Golden Retriever Breeders

[Lookingforanewschool]

Hi there
How would I find a reputable Golden Retriever breeder?

We live in Berkshire if anyone has any recommendations.
Thank you

The kennel club website would be your best bet.

@anon202420252026 great, will try there. Thank you

KC will list pedigree breeders. Not necessarily good breeders. Contact the breed club.

This is an excellent group

m.facebook.com/groups/1489967774724877/?ref=share

@ainkeepsfalling I was just going to recommend that group. Also Champdogs is a good site. You can find breeders near you that have puppies or go on their waiting list for their next litter.
Make sure parents have had all the relevant tests recommended for the breed, hip scores, eyes etc.
They are a wonderful breed, I am on my 2nd.

You need to throughly vet all the breeders you want to talk to. Too many KC breeders are dodgy as hell and shouldn’t even own dogs, let alone breed them.

Of the six or so KC assured breeders with a Goldie litter atm, there’s only one I’d go with (who incidentally, I got my dog off). Finding a good breeder is hard and you should 100% be prepared to wait.

Totally agree with Killing.

Was also going to recommend the facebook group posted!

If you see any golden retrievers in your area, go and ask the owners for their recommendations.

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful.

I’ve joined the Facebook group and will look at champ dogs also.
We’re very committed to finding a good breeder and willing to join wait lists etc.

I’ve done some research on the eye and hip test results but is there anything else you would recommend we ask or look for?

Absolutely the Breed Club.
They will know of neurotic and nervous lines- GRs can be aggressive- a post woman’s hand was savaged by one ( I heard it happen-
we took her to Casualty.)
Very nasty injuries-
They can be very neurotic.

COI - You don't want it too high. GRs are common enough there is no need for there to be much inbreeding.

Elbow scores should be 0 (both parents)
Hip scores (IMO) under 8 (both parents)
PLA should be 0 (eyes) and regularly tested

Kennel club estimated breeding values for Elbows and Hips are useful below link has a dog with decent scores).

Bitch should have no more than three litters. And you should 100% ask what happens to the bitch when she can n longer be bred from (Lots of breeders just dump them in rescues - a breeder that still has grandma or great-grandma is a thing of beauty. Although admittedly not many breeders can afford to have 5-6 adult Goldens!)

Below is an example of what I would consider to be a 'good stud' - excellent health scores. COI is slightly higher than ideal, but if matched with the right bitch it's not too bad (and can easily be bought down to under breed average).
https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/search/dog-profile/?dogId=5f7a32b9-eafc-ea11-a813-000d3a86d716

^ He's a prolific little thing (but you can see why).

I should add - everyone looks for different things in stud dogs (and in the bitches). Ultimately, you very often have to compromise. So you need to think about the things you can live with - for me, it's a higher COI. I'll take a higher COI if the health scores are excellent. But that said, I'd never go COI above 10%

Breed Clubs are normally heavily into welfare.
They will know lines with good temperament.
Good that you are prepared to wait for right pup. Rather than impulse buy from online ads.

Look at coefficient of inbreeding.

The breeder should question you long and hard, walk away from any that don’t.
He or she should also give lifetime support for any dog they breed- including taking it back at any age if unwanted.

Some give 100 percent Money back guarantee for first month , then on sliding scale for first year.

They stand by their dogs, but are strict at who they sell to.
All good.

Couldn’t agree more.
I took a year of research and looking.

Am friends with person I bought mine off now .

This is all so incredibly useful, thank you so much to everyone who has contributed.

I’ve made a note of all of this information so feel much more prepared now when finding and speaking to different breeders.

In terms of a breed club, is this one? I just want to make sure I’m looking at the correct thing.
http://www.bdcgrc.org.uk

Thanks again, this has all really helped!

I have a goldie - they are the very best dogs. Quite by coincidence I bumped into one of the breed club secretaries for golden retrievers. Over the course of 3 hours they solidly discussed breeding standards and recent kennel club decisions (that they didn't agree with).
Whilst you might not have agreed with them completely on everything they certainly debated and discussed points thoroughly. It was evident that were as keen as possible to preserve good lines. They had recommendations of litters and breeders. For my next golden they will be my first point of contact,

Would love to know what would deter you from a particular KC assured breeder?

We are also on a Goldie hunt!

thanks

a breeder that still has grandma or great-grandma is a thing of beauty

Ours is a smaller breed, but her breeder (who was admittedly slightly bonkers) had mum, 'auntie', grandma, great-grandma and photo of white-haired great-great-grandma. The house was very full of dog.

