Anonymous wrote:That's almost enough for a decent riding horse. No freaking way would I pay that. My mutt is cuddling here on the couch with me and is an amazing friend and companion.

You clearly haven’t shopped for a horse in the past few years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our Golden boy lived to 16! Don’t neuter before 2 (if at all), feed a top kibble without byproducts, and don’t give all the toxic “preventative” topicals (bathe them regularly!).

Goldens are really sensitive to toxins.

Awesome - while you are at it, make sure they take preventative doxycycline because with no tick prevention, they are going to get Lyme, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever....

NP. I think the original person commenting on preventative topicals is referring to things like the Seresto collar and the unregulated sprays, etc, that have been appearing on store shelves that have-at a minimum-essential oils not safe for dogs. I didn't take it as being anti-preventative or anti-vaccine in general. Ex: we don't use topicals but use Simparica Trio and vaccinate.

Anonymous wrote:Our Golden boy lived to 16! Don’t neuter before 2 (if at all), feed a top kibble without byproducts, and don’t give all the toxic “preventative” topicals (bathe them regularly!).

Goldens are really sensitive to toxins.

+1. DON'T APPLY LAWN CHEMICALS. It not only gets into our air, water soil and food supply but especially anyone or anything that uses your yard (or eats insects out of it) ends up with hugely increased odds of cancer and other issues if they don't immediately die of poison.

We paid $2800 for a Samoyed 5 years ago, so with inflation, maybe such a price for Golden is within the ballpark???

The most important work you need to do is MAKE SURE, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that your breeder is a reputable one: that it cares for the dogs in their own home (meaning, no large, kennel style operation, the dogs aren't socialized well enough); does not breed females more than 2-3 times in their lives; tests for all genetic diseases we have tests for and refuses to breed if they crop up; socializes each puppy as soon as they are born, by daily handling and then training as soon as they're 3-4 weeks old.

A dead give-away you don't have a reputable breeder is if:
1. The breeder does not want to meet you in person before selling you a puppy. Good breeders will ALWAYS want to assess you in-person!
2. The breeder agrees to ship a puppy to you. That is a big no-no, because it carries a significant health and trauma risk to the puppy.

Iffy things:
1. The breeder has a slick website. Usually a good breeder is too busy taking care of its dogs to have a nice website.
2. The breeder claims all its dogs live at home, but actually they have so many (because they're a large operation), that they place breeding females in several different private homes, with friend or relatives that may or may not care for them with all the love and care they deserve. It's better than a kennel, but still not entirely right.

Anonymous wrote:OP, where are you located/willing to travel to? I’m happy to recommend high quality breeders. I’m very involved in the sport dog world and have lots of GR contacts who could share names of breeders for pet homes.

NP, but I would love to get breeder recommendations for for a family pet golden. I'm in NoVA. Thanks!

Anonymous wrote:Our Golden boy lived to 16! Don’t neuter before 2 (if at all), feed a top kibble without byproducts, and don’t give all the toxic “preventative” topicals (bathe them regularly!).

Goldens are really sensitive to toxins.

Awesome - while you are at it, make sure they take preventative doxycycline because with no tick prevention, they are going to get Lyme, Anaplasma, Ehrlichia or Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever....

That's almost enough for a decent riding horse. No freaking way would I pay that. My mutt is cuddling here on the couch with me and is an amazing friend and companion.

Check out the FB group “Golden Retriever Breeders of VA Reviews.” The mods screen out breeders so it’s just the honest reviews of people who have brought home golden from different breeders. Tons of info about how to find a legitimate golden breeder in VA and neighboring states. You should also check our Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) - you want a breeder who follows their standards. As others have said, AKC is not nearly enough.

To answer your specific question - we paid $2500 for our Golden last spring. He is from a breeder in SC and has champion show lines on both sire and dam. It sounded crazy to me when I was researching but you really want to check both parents’ lines back several generations (k9data.com will have the info you need, and any good breeder should be thrilled to tell you about their line’s pedigree!)

Good luck! Goldens are the best

OP, where are you located/willing to travel to? I’m happy to recommend high quality breeders. I’m very involved in the sport dog world and have lots of GR contacts who could share names of breeders for pet homes.

AKc registry does require hip elbow and eye clearances for registry. And you can go online to see many generations back to check the clearances for all the ancestors and make sure no inbreeding. We eliminated one breeder from our list because she did not disclose one failed clearance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IF you're getting a well bred dog, then that price is worth it, because you're more likely to have a healthy, long-lived, well tempered companion. If you're getting a BYB dog, then not so much.

Actually it’s false that an AKC dog is by definition well bred - the organization does basically nothing to assure breeders are breeding for optimal health and temperament, they just sell the accreditation to any breeder that ‘promises’ to and that’s that. Lots and lots of AKC dogs are poorly bred and that’s why any veterinarian would tell you if health and longevity is your primary concern then a mixed breed is always a better choice and it’s often no more or less certain on temperament mixed v purebred. Golden retriever have an abundance of genetically linked serious health issues that are both costly and painful to deal with, including hip dysplasia and cancers.

I didn’t mention a registry at all. “Papers” are just a birth certificate.

A well bred Golden should have OFA clearances for hips, elbows, heart, etc., not just the parents, but also along the depth and breadth of the pedigree. That’s where I would start.

I think around 2K is typical for a well-bred pet. 5K might be more typical if you are getting champion lines and plan on showing the dog.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IF you're getting a well bred dog, then that price is worth it, because you're more likely to have a healthy, long-lived, well tempered companion. If you're getting a BYB dog, then not so much.

Actually it’s false that an AKC dog is by definition well bred - the organization does basically nothing to assure breeders are breeding for optimal health and temperament, they just sell the accreditation to any breeder that ‘promises’ to and that’s that. Lots and lots of AKC dogs are poorly bred and that’s why any veterinarian would tell you if health and longevity is your primary concern then a mixed breed is always a better choice and it’s often no more or less certain on temperament mixed v purebred. Golden retriever have an abundance of genetically linked serious health issues that are both costly and painful to deal with, including hip dysplasia and cancers.

+1

Anonymous wrote:OP again.. meant to add, just pet prices. They’re all selling with the “limited” AKC papers and a neuter contract.

AKC papers are meaningless in terms of the dog you are getting vis-a-vis health, lineage, parents' health, etc.

https://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/buying/articles/AKC-registered-puppies.html

Anonymous wrote:IF you're getting a well bred dog, then that price is worth it, because you're more likely to have a healthy, long-lived, well tempered companion. If you're getting a BYB dog, then not so much.

Actually it’s false that an AKC dog is by definition well bred - the organization does basically nothing to assure breeders are breeding for optimal health and temperament, they just sell the accreditation to any breeder that ‘promises’ to and that’s that. Lots and lots of AKC dogs are poorly bred and that’s why any veterinarian would tell you if health and longevity is your primary concern then a mixed breed is always a better choice and it’s often no more or less certain on temperament mixed v purebred. Golden retriever have an abundance of genetically linked serious health issues that are both costly and painful to deal with, including hip dysplasia and cancers.