Puppy Information

Puppies

Here is a brief example of what you get when you purchase a Golden Retriever Puppy from Golden Plains Goldens.

Both parents will have their OFA health clearances: hips and elbows are read by OFA, hearts are done by a veterinary cardiologist, & eyes (are done every year by a veterinary ophthalmologist). Both parents will have all genetic testing GR-PRA1, GR-PRA2, prcd-PRA, Ichthyosis, DM, and NCL. We are aware that there may be more tests and as they come out we will be testing all our dogs. All results are published on OFA’s website (http://www.offa.org). For more information please click on our Golden Retriever Health page.

All conformation and performance home  puppies are chosen and placed first. I won’t know until the puppies are 8 weeks old and we do temperament and structure evaluations, which puppies will be companion puppies and which puppies will be staying and/or going to competition homes. I have everyone fill out a questionnaire and if you are approved I place you on my waiting list or in the line up for a puppy. I will not know how many of each sex or how many puppies there are until they are born. Even if I place you on my waiting list there may not be enough puppies for everyone on my waiting list.

If you are placed on my waiting list and decide to go with another breeder prior to the puppies being born it is customary to inform me that you want to be removed from my waiting list.

Puppies can range in color from Light to Dark golden. We NEVER breed for color, only temperament, workability, and structure. 

PRICE: Puppies are $2800. If  there is a special breeding price can and will go up. I require a $500 non-refundable deposit once the puppies are born if you would like to hold your spot. The deposit is NOT refundable for any reason. I do NOT consider a puppy sold until I am paid in full. NO, I will not do payment plans. The payment schedule is $500 deposit due at 1 week old and the balance of $2300 is due when you pick up your puppy. The deposit goes toward the total purchase price of the puppy.

The process for picking a puppy is as follows: I have everyone fill out a questionnaire and if you are approved I place you on my waiting list. Once the puppies are born I start reaching out to those on my waiting list. Starting with the oldest questionnaire first.  I go by what sex of pup you have placed on your questionnaire. If you have placed undecided on whether you want a male or female I can always help if you choose the correct sex of puppy for your family. There is no pick list. All puppies are matched with their owners by me. Each puppy from 3 weeks up will have a colored collar so you can watch them grow. I place all puppy parents that have placed a deposit in a private Golden Plains Family Facebook group. During the first 7 weeks everyone will see pictures and videos of the puppies. If you do not have Facebook don’t worry as I can send them by phone or email. I make the final decisions on which puppy goes to which family based on the family’s activity level and composition along with the puppy’s temperament.  This is why the questionnaire is so important. At 8 weeks puppies will go to the vet and have their first set of shots, microchip placed, and temperament/confirmation evaluation done. You then will find out which puppy you have been matched with. Now don’t worry you do get a say as well. I ask for your top 3 choices via collar color after I have released the results of the evaluation. 

What you can expect with your puppy

• AKC/UKC Limited Registration (full is available to approved performance homes ONLY)

• Mandatory Spay or Neuter after 24 months of age for male companion puppies and 3 months after the second season for female companion puppies

• Individual stimulation from birth

• Puppies are dewormed several times before going to their new homes

• First set of Vaccinations

• Paper trained and the beginnings of house / crate training

• Individual Veterinarian Examination. My vet also competes with labs in AKC and UKC hunting trials and thoroughly goes over every puppy.

• Bill of Sale

• Micro-chipped and pre-enrolled in AKC’s REUNITE program.

I DO NOT allow my puppies to be spayed or neutered before 24 months of age. IF YOU AND YOUR VET CANNOT ABIDE BY THIS RESTRICTION PLEASE DO NOT BUY A PUPPY FROM ME. UC Davis in California did a study with only Golden Retrievers and the results of spaying/neutering early are very eye opening. As a result almost all breeders are requiring their puppy buyers to wait to spay/neuter. I have included the link below.

Please take the time to read the following links. Here are all the latest research articles. I made my decision to ask my puppy buyers to wait until 18 months for males and 3 months after the first or second heat cycle for females based on the newest research. The Golden Retriever Club of America has also recommended this to all responsible breeders. I am doing this for the lifetime health of the puppies I produce. I feel waiting is more beneficial than the risk of spaying or neutering early.

I encourage everyone to make sure they do their homework and get to know your breeder before you purchase a puppy. Ask the hard questions. This is a person, who, will be there for you and your puppy. They can pull from years of knowledge and if they do not know they can ask other breeders.

I spend a lifetime learning pedigrees, genetics, breed standards and learning from those in my breed and those outside it. I raise each litter as if I gave birth to them and spend an equal amount of time finding them loving forever homes. I only put animals on this planet, I think will be the healthiest (mentally and physically) and nicest examples of the breed. I support each family, who, chooses one of my babies and let them know they are now a part of our extended family. I celebrate their wins in shows, in the field, and the milestones with each companion puppy, why, because they are family. I shed tears when one dies. I am there if one needs to come back. I hold them when they arrive and leave this world. I share my knowledge and socialize my dogs; so they will be the reflection of my dedication.

