# Need advice on breeder....



## MatthewAli1231 (Feb 25, 2016)

Hi all. I'm brand new to this forum and would love some help. Since I live in Illinois, I was referred to the Snowy Paws Retriever breeder in Sycamore, IL. Has anyone bought a golden from them before? They have 1 male pup left from their Soren x Payton litter. I'm considering it but have no idea if these parents look good. I've never bought an AKC pup from a breeder before.. I'm a bit lost.  Does anyone have advice? I was trying to avoid a long car ride, a plane ride or shipping a puppy, so that's why I was referred to them, since I'm in Illinois and not that far from them. Thanks in advance!

*Int'l SH CH Dewmist Scalamoor "Soren"*
*Snowy Paws Taste of Sweetness "Payton"*


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

The dam, Payton, does not have clearances. The site says she has excel/normal hips/elbows but those were apparently prelims at 23 monthsif one relies on user input data on k9data.com. She has not got finals, I can't imagine why they didn't wait a month and do finals unless there was some pressing reason to breed an untitled unclearanced girl a month before she turned two. But nevertheless, her clearances are lacking. Her cardiac is all that's on OFA and it is insufficient as it is a practitioner clearance. Cardiac is very important. I am also curious why her prelims reported on their website are not on OFA. They publish if the dog is over 1 year when prelims are done... so I doubt that tidbit. Her mother's prelim is still up- she never got finals either. To sum up- I don't know what they are asking for puppies but without clearances on the dam I would skip it. I know the sire's owner and I am surprised she would cover a bitch without clearances. I see no titles on AKC.


----------



## MatthewAli1231 (Feb 25, 2016)

Wow - I had no idea! Thank you so much! Yikes - I'm glad I turned to this forum. Appreciate your quick response!


----------



## Loukia (Sep 20, 2014)

My 1.5 year old Golden is my first Golden, so I'm by no means an expert. However, I would definitely listen to the experts (like the post above) on the forum.

What I have learned in the last year and a half of attending obedience classes with various dogs (some young and suffering from genetic issues, others overtly aggressive), is that you don't want to let price or convenience cloud your decision. 

You'll hopefully have your Golden for well over 10 years, so if it means waiting for the right litter/breeder or driving further than you anticipated to get a quality dog, it's well worth it. Taking a weekend driving trip to get a wonderful new family member doesn't amount to much time in the grand scheme of things.

Also... it's so important to find a good breeder and support the breeders who are doing things the right way. This is a great resource (https://www.grca.org/). 

Good breeders work really hard for the betterment of the breed and this is a respectable endeavor that needs our support. I'm not a breeder and I don't know any good breeders personally, but we need to support them so that we have wonderful Golden Retrievers for many years to come. 

Unfortunately, there are far too many people out there that breed for profit and this has long lasting negative affects on the breed. If you have a moment, this article is worth the read. It doesn't relate to Goldens (instead Newfoundlands) and it has nothing to do with the breeder you reference (I don't know that breeder and haven't looked into the dogs listed), but it's something to consider as you purchase a purebred dog. 

(Newf Friends: Temperament issues in Newfs, a growing concern)

Good luck and keep us posted.


----------



## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

I would look elsewhere.


----------



## MatthewAli1231 (Feb 25, 2016)

Wow thanks for replying everyone


----------



## MatthewAli1231 (Feb 25, 2016)

*Need advice on another breeder*

Hi everyone! I'm turning to all of you experts yet again. I am so overwhelmed trying to figure this all out. Now I'm considering a golden pup from Tramin Retrievers in Ukraine. She has male pups available from Tramin Shadow x Sky Pride Magic litter born on 1.4.16. Below is each of their K-9 data. The sire looks good.. but I can't tell about the dam. If I'm reading this correctly, the dam has had a litter with Tramin Shadow's sire too?? Is that bad? The pups look beautiful and everything I've read about Lena Ushan and Tramin Retrievers looks good.. but I'm confused. I've also included a link to a picture of one of the male pups available. Any advice???? Looks like many breeders get their dogs from Lena. I'm not a breeder.. I'm looking for a family pet. Thank you in advance!

