looking for golden retriever pups??

[drewevans]

My brother is looking for a golden retriever pup to bring into his family, mostly for his two little girls to have a pet to grow up with. i have looked in many classifieds and only came up with one breeder with pups available right now and they are out of his price range. if anybody knows of any that are available or any that are going to be available let me know. thanks!

(300 daller range, & within a few hours of rochester mn please)

[drewevans]

where are you located by chance? and can you tell me a little bit about the sire and female, temperment, size colors? i will pass the information onto him thanks!

[mallardnwalleye]

If they want a calm dog I do not reccomend field trial golden lines. They are great dogs for hunting and if you want to run them in the dog sports but they are full of "naughty" and should come mandatory with a shock collar. They are great field dogs and they remind me a lot of field trial labs.

[TR21HP]

I had a field trial Golden from Frisbee's and was also the National Open Derby Champ and he was the ideal home dog as well. To make a generalized statement like that is ridiculous at best. I've known several field trial Goldens that had the same dispostion as mine and were wonderful at home as well as great in the field and for general hunting . It's all in the breed.

With that being said I'm sure there is exactly the type of dog that mallardnwalleye talks about but it is purely in the breeding.

[mnviking28]

We have a 3 year old, AKC female. We plan on breeding her this spring if that helps you out at all. If her "cycle" stays around the same schedule, pups would be born in late May. She is a smaller golden, I would estimate around 40-45 lbs. She is a darker colored golden, more on the red side of the spectrum. She has not been hunting as of yet, but both parents are hunting dogs. We bought her as a family dog. I already have two labs that are my main hunting dogs. But we also had a baby about the time we got her so I haven't done a whole lot of bird hunting since then. That is going to be about what we will be asking for the pups, so if you are interested and want to wait six months or so, let me know.

[mallardnwalleye]

Not saying they aren't great "home dogs" and that they have a wonderful disposition. Just saying that they (field trialgoldens) have lot's of energy and are generally much "harder" dogs than non-field goldens. Your voice won't work as well as "the collar" at least that is what I have observed. If your dog is a National Open Derby Champion I am sure you got a e collar on it and are a heck of a trainer -most lay people aren't and if they don't want a field dog but a chunky mellow pet they should know the difference.

[nofishfisherman]

With a budget of $300 I don't think a field trial Golden will be in the cards, at least not one from a quality breeder and quality parents. If someone is advertising a field trial dog or one from champion lines and its only $300 I'd be wary of it.

In the $300 range you'll likely be looking for someone who is going to breed their pet Golden. If a family dog is all you're looking for I'm sure you can find a golden in that price range from someone breeding a pet, sounds like mnviking28 is doing just that. I just wouldn’t count on it being much of a hunter if that’s at all what your brother is thinking. I have a friend who bought a golden for $250 from someone who bred their pet, he thought he’d be able to hunt it but it’s the laziest slug of a dog you’ve ever seen and its terrified of any loud noise. The dog is super sweet and would be good for kids as long as they didn’t want it to play with it for more than 10 minutes at a time, any longer than that and the dog would head off to take another 6 hour nap.

The thing with people breeding a pet (or backyard breeder) is that you can never be certain that the breeding is a good one and that the pups are going to be what you expected. Also, you likely won't be getting a health guarantee like you will from a repeatable breeder. It’s just much more of a gamble in terms of personality traits and health issues.

[mallardnwalleye]

I think nofish hit it on the head.

What type of dog is this person looking for? How much time does he have to train it? Is hunting the main goal? What kind of disposition his he and the family tolerant of? $300 bucks realistic? My biggest worries would be that you get a chunky laid back golden when you have the time and desire for a good hunting dog. My other concern is that you get a "field golden" that has the energy and personality of a springer or field trial lab when all you wanted was a laid back house dog.

TR21HP I agree that field goldens can be great house dogs. I also think they need the right owner- A hunter and some one who has the time and ability to train it. I have a field trial bred golden and it is a great dog (blinds, marks, quarters) but in all honesty if I weren't a good trainer my wife would not have the cojones to handle that dog. The dog is great and hunts well but for your average joe that isn't going to do collar conditioning, force fetching, and have time to work the dog some of these dogs may end up as a rescue dog. I should have asked the questions above.

[TR21HP]

mallardnwalleye, Never had to use a collar on the dog, all voice and hand command. Yes, I did spend a lot of time on training and obedience but never had a problem for the 13 years he was around with him not listening to my kids or wife. You have to realize the dog was house trained and retreiving pheasant wings when I got him at 7 weeks. He also had a firm grasp of simple commands as well. When not training or at trials he was the most laid back dog imaginable but when it was time to work he was all business. Maybe thats why I haven't got another dog again, probably wouldn't live up to the standards set by my previous one. But I do agree, do you want a pet or do you want a dog. Lets not confuse the two and 300 bucks wouldn't have paid for a third of the dog I got in 1984.

[mallardnwalleye]

Hard to believe that he competed in trials and you didn't use a collar, even back in 84 Wow! National Derby champion= 1 in a million-not your typical dog that a regular joe would get. The goldens and most all field trial dogs have changed since then in my opinion. Some dogs back then responded to body language, voice, and handler correction. Now it all has to be backed up by Volts as the dogs are smart but can take any pressure you throw at them in the old traditional sense and not even be phased by it.

I had a great chesapeake that would do 300 yd water blinds and always came back with the bird that I still miss to this day. I feel your pain and reluctance to get another dog as from the sounds of it you had a one in a million - once in a lifetime dog.

[Todd Caswell]

Quote:

Hard to believe that he competed in trials and you didn't use a collar, even back in 84 Wow! National Derby champion= 1 in a million-not your typical dog that a regular joe would get.

I read it as he had a puppy out of Darrels National Derby Champion.

If there only looking for a pet then don't worry about field lines, but when you put a dollar amount on something, your also giving something up, DON'T give up the health clearences because of a dollar amount. My advice save alittle longer, for a quality bred litter that has the temperment you like and ALL the health clearences, theres a reason quality bred puppy's cost more. And really if your just looking for a pet go to the shelter, there are plenty of nice dogs that need a good home and a couple of little girls to grow up with.

[Rebel9921]

A great option would be to contact Rescue A Golden of Minnesota (RAGOM)... Last I know, they will have 10 puppies available for adoption within next 2-3 months as a litter was born to a RAGOM Golden on 1/20 and 1/21...

There are also plenty of Goldens ranging from young to senior up for adoption at RAGOM HSOforum... two pages if I can remember right...

Goldens truly are a huge blessing on a family... I know, as I dont see myself owning any other breeds, just Goldens...