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 endMid rangeLow endLow end

Motive for Breeding

To breed quality dogs following a well thought out breeding programTo make some money and to have another dog just like their "Bailey", for exampleTo make money as with any livestock, like cows or pigsTo 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 selfVery little, if any before breeding, no ongoing education and may actually mix breedsNone - it isn't important for them to know the breed and they may mix breedsNone - 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 priorityMinimal 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 expensesNo - they are mass producing just to sell mainly to pet stores

Registration

Registration papers always providedMay 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 guaranteeMinimal may be offeredNone offeredNone offered

After Purchase Support

Always available to help and possesses the  breed knowledge to assistUsually does not possess breed knowledge to be able to assistDoes 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/socializationMay or may not be well cared forPoor - kept in barns or outside paddocks all the time (like other livestock) so not really used to human contactPoor - 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 badMinimal - when things get tough, they'll stop breedingNone - will change breeds depending on which brand is becoming more popularNone - 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.