Ethically and Responsibly Bred, Health Tested Golden Retrievers for ALL
Est 2019 - Boise, Idaho
Frequently Asked Questions!
Q: When is your next litter?
A: Visit our Puppies and Plans page for more information!
Q: How do I get on your waitlist for a puppy?
A: The first step being placed on our wait list/call list is filling out a puppy application
Please Note: our puppies are matched to homes based on their personalities and traits, NOT in order of names on a list! Once you've been approved for a puppy, we ask for a non-refundable deposit of $200 in order to be placed on our waitlist. We create waitlists for each "planned litter" as well as a "general waitlist" for those who want to be kept in the loop and considered for future litters.
Q: How much do you charge for your puppies?
A: In the year 2023-2024, our pups will be sold between the range of $2000-$3600, this will depend on a few things: the specific breeding and whether or not the puppy is being placed in a co-own home or a breeding home, to name a few.
Limited registration is $2500, full registration( approved breeding programs only) is $3500.
Learn more HERE
Q: What is your Co-own Program?
A: Our Co-own program is for people interested in one day allowing their dog to join our breeding program! We place puppies that we determine to be potential breeding quality in homes that are willing to raise and train their dog, earn titles, and potentially allow us to use their dog within our breeding program. We offer an initial discount for guardian home puppies, cover all the costs of health testing and breeding expenses and even offer families puppies OR monetary compensation for each litter their dog is associated with. We have a "no strings attached," policy, families are not required to breed their dog nor should they feel obligated to, they can also exercise their right to end their guardianship contract at any time!
Q: How long should I expect to wait for a puppy?
A: Around 6 months to a year, but there is no specific answer for this one unfortunately as we place our puppies in homes that are best suited to the individual puppy, not homes that have been waiting the longest. We recommend placing a deposit with us to be placed on our waitlist as soon as you know you would like to be considered for a puppy!
Q: How do you choose which puppies go to which homes?
A: VERY CAREFULLY!
We take into account the different types of homes we have on our waiting list and try to match up the qualities that those homes are wanting with the puppies that have those qualities. We also take into account the goals of the homes and the personalities and traits of the individual pups. Some puppies are likely to show more potential for work or sports than others and we wont give a high drive or high energy puppy to a home that is not ready for or wanting lots of energy or drive. Puppies are evaluated at 8 weeks of age with a series of temperament tests and their reactions to stimuli are recorded. We also work very closely with multiple trusted trainers who help us make puppy placement decisions after they evaluate our pups using the puppy aptitude test. This is called the Volhard Temperament Test and more info can be found here.
Q: How does a working or "field" golden retriever differ from a regular golden retriever?
A: The simple answer: Working golden retrievers are bred with a purpose: WORK. These goldens often, but not always, come from field lines, their ancestors or lineage is mainly hunting dogs, bred to work in the field. Many of our own dogs either hunt themselves or come from hunting lines, these can be seen in their pedigrees linked on their individual pages. Working/Field goldens are usually different in appearance than goldens bred from show or pet lines. They are often smaller, leaner, darker in color, have higher set ears and tails, and will often have smaller or narrower heads and faces, their coats will be shorter and straighter than the goldens seen at dog shows. Many of our dogs, but not all of them, come from these working/ field lines.
Q: How do you raise your puppies?
A: Our puppies are raised with Puppy Culture guidelines and early neurological stimulation and Early Scent Introduction! We have dedicated a section of our website to this process that can be viewed here.
Q: Are you against vaccinations and de-worming as a whole?
A: NO! We follow Dr. Jean Dodd's vaccination protocol, found here. We offer "optional" vaccines for our puppies before they go home to allow for owners to make the choice themselves, some owners wish to vaccinate on their own schedule or with their personal vet. We minimally vaccinate our own dogs and recommend our puppy parents wait until vaccinations are 90% proven to take effect, around 12 weeks of age and only once! As far as deworming goes, we test the puppies fecal samples at 4 and 8 weeks of age, IF there are worms/eggs/casts present then WE WILL deworm them conventionally, we just avoid unnecessary deworming.
