Kennel search Check list
Question to ask yourself and the breeder. Description At Blackpool Check
Where do I look
for a breeder?
Responsible breeders
often advertize in dog magazine
  • The dogs in Canada
  • Website
  • vet and reputation
  • ____
    Should the pup be registered?
    It's again the law in Canada to sell unregistered dogs as purebred.
    All our dogs are microchiped and registered with the Canadian Kennel Club
    ____
    What should I look for in the pedigrees?
    Many bad kennels hide their dogs' pedigrees to hide inbreeding COI. They also do not post them on their site to hide the fact their dogs were bought from American or Europeen puppy mills.
    All our dogs are posted on K9DATA.COM there you will find lineage, longevity and Health clearances
    ____
    How long they have been in business?
    If they have only been breeding for five years and already have 20+ dogs. They are probably in it for the money.
    We keep numbers low, show and train each dog. We know every dog since all are house broken and live in the house. And yes, we must admit it, they have all slept on our bed at one point in time.
    ____
    What type of innoculation are given?
    Deworming?
    Following minimum vaccination:
  • Canine Distemper
  • Parovirus
  • Canine Coronavirus
  • Parainfluenza
  • Deworming Strongid-T
  • All done before the pup leaves, and fecal sample taken by our vet to verify for parasites .
    ____
    What age should the puppy be
    before leaving the kennel?
    Responsible breeders
    will not let them go before eight weeks.
  • Eight weeks or more if travelling a long distance.
  • ____
    Do both parents
    have OFA,BVA or
    PennHip?
    The x-rays must be sent
    to experts in The UK or the US since Canada no longer does hip certifications
    "My vet cleared them"
    is just not good enough!
    We do OFA
    and occasionally PennHip and BVA in the UK
    ____
    Do both parents have
    current eye clearences (OFA)?
    These should be done yearly
    by a certified
    Ophthalmologists
    We have all our dogs
    done yearly!
    ____
    Have both parents
    had cardiac examinations?
    Preferably by a cardiologist
    if possible.
    Our dogs are done by:
  • Dr. Sandra Minors
  • Dr. Regan Williams
  • Dr. Eric de Madron and others

  • all are:
  • D.V.M.
  • D.V.Sc.,
  • Dip. A.C.V.I.M. Cardiology
  • ____
    Are both parents
    at least 18 months old and have health clearances?
    Ages for each clearances:
  • OFA prelims: 18 months
  • OFA certification: 24 months
  • PennHip: We use this method to determine if a dog has the potential of having not just good hips but very good hips later. We keep the dogs in the higher percential.
  • OFA eyes: every year
  • Heart: over a year old.
  • Optigen: DNA for PRA 1, PRA 2, PRDC PRA, and Ichthyosis ( a skin disorder) and degenerative Myelopathy
  • Never before two years of age.

    ALL our dogs have hips elbows, eyes heart, DNA tested for Ichthyosis, PRA 1 -2 PRDC PRA and D. M.

    ____
    How often is a female bred?
    This depends on age, health
    and number of puppies.
    Two in a row exceptionally rare here,
    and only happens if the previous litter was small.
    ____
    Is the kennel clean?
    Both Dogs and kennels should be
    clean and spacious!
    This depends my maid's mood. :) The "kennel" is my house after all. ____
    Do they Inbreed? Linebreed? or Outcross?
  • Inbreed:
    brother to sister,
    father to daughter,
    mother to son breedings
  • Linebreed:
    a grandfather or a grandmother in
    common in the pedigrees
  • Outcross:
    no relation at all!
  • We Never Inbreed!!!!
  • Sometimes Linebreed.
  • We Outcross most litters.

  • ____
    Is the puppy registered with
    a Canadian Kennel Club non-breeding contract?
    All pet pups should be neutered
    show quality pups should be tested prior to breeding. They should have fine set up for breaking their contracts.
    On top of the CKC non-breeding
    we insist the pup must be spayed or
    neutered at two years of age. Our contracts are void if a dog is bred without our permission, we will ask for and pursue legal action and compensation totalling $10,000.
    ____
    Is the health warranty at least 2 years?
    Have they been breeders
    for a long time?
    Most breeders only stay in the
    business for five or six years.
  • We acquired our first show dog in
    1986.

  • We offer a 36 month guarantee from date of birth. This guarantee is a written warranty.
  • Plus we offer 6 weeks of pet plan insurance.
  • ____
    Will they answer any question
    you have about the puppies training?
    Do they have the puppies on a
    pre-training schedule?
    Have they been crate trained?
  • We have a unique pre-housetraining and
    a crate training method that ensures easy
    and quick house training once the pup leaves our kennel.
  • All our pups are crate trained. They learn to go out together and get used to the elements.
  • AFTER SALE SUPPORT!!
  • ____
    Can you meet the Sire and dam?
    Some of the times good, but the
    breeder should be looking for
    the best match.
    Mostly we go find the best dog
    in the country for our girls.
    ____
    Have the puppies been temperament tested?
    If all they do is one test, one day
    then the test is not valid.
    They must spend hours everyday
    observing the reaction of the
    pups to different situations
    Our pups live in our house
    from day one until
    they go to your house. We spend many hours with them and know their personnalities. We will pass on our opinion on the pups temperament to you before you make your choice on a puppy. We welcome new owners to come visit every week if they want. This allows you to see how your pup reacts to you. We make the final decision on which pup would fit your lifestyle.
    ____
    Do they belong to a dog club?
    If they are not active how can
    they know if their dogs are
    within standard.
    Do they only rely on feedback from puppy owners.
  • We belong to local and National dog clubs.
  • We do training and conformation.

  • We don't sit back and wait for problems.
    If we find a certain dog is harder
    to train, too hyper or un-goldenlike
    in attitude we neuter and place
    in a pet home. We have four open stud dogs and five females all chewing bones together outside never do they fight this is truly a golden temperament.
  • ____
    Are they open and easy to talk to?
    Will they give you their vet's name
    and phone number.
  • Allandale Veterinary Hospital and Animal Health Care Center, phone# (705) 733-14.22 fax# 705-733-5034
  • Patricia Lechten DVM
  • ____
    Will the breeder take the puppy back
    if things don't turn out.
    Most Reputable breeders will.
    Written in our contract we want our puppies back and they must be returned to us if no-longer wanted.
    ____
    ****************

    Be an informed buyer.

    Do you want more info on hips, elbows, genetics and eye test?

    Visit these web sites to view statistics on the breed's health issues. Optigen genetic tests available. Since breeders are responsible for the health of this breed. I suggest that only breeders doing these test should be supported. The following test are available to prevent these diseases affecting Goldens it very important to illuminate bad stock from the gene pool. Many puppy owners never communicate health problems to the breeders so those breeders say they have never produce it do not know for sure. Please visit the following links to learn more about what could possibly happen to your unchecked puppy. You may have paid less for him but he could be blind by two or six years.

    prdc-PRA

    PRA 1

    Ichthyosis

    HIPS and Elbows

    OFA

    Hips

    PennHipp

    Eyes

    Eye test- CERF