Golden retriever breeders in the west?

shibamistress

Ok, I know this is unlikely, but if anyone can recommend good Golden breeders in the West (preferably NM, TX, CO, or AZ) let me know.

My friend who went through all the problems with the rescue GSDs has given up on rescue (and on GSDs--they were originally her second choice anyway) and is going to buy a Golden puppy. What she's looking for is simply a good pup that will be healthy. Of course I've given her information on finding a good breeder (more than she wants probably). But if anyone has any thoughts (good or bad) let me know here or via pm. Any tips would be appreciated.

It pains me a little to post this--Goldens are on my list of least favorite breeds. But....I'm a good friend, and I really want her to get a good, healthy dog. I've already had to steer her away from a couple of dubious places....

sjp051993

Try here. They might be able to steer you toward the better breeders.

http://www.rgvgrc.org - Rio Grande Valley Golden Retriever Club.

sjp051993

Here is a link to the Golden Retriever Club of America. - http://www.grca.org/index.html

With a Golden, Make sure your friend does a ton a research on the breeder. They have become a breed with a ton of health problems.

lindsayt

You are a good friend!

I only know breeders in Washington. The dogs are wonderful and healthy. I think the main thing for her is to ask for a mild temp and hips/elbows/eyes/thyroid testing (maybe cardiac too) on the parents, and ask about allergies in the breeders older dogs. Sweet Gold is an excellent show breeder and I would totally buy one of their dogs if I was in the market, but they are in Washington.

cezieg

Good luck, just wanted to say make sure you both do LOTS of research on the breeders. In 4 years of vet clinic work I have never seen a Golden over the age of 6 or 7 that didn't have joint/hip problems, and all of them come in after 8/9 for glucosamine (joint supplement) and issues with joint pain at the least, inability to walk at the most.

lindsayt

The healthy ones are at home

PoetikDragon

@lindsayt has a point! That said, maybe your friend should look for hunting lines, @shibamistress?

shibamistress

I wondered about hunting lines....Might not be a bad way to go. Also, thanks for the tips on what to look for. I knew about some things, but didn't think about heart issues. Eye problems are another thing to look for.

I think the thing I'll have to work on with her is to be patient, because she really does need to take her time and find a good breeder.

I can't believe I'm looking at golden retriever breeders. Well, all puppies are cute, so I imagine I'll even like this one when she finally finds a good one, but....yeah, not anything I'd ever thought I'd be looking at!

cezieg

@lindsayt Haha true, but I worked at a clinic that had "wellness plans" where visits are free and includes annual shots. We went over history and current status during each annual visit

sandrat888

@shibamistress

If you friend does get a pup from the working line, I would highly recommend your friend be prepared to do more work and training with the dog. These dogs were bred to work and if you do not give them something mentally and physically challenging, the dog will start finding fun stuff to do that your friend may not approve.

Araks

@shibamistress I'd worry about the hunting line dogs with her birds. I mean, aren't goldens bred to hunt birds? I know very little about those dogs, so if someone would clarify, that would be great

lindsayt

Yea, I wouldn't so much suggest a working minded golden.

Crispy

With any popular breed, there are going to be an overabundance of "bad" ones. I've seen some Goldens that are 6 to 8 that look like they must be one foot in the grave, but I've also seen 12 year olds that still like to play and run around without any issues except for minor joint problems I'd expect to see in a large dog that old.

There are still people out there who are looking out for the breed, not just the slews of back yard breeders that appeal to people who just aren't educated enough (or care enough) to realize there's a difference between the "more expensive" breeder option and the $100 puppy from the newspaper ad other than price. We also need more people who are aware of what bad nutrition can do to their animals over the years.

I don't think looking into hunting lines is going to decrease your chances of running into a breeder with poor health or undesirable traits for a companion, the issues may just be a little different. I've seen a few "working line" Goldens who are extremely anxious and combative and even aggressive in the wrong hands - or simply, hands that don't understand what they've really gotten into.