Q: What if I really want/need my puppy to be vaccinated before it comes home?
A: You're in luck, we offer optional vaccinations to puppy families! We will vaccinate pups before they go home if requested, as well as administer optional de-wormer!
Q: Do you ship puppies?
A: We REALLY prefer not to ship puppies as it can be very stressful, but we will for special cases and those who are really in need of it. We have a trusted flight nanny that we have used in the past, The Flight Manny, Jason, travels in the airplane with puppies in a special airline approved carry-on type bag and meets puppy families at the airport for pick-up! He is able to deliver puppies across the U.S!
Q:What health testing do you preform?
A: We preform the following health testing, Eyes, Heart, Hips and Elbows, along with a genetic disease panel for inheritable diseases. Our health testing goal is to earn CHIC numbers for each breeding dog. We use either Embark or Animal Genetics for genetic testing and both OFA and PennHip for joints. Eyes are tested every 12 months while hips and elbows are tested at 24 months. More information can be found on the OFA and PennHip websites:
https://info.antechimagingservices.com/pennhip/
Q: At what age should I spay or neuter my dog?
A: Our recommendation: If not for a medical need, don't conventionally spay or neuter!
There has been an overwhelming surge of studies that have been published on the harmful impacts of altering dogs, golden retrievers especially. UC Davis conducted an entire study with almost 800 golden retrievers and found a significant increase in cancers, tumors, infections, and even behavioral issues in dogs that had been altered versus those who had not. Our own dogs will not be altered unless medically necessary or we will preform ovary-sparing spays on our females instead of spays, our males are never castrated.
It is stated in our health guarantee and contract that the puppies produced by us, shall not be altered before the age of 24 months.
More information on the study can be found here:
Q: How many litters will your dogs produce?
A: This will depend on the individual female, how she handles breeding, pregnancy, raising puppies, being a mother, and how well she recovers from her litters. Some females will only be bred very minimally, 1-2 litters, while others may go on to produce a max of 4, it all depends on the specific dog and their individual needs and their individual bodies!
Q:What is your Co-own program?
A: our co-own program allows us to continue to progress and grow while still being able to house all of our dogs in our homes and ensure they each get the attention and love they deserve without over crowding. We don't believe in using a kennel system for our dogs and all of our dogs live in our home as members of our family. Our co-owns allows us to do this. Our wonderful co-own homes own, raise and train their dogs and allow us to retain breeding rights for an initial price reduction and future pick of the litter puppies. We keep our co-own program very flexible and open minded, breeding is never a requirement or a guarantee. Learn more about it here
Q: Do you offer Full AKC Registration?
A: We sell all our puppies with AKC limited registration to non-breeders. We will grant full registration to qualified homes who prove that they are willing to put the necessary time, money, and energy into health testing AND titling their dog, we will upgrade to Full at no extra cost once these are completed. Full AKC registration outright for an additional $1000 is available to programs who adhere to the GRCA COE.
Q: Do you offer discounts?
A: Yes! For those willing to be co-own homes and hopefully allow us to one day consider their dog for breeding , we offer a $500 discount on the initial price of their puppy and then offer monetary discounts on the litters their dog produces.
Q: What kind of breeder support do you offer puppy buyers?
A: We offer our puppy buyers a LIFETIME of our support! We want puppy buyers to feel like family members who can always come to us with questions or concerns and not feel judged or looked down upon. We are always available to chat with puppy owners via email, text, or phone calls and even have a FaceBook group dedicated to our puppy owners where they can connect with other puppy owners and reach out for support if needed!
Q: Do you offer additional training for puppies you have bred?
A: YES! We are proud to have partnered with a local professional certified master public trainer, Annie Gray of In-Line K9 to offer 2 different length puppy training programs. 2 weeks and 4 weeks long that will give your puppy a head start to becoming a perfect well-rounded dog that can be successful in any direction they go. We also offer a mini program that is one week long in our home where pups are given extra socialization and training with our family, their mother and our adult dogs