding, stress and dirty environments.

The best Golden Retriever breeders have a deep respect and affection for the breed. They are students of genetics and breed history and are not producing Golden Retrievers solely for profit (in fact, many are "in the red" when the expenses are tallied at the end of the year.) These hobbyists work diligently to improve the breed through careful and responsible breeding practices and protect it by selling puppies on spay/neuter and non-breeding agreements.

You can get referrals by contacting breed clubs (both national and local), by asking veterinarians, trainers and groomers for their recommendations of good breeders.

The Canadian Kennel Club
www.ckc.ca

The Golden Retriever Club of Canada (GRCC) offers an information booklet with a list of breeders who abide by their code of ethics. This is available by writing to: GRCC,
R.R. #1, 294 Windecker Road
Cayuga, Ontario N0A 1E0
or by calling 905-772-1596.
www.grcc.net

Dogs in Canada Annual with a directory of breeder listings www.dogsincanada.com

The following article was published in the June 2012 edition of The Guardian, the newsletter of the Golden Rescue Club. It is reprinted here with permission of the club.

This article deals with the problems associated with "Backyard Breeders" and applies equally well to the casual purebred backyard breeder and the now thriving industry of the profit driven designer dog industry that breeds and sells cross breed puppies in a totally unregulated environment, which are basically very expensive mutts. We hope this information will help you choose the best puppy you can.

Click here to read the article