I follow a popular Golden Retriever blog called The Canine Chasm. Maegan, the writer, is also the founder of the Natural State Golden Retriever Club and owner of champion Golden Retrievers. I encourage you to check out her blog, but today, I want to share a checklist from her 2021 post How to Recognize Ethical Breeders. Maegan’s post is “famous” in Golden Retriever circles, and is frequently cited when helping parents avoid puppy mills.
Why Ethical?
Before I share Maegan’s checklist, I want to discuss breeding ethics. Breeding ethics would be a topic if it weren’t for the fact that ethical breeders produce pups that command top dollar! ($3,000 – $4,500+) It is that price tag that attracts the unprincipled breeder AND the bargain hunters. As you’ll see in a moment, getting a Golden Retriever to the point of having “health clearances” will result in quality pups that ARE expensive. Let me say that again- it costs a LOT of money to bring forward a litter properly. If you see $500 AKC registered purebred golden retriever pups for sale, there isn’t a chance in heck that they’ve come from a breeder that provided an ounce of proper care to the dam/sire or the litter. What makes it hard to spot an unethical breeder is that they know buyers will be suspicious of $500 dogs, so they up the price to $2,500 and hope you won’t ask questions.
Along with the list of extensive testing, are routine healthcare costs, training, and excellent nutrition. The dog must be at least 2 years old before any ethical breeder considers a mating, so the breeder is spending thousands (sometimes tens of thousands) of dollars before they even know if their dog will make the cut to for breeding. (In terms of health, the bare minimum is to have earned a CHIC number.) Ethical breeders will disqualify any dog from their breeding program if it doesn’t pass EVERY. SINGLE. TEST. necessary to earn a CHIC number. While there aren’t costs associated with other factors like temperament or conformity, there is a lot riding on the ethical breeder’s shoulders. It’s a very nerve-wracking 2 years, and it requires a commitment to the process. It’s entirely possible to invest $10,000 into a dog only to learn they don’t pass their final exam.
A CHIC number in dog breeding refers to the Canine Health Information Center number. It’s a program established by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) in collaboration with various breed clubs. The CHIC program aims to promote the health and welfare of purebred dogs by encouraging breeders to perform specific health tests on their breeding stock. Once a dog has completed all required health tests and the results are submitted to the OFA, they receive a CHIC number, indicating that they have met the health testing requirements for their breed. This information helps potential puppy buyers identify breeders who prioritize health screening in their breeding programs.
Once the dog is qualified to breed, searching for a qualified male (his semen) begins. The costs of arranging the mating are also very steep. No ethical breeder will consider mating with a dog that has not followed the same rigorous health standards, so studs that have undergone the same testing (and costs) are also expensive. The expenses for procedures like sperm extraction, sperm vitality testing, shipping, progesterone testing, implantation, x-rays, ultrasounds, and more are all carried out by veterinarians, who understandably charge for these services. In all, going through this process adds thousands of dollars to the cost of a litter.
Once pregnancy is confirmed, careful and diligent screening of potential homes can begin. Ethical breeders meet the family, make sure the family can and will invest in the health and wellness of the pup, and will also make sure the personality of each pup is a good fit for their home. Ethical breeders register the litters, provide medical care, provide 24/7 round-the-clock care for no less than 8 weeks, and handle all of the paperwork to make sure your pup comes to your home with a verifiable pedigree. Some breeders do extra, like microchipping or DNA testing. This intensive diligence, attention to every detail, and enormous financial investment results in a high price for these pups.
The high price tag isn’t because the breeder is seeking a big “profit.” It’s because it costs a lot of money to bring forward a litter the right way. An ethical breeder may invest $7,000 – $9,000 into the dog before the pregnancy, and then the costs associated with the pregnancy and delivery. The ethical breeder will also invest in the physical space for the birth, the care of the pups, register the litter with AKC, and give the pups regular medical care and vaccinations before they ever get to your home. The pups are reaised safely indoors, given stimulation, age-appropriate training, brain stimulation, and an opportunity to get the very best start.
An ethical breeder sometimes earns a profit on a litter when everything goes perfectly- but when taken in balance against the tremendous amount of hours dedicated to the litter and the occasional c-section ($), you won’t get rich breeding pups unless you’re cutting corners.
An unethical breeder skips all the work, care, diligence, and investment. They keep costs and care to the bare minimum. Short of keeping the pups alive, they are far from thriving under such lean conditions. An unethical breeder may have invested less than $1,000 in their dam, and even less in bringing forward a litter. (Yes, there are unethical breeders who bring their fertile female to a dog park and let her play until they get a “free” sperm donor). In that case, with the “cost” of the litter being so low, the motive for profit is extraordinary, and that creates the climate for puppy mills and unethical breeders.
Any dog can still become a loving member of your family, no matter where it’s from, but purchasing a dog from an unethical breeder keeps them in business. The market will extinguish these breeders when the demand stops.
RED FLAGS (bad)
This is not an all-inclusive list of things that unethical breeders do incorrectly, but most unethical breeders do at least some of these.
- Breeding dogs without OFA health testing
- Unregistered dogs
- Hiding AKC registration names and/or numbers
- Selling dogs on full registration to just anyone (also called breeding rights)
- Selling dogs on full registration for a higher price than limited registration
- Not allowing people to see where the puppies are raised
- Not allowing people to meet the mother of the puppies
- Snazzy websites that hide information or outright lie (all of the above)
- Breeding for color (“English Cream” or other defects intentionally bred into pups)
- Breeding designer mixed breeds on purpose
- Not competing in any type of dog competition
- Having breeding animals in guardian homes
In future posts, I’ll explore those red flags and why they are important, but in this post, let’s move on to the GOOD things an ETHICAL breeder does! These are “Green” for go!
GREEN FLAGS (good)
Hobby breeders are stewards of their breed, preserving and protecting it for the future. Green flags are things that ethical breeders do that set them apart from the others.
- Breed-appropriate health-testing (see Dixie Rose’s Health Record)
- Display AKC registration names and numbers (see Dixie Rose’s AKC registration)
- Competing with the dogs (see Dixie Rose’s Scent Training progress video)
- Temperament testing
- Early neurological stimulation
- Socialization and early training
- Matching each puppy to the right family
- Dogs are structurally sound and meet their breed standard
- The breeder will take your puppy back if you’ve changed your mind. (Read our boomerang buy-back policy)
In every case, whether you’re considering our pups or not, I hope this post helps you find the best puppy for your family from an ethical breeder.
Golden Retriever Puppies 