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My goal is to prepare you well before you take your new puppy home. I send out a "Puppy Parent Letter" when the puppies are about 6 weeks old with important dates and information you will need to prepare over the last couple of weeks before your puppy goes home with you.

Your puppy will be microchipped and AKC Registered by Rosemary Goldens prior to going home.

All of our puppies are sent home with a "goody bag". It will contain items like toys, puppy food, probiotics, a special appetite stimulant food to help your puppy adjust and eat the first couple days, all paperwork, etc. 

I highly recommend crate training your puppy; this helps with housetraining. Your puppy will be started on crate training prior to being sent home. Since all of my puppies are raised in the house, they are also started on the basics of house training. 

Once the puppies have had thier first vaccinations, focus is put on socialization and getting them around a variety of people and environments. We use ENS and the Avidog Puppy Protocol for our puppies early development, and we set a goal to meet 100 people before the puppies go home. Every litter is also evaluated independently using the Volhard Puppy Evaluation.

The OFA has lead research on dog genetics since 1966. In 2023, out of over 175,000 Goldens evaluated for hip dysplasia, 19.6% came back dysplastic. Ranked 48th for commonality of dysplasia out of 154 breeds, Goldens are not quite the worst! Yet without care, the incidence rate will keep growing. Out of 67,000 Goldens, 12% had elbow dysplasia and were ranked 39th out of 154 breeds for amount of cases. Less than half the amount of evaluation for elbow dysplasia over hip dysplasia. I own a dog that has both elbow and hip dysplasias that caused early arthritis at less than 2 years of age.  Hopefully this information denotes how important genetic testing is for purebred dogs. Bad breeding practices create problems, which is ultimately unfair to the dog.

Read about OFA's CHIC program here:
https://ofa.org/chic-programs/ 

All of our breeding dogs are evaluated for hips, elbows, eyes and hearts, which gives them a CHIC number. 

Dogs must be 2 years old to complete their OFA's and get a CHIC number.

Read more about OFA and selecting a breeder here:

https://grcozarks.org/finding-a-breeder

Good temperament and health are the main concerns.

We only consider breeding the dogs who pass all health tests as recommended by the GRCA.

This includes completing an OFA CHIC which involves: Heart, Eyes, Elbows, Hips, and a DNA panel. All stud dogs we use will have the same standard.

I strongly believe that good breeders do not contribute to the shelters; so I screen every future puppy family. At the end of the day all of my dogs can come back to me, regardless of age or circumstance.

None of our dogs or puppies live outside, and I work from home so dogs are with me constantly. Goldens rely on a loving relationship with their family to be healthy and happy.

You can learn more about our daily life with the dogs and see current pictures on our Facebook page, Rosemary Goldens.

I do choose studs from other breeders and pay for the "service" at times. I am picky about the studs and the stud owners. I want great hips and elbows, a CHIC number (see OFA) and a DNA panel. I also want to see that the stud dog is regularly tested for STD's and is kept as a pet, similar to my own dogs. Often the stud owner will want the female to come stay at their place for the breeding to happen, so this aspect of vetting stud owners is very important to me. I need to trust that my dog is going to be cared for and treated well while away from me. 

I also want to see titling on the stud dog; as I believe this shows investment in the relationship with the dog and I want to support other breeders who hold similar values to my own.

Outside of the basics, I look for studs with physical and mental traits that complement my girls.  I'd love to talk to you about whatever litter is upcoming.

Titles are important to me because I feel they are a visual representative of the time and effort that is put into the dogs, as a breeder. I also feel that showing my dogs is proof that they are worthy of contributing to the breed genepool.

Most importantly, I greatly enjoy working with my dogs, traveling with them, and competing with them. It's a hobby and a lifestyle choice I'd make all over again!

The American Kennel Club is the organization that regulates dog sports.  The regulation of dog sports involves individual local clubs being able to put together a show in thier region, so that AKC registered dogs may compete. If your dog is AKC registered, you may compete in an AKC dog show anywhere in the US.

There are a few different venues, but the ones Rosemary Goldens dogs primarily are involved in are Obedience, Rally, Scentwork and Conformation.

Titles in performance sports (Obedience, Rally Scentwork) include a dog being shown in the ring a minimum of 3 times. Each time, the dog is competing against other dogs and will recieve a placement of 1st - 4th, and past that, just a qualifying score. 3 qualifying scores are required to earn a title, regardless of placement.

Conformation is a lot different. This involves a dog being judged on how well they adhere to the Breed Standard compared to all of the other dogs in the ring. There are placements, (1st - 4th) Usually these do not count towards a title, and there are no qualifying scores in this venue. Best in Show, Best of Breed, etc. will earn points towards a Championship title.

Conformation wins are rare and we are over the moon when we recieve one!

Check out the Golden Retriever breed standard here:

https://grca.org/about-the-breed/akc-breed-standard/