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Costs of Raising Golden Retrievers: Something to Consider Before You Start Breeding

Raising golden retrievers is a lot more complicated than most people think. Also, it is much more expensive than most people think. If you assume that breeders make a lot of money selling puppies, you may be surprised to learn the truth: they barely “break even.” If you want to make money quickly selling puppies, better find another opportunity. So what is so difficult and expensive to breed Golden Retrievers?

Time and effort
The reputable breeder is a person whose goal is to preserve or develop some qualities of a breed in accordance with breed standards. It takes an enormous amount of time and effort to study the breed, read books, study pedigree, visit exhibitions, and communicate with other breeders. If you really want to breed Golden Retrievers, prepare to spend a lot of time in this business.

The foundation bitch
To start breeding the right way, you need to have a dog of the right quality. It can take up to a year to research pedigrees, find a suitable breeder, and adopt a puppy. Expect to spend $ 800 to $ 1500 on your foundation bitch. This is not the right time to try to save money.

Raising your dog
You cannot start breeding until your dog is at least 2 years old. Here the costs will include everything related to raising puppies, such as vaccinations, food, toys, training, etc. You’ll also want him to take part in shows and trails to see how he stands up to breed standards. Here, your costs will be entrance fees, grooming supplies, it may be a professional handler cost, and of course travel expenses.

Medical exams
You need to make sure that your dog is healthy and will not pass any genetic diseases on to its offspring. Most medical tests cannot be done until a dog is 2 years old. You should check your elbows and hips for signs of dysplasia and obtain OFA certificates. Within 12 months of breeding, you should have your dog’s eyes checked by a widely certified veterinary ophthalmologist for signs of eye disease. A heart clearance test should be performed to confirm that the dog does not have inherited cardiac disorders. The overall cost for all procedures should be about $ 320. Finally, the general health of the dog should be examined.

Find a stud
If your dog proved worth breeding after shows and medical tests, it’s time to find a stud for your bitch. You’ll need money for travel expenses to visit dog shows and trails and meet breeders, make long-distance calls, and spend many hours researching pedigree.

Raising cost
If you are going to breed naturally, you will have to cover sending your bitch to the stud’s kennel plus an additional board. If you choose artificial insemination, you will have to pay for the collection, preparation and shipping of the semen. Don’t forget about the stud fee paid to the dog owner, which is typically between $ 700 and $ 900.

The birth
You have to be ready to use the vet’s help in case it is needed. And many things can go wrong. The price of a cesarean section can vary from $ 300 to $ 1000 depending on the case

Raising puppies up to 8 weeks
Veterinary bills, food, vaccinations, deworming, Kennel Club puppy registration, microchipping or tattoos and an enormous amount of time needed to socialize, care for and find your puppies a new home.

What if you have a stud?
It doesn’t make the whole procedure that much easier. In fact, the stallion owner shares responsibility and must also monitor the dog’s health and be willing to take care of the sand in case the bitch owner is unable to continue for some reason.

As you can see, raising Golden Retrievers is far from easy and easy. Whether it is worth it or not is up to you to decide.

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