I can't help with breeders - I only know of two nice ones over here in New England. Good luck with your friend's puppy! Goldens are super sweet. They're not my top pick for my own dog, either, but I can certainly appreciate a goofy Golden Retriever face.

ayk

"Hunting lines" have to be regarded with the same amount of scrutiny of "show lines." Part of that is breeding towards Field Trials and the tendency of competitive breeders to also breed to a small number of top dogs.

Also, there's the matter of whether the field trials really match the original hunting style of the goldens. ie. Does it favor hyper or higher-energy performance and therefore higher-energy dogs?

CarabooA

Intelligence has always been an issue with me and Goldens. I love how simply happy they are all the time and how friendly, but I've only met 2 in my life that I would say were quality dogs - they were purebreds but raised on a farm out in the Platteville area, they were great dogs.
In CO I would have her start scanning the front range - but carefully, I know there are breeders there but I wouldn't just go for a registered dog with that breed - having parents on hand (for me) would be an absolute must see....

shibamistress

My friend had a GSD, the boy that died recently, who was from working lines. He was a wonderful dog and fit in quite well to her house. The breeder was great,though, and spent a lot of time talking to my friend to determine what kind of GSD would best fit in to her house (she steered her away from one potential mating because she thought the dogs would be too sharp for her). He was a pretty healthy boy, never sick until his demise from eating rocks, though at 8 he was starting to show some stiffness in the rear, which honestly, I think is going to show up in most large breeds.

We really just need to find a good breeder. She was looking at the Mile High Golden club, which has a listing, but so far the only breeder she has heard back from I was dubious of: no web page, and they claim the dogs are all health tested, but until I see the pedigree and the dogs on the ofa site with their results (and cerf too), I'm not willing to believe it. And for those on the Shiba side too, understand it's kind of like the conversations we have there: my friend said "but the breeder was really nice and sent great pics of the bitch she's going to breed!" and I said "but you have no other information! And remember, the woman who owned the mill I got Bel from was really 'nice' too!" Not that I think the breeder she's talked to is a mill, but I'm just reminding her that "nice" and pics of dogs do not a good breeder make.

We did find a place in Arizona that looked good, with a huge list of health things to watch out for, health info. on her dogs, and she said some of her dogs do go into assistance dog programs, so that might be the kind of breeder we're looking for.

I'll admit my prejudice: I tend to think of Goldens as not the smartest dogs either. But you know, they make good assistance dogs, and while part of that is how biddable they are, they're not stupid either. (one of my current students has a golden as her assistance dog, so I see him every day in class.)

CarabooA

100% with you @shibamistress - I had completely forgotten, and you've reminded me of a very sweet little golden pup that we met when Mirra was a pup in her first class. He was on his way to becoming an assistance dog, and he was doing very well in class too - learned very quickly!
Maybe the lines that are being bred for assistance are the way to go with Golden's these days! That would be cool ) I'm pretty sure that he was bred in Grand Junction, CO..... lol, if my memory serves me right!

lizzysilvertongue

My dad had two goldens... one before I was born. His intelligence was ridiculous. He learned how to consistently short out the electric wire around the bottom of his pen. They eventually started tying him up with a car towing cable. He figured out how to break that too. He would stretch it across the driveway, then when a car pulled up would walk in front of the car so the cable looped and the car work work the kink back and forth. took him 3 months to get off the first time. 1 month every time after that.

The 2nd one that I grew up was sweet but dumb as dirt. Afraid of swimming, failed as a retriever. Ate socks, napkins and paper towels. Took forever to house break. She loved me and put up with me dressing her up in my sisters dress up clothes, Tying her to a wagon to be a sled dog.she developed a thyroid issue around 8, shed tumble weeds of hair all over the house. About 12 developed arthritis, had to have a weekly steroid shot the last 2 years of her life was put down last year finally, at the age of 14 or 15 just short of her next bday my dad got her when i was 5 or 6. L loved her and it broke my hear watching her get old.

okiron

Do you still want referrals? My cousin has always had goldens, I could ask her who her breeder(s) is. Might not be reputable but might be lol.

shibamistress

Yes, we could still use referrals. We may have even found a local breeder, but my friend is still looking so it would be great to have options. (And every day, it seems, I have to say, no, you cannot go get a cute puppy from yet another very dubious looking source. *lol*)

