For almost three years now, my wife and I have been searching to buy a new home… partially to build equity and maybe even to build a picket fence for the American dream… but most of all… to own a puppy. Yup, a six-figure puppy. There we said it… not interested in having kids but we would like a dog. Yes, any pound pooch would most likely do and we would look like heroes in that application, however, this dog needs to be new. That’s just the way it is and discussion of that fact could be a thread of its own. Please read on…
We scored a house about two months ago in New England and now we want a Golden Retreiver, Preferably a male. Furthermore, we’re both intrigued by the less common and more desirable “ENGLISH” Golden Retreivers… but their breeding, history, and lastly but not (by any stretch) leastly, their PRICE.
We’ve gotten quotes anything from $550. for a standard Golden male for an entry-level price all the way to $1300 for an English Golden Retreiver Male pup that was practically already sold. What’s the number for western MA for a decent Golden (English vs. not) Retreiver, preferably male, but hey, females have never steered me wrong… Any good and/or consistent prices will do… driving distance from Western Massachusetts would be helpful!
“What should I expect to pay for a golden retriever puppy?” is a question I get asked very frequently. Another statement I hear all the time is, “I only want a pet puppy so why should I worry about finding a responsible breeder?”
Since experience is sometimes the best tool we can use to determine what is and what isn’t a fair price for a golden puppy, or whether it’s worth finding a responsible breeder, I’ve asked members of the Golden email list to share their experiences in purchasing their puppy from other than a responsible breeder. No breeder names will be given…just the outcome. The experiences will not all be negative as I am not trying to bias the outcome in any way. These are their stories and I have not edited them in any way."
I was very lucky, I think. While I was in Pensacola, I decided to get one. We looked around, and the average price was around $300-400. Then we saw an ad from Flomaton, AL, which was well over an hour’s drive north and out in the boonies. Only $250, and when we went to check the place out, everything (people, dogs, facilities, AKC papers) seemed in good order.
He’s 6 now, and the only problem I’ve seen is a little arthritis in his shoulder.
I have friends in a wealthy retirement community in Blaine, WA, who looked for one in the past year, and I forget exactly how much they paid, but it was up around $800.
Anyway, IMO, you couldn’t be choosing a better dog. I will caution you, however, that should you change your minds about having kids in the next 10 years, you may have to keep the dog outside more often than not because of shedding… goldens have long hair, and they can shed like no other dog. At least, mine can.
a. From confirmation (show) champion stock
b. From Field Trial champion stock
c. From CDX (obedience) stock
d. the dog can be from all of these, depending on the breeder. These are all taken to be indications of the future behavior, talents, and dashing good looks of your dog.
Pet quality or show quality?
$500 is the price I was quoted 11 years ago for a pet-quality Ibizan hound. This is probably as rare a breed as an English Golden Retriever. I lucked out and got a show-quality beezer instead. I suppose I would feel most comfortable about spending $1300 for a dog if the dog met all the qualities listed above. You might also inquire as to any blood relationship between the sire and the dam, but I don’t understand this well enough to explain it. I think you could get a fine animal for well under $1000.
My wife and I just bought a puppy a few months ago. While it is a different breed than the OP is asking about (we have a Shiloh Shepherd) I can reiterate what some others have been saying.
First and foremost: Find a good, reputable breeder! I really can’t stress that enough. There are tons of people out there looking to make a quick buck on breeding dogs as it seems cheap and easy. Breeding dogs properly is anything but cheap and easy. Buying a dog from disreputable breeders, even if the dog meets your requirements, does a disservice to the breed overall. A quick look at dogs like the German Shepherd and Dalmation are prime examples of how a breed can be seriously damaged by such people. If you have any love for the breed you are seeking do all dogs a favor and seek a GOOD breeder. They will cost more due to the extra effort required to breed animals correctly but it’s worth it in the end. Towards this end do your research. Get recommendations from other breeders and/or vets, ask for references and check those references, visit the breeders kennel and see if the dogs are clean and cared for, etc… Remember, you’d do no less for a close member of your family which this dog is sure to become.
The more rare the breed the more you can expect to pay. If English Golden’s are harder to come by they will cost more (probably no surprise there).
As I understand it male dogs from a breeder are more expensive than females. A male can sire many dozens of puppies while a female is more limited in this respect. As a result, for breeding purposes, a male can be a much larger money maker. I don’t know about dogs but stud fees for championship horses can run $100,000 or more for a one night stand. I’m sure stud fees for dogs are far less but you get the idea.
If you get a female dog many breeders will ask for the first three (or whatever) picks from the female’s first litter as part of their payment. In our case we will have our dog spayed and the breeder doesn’t care and didn’t change our price but she would have taken the first three puppies had our dog ever had them. I have been led to believe that this is a common practice.
