The Reality & TruthAbout Breeding with Golden Retrievers in South Africa |
We have restructured our website into various sections and decided to create this additional page with information regarding Breeding Golden Retrievers. The previous version of our website had a lot of information and warnings on what a prospective puppy owner should look out for.
The reality currently in South Africa is that the Golden Retriever Breed is in trouble - from exploitation by breeders who mainly breed for monetary gain, to give them a "job" or live in a fantasy world that dog breeding is fun, fulfilling and that it gives them the reason to breed. There is SO much more involved when you are breeding dogs (and even more with breeding purebreds that are predisposed to genetic health issues). That is where the terms "Ethical", "Reputable" and "Responsible" comes from. You will only truly understand the negative impact these breeders have on the breed, once you understand the Golden Retriever as a Breed - fully and completely. Please join our Facebook Page - Golden Retrievers in South Africa - Protect and Preserve as we share important information regarding breeding, health checks, pedigrees etc. |
What exactly is an Ethical, Reputable and Responsible Breeder?
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Explanation of Terms
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Why do you want to become a Breeder?WHY DO YOU WANT TO BREED?
A: I want to make money from puppies. B: I want to experience raising a litter. D: My female should at least have 1 experience having a litter. E: My dog is horny, and I think he needs to mate. F: I want to become a professional breeder. G: So many people want puppies and they always say my dogs are so beautiful. H: I bought 2 dogs from a breeder and think they will make nice puppies. I: My Golden retriever female into season and my male golden covered her - what now? J: I am interested to learn about the breed and would like to one day breed a Golden that conforms to the breed standard, both in conformation and temperament, that is healthy and an excellent representation of the breed. If your answer is either A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I - DONT BREED!!! If your answer is J (and you have NOT already bred a litter of untested dogs of which you have no idea what their pedigree means and don't know anything about the dogs behind the lines) - THEN contact me and I will go out of my way to help, guide, share knowledge and support you as best I possibly can. Please contact us for more information and links on how to do health checks, where to do them, why you need to do them, pedigrees and information on Golden Retriever Breeding lines. |
Our ExperienceBetween Irene and I, we have around 40+ years of experience with Golden Retrievers. Irene started her kennel "TAMNAVULIN" in 1993 Arnel started her kennel "GOLDENZAUER" in 2004 In 2009, we combined our efforts into the 'MOCHAVULIN" affix that we both use today. We have bred over 20 champions and our dogs and kennel have always featured either on TOP or a close 2nd / 3rd throughout all the years of showing our dogs. Think it .....we done it. And every single day, we still learn something new about the breed, their health, the predisposition to certain diseases and the mode of inheritance of numerous factors (not only hip and elbow dysplasia and other health issues that the breed is predisposed to. Remember - the perfect dog does not exist - and only an experienced breeder with in-depth knowledge of the breeding line, what these lines have produced (both good and bad) is experienced and educated enough to make informed decisions regarding breeding." THE IMPORTANCE OF HEALTH TESTING AND PEDIGREE ANALYSIS By Rhonda Hovan Since its inception in 1966, the OFA has been providing information intended to help breeders reduce the incidence of genetic disease in dogs. Most breeders have found this service to be very helpful, and have seen important improvements in the health of their dogs through the diligent use of OFA data. Yet there remains a widespread lack of understanding regarding the optimal use of phenotypic information in breeding programs. As a result, many breeders have not taken full advantage of the information available, slowing their progress toward minimizing disease. The methods of collecting and analyzing phenotypic data presented here offer breeders the opportunity to dramatically decrease the incidence of genetic disease in their breeding programs to a level often significantly below that reported as a breed average by OFA and other statistical databases. An evaluation of the vertical pedigree reveals that Stud Dog A comes from a litter with predominantly normal hips, and this is consistent also with his sire, dam, and their siblings. Thus, the range of possibilities in his genetic package heavily favors normal hips. In contrast, Stud Dog B dog comes from a litter in which half of the dogs are normal, and the other half are dysplastic (with one unknown). Furthermore, this is a pattern which can be traced back through his dam and maternal grandsire. Thus, despite his own “good” rating, Stud Dog B’s range of possibilities may include a higher likelihood of transmitting hip dysplasia. This pedigree is not demonstrating progress toward reducing the incidence of affected dogs. |