What do you think of these breeders?

If you are wondering what is the right dog for you, this is the place to be. In this introductory forum we talk about topics such as breed vs. mix, size, age, grooming, breeders, shelters, rescues as well as requirements for exercise, space and care. No question is too silly here. This particular forum is for getting and giving helpful, nice advice. It is definitely not a forum for criticizing someone else's opinion, knowledge or advice. This forum is all about tail wagging and learning.

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Buster- (1996-2008)

Are you gonna- eat that?

Barked: Mon Feb 15, '10 4:53pm PST


	Since I'm planning on getting a Golden Retriever puppy this summer, I have been looking at Golden Retriever breeders in Indiana. I have some breeders in mind, but these are the only ones I could find online that I liked the best. What are everyone's opinions on them? If you know of any others, I'd like to see them. O'Quince Golden Retrievers http://oquincegoldenretrievers.synthasite.com Sonshine Golden Retrievers http://sonshinegoldenretrievers.synthasite.com Golden Journey Retrievers http://www.goldenjourneyretrievers.com/ Hoosier Heartland Goldens http://www.freewebs.com/denverpassion30/ Pathfinder Golden Retrievers http://pathfinderecs.com/goldens.htm Macintosh Goldens http://macintoshgoldens.com/ Twilight Golden Retrievers http://www.twilightgoldens.com/ Edited by author Mon Feb 15, '10 5:03pm PST

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Esky

Epicus Zoomicus- Metallicus

Barked: Mon Feb 15, '10 6:05pm PST


	O'Quince Golden Retrievers - would avoid. There's no evidence of titling. The whole website is focused on selling puppies, no information on the parents, temprements, pedigrees etc Sonshine Golden Retrievers -at least they test the breeding stock. I don't think I would choose this one. I don't like any website that refers to their dogs as dams and sires as opposed to boys and girls. Dogs and bitches etc Golden Journey Retrievers- Again I would avoid. All they seem to focus on is breeding. And the whole european/ american line thing is unsettling. My dog came from american lines inported into australia, but the breeder never flaunted that as a selling point Hoosier Heartland Goldens - Why do all the websites have this quote "A dog is not your whole life...but makes your life whole" ? Sorry but why have 2 litters with another one on the way.. screams AVOID to me. Pathfinder Golden Retrievers - Sorry i would avoid this one too. same complaints as before. just well designed websites with nice pictures trying to make you think they are great breeders Macintosh Goldens- Best of the bunch. She's got titled dogs. Not many brag photos on the website, but I would go here sooner than I would go anywhere else Twilight Golden Retrievers- parents tested and have rally titles. Depends what you want out of a dog really. At least the pups would probably be more structurally sound I'm sorry if any of this is coming across as harsh. I know a lot of the best breeders in the Husky world don't have the most attractive or flashy pages eg Mikulov > However the information on this website, and what she does with her dogs titling in conformation, agility, flyball, obedience and endurance says more for her huskies than 1000 pretty photos could. And having met her in person I know shes the real deal What I'm getting at is maybe go to dog shows and talk to Golden owners there. People are generally more than happy to talk dogs with you since they LOVE dogs so much. And if they can't help you. Or aren't planning any litters for a while they can point you in the right direction. Since you've already had experience with the breed your in a good spot anyway. If you don't care about the pedigree side of things, don't plan on showing your dog. Then personally I would go to a rescue or a shelter over one of these other breeders you've found. Goldens are great dogs, but a lot of puppies turn up in shelters as unwanted x-mas, Valentines day, Easter etc gifts.. I hope I've been helpful and not too harsh. I'm not trying to judge you at all, just giving you my opinion

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Buster- (1996-2008)

Are you gonna- eat that?

Barked: Tue Feb 16, '10 2:47pm PST


	No, you weren't too harsh. You were very helpful. Thanks, Esky.