Pedigree: JR. CH Moldova, Ukraine Tramin Shadow

Pedigree: Sky Pride Magic

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...60791364.1073742014.1467353924&type=3&theater


----------



## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

Dad was born of January last year.. he's only a year old and already a sire?


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Are you looking for a light colored Golden? Getting a puppy from Ukraine would be quite a haul for puppy. I'd suggest you try Joanne Cava in SC- she does her clearances and competes with her dogs. Tanglewood Goldens -- Golden Retrievers of English Distinction
Her or Angel Martin- I dk Angel Martin personally but her bitch was WB at the national in 2014 and I would imagine she does clearances (check though)- contact us

Check clearances with either breeder of course.
But they do breed the 'type' I think you are looking for.


----------



## Coopsmom (Jan 13, 2015)

MatthewAli1231 said:


> Hi everyone! I'm turning to all of you experts yet again. I am so overwhelmed trying to figure this all out. Now I'm considering a golden pup from Tramin Retrievers in Ukraine. She has male pups available from Tramin Shadow x Sky Pride Magic litter born on 1.4.16. Below is each of their K-9 data. The sire looks good.. but I can't tell about the dam. If I'm reading this correctly, the dam has had a litter with Tramin Shadow's sire too?? Is that bad? The pups look beautiful and everything I've read about Lena Ushan and Tramin Retrievers looks good.. but I'm confused. I've also included a link to a picture of one of the male pups available. Any advice???? Looks like many breeders get their dogs from Lena. I'm not a breeder.. I'm looking for a family pet. Thank you in advance!
> 
> Pedigree: JR. CH Moldova, Ukraine Tramin Shadow
> 
> ...


Am i understanding correctly that you are looking at buying a puppy from Ukraine and you live here in the US?


----------



## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

Prism Goldens said:


> Are you looking for a light colored Golden? Getting a puppy from Ukraine would be quite a haul for puppy. I'd suggest you try Joanne Cava in SC- she does her clearances and competes with her dogs. Tanglewood Goldens -- Golden Retrievers of English Distinction
> Her or Angel Martin- I dk Angel Martin personally but her bitch was WB at the national in 2014 and I would imagine she does clearances (check though)- contact us
> 
> Check clearances with either breeder of course.
> But they do breed the 'type' I think you are looking for.


I second the names above. In fact, I have been looking at one of Angel Martin's boy to use on one of my girls eventually.

I also highly recommend Wendy Bergeron 

Welcome - Eastshore Golden Retrievers at Fieldstone Farm


Also, check out this site

English Goldens in North America - Litters - Breeders - Stud Dogs


----------



## MatthewAli1231 (Feb 25, 2016)

yes. I live in US and have talked to many breeders and all of the good ones have their litters sold. I was referred to this breeder in Ukraine


----------



## MatthewAli1231 (Feb 25, 2016)

yes. should I not?


----------



## aesthetic (Apr 23, 2015)

How old would the pup be when you ship him from Ukraine? IMO, that distance is too much for an 8 week old puppy. Would you have to quarantine him too? Is there any reason you can't wait for another litter from any of the breeders mentioned?


----------



## 2tired (Oct 19, 2011)

Prism Goldens said:


> Are you looking for a light colored Golden? Getting a puppy from Ukraine would be quite a haul for puppy. I'd suggest you try Joanne Cava in SC- she does her clearances and competes with her dogs. Tanglewood Goldens -- Golden Retrievers of English Distinction
> Her or Angel Martin- I dk Angel Martin personally but her bitch was WB at the national in 2014 and I would imagine she does clearances (check though)- contact us
> 
> Check clearances with either breeder of course.
> But they do breed the 'type' I think you are looking for.


The sire in the first litter the OP had asked about is one Tanglewood's stud dogs. 

The dam has a number of excellent Kyon dogs behind her, including the dam's sire who had clearances at the time he sired the litter in which she was born.