I don’t keep track of the money and time I put into my love of them; it would not be a true measure of how I feel. The price I charge for my babies is never profit, but an investment in the next generation. I work hard at being a good dog person and encouraging others to be the same. You will find it very hard to find a quality Golden Retriever with health clearances and genetic testing on both parents under $2000. Most well breed goldens go from $2500 to $4500. We do health testing because we want to make sure our puppies have the best possible chance at not having Hip dysplasia, Elbow dysplasia, hereditary heart problems such as SAS sub aortic stenosis, or eye problems such as Pigmentary Uveitis, which eventually left untreated will leave a dog blind. We also do genetic testing to make sure we do not end up with other genetic diseases. While testing for these things does not always keep puppies from having any of these issues, it does stack the deck in our favor. Sure you can buy that $500 puppy and you may never have any trouble, but if it ends up with any of these you will not have a breeder, who, has spent a lifetime dedicating their life to this breed and can offer assistance and advice.

So, please do your homework and get to know your breeder before you purchase a puppy. A bargain now my end up costing you thousands in the long run. We also compete with our dogs, because it is a testament to the temperament of the breed. We only breed dogs with temperaments we and you will want to live with. It may seem like the initial price of a puppy is expensive, but the initial price pales in comparison to the actual cost of owning a dog. In the first year alone you spend over $500 on shots, vet visits, and then the next year you will need to spend money on the spay/neuter. I just wanted to give you some food for thought.

Just because that puppy leaves us at 8 weeks does not mean we are not there for you or that puppy. We are here for the lifetime of the puppy and beyond. Any questions you have call or email.

Our puppies go home after 8 weeks old. In the State of Nebraska it is illegal to obtain a puppy before 8 weeks. You may buy the puppy, but it cannot leave the mother/breeder prior to 8 weeks and for canine socialization reasons it should not leave the mother before then.

Not all breeders are created equal. Ask questions and be an informed buyer. The initial cost of a puppy is the least amount of money you will pay for that puppy in it’s lifetime. There are veterinary bills for routine check ups, flea& tick, heart worm pills, food, and many other cost associated with owning a dog. Just because the parents have good hips does not always mean the puppies will. We do the clearances to put the odds in our and your favor. Not all breeders do this and just because they say their dog is a sound dog doesn’t mean it is. A reputable breeder should be able to answer any questions you have about the dam and sire of the litter.

A puppy is a lifetime commitment. Their lifetime! So make sure you are ready for a 10-15 year commitment. Puppies are not objects they are living breathing animals. They chew on things and bite. They need to be socialized and trained to become fantastic members of your family. With time and effort you will have a wonderful new Golden addition to your family that can bring you a lot of joy.

We DO NOT  like shipping puppies. All of our puppies are hand delivered to their puppy parents. However, depending on your location we may be willing to meet you to deliver the puppy.

History and coat color

All Golden retrievers originated from 4 small puppies born in a litter in Scotland to Lord Tweedmouth. They were first referred to as a yellow retriever. From those 4 puppies came all goldens alive today. Goldens are primarily a hunting dog. While the versatility of the breed allows  them to do so much more more they are classified in the sporting catagory. Goldens also only come in 3 colors, Light golden, Medium golden, and Dark golden. While there are many shades within these classifications these are the only colors recognized by the GRCA and AKC. There is NO American, English Cream, Irish red, or any other color classification out there. They are all bred to the breed standard according to their country and Kennel club.

Limited Registration

Limited Registration means the dog or bitch you purchase from us is never meant to produce a litter of puppies. If the dog or bitch does produce a litter of puppies, the AKC will not allow you to register them. You are not allowed to breed the puppy you purchase from us for any reason. We sell the majority of our puppies in to loving homes. Some stay here and become members of our home. They are not meant to become breeding machines. The last thing we want is for our beautiful puppy to end up as a puppy factory for pet shops or overseas. If you are looking to buy a puppy from us to breed please look elsewhere.

Return of a Puppy
As we have stated before we are there for the lifetime of the puppy. If for some reason you are no longer able to keep the puppy or dog. The puppy MUST be returned to Golden Plains Goldens at owners expense. You are not allowed to rehome or sell the puppy. We are hoping that this never will happen and to this day have never had a puppy come back to us as, we work with the owners to help them keep the puppy. This is why we tell future puppy parents to do their homework before they purchase a puppy. However, as stated before if the event does arise you must return the puppy or dog to us. Each case will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Quality Nutrition

We believe that providing the highest quality nutrition is extremely important in the growth and development of our puppies, and we feed and recommend Royal Canin Puppy, Royal Canin Golden Retriever, Purina Pro Plan Sport 30/20 in the all purple bag, Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Skin and Stomach and Inukshuk 30/25 and Inukshuk 26/16.

You are able to purchase these foods at Tractor Supply and most major dog food chains. The best place to buy food is www.chewy.com they have free shipping and it is usually cheaper. www.amazon.com . You may even be able to get them at your local vet or farm store.

Vaccination Information

We vaccinate our puppies at 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age.

