You've seen it right. The multitude of Instagram reels of the golden refusing to continue their walk with their owner and laying down right in the middle of a busy street. Meanwhile all and sundry are gathered around taking videos and laughing at the poor bugger, who is now visibly perplexed, heavily mortified and begging his dog with all kinds of bribes, to get up and walk... he is inwardly cursing his wife who decided buying a golden was a good idea.
Golden's ARE a good idea, always. Because as soon as the said, poor bugger, has hauled his 40kg dog over his shoulder like an adorable, albeit heavy, teddy bear, sweated his arse off back to the car and probably blew out a disc for good measure. That golden gives him those beautiful brown eyes, gently puts a paw on him and licks him sloppily in the face, heart melted.
This smart, loving, stubbornly cute breed has a way of grabbing our hearts and never returning them back to us..
Now if that hasn't convinced you that you need a golden in your life I don't know what will. This smart, loving, stubbornly cute breed has a way of grabbing our hearts and never returning them back to us. Its so easy to get caught up in the excitement of a new fluffy puppy that the sad reality is that you likely will buy that puppy from whoever the hell offers you the cutest one, the quickest. After all pups are pups right? All breeders are dodgy anyway and you're not entering into a lifelong commitment with a breeder now are you?
"If you do decide to support the abominable breeding trade then for god sakes do your research!"
You couldn't be more mistaken. Probably a decade ago this was reality. I remember my family not doing many background checks on any dog we ever welcomed home. Now we are advised ADOPT DON'T SHOP. Don't support the greedy breeder who only breeds for money. If you do decide to support the abominable breeding trade then for god sakes do your research! What's their credit score! Who do they go for in the state of origin??? Its a mine field. So I'm here to help you weed through it all.
Are breeders all bad?
Let's straighten the sheets - not all breeders are scoundrels. I say not ALL breeders because some of them certainly are. They lack empathy for their dogs, breed anything they can get their hands on and have their values in the dumps. Usually these are the breeders whose dogs will wind up in rescues - for you to adopt (inadvertently supporting the puppy trade). Good Breeders are a different sort. A good breeder usually does the following things and isn't cagey about providing you with evidence of it.
Things to consider when you choose your breeder..
1. They actually like their dogs - yes its true, they often live with multiple dogs of variable ages in their home. Or their kennel situation is likely better decked out than their own house. Air cons, tvs, multiple beds and toys. They play with them, train them, compete them and just get JOY from owning them first and foremost as their family pets and companions. They make commitments to their dogs. They feed them well and treat them beautifully. The dogs look healthy, groomed, shiny and well turned out - often the breeder looks under nourished and exhausted and has spent their pay check on a new collar because it was cute and seasonal, while they ate beans for dinner. BINGO - look no further you have found the perfect breeder!
2. They have a passion for their chosen breed. They don't care if the breed 'sells well' or is a fad (you can spot these breeders as they jump ship as soon as the tide of puppy sales turns). They often tell you how the breed was founded, they know all about the pedigrees and nerd out on it often boring you to death with their enthusiasm. They say semen a lot too like its normal. Usually thats because they had to remortgage their house to import said semen from Europe and sell their soul to the breeder there to let them use it! That's right - they aren't using Freddy with the weird leg, but nice golden coat from the morning beach walk whose owners offered up his procreation skills for free.
They have a passion for their chosen breed..
3. Their dogs have a more extensive health record than their own MyHealth account. All their breeding dogs are tested carefully for breed specific diseases PRIOR to breeding. They are amateur geneticists and unqualified vets who have had to learn all about the medical side of their chosen breed as fast as they can. They have mild to moderate panic attacks while waiting for hip and elbow scores to be released and they carefully study the health results of all the generations that came before their pairing. They can share this with you and explain the values of everything that you are looking at. They should know what the breed averages are and be able to give you an hour long lecture on biology. You asked for it....
The dogs look healthy, groomed, shiny and well turned out - often the breeder looks under nourished and exhausted..
4. This one doesn't always happen and its a bone of contention. I have a special kind of respect for the breeders who do it - they keep their dogs. They fall in love, and despite what happens they keep those dogs close to them. Some breeders, sometimes have to make choices to move a dog on to make room for another charge to continue the kennel, give families pups for years to come and provide the dogs they have, with everything they need. Lets be clear, I want to see breeders ugly crying when they choose to move a dog on. It should hurt terribly, and the breeder should be gutted over it. Because thats still love. Sometimes its a hard reality of being a breeder and its one I still cannot come to terms with. I want to see them entrusting this very loved animal with only the most incredible family and continuing to play a big part in their life. If the breeder sends the dog off into the never never, barely sheds a tear and counts their cash before the dog is out the door - you've lost me.
5. Here's my grand finale so get out the mini pack Sorbents. Their puppies are raised right. Ill be clear - it takes a LOT to raise puppies right, for a purpose and to provide these growing babies with everything they need. Raising right does not mean pumping out litter after litter. It means meticulously planning, wishing for, and putting thought into the purpose of EVERY litter. There should always be a why, and it should not be financial. My first experience with a breeder was from our labrador Nashy's family. They were new to breeding and their virile dog Nyx managed to impregnate not one (as planned) but two of their girls very close together. The wife, bless her, managed to talk her boss into giving her maternity leave off work to care for this huge dual litter of 20 plus. The love, dedication and genuine care that they gave our boy and his siblings will always sit with me and remind me to do the same. They were so real, doing the best they could, they loved their dogs and kept them all till the end.They passionately taught me to feed my dog so he could live forever, they showed me that you don't need a lot, you just need to love them and listen to them. You can feel when something is genuine and they gave me a puppy of a lifetime.
Don't get sidetracked by the pretty Instagram pictures of breeders holding their puppy upside down doing 'ENS', or a plethora of toys in a pen and the breeder claiming to do puppy culture in a photo or quick reel. Trust your gut. You can tell if its being done properly. They invite you to be part of the journey, they want to explain to you the miraculous developmental stages of your puppy and they understand why this socialisation and conditioning is important. I love it when my puppy families shake in their boots and tell me they don't want to disappoint me when they pick up a puppy. To me it means I hit a level of family education where they feel that they want to do better for that dog. Where they actually realised that raising a puppy takes much more effort than feeding and sleep schedules. Where they need to be smart and educated and well equipped to raise that baby for the next 18 months. This is because they know how hard I'm finding it to hand over that baby and entrust its future to them. It means I did my puppies justice - even if it makes me look like a mad doggy chick. I'll own it if my babies have good lives. And finally - I want to work with a breeder who will take that puppy back and never allow you to dump him in a rescue. Because that puppy does have a forever home, its the place where he was born and thus its the responsibility of a good breeder to follow their life and make sure it's a good one. I hope you find your dog of a lifetime, from a breeder who thinks every puppy that leaves them will grow into the most special dog they have ever bred and raised.
So there you go. I hope your puppy journey is wonderful, I hope I see you in an Instagram reel pleading with your cheeky golden to get up and walk, red faced, mortified but inevitably, happy.
So there you go. I hope your puppy journey is wonderful, I hope I see you in an Instagram reel pleading with your cheeky golden to get up and walk, red faced, mortified but inevitably, happy.