Breeder Questionaire

Do they belong to a dog club?

Are the parents & pups registered? ( Beware of breeders who register with the United Kennel Club or the Continental Kennel Club as these are not recognized registrys to the Canadian or American clubs.)

What health testing do they do on the parents?

At what age can the pups leave the litter?

How old are the parents?

Do they sell the pups on a non-breeding agreement?

Do they have their own sales contract?

Will the breeder take the puppy back?

What do they do with the puppies?

Where are the puppies raised?

Are the puppies vaccinated & wormed?

Are the puppies temperment tested?

Are they curious about you too?

Is the puppy microchipped or tattooed?

Do they follow a code of ethics?

EG. Canadian Kennel Club
     - American Kennel Club
     -Golden Retriever Club of Alberta
     -Golden retriever Club of Canada

In Canada the dogs will be registered with the CKC and there should be no "discount if you don't want the papers. You are legally entitled to receive papers within 6 months of sale.
Pedigrees for golden retrievers are often entered on the open data base at k9data.com so you can see an extensive pedigree.

Health certificates for the most common health issues are from recognized specialty veternarians. (Not the breeder's vet.)
See more info. on our health page and links to what these certificates should look like. Health & Nutrition HIPS, ELBOWS, HEARTS & EYES are the most commonly tested and certified for in Golden Retrievers

Responsible breeders will not let them go before 7-8 weeks or longer if the pup will be travelling a long distance.

Females should be a minimum of 2 years. Males may be used after about 18 months provided health clearances are done.

A "non-breeding" agreement is a contract from the CKC that both parties sign that committs the owner from illegally breeding their golden. All responsible breeders require this!

Most breeders have a sales agreement that may be very simple or quite detailed. Health quarantees may vary from breeder to breeder depending on conditions.

Most reputable breeders will take the puppy back or make other adoption arrangements should allergies arise or the living situation changes in the new home.

Reputable breeders will safely socalize and handle the pups frequently and expose them to various stimuli. If the puppies seem very withdrawn to people they may not have had enough socialization and temperment issues may arise down the road with your new dog.

Puppies are most often raised in the house, however some breeders may have separate buildings and socialize pups as well.
Either way are the surroundings clean (please bear in mind 10 puppies can make a mess pretty quickly and there may be some odor-within reason.)

As there are various opinions on what vaccinations and worming should be done now on puppies, this may vary with the breeder and you should do some independent research to aid in your decision.

Many breeders perform a series of tests to aid in determining the the best placement of the pups according to activity levels and personality. After pups have been with the breeder for 8 weeks they will know the litter quite well.

Breeders will often have just as many questions for you and are very concerned about where the puppies are going. There should also be strong after sales support.(You won't get this from a pet store or a backyard breeder!)

In Canada all registered animals must be identified with either a tattoo (A series of numbers/letters that are specific to the breeder) in the ear or on the belly, or have a microchip implanted. All numbers are recorded with the CKC.

To be a member of the Golden Retriever Club of Canada breeders must agree to follow this code of ethics :GRCC Code of Ethics. If they are GRCAB members they must also agree to abide by our code of ethics.