BUYING A GOLDEN RETRIEVER PUPPY
Before you finally decide to buy a puppy please think carefully about the following points
1. Puppies are very appealing but extremely time consuming, have you got the time with
your other lifestyle commitments to devote to a puppy’s care, training and exercise. There
should be someone at home for a good part of the day as lonely and bored dogs can
become destructive. Golden Retrievers by virtue of their nature love human company.
2. When you visit a litter of Golden Retriever puppies always see the mother as well, often
it is not possible to see the father as he may live some distance away.
3. Ask to see the hips and eye certificates of both parents, some breeders may have
elbow certificates, this is optional.
4. Depending on the age you first visit the litter, once they are on their feet the puppies
should be friendly, lively and playful, delighted to see visitors. They should look well fed,
coats should have a nice feel to them, eyes and ears should be clean.
5. The breeder of the puppies will ask you several questions regarding the future life of
the puppy you want to purchase. Hopefully you will have thought long and hard as to
whether you have the time and resources to commit to a dog for it’s lifetime
6. If you have more than one litter to visit please try not to go directly from one to another,
should this be unavoidable, please tell the breeders you have visited other puppies before
going into the premises as all the puppies could be at risk of cross infection.
Having decided to buy a puppy
7. Try and visit your puppy a couple of times before he is old enough to take home it will
help to get to know your breeder and you will be able to ask questions about feeding etc.
Please try and keep to time when visiting the puppies as there may be other people also
visiting that day particularly weekends
When collecting your puppy from the breeder it is advisable to take some paper kitchen roll and some old towels. Some young puppies will travel very well others only go a short distance and are sick. It is better to hold him securely on your knee then you are able to brace him for the twists and turns and reassure him about the passing traffic.
9. You should be given a signed copy of the pedigree, a Kennel Club registration certificate,
a diet sheet as a guide to feeding in the first few weeks, also a date to next worm your
puppy. Sometimes the breeder may not have received the registration certificate in time
and will forward this on.
10. Please do not rush your puppy to the vet for vaccinations immediately you get him home.
Leaving his litter brothers and sisters and Mum plus a journey in the car is quite an event
in a young puppy’s life, he needs a couple of days to get used to his new family and the
geography of his new home and garden.
11. A well trained dog is easy and a joy to live with, ask at either your local pet shop or Vets
about training classes in your area