Golden Retriever Breeders -
"Hobby vs. Commercial or Wholesale Golden Breeder"
Golden Retriever dog breeders, Golden Retriever kennels, and commercial Golden Retriever dog breeders come in many different sizes and have many different philosophies about why they are breeding dogs. The only thing they all have in common is that they breed Golden Retrievers.
- What are commercial or wholesale Golden Retriever dog breeders?
- Is there a difference between someone who breeds their Golden Retrievers as a hobby and someone who breeds as many dogs as they can, as often as they can?
Commercial and Wholesale Golden Retriever Breeders -
Commercial breeders have a building (or buildings) that house many dogs - more dogs than could comfortably be kept in one's home. The dogs kept by commercial breeders are usually kept in small, individual cages for their entire lives. These dogs exist for the sole purpose of reproducing. Once they can no longer reproduce they are disposed of. These dogs are usually unsocialized and would probably never make a loving and social house cat. For all intents and purposes, these dogs are wild.
A commercial breeder may or may not be licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture ("USDA") which inspects and licenses breeders that produce or transfer ownership of a certain number of puppies or dogs on a yearly basis. Being licensed by the USDA is NOT a seal of approval of a healthy, socialized, or pedigreed Golden Retriever puppy.
A commercial breeder sells their puppies to either a wholesaler or to a pet shop (which is basically a wholesaler). These puppies are sold all at once as an entire litter or in large batches to the wholesalers and pet shops. A commercial breeder usually does not sell their puppies to private individuals looking for a family pet. The pet shops then re-sell the puppies to individuals looking for a purebred Goldenn Retriever dog for their family. Pet shop puppies may or may not come with registration papers.
A commercial breeder never knows the final destination of their puppies. They never meet the people who get one of their puppies to find out if it is a suitable home for a Golden Retriever dog. A commercial breeder never gets pictures of their puppies or letters from the "proud owners" of their puppies. A commercial breeder never provides any written or genetic health guarantee for their puppies. A commercial breeder does not research or much care about their Golden Retrievers' pedigree, and they do not screen or test for known health problems in the Golden breed (i.e., hip & elbow dysplasia, heart and eye problems).
A commercial breeders' sole purpose in breeding Golden Retrievers is as an income producing endeavor. Hence, the term "commercial" - the intent of producing income.
Hobby Golden Retriever Breeders
Golden Retriever dog breeders who are hobby breeders or kennels are those individuals who have devoted their time, financial resources, their homes, and have sacrificed time spent with their family and children for their love and devotion of the Golden Retriever dog through showing their dogs, educating the public, researching pedigrees, and much more. The hours spent bathing, grooming, traveling, packing their and their dogs' belongings and grooming supplies, in order to attend dog shows whether locally or on a national scale are incalculable and not recouped through the breeding of their dogs.
Hobby breeders are usually people who are active or members in a dog registry (such as the American Kennel Club), may be members of a local cat club, and may show their Golden Retrievers. A hobby breeder is one who takes the time to educate themselves and to share their knowledge with others about Golden Retrievers. A hobby breeder tests/screens their dogs for known health problems in Goldens.
A hobby breeder may or may not be licensed by the USDA depending on how many litters or transfers of individual puppies are done in a single year.
A hobby breeder does not plan a breeding based on the goal of selling the puppies. A hobby breeder plans a breeding on many reasons, here are a just a few: continuing their line, to eradicate a genetic problem, to improve on a fault - but most importantly they always keep an eye on "the betterment of the breed". They cannot achieve these goals without knowing their dogs, the Golden Retriever dog breed standard, their dog's pedigree, and the health or genetic problems in their dog or its' ancestors.
A hobby breeder spends many hours educating themselves about Golden Retrievers, pedigrees, the Golden Retriever dog breed standard, answering questions from people interested in Goldens, and mentoring new Golden Retriever dog enthusiasts. They spend enormous amounts of money on purchasing the finest quality Golden Retrievers they can, dog toys, food, vitamin/mineral supplements, crates, grooming products, vaccinations, veterinarian bills and other medical treatments, having their dogs DNA tested for health issues, and much more.
A hobby breeder does not breed their Golden Retrievers for the purpose of producing income. Most hobby breeders are lucky to break even on their costs of producing healthy, well-adjusted, socialized puppies. Hobby breeders breed their Golden Retrievers because they love them and it shows in everything that they do on a day in and day out basis.
Article on "How to Select a Good Golden Retriever Dog Breeder".
