Bad Good And Golden: Champion Golden Retriever Breeders
Golden Retrievers originated in the British Isles. A Scottish lord, Baron Tweedmouth, was the first Golden Retriever breeder. The Baron desired to breed a yellow-coated water spaniel that had tracking and retrieving skills as well as the charm of a family pet. Using various dog breeds including the now-extinct Tweed Water Spaniel, the Newfoundland, the Irish Setter and the Bloodhound, Baron Tweedmouth bred an eventual litter of four Golden Retrievers. These four puppies were the ancestors of modern Golden Retrievers.
Lord Tweedmouth bred the first Golden Retrievers from a variety of dog breeds including the Tweed Water Spaniel and the Irish Setter. Perhaps due to their Irish Setter ancestry, early Golden Retrievers were dark gold to copper in color. Today, a Golden Retriever breeder aims to breed puppies with cream to light gold coats. Copper and rust colored coats are banned from competition.
Some of the most desired characteristics of Golden Retrievers are intelligence, beauty, loyalty, eagerness to please, focus, trainability, gentleness and hunting and tracking skills. Physically, Golden Retrievers should be twenty three to twenty four inches in height for males and twenty one and a half to twenty two and a half inches in height for females. Weight must be between seventy and seventy five pounds for males and sixty and sixty five pounds for females.
The fur is cream to dark gold. Rust or copper colored fur is prohibited. Ears are pendulous, eyes are medium to dark brown and expressive, the tail is feathered but does not curl, and there may be lighter colored feathering on the legs and chest. These are just a few of the American Kennel Club’s stated breed characteristics. A knowledgeable Golden Retriever breeder may also look for dogs from champion bloodlines to mate with other purebred Golden Retrievers. This increases the desirability (and price) of resulting litters.
Pet buyers should never buy any animal from a pet store. Though animals may look cute and forlorn behind the glass, there is no telling where they have come from or what they have already endured in their short lives. Only unethical breeders sell Golden Retriever puppies to pet stores.
It is important that buyers do their research so that they do not buy from backyard breeders and continue the cycle of abuse. A bad Golden Retriever breeder should be reported immediately as they often cage animals and allow them no socialization or ability to play. This animal abuse and neglect should not be tolerated. Good Golden Retriever breeders are often affiliated with or run animal rescue centers that rescue and re-socialize abused purebred dogs.
A Golden Retriever breeder you should avoid is any that sells puppies to pet stores. Reputable Golden Retriever breeders have a good reputation in their communities and do not need to have pet stores broker or sell puppies for them. Good breeders love their breed and will therefore not ship them away to be stocked on shelves like merchandise. A breeder that treats animals as objects is a bad breeder. A breeder that does not care where or with whom the puppies end up is a bad breeder.
A Golden Retriever breeder that asks no questions of buyers to determine whether buyers and puppies are a good match is a bad breeder. It is important that buyers do their research before purchase so that they do not feed the cycle of bad breeders making a profit and churning out more puppies in their puppy mills. Good breeders ask buyers many questions. The goal of the good Golden Retriever breeder is to find puppies a good home.