It appears that only the dam would be in question for clearances.


----------



## Coopsmom (Jan 13, 2015)

MatthewAli1231 said:


> yes. I live in US and have talked to many breeders and all of the good ones have their litters sold. I was referred to this breeder in Ukraine


i cannot even imagine shipping/flying a puppy from that far away. I know some breeders will ship/fly puppies in the US - others don't - but I've not heard of anyone shipping a young pup from overseas.
Waiting for the "right" puppy does often require more time/patience than we want but it's always been worth it for us - we have waited as much as a year to get a puppy from a reputable breeder. In two instances, it involved a long drive (500 or so miles) but it was critically important for us to meet the breeder, meet the dam, see the puppies, etc.


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

2tired said:


> The sire in the first litter the OP had asked about is one Tanglewood's stud dogs.
> 
> The dam has a number of excellent Kyon dogs behind her, including the dam's sire who had clearances at the time he sired the litter in which she was born.
> 
> It appears that only the dam would be in question for clearances.


 Yes- that's the one I said I was surprised she would cover the bitch without clearances.


----------



## Goldens&Friesians (May 31, 2014)

I don't know if you are looking specifically for a light colored golden or not (for me personally, color is last on my list of priorities. Health and temperament are at the top.), but I am also from IL and know of a few really good breeders. Some of these breeders may or may not still be breeding, but maybe they could point you to someone reputable. This is just a list I had about 5 yrs ago when I was looking. My April (in my signature pic) was from Seraphim Goldens.

IL breeders:
Argo Goldens
Shor'line Goldens
Eclipse Goldens 
Sundance Goldens
Seraphim Goldens (no website)

WI breeders:
Forever Goldens
Tahnee Goldens (member on this forum)
Dichi Goldens

I'm sure that I've missed some or don't know about others, but I have heard good things about all the breeders above. I would expect to have to wait at least 6 months to a year for a dog from a reputable breeder, just fyi. Sometimes they'll have puppies available sooner, but its not usually a thing where you can just go get a pup.


----------



## MatthewAli1231 (Feb 25, 2016)

Thank you SO MUCH for this info!


----------



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

MatthewAli1231;6362570...I live in US and have talked to many breeders and [B said:


> all of the good ones have their litters sold[/B]. I was referred to this breeder in Ukraine


You just answered your own question. If you want a puppy from a good breeder, there is going to be a wait for one of those puppies. Most 'good' breeders will have puppies spoken for before they are even born and as it takes months to plan, arrange a breeding and wait for puppies to be born and raised 8 weeks, it is a process that can take half a year or more. If you add in particular preferences about coat color, you can make your search even more narrow and really reduce your choices of good breeders. That means a longer wait for a puppy. I hope that you understand that a top quality breeder from Europe is not going to sell a puppy to someone they've never met.... a red flag to me that you may be dealing with someone unscrupulous.


----------



## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Goldens are neither rare nor hard to find. It is pretty crazy to consider buying a puppy from Europe. That'd be like me looking at importing a car from Japan because I want a minivan. 
The part a lot of people don't understand is there is often a significant WAIT to get a really good puppy. It won't take jumping through extraordinary hoops or looking under every unturned stone, it will just take some patience on your part. You'll need to get in line. Have you talked to anyone with Golden Retriever Club of Illinois? They are a good start. Go to AKC shows in your area (find them under Events on akc.org) and talk to the people showing goldens. You'll be on the list with a great breeder before you know it.


----------



## Leslie B (Mar 17, 2011)

Topflight - in St Croix Falls WI just had a huge litter and I believe they still have a puppy or two that are not yet spoken for. Way closer to Illinois than Europe.

Maxhaven in MN has a litter due this week and that girl usually has more puppies than the owner takes reservations for.

Sunshine Golden Retrievers, in Madison Wi, has litters planned for this spring. Not sure about the status of the reservation list but her website looks like there might be openings.

These breeders are sticklers for clearances and titles on both parents. You would be happy with a puppy from any of them.


----------