I cant speak for that poster...but I breed & my mum did it for 30 years before me. I only have a litter every 2 years or so (i'll have had nearly 30 months between litters when my next one comes, I imagine) - which means I get a lot of people asking me about puppies and I have to say no as my waiting list is already too long.

They often ask me to recommend other breeders - which I never do. But, I offer the following advice:

• More than two litters a year is a no-go. If you're breeding 'properly' then you live, eat (not literally), sleep and breathe puppies. I sleep on a mattress next to the whelping pen for eight weeks, I am there all day every day cleaning the pen, 'socialising' the puppies with various things (literally everything from pencils to the hoover, to the washing machine to shoes). Even when I was 25, breeding my first litter under my mums guidance, I couldn't have done it more than one a year tbh - it's too exhausting. None of the 'good' breeders I know breed more than once a year. Most breed once every two years, if that.
• More than two litters from a bitch. Two litters isn't necessarily a bad thing - and very often a breeder needs to do two litters because of the need to have an 'age' gap between breeding bitches (i.e. not to have two in the house at the same time and you really don't want to be dealing with a two year old Goldie & a puppy + grandma etc. Handling a 4 year old Goldie and a puppy is far easier).
• Breeders who ask for a deposit before they have even met you or seen the puppies. Those breeders should not be taking money (even if they plan on returning it) from someone they plan on selling a puppy to without even meeting them in person - I'm sorry, but you cannot just blindly trust what people say on the phone and I think any breeder who does so, doesn't have their puppies best interest.
• Breeders who don't 'vet' you. Personally, I ask for: 12 months bank statements, a video tour of your home, details and age of anyone in the home, details of any other pets in the home, details of working arrangements, details and history of any experience with the breed or other dogs. I ask for other information as well before I take a deposit. Not all breeders will be as thorough but they should definitely 'vet' you.
• Breeders without older 'non-breeding' dogs in the home. Yes, dogs are expensive and breeding is also expensive. But you do not breed from a dog then discard it. It's your family, in my eyes. I have four at the moment - great grandma, grandma, mum and boy dog. I would never part from any of them. If a breeder doesn't have mum of the current breeding bitch, then they don't care about their dogs. End of.
• A breeder who doesn't give you a contract and make it clear that, if there are any issues, they will take the dog back.
• A breeder who hasn't got health tested dogs (and health tests that are up to date). I do PLA every two years (once when the dog is 2 and then once again when the dog is four) because scores can change and I want to sure I am breeding from dogs that are as healthy as possible. And add to this, a breeder with dogs with high hip or elbow scores - don't touch them. There's no need for Goldies, in particular, to have high hip scores.
• Breeders who breed puppies with a high COI (co-efficient). With dogs like Goldies, they are so popular there is just no need to have inbred off-spring.

Others will have different views on what they consider to be a 'good breeder' but those are the things I advise people look for.

There's a KC Assured Breeder near me who breeds Goldies. This year, she's had four litters. Ask yourself this: if she's having four litters a year, and doing everything properly (to the extent it should be done - see my first point), how the hell is she adequately caring for her other dogs when she has a litter? How is she adequately caring for the puppies? Answer, she's not. Even if she has a partner (business or personal) to help out, it's just not feasible to be breeding properly that often - it's too exhausting. Her bitches also have insanely high hip scores - to the point where she absolutely should not be breeding from them (because no one responsible would). Poor breeding and breeding for money go hand in hand.

Most of all, trust your gut. Not all breeders are created equal and you should expect to wait several months if not a year+

Agree with all this - excellent overview.

No idea about GRs OP but we are looking for an SBT and I contacted the breed society and got a very helpful- and direct - response from the sec saying, basically, are you a serious and thoughtful potential owner or not? I told her as mich as I'm could.about us and she has put us in touch with some breed soc recommended breeders. I've contacted them, alongside earlier contacting some KC registered breeders. The difference has been dramatic. The breed soc ones have both been upfront about all health tests, pedigree names, and want to talk to me about our situation before going any further. The KC ones have been much more 'puppies expected X time, cost this much, shall I put you on the list?

It's a very small sample - 2 breed soc against 2 KC. But it's decided me - breed soc recommended is the way we'll go and I'll be using @landsharksanonymous list to help me vet them! So breed soc all the way from what I can make out!

The breed club recommended ones will obviously also be kc registered, but as you have discovered, being kc registered alone does not guarantee good breeding practices.

Yep KC reg means registered as a pedigree. It definitely doesn’t mean bred ethically. I would always say contact the breed group.