How does your reservation list work?
We usually accept 3 male and 3 female reservations for a litter. When we have met our reservations, we begin a waiting list. After the litter is born and reservations have been filled, we contact those on the waiting list for that specific litter.
When you go on the list, we will need you to decide whether you want to go on the male reservation list or female reservation list.
Before the puppies are born, we do not hold a reservation spot for a male and female puppy for the same customer unless under special circumstances. 

We require a $250 non-refundable deposit (goes towards the final payment of your puppy) to hold your pick for you once the female has been confirmed pregnant. If you contact us before the female has been confirmed pregnant, we'll put you on the waiting list. Then once the female is confirmed pregnant, you can send the $250 deposit.
 In the case of there not being a puppy for you, we can refund the deposit or you have the option of putting your name on the list for a different litter. However, we do have to work around reservations that we have for our other litters.
Note: As breeders, we reserve the right to keep back a first pick puppy from any litter or to refuse the sale of a puppy.

How do I reserve a puppy?
The first step is to fill out our 'Puppy Questionnaire' and send it to us. We will contact you soon after via email or phone and we can discuss the options. Once the female is confirmed pregnant for the litter you are interested in, we require a $250 deposit to hold your pick.

When do I pick out my puppy? How does that process work?
When the puppies are born we will send you an announcement e-mail and a picture of the new puppies. Every puppy is marked with a different color collar and we observe their temperaments and physical developments to share with you when at 5-6 weeks we begin the selection process.  

We encourage you to come and play with the puppies if possible. Then we can meet you and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have. This is also a good time for you to meet the parents of your puppy if you desire to do so. If you are not able to come here to pick out your puppy, we can send you videos of the puppies, individual pictures and temperament descriptions. 

How and when do I pay for my puppy?
If we are shipping your puppy, your puppy needs to be paid in full by 7 weeks. Check or credit card is accepted. If you are going to pick up your puppy here, you can pay then with cash or cashier's check.

What is limited vs. full registration?
Limited AKC registration means that your puppy will only be a pet and will not be used for breeding. The dog can be shown in certain AKC shows. Full registration means you can breed the dog and can show it in AKC, UKC,  and IABCA dog shows.
 
Do you have a health guarantee?
We have a 1 year health guarantee for our puppies. This covers genetic health issues such as hip/elbow dysplasia till your puppy's first birthday. Click here to view it.

What kind of food do you feed your dogs and puppies?
We feed our adult dogs Eukanuba Lamb and Rice dog food and the puppies Eukanuba Large breed puppy food. These can both be purchased from Chewy.com. 
 
Do you give your dogs any health supplement?
We give our dogs and puppies a high quality health supplement called Nu-Vet and definitely recommend that you continue this supplement with your new puppy! See our Nu-Vet page for more information on this. We also occasionally supplement with salmon oil for their coats.

Will my puppy be AKC registered/registrable? How does that process work?
Yes! AKC registration is included with the price of your puppy. We ask our customers to have their puppy's full name decided on by the time you pick up your puppy. After the full payment has been received, we will register your puppy with the name you chose. Then AKC will send you the certificate for your puppy. 

What comes with my puppy?
Our puppies go home with a puppy packet folder. Click here to see what this includes.

Will my puppy be veterinarian checked before he leaves?
Yes! Our puppies are veterinarian checked and cleared before leaving at 8 weeks. They will receive their first vaccination, (5-way puppy shot), at 7 weeks, and will have been de-wormed at least 3 times. We also give them a preventative for coccidiosis.

Can we come visit and play with the puppies? 
Absolutely! We would love to have you come and meet the puppies and us. Visits are made by appointment after the puppies have reached 5 weeks of age.

How do you raise your puppies?
Our goal is to not only have healthy puppies with proper conformation but also well socialized puppies of excellent disposition that will adapt well into your family. While the puppies are not raised in our home they are in the house quite frequently. We raise our puppies in a well lit, climate controlled environment, where we have it outfitted with a washer/dryer, wash tub, grooming table, desk, a large rug, couch, pellet stove and storage area in order to have it as close to home as possible. From day one till the puppies go to their forever families, cleanliness is on the top of the list, and the puppies are well supplied with toys, soft beds, and room to play.  The puppies are handled and played with daily with children and adults. We do ENS exercises starting from day 3-16 and puppies are purposely handled and massaged gently around the eyes, ears, in between paws and face to get them used to this. Around 3 weeks we start playing a socialization CD occasionally throughout the day with many different sounds such as fireworks, vets office, airport, vacuum cleaner, thunderstorms, etc.. to desensitize them to these sounds. When the puppies are born we play classical music/piano music for relaxation. Once the puppies are a little older they will often be outside playing in the yard or in their play yard, weather permitting. They will be introduced to different objects and surfaces, conditioned to the crate and riding in our minivan, will be used to having their nails clipped and have had frequent baths. We also incorporate some of Puppy Culture's methods into our program and do beginning stages of clicker training, games that help them respond well to new things/situations and other things. We recommend our puppy families to visit puppyculture.com to learn more about this.

We also use a unique potty training system, and by the time the puppies are 8 weeks they will be 80-90% trained to go potty in a box. We have found this to keep the puppies and their surroundings much cleaner and to also help their future families with house training. 

When can I pick up my puppy?
You can pick up your puppy once he/she reaches 8 weeks of age. In the first 8 weeks of your puppy's life it is very important to remain with the litter mates for both physical and emotional development and it is definitely best for him/her to stay with us till then. 

What if I can't pick up my puppy?
We prefer if you can pick up your puppy in person. However, if you are unable to, we do provide shipping with Delta or American Airlines. We have shipped quite a few puppies over the years, and this has proved to be a good option for us. We charge a flat rate of $375 to ship your puppy for you. This includes crate, flight and health certificate charges. We will correspond with you to figure out a flight that will work for both of us. We will take care of booking the flight.

How many litters do you have per year?
We have an average of 3 litters per year.

Do you remove your puppies dew claws? 
There is some controversy whether or not removing the dew claws is the right thing to do. There are studies revealing that there is a possibility that by removing them, it increases the chances of carpal arthritis. The dew claws can actually aid dogs when running and climbing. All of our dogs have their dew claws and it usually doesn't cause a problem. Golden Retrievers only have two front dew claws and if you trim the dew claw when trimming your dogs other nails it should not cause a problem. For these reasons we do not remove the dew claws on our puppies. 

What is the difference between an American vs. English Golden Retriever?
Click here for more info on this.

​--Didn't answer your questions? Feel free to contact us with any other questions you have!--