Info on dog breeders,certifications of health, costs, and what they mean?

Question

We lost our 4th Golden Retriever in December at the tender age of 3 due to cancer. We love the breed, but after the loss of this last one so young, we are looking for breeders that are testing the parents in hopes of finding a pup with "hopefully" a better chance of living a normal life that should be to age 10 to 12.

Other than finding out if the parents and possibly the grandparents had cancer, there is no test to see if the dog could "inherit" it, just like people. Cancer in large dogs is now on average of 4th in mortality.

In any breeder site I check out, I also check to see if they show the tests done on the eyes, hips, elbows and heart.

This is an example of one copied from a site.
Clearances:
Hips: GR-102639G25F-VPI
Elbows: GR-EL23830F25-VPI
CERF: Sept. 2010 GR-44387
Heart: SR54185701

I read in one blog that someone checked one out on the OFA site and found out that they did not register it, so question if I were to choose a specific breeder, how do you check this info. What is the registration # that I would input at the OFA to validate the above, if I was to check. Does any of those numbers reflect excellent or just normal.

Also, when someone gives the pedigree, by looking at all the other names, does not make sense to me. Is there an easier way to figure out pedigrees to know if good/bad.

So many of these breeders show their dogs, which we have no desire to do, but only gain a pet to love and take care of. Is these dogs worth more, because they won titles?

In the past 3 Golden's, just found through local advertisements, but due to so many health problems of Golden's, we are taking our time searching for the right dog and hope we get lucky.

So far have narrowed it down to 3 breeders. All want deposits to hold, which is no problem, but the 1st one stated was $1,700 to $1,900, depending on her costs. The 2nd one is $1,500 and the last one states $700, so for that much difference has set off "red alarms". All 3 have been breeding for over 30 years, and my guess is that the tests would cost on average of $500 plus?

The last 2 sites have an expected date of birth around late March and early April, so don't have a lot of time to wait and lose out on a pup.

Help, suggestions?

Answer 1

1. About the cancer, you really can't see about that. Yes, it does run in lines, but the best you can do is ask the breeder if the dogs in the line have gotten cancer.



2. The GR is for 'Golden Retriever' the 'F' is for female. Right off the bat check those letters and see if they match up. It's laughable how many BYBs have been caught scamming by using a number with 'M' in it for a female! Or a wrong breed abbreviation! The numbers match codes on their rightful websites.



I looked it up;

http://offa.org/display.html?appnum=1459984#animal



That is her page. So as long as that's her show name, the health tests are valid. If this is still a big concern, ask for the papers. The owner is sent a certificate once health tests are completed.



From this you can see she's 3 years old, a light golden, and can even look up her parents. Her hips are good and elbows are normal. Her heart is also normal, but the thing I don't like is it was done by a practitioner and not a cardiologist. That isn't a huge deal, it is just something not preferred.



You can see who her mom is. She'll be 6 this year. Hips, elbows, heart normal. Rose (the dam) has her sire and dam listed. This b*itch's grandsire is actually titled CH. He will be 10 this year. Hips are excellent, elbows and heart normal, and the heart was tested by a cardiologist.



If you want to be picky, look at the grand sire's page and you'll see every puppy he's sired that has been health tested.

http://offa.org/display.html?appnum=1110203#animal



Get the idea? It's all a network you can gather SO much information on a pedigree/line from. Birthrates, color, titles, offspring, health tests, etc..



3. To check, just search. Go to www.offa.org and search for that dog by their name or number.



4. Pedigrees are easy to read! We'll use that same b*tch.



http://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=401344



You can see her dam, Rose of Happiness, has 'CGC' at the end. This means Canine Good Citizen. That's a good thing and shows her dam has good temperament and is most likely easily trained.



Here is a list of titles from AKC for you to reference;

http://www.akc.org/events/titles.cfm



Based off that you can see her grand sire is American/Canadian Champion in conformation, has an international therapy dog title, has gotten his canine good citizen, is a show dog hall of fame, and is an outstanding sire.



Wow! So this means this line is filled with dogs of stable temperaments, trainable, of sound mind, and would be great family pets!



5. This line does have a lot of titles, but most are not champion or working dog titles. You really want a line to have some sort of titles or else you know nothing about those dogs. This line seems like a great line for you since you don't want a show dog but a pet. This is a healthy and good temperament line. So yes, in a way you are paying more, but you have to pay more for a guaranteed healthy puppy, which is what you want. You're not paying for the titles, you're paying for the guarantee.