We also deworm our puppies at 4, 6, and 8 weeks. Puppies as well as adults should be dewormed regularly.

 

ATTENTION

We reserve the right to not sell a puppy or do business with anyone. Our goal is to find the best possible home for our puppies. If we see during your visit with the puppies you will not be a good fit, we have the right to refuse a sale. Our puppies are our family. Owning a puppy is a privilege not a right. It is a life time commitment, the dogs Lifetime. We expect these puppies to be going to their forever homes. While puppies are cute, they all to soon become adult dogs and require a lot of care. Golden Retriever’s shed. So, if you do not expect or want to clean up dog hair off your clothes, car seat, etcetera maybe a Golden puppy isn’t for you. They are a Sporting breed so they are active and require daily exercise. If you have any questions about the breed please ask, we have a lot of knowledge about Goldens. We also want to encourage you to visit the Golden Retriever Club of America’s website located in our links page.

WHAT IS A ‘BREEDER’?

A ‘Breeder’ is a person for whom it is more important to perform a specific breeding of one special ‘right’ dog to a specific bitch, rather than a person who will breed any male of the same breed to their bitch in order to produce puppies. A Breeder doesn’t breed at a specific time of year for better puppy sales. A Breeder breeds for him or her self, because they are breeding to an ideal and not the “market”. A Breeder may hold onto the puppies for longer than 8 weeks so that they are certain they have made the right ‘pick’ of which puppy to keep or to sell as a show dog, and by definition as a breeding animal.

A Breeder makes you justify just why you think you deserve a puppy. On the other hand, a non-breeder, in the case of the worst puppy mills, breeds any dog which looks like it may belong to a certain breed to whatever specimen of the same breed they can pick up. A non- breeder doesn’t choose the ‘best’ male for a given female. A non-breeder ‘lets nature take its course’ rather than doing everything within their power to ensure that the mother and the father, and eventually the puppies, are healthy, so that the breeding will be successful, so that it won’t seriously affect the health of the mother, and so that the puppies will be robust and healthy. A Breeder will perform all necessary tests to ensure that the mother and father of a litter are genetically healthy, and free of inheritable diseases to the best of their ability to check.

A Breeder will only register puppies with the correct pedigree. A puppy Greeder will use any set of ‘papers’ they can get their hands on. Papers which may not actually be the true pedigrees of the sire and dam. A Breeder will stay awake and with the litter for as many 24-hour days as are necessary to insure that no puppy is lost to ‘fading puppy syndrome’, or is squashed or misplaced by the new mother. A non-breeder will ‘let nature take its course’ – again.

A Breeder will handle every puppy several times every day, and help supplement the puppies feeding if necessary to save excessive drain on the dam. A Breeder will chart daily weights on the puppies, and identify each puppy in some way, so that they can keep track of each puppy’s rate of gain, so a puppy, which is falling behind the others, can be supplemented.

A Breeder will give the expectant mother Breyers Ice Cream, or pickles and peanut butter, if they are requested, and will sleep with her on their pillow and get up in the middle of the night to let her out to go potty and to reassure her she is special. A Breeder will stay home from work for as many days as necessary, in order to whelp the litter, help the bitch, and get the puppies off to a good start. A Breeder will supply the mother with a whelping box which keeps the mother and the puppies comfortable, and gives them a feeling of protection and safety. If the bitch chooses, however, she is allowed to begin the whelping process on the Breeder’s own bed, and to move to the whelping box once anxiety cools and the bitch is ready to keep at her job in another location. A puppy Greeder simply ‘harvests’ the puppies from wire bottomed cages like rabbit hutches when they appear to be about the age of consent for the airlines.

A Breeder will skillfully interview all applicants for adoption, and will provide the new puppy owners with a healthy, well adjusted, well vaccinated and dewormed puppy. I know I could go on about this for a couple more pages, but the impression I want to give, is that breeding a litter and whelping and raising and placing puppies entails tremendous sustained effort, education, money and a good knowledge of applied genetics. It is anything but a casual undertaking. A breeding undertaken without this kind of effort may produce healthy, sound puppies, or it may not. One has no way of predicting, since the deck wasn’t ‘loaded’’ as good Breeders try to arrange it.

After selling the puppy, a good Breeder will follow up with all needed assistance to the new owner. A Breeder will be prepared to take a puppy or adult dog back into their own home if needed – for whatever reason. This means that a good Breeder must be able to provide for an extra dog or two at a moments notice, and inconvenience isn’t an admissible excuse. A good Breeder considers him or herself the “parent” of a puppy from birth to grave. The responsibility for bringing new puppies into the world includes making certain, to the extent possible, that these puppies will go on to have happy lives, and never become homeless. All contracts for puppy sales must include that any transfer should occur through the breeder, or be approved by the breeder.

The bumper sticker proclaims that “A Puppy is for Life”, and that’s true, for both the buyer and the breeder. While ‘back yard breeders’ may not be guilty of the sins of puppy Greeders, neither are they, by definition, cognizant of the procedures and efforts necessary to earn the title ‘Breeder’.