Finally, congratulations on (almost) getting your puppy. My wife and I were in much the same boat as you in wanting a dog for years. Our puppy is now four months old and we absolutely adore her and wonder how we got by without her in our life. My best friend while growing-up had a Golden and I loved her as much as I did my own dog. They are a great, great breed. I’m sure you’ll be thrilled when you get him or her!
[blatant hijack] I don’t want to stand in the way of your dream of suburban bliss, but is the breed of dog really that important? Consider that you have the option of going to your local SPCA shelter or pound and rescuing a loving, adorable, loyal whatever, and saving them from destruction. Every dog I’ve ever owned has been from the pound, from grade A mutt, to purebred Basset hound, and our family has never regretted it. I’m not slamming those who choose to buy a dog, and by all means find a good breeder if you do, but please consider a homeless animal. And if you’re not planning to breed your dog, please have it spayed or neutered. 'kay nuff preaching. [/blatant hijack]
The breed you choose is, IMO, the ONLY important thing when selecting a dog. Too many people choose based on looks or which dog seems the most lively when visiting the shelter or which one had the saddest eyes. Unfortunately, too many of these pets end up back in the pound because they become something the owner never expected. Some dogs are good with children, some are mellow, some have boundless energy, some are protective, some are genetically friendly. There is no better or worse here, just what makes sense to you, the owner, given your desires and lifestyle.
That said you can find stunning dogs at the pound. Everytime I take my puppy to the park I meet someone with a dog that looks purebred and they tell me that they rescued the dog. These are $500-1000 dogs easy had they been bought from a breeder. Of course, there is no guarantee that the dog is indeed purebred but most people couldn’t care less about that. The only reason I got my dog from a breeder is that I REALLY wanted the breed I have and it is a rare breed so it is extremely unlikely to be found in a pound (coupled with the fact it is nearly impossible to distiguish her breed from a German Shepherd by looks alone). Her papers indicating her ‘pureness’ are worthless to me as I intend to neither show her or breed her and I see no use in flaunting it. The dog is amazing all by herself and needs no papers to prove anything.
So, on the whole I am all for rescuing dogs from a shelter. Personally I hate going to the shelter only because it makes me feel bad that I can’t take them all home but it is a great thing if you can find a dog you like there. If you live near a big city go to the shelter every day for a week and I bet you find something you like.
Our neighbours have an “English” Golden, and they paid about what we did for him - in the range of 6-700$. They bought him as a pet, and agreed never to breed him, which lowers the price considerably. I know our current dog (also a Golden) cost us 600$, but we were quoted 1200$+ if we wanted to breed him. Our previous dog was 650$, same conditions.
And I must reiterate the point of finding a reputable breeder. We didn’t get references for our first kennel, and went merely by the information provided to us in their flyers (they were accredited). We were GUARANTEED that our dog’s bloodline had no hip dyslpasia. We bought him, brought him home, and discovered that he did in fact have mild hip dyspalisa (which probably wouldn’t affect him until about the age of 6 or 7), and also other leg problems of possible genetic origin. The kennel offered to trade the dog, or pay a certain fraction of hip surgery, but there was no way we’d trade at this point, so we would have accepted the money. Unfortunately, the dog died of unknown causes at 2 1/2 years old, before any of the money was needed.
We went to another kennel for our new dog - we had references for this place, and in fact my aunt had bought her dog from there 3 years before and the animal was healthy. Our new dog is in fact full brother to my aunts dog. But that’s beside the point. Look into where you get the dog from, particularly for hip dysplasia. It’s very painful for the dogs, and breeders who maintain the disease in their animals should stop.
Oh, and btw, I’m all for getting a dog at the pound, too. We bought a purebred because my sister is a snob, and if my cousin had one, she had to, too.
Same thing here. When I was looking for a dog, requirements included medium-sized, friendly, affectionate, good with other dogs and non-shedding. That narrowed things down to three rare breeds – Portuguese Water Dogs, Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers and Polish Lowland Sheepdogs – which you never see in shelters, and very seldom in rescue for that matter. If it weren’t for the non-shedding aspect, I could have gone to the pound and found any number of great dogs.
Rare breed dogs, and dogs from very good breders, will run ya’ $1,000 and up. It’s worth it.
The sad thing here is that there is a great TV commercial with a Golden in it that runs continually around here. I don’t know what the ad is for but everytime I see it that I am made to feel that life would be better with a Golden in the house. But it is just not an everyday, everybody house dog.
Depends on if it’s real gold, or fool’s gold: Fido Pyrite.
Ya can’t turn around a corner these days without those shuysters trying to sell you a so-called ‘Golden Retriever’ but in actuality it’s just a poodle in a toupee.
The THANK YOU for all responses is in order, but not more than the THANK YOU for not pointing out that I misspelled RETRIEVER at least twice. Phee yeww!
Many questions answered… Thanks again dopers… Pessor