Joyso Golden Retrievers

 

Tips for Purchasing a Puppy

I have designed this page not as a means for me to sell my puppies but rather as a source of information to assist those people, especially in south-western Ontario, who are looking to bring a Golden Retriever into their lives.

Once you start your search for your golden companion, you will find there are many people who are selling Golden Retriever puppies, sadly the reality is that many of them do not strive to breed quality Golden Retrevers. Hopefully, after reading the information I have compiled for you, in chart form below, you will see the benefits of purchasing your family golden companion from someone who genuinely loves & respects this beautiful breed. Someone who's goal is to try to contribute only the best they can to both the Golden Retriever breed in general and more specifically to the individual Golden Retrievers they produce.

As opposed to getting your puppy from someone who obviously does not share these values or who at the very best only pretends to do so. Hopefully you will become an educated & informed consumer, as you would for any major purchase you plan to undertake. So many of the people who call me say "we don't want a show dog...we just want a healthy pet".

Don't you DESERVE to increase your chances of purchasing a healthy, happy Golden Retriever puppy!

Don't you DESERVE THE BEST! 

Who will you buy your puppy from?

 

Source	Reputable Breeder	Backyard Breeder	Puppies as Livestock Producer	Puppy Mill
Trait
Price	Top end	Mid range	Low end	Low end
Motive for Breeding	To breed quality dogs following a well thought out breeding program	To make some money and to have another dog just like their "Bailey", for example	To make money as with any livestock, like cows or pigs	To make money on a large scale by selling primarily to pet stores
Knowledge of the breed	Studies the breed for a long time before breeding and continues to educate self	Very little, if any before breeding, no ongoing education and may actually mix breeds	None - it isn't important for them to know the breed and they may mix breeds	None - it isn't important to them as they typically produce multiple breeds and mixed breeds too
Performs Health Tests on Breeding Dogs	Thorough health testing and providing proof of these checks is always a priority	Minimal clearances may be provided (You may hear things like "looks and acts healthy" or "I've never had any problems before"	No to maximize profits, minimize expenses	No - they are mass producing just to sell mainly to pet stores
Registration	Registration papers always provided	May charge for registration papers (Beware - this is illegal!! )	Usually not available (dog parents are not known)	If they are provided, they're usually foreign (AKC or UKC), not CKC
Health Guarantee	Comprehensive well thought out written guarantee	Minimal may be offered	None offered	None offered
After Purchase Support	Always available to help and possesses the  breed knowledge to assist	Usually does not possess breed knowledge to be able to assist	Does not possess appropriate breed knowledge and difficult to contact (sometimes no phone?)	None offered
Living Conditions of Dogs	Clean healthy living environment either in kennel or home. Lots of human contact/socialization	May or may not be well cared for	Poor - kept in barns or outside paddocks all the time (like other livestock) so not really used to human contact	Poor - cramped, dirty and unhealthy living environment. Not used to human contact.
Dedication to breed and by extension to puppy buyers	Lifetime - committed to the breed for the "long haul" - though good times and bad	Minimal - when things get tough, they'll stop breeding	None - will change breeds depending on which brand is becoming more popular	None - will continue to mass produce until they get shut down by the humane society

 

So many breeders to chose from...

The popularity of the Golden Retriever breed as a desirable family companion has resulted in an increase in the number of people breeding them. A Golden Retriever is a living, feeling being and as such will become an important part of your life. As a companion that will have such a large impact on your life, please do your research when choosing from whom to purchase your companion.

It is safe to say that responsible breeders of Golden Retrievers cannot meet the public's demand for Golden puppies and or adult Goldens.
If we could, there would be no need for the presence and proliferation of unreputable producers of Golden Retrievers.
As a person interested in welcoming a golden companion into your life, you have to decide what your criteria are , what is important to you :

1) whether you simply want a Golden Retriever and any Golden Retriever will do 
or do you want a Golden Retriever who has had the best start in life possible
This good start begins even before the puppy is born! 
There is no such thing as a perfectly good lineage, all goldens carry with them the genetic potential for good & bad traits.
Pedigree knowledge, knowing what dogs to combine to improve the chances of breeding toward desirable traits and away from undesireable ones, is a vital contributor to your puppy's increased chances of living a healthy life.
Rather then simply bringing 2 goldens together with no real knowledge of what they can produce.

Of course your puppy's best start possible includes the best emotional, physical, nutritional and veterinary care possible for your puppy's mom, before, during and after her pups are welcomed into the world.

Once your puppy is born it's good start is reliant on factors such as
expert veterinary assessment and care 
proper nutritional assessment and care 
a clean, safe, nurturing environment
proper socializing and stimulation, to help your puppy be ready to go out and meet the big world which awaits!

2) if you want one right away
if you want to purchase a golden from a responsible breeder you should be prepared to start looking well in advance of when you wish to welcome the golden into your life.
(such as begin looking in the fall for litters due the following spring or begin looking in the winter for litters due the following summer)
chances are slim to nil that your contacting a responsible breeder, with the request of acquiring a golden in the next couple of months, will be successful.

3) if you are unwilling to travel to get your golden 
This holds particularly true for the geographic are between London & Windsor, as there is no one producing goldens in that area to whom I would be comfortable refer prospective buyers.
I do not say that because I want everyone to come to me, because obviously I cannot meet the demand of all those who live in this area who are looking for a golden.
I say that because there is just no one who meets the criteria I have for me to feel comfortable referring people to them.
Referral is not something I regard lightly, it is responsibility I take seriously.

In most cases the adage "you get what you pay for" is just as true when it comes to purchasing  a Golden Retriever. While it may occasionally be true that some people will be asking a large amount of money for a Golden Retriever that is of poor quality, it is very safe to say that you will not be able to purchase a Golden Retriever that is of good quality from a responsible breeder for a small amount money.

You can pay a little and increase your chances of having to deal with many costly problems throughout the dog's life with little if any support. Or you can pay more for the puppy and greatly increase your chances of not having to deal with those problems or if you do, you will not have to deal with them alone!

I hope you find this information helpful.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, I am always available to help people who are looking for a well bred Golden Retriever, whether you are getting one from me or not :-) Please allow me a few days to get back to you when you leave a message.

You can also contact the GRCC (by going to my links page) where you will receive valuable information not only on purchasing a Golden Retriever but also be provided with a list of breeders who are members and as such abide by the GRCC breeder's code of ethics.