6. Do not go for the $700 puppies if it doesn't feel right. That is an incredibly low price. For a nice Golden I would expect around the $1,500 mark. That litter may vary in price because of potential emergency pregnancy/birthing costs. My biggest suggestion? Don't let price dictate your decision. Choose a puppy you feel would best fit what you're looking for and whose breeder you would want to be in contact with for the puppy's life.



Don't rush! Choose wisely.



Good luck!

Answer 2

It would not go by price alone, since BYBs seem to think that their pups are worth every bit as much as well bred ones. If the sire and dam are chipped, they should have a CHIC #, which is basically one-stop shopping to the results of all health testing done one the dog. I'm also not certain that the info you read on the blog was accurate. OFA should have a record of all tests they do (excuse me - scoring). They should also list what the scores are. You can ask the breeder for copies of the testing done as well. Breeding for over 30 years is not in itself an endorsement of breeding practices. Plenty of BYBs have made a living at this for decades. You should be looking for breeders who do something with their dogs other than breed them. Health testing should be mandatory for all breeding dogs, but it still doesn't indicate breeding for the right reasons. As far as cancer is concerned, you want a breeder who will have a frank discussion with you about the instances of cancer in their lines. One that avoids the subject or glosses over it either knows they have had repeated dogs they bred get cancer, or they have absolutely no idea of what happens to their dogs after leaving their home. Of course you want to avoid those.



I'm not sure where you found these breeders, but the breed parent club is a good place to start http://www.grca.org/allabout/puppyreferrals.html Avoid the AKC breeder list as anyone with AKC litters can advertise them there

Answer 3

What about these 3 breeders has you interested in their dogs? Don't even bother with the $700 ones, that BARELY covers health testing.



There should never be a price jump within the same litter, what did the breeder mean by "depending on her costs?"



$1500 sounds about right, though I am not a GR enthusiast. DON'T feel obligated to rescue. Where did you find these breeders? Did you search through the Breed Club? It looks like you're in New Zealand so I imagine it's a little difficult to find a good GR breeder there.

Answer 4

Don't believe people who try to guilt you into getting a rescue or a shelter dog. You have done right to check out reputable breeders. I don't know what it costs in your area but in the US in Virginia I paid $258 for the hip and elbow xrays; $40 to send them to OFA and $35 for the CERF testing (which should be done every year). Then, once all the results were in OFA records, they send them to CHIC and the dog gets a CHIC number if they have all the tests required by the National Breed Club. Often there are other optional tests. In Labradors my female is also being tested for CNM and EIC as well which are optional tests available.

The numbers you gave are the numbers OFA assigns to the particular dog for the different tests done. You need to look up the results of the tests. For example; my Lab female has Good hips; Normal elbows and is genetically clear for PRA. Since she has had all the required CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) tests for the breed, she got a CHIC number.

As you say, unfortunately, there is no test for cancer since it is not known which genes cause the various types and they are probably all polygenic as well.

Go to http://www.offa.org/ and under Search Records put the number of the female, SR54185701 and it will pull up her records. Click on any of the dogs listed, such as her dam, and her siblings for information on their recorded tests. You can also click on Vertical pedigree at the top of the page and get her pedigree of OFA tested ancestors. If the results are 'not registered' with OFA then I would suspect they are not good. Hips may have come back Fair or Poor; may have elbow dysplasia or CERF problems. Anyone who tests and has good breeding stock is going to register the results with OFA. Not registering is a red flag not to go to that breeder as you will run into problems with the dog later.

As far as which breeder to choose from, check out their dogs; ask them for references that you can call and talk to; and go from there. Least expensive isn't always bad but it is good to question it.

Answer 5

I agree with DSR, $1500 seems about right.



Also don't let these "shelter only" comments get to you. You should choose the dog that you want and will live with and care for during the 10 to 12 years of it's life. For those that want a shelter dog, more power to them and I respect their decision to adopt, but it is ridiculous for them to try to make someone feel bad for getting the companion dog that they want.

Answer 6

Stop being so selfish and adopt a puppy/dog from a rescue league.. "DONT BREED OR BUY WHILE SHELTER PETS DIE!!!" Do some research on the downfalls of breeding, overpopulation and the rate these animals are being euthanized. If after that you still feel okay with purchasing a dog from a breeder then I think you are lost cause.



I have always adopted lab mixes and they have all lived long healthy lives living to around 12/13 years old.





This actually makes me sick. I think people who completely ignore the poor dogs waiting to be adopted in shelters should be ashamed of themselves. shame on you.

Answer 7

Labs and Goldens have been so overbred, that this is one of the problems that crops up. Your best bet is to adopt a mix from the SPCA.