Important Articles, Information and Links
At a minimum, golden retrievers should have OFA hips, elbows, eyes cleared by an ophthalmologist and cardiac clearances done by a cardiologist as well as genetic testing, including NCL. Ideally these clearances should go back many generations.
The Golden Retriever Club of America is the National Breed Club. You can find lots of good information on what to look for when buying a puppy, local breed clubs, puppy referrals, history, health research, etc. on their website. The link is: grca.org. Here is a great place to start when acquiring a golden retriever puppy: https://grca.org/find-a-golden/begin-the-search/
If you are in Houston, TX and looking for a puppy, this is a great place to start as well:
http://ghgrc.org/blist.html
The Golden Retriever Club of America is the National Breed Club. You can find lots of good information on what to look for when buying a puppy, local breed clubs, puppy referrals, history, health research, etc. on their website. The link is: grca.org. Here is a great place to start when acquiring a golden retriever puppy: https://grca.org/find-a-golden/begin-the-search/
If you are in Houston, TX and looking for a puppy, this is a great place to start as well:
http://ghgrc.org/blist.html
Our goal is to breed goldens that conform to the AKC breed standard. You can read the Golden Retriever Breed Standard here: grca.org/about-the-breed/akc-breed-standard/
The AKC has additional information on goldens that you may find helpful. https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/golden-retriever/
We require that our puppies be fed a food by one of the following foods: Purina Pro Plan, Royal Canin, Eukanuba or Hill’s Science Diet. You can read about the research being done on Dilated Cardiomyopathy and taurine deficiencies here:
www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/uc-davis-investigates-link-between-dog-diets-and-deadly-heart-disease
www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/uc-davis-investigates-link-between-dog-diets-and-deadly-heart-disease
We require that you wait until at least 24 months to spay or neuter your dog. You can read more about why it’s best to wait here: https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/neutering-health-effects-more-severe-golden-retrievers-labradors/
Books to read before bringing your puppy home:
The Perfect Puppy in 7 Days by Dr. Sophia Yin: This book is my personal favorite and offers step by step information and pictures to help you train your puppy.
The Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell: This book is wonderful as well. It doesn't have pictures and as much step by step advice but it's a great book on how to train a happy puppy you can live with.
The Perfect Puppy in 7 Days by Dr. Sophia Yin: This book is my personal favorite and offers step by step information and pictures to help you train your puppy.
The Puppy Primer by Patricia McConnell: This book is wonderful as well. It doesn't have pictures and as much step by step advice but it's a great book on how to train a happy puppy you can live with.
GRCA stance on English Cream Golden Retrievers: https://grca.org/find-a-golden/more-topics-before-you-buy/english-cream-golden-retrievers/
GRCA stance on Golden Doodles: https://grca.org/about-the-breed/articles/goldendoodles-grcas-position/
K9data.com is a database that will allow you to look up golden retriever pedigrees. You can search clearances and longevity from this page as well.
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals evaluates x-rays for clearances and maintains a database of clearances. I encourage you to independently verify all clearances by going to offa.org and typing in the registered name of the dog you are interested in.
The Greater Houston Golden Retriever Club has a list of reputable breeders in Houston, TX and also some local resources like training classes and grooming. The link to GHGRC is here: http://www.ghgrc.org/
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals evaluates x-rays for clearances and maintains a database of clearances. I encourage you to independently verify all clearances by going to offa.org and typing in the registered name of the dog you are interested in.
The Greater Houston Golden Retriever Club has a list of reputable breeders in Houston, TX and also some local resources like training classes and grooming. The link to GHGRC is here: http://www.ghgrc.org/
If you are interested in rescue in Houston, TX, we encourage you to reach out to: Golden Beginnings Golden Retriever Rescue: https://gbgrr.org/
After losing Lacey to hemangio, I enrolled my oldest, Ryleigh, in the Shine On Study in hopes of furthering the research on hemangiosarcoma. You can read about the study here: https://vetmed.umn.edu/centers-programs/clinical-investigation-center/current-clinical-trials/early-detection-target-hemangiosarcoma-cells-dogs-shine-project