Golden Retrievers have been one of America’s #1 breeds for over 25 years. Golden Retrievers are trustworthy, intelligent, friendly, high energy and very affectionate dogs. Golden Retrievers also known as “Goldens” make wonderful family pets.
These wonderful dogs are even tempered, loyal and great with children. Golden Retrievers are known Sporting Dogs and are commonly used for bird hunting and retrieving. Golden Retrievers have webbed feet, love the water and are great swimmers.
Golden Retrievers shed a lot and need regular grooming and brushing especially if they will be swimming. “Goldens” can have food and skin allergies, they are prone to getting “hot spots” or skin infections. They are great companion dogs, very social and love to be with and please their humans.
Goldens do not do well being alone for long periods, they require frequent exercise and walks. They are intelligent and need daily mental stimulation and physical exercise, or they can get bored.
If you are thinking of adding a Golden Retriever to your family, make sure you have the proper time to exercise it and give it the time and attention it needs to thrive, otherwise they can get destructive.
Golden Retrievers are easily trained and are commonly used as emotional support, therapy, service and search and rescue dogs.
Before buying a Golden Retriever puppy, consider this: The popularity of the Golden make them a targeted breed of USDA commercial dog breeders, Amish dog breeders, profit breeders and online puppy broker websites known to be associated with puppy mill breeders.
Read the story about four rescued breeding dogs.
Goldens make wonderful family pets and it’s because of their loyalty and popularity that make Golden Retriever puppies an attractive business model for unscrupulous dog breeders. It’s for this reason that our Puppy Mill Watchdog monitors and reports on Golden Retriever puppy breeders, online puppy sellers and puppy broker websites know to be associated with puppy mills. If a breeder will not let you pick up the puppy in person, meet the mother dog and see where and how the breeding dogs live, don’t buy the puppy.
Please do your research before you buy a Golden Retriever puppy — or consider adopting Golden from your local club or rescue organization!
About the Breed: Golden Retrievers
Golden Retrievers can weigh 55-80 pounds and can range between be 20-25 inches tall .
Age Expectancy: 10-14 years.
Temperament: Golden Retrievers are high energy, friendly and affectionate dogs. Golden Retrievers are easily trained.
Coat: Long hair soft, smooth, and curly.
Color: Light Golden, Dark Golden and Cream.
Grooming: Golden Retrievers require regular brushing and grooming.
Training: Positive training is recommended for your Golden Retriever puppy at an early age.
Vet Care: Regular vet care is essential for the health and well-being your Golden Retriever.
Types of Labrador Retrievers
FAQ’s About Buying Golden Retriever Puppies Online
When buying a Golden Retriever puppy, you want to make sure it was born in a loving clean environment. Always meet your new puppy in person.
The puppy should have an overall healthy look to him. Make sure his eyes are bright, he is clean and happy.
Look at his body language make sure his tail is up and wagging. Is his posture good? Does he hold his head up, is he curious? Does he run up to you or is he afraid to approach you?
There are so many risks to buying a Golden Retrievers puppy online. We do not ever recommend buying a puppy from a picture on a website.
Since your Golden Retrievers will live for 11-15 years it is important to see firsthand where it was born.
Make sure the breeder is not a puppy mill. Pick your puppy up in person, meet the mother dog, see her mental and physical condition. She should be clean, happy and well adjusted. If the breeder won’t let you see where he keeps his dogs then walk away. Video chats, videos and photos do not take the place of seeing in person.
It is not safe to buy Golden Retriever puppies online or any puppy for that matter. It is not safe safe to have a puppy shipped to you by air nanny or even meeting the breeder halfway or in a parking lot.
If you are not able to pick up the puppy in person, meet the mother dog and where she and all of the breeder’s dogs live, you might be supporting a puppy mill. The breeder may have many excuses why they don’t want you to visit, but they are that, excuses. Video chats, videos and photos do not take the place of seeing in person.
Over 1 million puppy mill puppies are sold online each year and it is in your best interest to make sure your new puppy is not coming from one of these breeders or you may be looking at high vet bills, a puppy with anxiety or even worse, heartache.
It takes time to find a new puppy and that is ok. Your Golden Retriever puppy will be a part of your family for 11-15 years so it’s important to find a healthy well-bred puppy. It’s ok to do your research online but never take a breeder’s word for it. Since Golden Retrievers are purebreds, you should first visit the Golden Retriever Club of America and find a breeder that is a member of their clubs.
These breeders breed by a code of ethics. They breed to improve the breed. But, always meet the mother dog, see her mental and physical condition and where she lives before you buy a puppy. See where and how she and all of the breeding dogs live. Video chats, videos and photos do not take the place of seeing in person.
Golden Retrievers are very popular dogs. Many of these bad breeders looking to profit off their popularity are selling puppies online.
A puppy mill is a dog breeder that puts profit over the health and well-being of the breeding dogs and puppies produced. These breeders vary in size from small breeders, ten to twenty dogs, to very large breeders that have hundreds of breeding dogs packed in dark pole barns. Most people don’t know that puppy mills are legal.
Puppy mills keep the mother and father dogs pregnant and sell the puppies. The breeding dogs are forced to breed twice a year or at every heat cycle and they are usually kept in wire cages, many times stacked.
The breeding dogs are not groomed, they are not given opportunity to exercise nor do they know the touch of a loving hand. They are denied veterinary care and most are living and breeding with painful conditions such as urinary tract infections, ear infections, rotten teeth, infected eyes, tumors, infected mammary glands and sore feet from standing on wire cage floors, that never get addressed.
It is important to know that any breeder can be a puppy mill. Stay away from breeders that are USDA licensed. It’s hard to imagine the breeder or online website you are talking or texting with could be a puppy mill.
If the breeder has excuses why they won’t let you see where they keep the breeding dogs or you are not able to meet the mother dog in person, we suggest you find another breeder. Video chats, videos and photos do not take the place of seeing in person.