Kuma123

I know she is probably at the point of pulling her hair out with all of the searching but she will thank you for your guidance when she has a good and healthy pup. Too bad she doesn't want an Akita or a Dobie..... I could give you some leads but I have no idea where to start with Golden breeders lol

Good luck with the search!!

shibamistress

If she wanted an Akita, we'd have it nailed. (She also loves Donna Bennett's Akitas, as much as I do, so I'm sure that's where she'd go). Or if she wanted a Kai, of course! (she considered the Kai, briefly, but when Leo jumped up and tried to "catch" her African grey, she gave up on that idea). She actually likes dobies though.....I wonder how they would be with birds?

Kuma123

Mine were fine with my birds. I rescued Dobies for many years and got them at all ages. I would sometimes get multiples from one house and sometimes it would just be one every now and then. I never had any problems. I taught them from the beginning that the birds were off limits and they figured it out quickly. 2 years ago we fostered 4 Dobes (so we had 5 at one time) and they ranged from 6 months old to 14 years old and not one of them tried to get my birds. A couple of them sniffed the cages when they first came to our house but we made it known that they were not to bother them. They are pretty intelligent and biddable and good family dogs.

ayk

The golden retriever puppy in my puppy class came from Victory Golden Retrievers in Aliso Viejo, CA. Their website is lacking health info, but the link to their most recent litter's pedigree has both parents health tested.

http://k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=442976

Crispy

This breeder might be work looking into. They have posted pedigrees and though I couldn't find the health information on the stud, his parents are posted and the dam looks to be health tested with posted results. Both dogs are therapy dogs. http://www.copperstategoldens.com in Arizona. Not sure how I feel after reading some of their pages, but I'm always paranoid and dubious.

http://www.valorgoldens.com These guys are also in Arizona and have pedigrees and some health information posted. In either case, I'd investigate further if I was serious. I haven't really poked around much on either site, so sorry if this isn't helpful or they're poopy.

cdenney

I have had experience with some dogs from a breeder in southern Virginia. It's a way away I know but they are field lines actual hunt dogs, smart, high energy, easily trainable.

http://firesideretrievers.com/

shibamistress

Thanks for your suggestions everyone! I'll pass them on to my friend. She also got the number of someone who breeds Goldens locally too, who came recommended from a breeder (of another breed) that we really trust, so I think she's got some possibilities!

(I wish she'd get a dobie, but.....It's not my dog, and I'm sure when she gets the cute little golden puppy, I'll be won over, but they certainly are not my favorite breed! And on a funny note, I realized how much I don't like floppy earred dogs...it just doesn't look right to me! *lol*)

okiron

I love dobes but they're not a breed I would ever recommend to anyone. The expenses are worth it if you love the breed but they might not be worth it to someone who got talked into the breed if that makes sense.

Still waiting to hear back from my cousin

shibamistress

Just thought I'd let you know that my friend found two pretty good breeders (she went to a Golden forum and started checking out the moderators who were also breeders! That was clever!), one in Arizona (Wildfire) and one in CO I think (Venture) and both look good. She talked to the people at Wildfire last night, and I was delighted to hear that the breeder hit all the good points (including a long explanation about why she posts ofa results on her website, and a lot of talk about why she has chosen to breed some of her dogs and not others). She hit pretty much all the points we think are important, so much so that my friend was a bit overwhelmed with information! But that's a good thing.

One of the breeders has puppies now (Venture) and the other has a planned breeding but no pregnancy, but either way, I think she's found some good possibilities.

Thanks so much for suggestions and thoughts!

(on a funny note, there was a story about one of her golden's in Rally and getting his/her title there, and the breeder said, apparently with no sense of irony, that she got the title on her dog after beating out a Shiba. We laughed, and thought poor Shibas! Of course the Golden won! It did, after all, have to do with obedience! *lol*)

lindsayt

Glad your friend found some good resources, but balderdash about Shibas being bested by Goldens. Never!

shibamistress

I have to admit I was kind of thinking of you and Sandra when I posted that, Lindsay!