Hi there, I have a client who just lost a golden after 6 years. He wants to find a good breeder that has a solid line. His last golden died of cancer, as did the one before that. Both were very young (6 and 8 I believe) and he really wants to find a breeder that knows what they are doing.
The last breeder *swore* up and down that they had solid lines, but when his dog was diagnosed they admitted there were a few in the line who died from cancer, and said it was "unavoidable" in this breed.
Any info on a good Golden Retriever breeder in the US, preferably on the East coast or southern areas would be appreciated, but anywhere in the US is definitely helpful. Please send via PM.
Thanks

PM sent.

I can't recommend a breeder. But I suggest when looking at the pedigree try going 4 generations back and see what the dogs who have passed; died from and at what age.

I read an article once (not sure how true it was) that life expectancy was inherited and the longevity of the ancestors was a better indication of life expectancy than tracking disease. Again, I don't know how true it was but I did find it interesting.

 Quote: cameron feathers

His last golden died of cancer, as did the one before that. Both were very young (6 and 8 I believe) and he really wants to find a breeder that knows what they are doing.
The last breeder *swore* up and down that they had solid lines, but when his dog was diagnosed they admitted there were a few in the line who died from cancer, and said it was "unavoidable" in this breed.

It's my understanding that cancer in Golden's is like HD in GSDs. It is something the breed is seriously prone to, and a good breeder will be able to help decrease the odds, but certainly not eliminate them. By all accounts it's a HUGE issue with Goldens, even well-bred ones with solid lines and something that, IMO, you have to be prepared for if you take on that breed.

Although I seriously hope that someone tells me I'm wrong about this, the research I did said that it's such a problem with Golden's that I understand that it would be very difficult, or impossible, to find any lines that are 100% cancer-free:

The problem is that most of them are bred before they reach the age that the cancer develops. In fact, it's very possible that they could have passed it along to many generations of pups by the time it's discovered. Hard to breed it out of the lines, even with a careful eye for it.

The popularity of the breed keeping tons of BYBs in business certainly doesn't help either.

My husband and son were very interested in getting a Golden and I did a lot of research on the cancer issue in the breed. What I learned discouraged me so much that we'll probably be Golden-free for a long time.

All of that negative stuff aside though, your friend's goal of looking towards a quality breeder is always a good one and I know many Golden's that have lived to ripe old grey-muzzled ages.

 Quote: Sheila Buckley

I can't recommend a breeder. But I suggest when looking at the pedigree try going 4 generations back and see what the dogs who have passed; died from and at what age.

I read an article once (not sure how true it was) that life expectancy was inherited and the longevity of the ancestors was a better indication of life expectancy than tracking disease. Again, I don't know how true it was but I did find it interesting.

If you want to take a look at Golden Retriever pedigrees, I would suggest looking at http://k9data.com where pedigrees, clearance information (should be verified at http://offa.org ), longevity, and genetic information.

For example, Tanbark's Orange Crush is a Golden Retriever owned by a trainer in Canada and the following pedigree lists the longevity in a 5 generation pedigree: http://k9data.com/fivegen.asp?ID=91421&type=longevity

If you dig around, you will see that Wraith's Duncan and his sire Topbrass Cotton lived until they were 16.5 years old. I was talking to one particular Canadian breeder who saw Topbrass Cotton before his retirement at a field event and she said that the dog was still in really good shape at 10 years old+.

Cameron, is your client looking for a conformation or field/performance dog? Some people do have preferences based on appearances. For example, Firemark's Push Comes to Shove is more a field Golden http://k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=44966 while, Pebwin XPDNC is a conformation Golden http://k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=29595 .