I don't want a show dog, I want a pet, do you ever have pets available?
The most important job that any dog has is to be a good pet!
There are several qualities that a dog needs to have to be a good pet. It should be healthy and well-socialized (to children, other people, and other animals). In addition, it should grow up to look and act like what you would expect of a dog of that breed- after all, you chose a breed based on the characteristics that it should have. A Golden Retriever puppy should grow up to be 60-70 pounds, trainable, loves everyone and can play all day. It should not grow up to be a 120-pound dog that fights with other dogs, hates kids, cannot be housebroken, or worse.
Anyone who buys a dog as a family pet wants to ensure that the dog is healthy. Responsible breeders will ensure this by doing the proper genetic testing to ensure that the parents of their puppies are healthy.
Your best chances of getting a healthy puppy are to buy one from someone whose motivation for breeding is to produce the finest possible dogs. That means someone who breeds only dogs that are themselves good pets and good representatives of what their breed should be. It also means someone who tests their dogs to make sure that they are free from any genetic defects before they are bred (and saying ‘my vet says they are healthy’, isn’t good enough). It means someone who knows the background of their dogs well enough to know what they should produce.
In most cases, the people who are truly responsible breeders do show and/or work their dogs, in order to determine that they do indeed resemble the breed that they are supposed to be. Show and performance events are how responsible breeders make sure that their dogs both look and act how their breeds are supposed to look and act. .
Every litter of “show puppies” has some dogs that will never see the show ring. They may be half inch too big, half an inch to small, or have a slight overbite. These pups have been raised with as much planning, medical attention and socialization as their show-quality littermates. They make the best possible pets.
What health tests do your dogs undergo?
All of our dogs are radiographed for Hip and Elbow abnormalities, radiograph films are sent to The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals& The British Veterinary Association for reading. Hearts are checked by a Board Certified Cardiologist, and Eyes are checked yearly by a Board Certified Ophthalmologist. We also DNA test our dogs for Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration Progressive Retinal Atrophy (also known as prcd-PRA), Golden Retriever Progressive Retinal Atrophy (also known as GR_PRA1), Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) and Ichthyosis. We feel it is important to conduct these tests so we can gain knowledge about our dogs, to help us make informed breeding decisions and to stack the odds in our favour of producing healthy puppies.
Copies of all of these can be verified on the OFA website by clicking here, hard copies of these clearances are also included in our extensive puppy package that goes home with each puppy. It is important to have the results of these clearances in the public domain for recording purposes and to help those researching our dogs or their relatives.
Do they come with a guarantee?
We guarantee all of our puppies for 28 months. While we try our best to avoid such problems as hip/elbow/heart/eye abnormalities, by studying pedigrees, obtaining all appropriate health checks on breeding dogs, and researching individual dogs, we are aware that a health issue can still present itself in offspring. These issues are covered in our guarantee which we go over with all potential families in depth.
We guarantee that we will be available to our puppy families, no matter the question/concern we will be here to help.
Our puppies are all Canadian Kennel Club registered on a non-breeding contract, microchipped, vet checked and received their first vaccines. We have a ‘Puppy How-to’ guide that each family will receive to help smooth the transition from our home to yours. Photos of the parents, copies of health clearances, information on vaccinations, articles on crate and house training, and much much more information is included. In addition to our ‘Puppy How-to’ guide, each puppy is sent home with The Happy Puppy Training Kit which includes the book Introduction To Canine Body Language. We strongly feel The Happy Puppy Training Kit, if followed correctly, ensures a Happy Puppy, a Happy Owner, and helps build a strong Owner and Canine bond.
Do I get to pick my puppy?
As breeders, we are with these puppies 24/7, we know their personalities inside and out. Because of this, we choose which puppy goes to which family, based on what you have told us about your lifestyle and preferences. We evaluate puppies at around 8 weeks of age for both structure (since we breed to hopefully keep a puppy to show) and personality.
With the quality of litters we breed there aren’t “bad” puppies, possibly naughty, but not inferior.
What is the difference between a Show Potential Puppy, a Performance Potential Puppy, and a Pet Puppy?
We are often asked what the difference is between a Show Potential Puppy and a Pet Puppy. Slight variations in structure, attitude and movement are basically what we are looking at. The same is sought-after for Performance Potential Puppies. These differences do not have any impact on how a dog can function as loved family pet.