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Chandler

Code name:- Farmcollie

Barked: Tue Feb 16, '10 4:47pm PST


	O'Quince Golden Retrievers: Pretty photos with absolutely no substance. Where are the health tests? Pedigrees? Anything that describes the personality of the dog? Supposedly they are obedience/therapy dogs. Where are the photos? Titles? Do they work with the Delta society? Further search on K-9 data (Danged if I know why they didn't put this information on the page...nevermind...only the female has health checks.) Avoid. Sonshine Golden Retrievers: Supposedly they "genetically test our dogs for hip and elbow displasia (OFA), eye cateracts (CERF), and heart murmurs (SAS)." However, this information is nowhere to be found on the website. It looks like they were showing the male...but he is 7 and nothing seems to have come of it. Golden Journey Retrievers: Woah, you have 4 males, one of which is a lab, and 10 females! Probable red flag, although there can be exceptions. Why are pedigrees available for only some of the dogs? I don't see health information anyplace. Do these dogs do anything but look decorative? Avoid like the plague. Hoosier Heartland Goldens: Well, I like that the pups are microchipped and sold with a spay/neuter contract. However, not all the breeding dogs have all their health clearances, according to the pedigree links that go to K-9 data. Avoid. Pathfinder Golden Retrievers: This site essentially has no useful information at all other than pretty pictures. I can't even really tell how many dogs they have. Macintosh Goldens: Supposedly they do dog sports and show. (There is photo evidence of the showing at least, that is good.) They say they do health clearances. Unfortunately, linkage does not seem to be working to get to each individual dog's information. This one might be worth following up by phone or email to get the health etc information on the dogs. Twilight Golden Retrievers: Supposedly "All adult Golden Retrievers are AKC registered, microchipped for identification, DNA tested, cleared for Hip and Elbow Dysplaysia and Sub Aortic Stenosis (SAS) through Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA - www.offa.org) and hereditery eye problems through CERF " that's good...and they seem to actually post this information. They seem to be doing stuff with Nika at least. They could be a possibility if you just want a companion dog. A few of these could be worth investigating, depending on what you want. Frankly, I'm not that stuck on conformation showing and titles...but I am influenced by my breed of choice. For me, health clearances are the non-negotiable element. I also want to know why they think those two dogs would be a good match. Here's a good blog post on evaluating internet breeder sites: How much is that puppy on the internet?

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Buster- (1996-2008)

Are you gonna- eat that?

Barked: Tue Feb 23, '10 1:14pm PST


	Chandler, you seem to know a lot about good and bad breeders. Thanks for your good advice.

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CH Kenai RL1

Brown is the new- black!

Barked: Tue Feb 23, '10 2:52pm PST


	I know they are not in Indiana but if you are not planning on showing you might consider contacting Dichi Goldens in WI. They aren't that far away. We were considering getting a golden so I joined some golden retriever forums and message boards. These people seemed to have a great reputation from everything I've read. They have show dogs but their pet pups are also good working pups too. They don't sell show quality dogs to anyone that they don't know really well so you could only get one on a spay neuter contract. They do all of the testing and list each dog's results on their website. Check em out. Dichi Goldens

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Lilith

I'm a trilingual- dog!

Barked: Tue Feb 23, '10 3:03pm PST


	Someone with more knowledge on the retrievers can fill in for me, but don't GRs also have a bench/field split? If so, then you'd be looking at what you want when choosing a breeder. Edited by author Tue Feb 23, '10 3:03pm PST

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Kai

Pupzilla

Barked: Thu May 17, '12 5:05pm PST


	I truly hope that you didn't listen to Esky, who is not a golden owner. It bothers me tremendously that all he was interested in was titles and competitions, brag photos. As a longtime golden owner, unless I was SPECIFICALLY looking for a show dog, I would avoid breeders who focus on titles. There are so many in-bred show dogs with tons of health issues. NONE of my goldens were show bred, but all came with health guarantees. Oh, and my youngest, 21 months old, is from Golden Journey Retrievers. She is a European-American cross (by Silas and out of Raya) and has been a joy since she came home. She is incredibly level headed, the vets adore her, as do her trainers. I noticed that Esky didn't bother to mention that Golden Journey Retrievers breeds many service oriented dogs (temperament testing required). And the european influence happens to be a good thing since it's diluting the overbreeding. At any rate, I truly hope that you wound up with a wonderful dog that's happy and healthy.

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Mulder

Spooky Mulder

Barked: Thu May 17, '12 6:24pm PST


	As a longtime golden owner, unless I was SPECIFICALLY looking for a show dog, I would avoid breeders who focus on titles. This is absolutely ridiculous. Yes, you absolutely want to be looking for people who focus on working with their dogs. Because as much as some people like to believe they are the absolute authority and that their dogs are infallible, an impartial outside eye is important to ENSURE what what you're seeing is actually there. Titles do not make the dog, but they sure do tell you something about it. It tells you that the breeder actually cares enough to work with the dog towards a definite goal, and that the dog itself is capable of achieving it. It tells you that the breeder actually gives two spits about their dogs being judged impartially against the standard, which as a pet buyer you BETTER care about that. The standard is what makes each breed that breed. Your Golden is a Golden as you know it because of the standard. Best hope your breeder cares about it. There isn't anything wrong with breeding with the average pet buyer in mind... but one should not hope to achieve mediocrity in breeding. You breed for the best, and allow those who do not meet that criteria to find loving "just pet" homes (because as we all know, else SHOULD know by now, perfection is a goal to work towards, not something that automatically happens). If inbreeding or bad genetics is an issue, then you go to breeders producing genetically sound dogs. Its not rocket science.