FOR
OWNERS.

BUYING A PUPPY.

The Golden Retriever Club of SA strongly urges you to purchase your puppy from a responsible, reputable ANKC registered breeder who has the best interests of the breed at heart. We encourage all potential puppy buyers to be fully informed when making the purchase.

Buying a puppy is a huge investment in both financial and emotional terms…..you need to ensure that your investment is protected as far as possible. it is wise to think carefully about your purchase before you are drawn in by that very cute, fluffy puppy. Your Golden Retriever will be living with you for the next 10 to 15 years, so take the time to find a registered breeder who cares about selling you a healthy and happy puppy.

Where do I start.

To begin your search for a puppy send an email to the club Puppy Contact at

grcsapuppyenquiries@gmail.com. You will be sent a list of breeders who are members of the Golden Retriever Club of SA Inc.

Please understand that you may face a long wait to get a puppy (12 months or more) - demand has skyrocketed all around Australia. You need to be patient and do your research but the wait will be worthwhile. You need to contact breeders yourself telling them about the home you can offer one of their puppies.

Holding fee, booking fees and deposits.

It is strongly recommended that you do not pay a booking or holding fee to go on a waiting list – you may be kissing your money goodbye. Only pay a deposit after you have been guaranteed a puppy that has actually been born. If you do pay a deposit make sure you get a receipt.

Please do NOT pay any money to ANY BREEDER until such time as you have seen the puppy and have been guaranteed a puppy.

Registered breeders

What does this term “registered breeder” mean? Registered with who? Why is it important that the breeder is registered? We are not talking about just being registered with the local council or with the Dogs and Cats Management Board.

A DACO registration number is issued by the Dog and Cat Management Board - it only means that the breeder is entitled to breed and sell dogs or cats - there is no test or inspection and breeders do not have to abide by any code of ethics. It is not a quality assurance scheme and no health checks have to be carried out on the parents.

Buyers need to make sure they are purchasing from a responsible breeder registered with an affiliate of the ANKC (Australian National Kennel Council).... in SA that means they are registered with Dogs SA. (In Victoria it is Dogs Victoria, in NSW it is Dogs NSW etc). Breeders registered through Dogs SA are bound by the Dogs SA Code of Ethics

Breeders list

BEFORE YOU GET A PUPPY.

BY DOCTOR IAN DUNBAR

If you are about to get a puppy, download and read this very helpful booklet written by Dr Ian Dunbar, a renowned dog trainer...If you have your heart set on raising and training a puppy, do make sure you train yourself beforehand. Without a doubt, the most important developmental deadline comes before you even think of getting your puppy—your education about puppy education! Many first-time puppy owners are surprised when they discover their new companion bites, barks, chews, digs, and marks the house with urine and faeces. Yet these are all perfectly normal, natural, and necessary doggy behaviours. Your canine newcomer is just itching to learn human house manners. He wants to please, but he has to know how to please. It's no good keeping house rules a secret. Somebody has to tell the puppy. And that somebody is you......

BEFORE YOU GET A PUPPY
BY DOCTOR IAN DUNBAR

AFTER YOU GET A PUPPY.

BY DOCTOR IAN DUNBAR

So, you have your new puppy. Now what? Basically, you are at a fork in the road. The success of the relationship depends on your teaching your puppy the rules and regulations of domestic living. The most critical time in your dog's life is right now—puppyhood! First impressions are indelible and long-lasting. Consequently, the next few weeks are crucially important for your dog's development.

AFTER You Get Your Puppy will focus on your puppy's next three developmental deadlines during the first three months your puppy is at home. The clock is still ticking, and you only have three months to get a lot of things done.....

AFTER YOU GET A PUPPY
BY DOCTOR IAN DUNBAR

LIFE WITH A PUPPY.

Raising a puppy.

4 important steps to raising a healthy, happy, behaviourally sound puppy. (TATE Animal Training Enterprises July 2019)

Be prepared:

Puppy proof your house to ensure they can’t freely roam around everywhere getting themselves into mischief.
Utilise management tools like baby gates, puppy pens and crates to help prevent your puppy from getting into danger (This also helps to build independence.)
Try to organise some time off when you first bring your puppy home to work on building up their confidence and contentment in being left alone.
Make or buy lots of enrichment and tug products!

Puppy school.

Research a local, qualified and reputable puppy trainer and contact them sooner rather than later. Puppies have a critically important learning period where they absorb information at an alarming rate between 3-16 weeks of age roughly. The earlier you get your puppy booked into puppy school, the more time you have to help them during this period of their life.

The complete guide to puppy training….what to train first Kikopup.

This 3 hour complete puppy training video goes over what to train your new puppy first. The first tutorial explains what you will focus on depending on your puppy’s personality. Then the rest of the videos are tutorials on the most important behaviours to work on first with your new puppy in the first few weeks you have your puppy. The tutorials are not just on behaviours to train but also information that is important for you to know how to train for example the tutorial on training session length which will help you learn how to make your training most effective. There is also information on house training, introducing your puppy to other dogs and separation training.

Emotional support.

Focus more of your energy and time on the emotional development of your puppy rather than behaviours such as sit, drop stay, roll over, beg, shake etc. YES they are important (and fun to train), but despite how the saying goes, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks, however rewiring a dog’s brain from the suffering of entrenched fears, phobias or anxieties is far more difficult. Areas worthy of attention include:

Sounds exposure; unpredictable noises in the environment can develop into noise phobias down the track, especially things like storms and fireworks. Check out the Sound Proof Puppy Training App for more information.
Appropriate socialisation and exposure to everything life has to offer. In a nut shell, short, sweet pleasant interactions or sightings with everything you will expect your pup to cope with as an adult.
Independence building: Take slow steps and measures to help your pup develop confidence and contentment being left alone. Avoid throwing them in the deep end.
Puppies are highly social and intelligent little animals that need a lot of time, training, love and support to grow and develop into healthy and happy adults.

Socialisation.

Whatever a puppy has never experienced in a positive way before 14-16 weeks of age is likely to cause fear later. This brief time is called the sensitive period. It is when they soak up new experiences and say “this is what my life will contain and it’s all good”. Socialisation is not just about letting your puppy meet/interact with other dogs – it is about introducing them to different people, experiences, sights, sounds, smells, surfaces, objects and textures in a controlled way. Read more in the PDF below.

Click on the PDF for

FOR ALL PUPPY ENQUIRIES

Email us

GOLDEN OLDIES.

A dog’s golden years are a time to cherish, but they can also bring some new challenges with them. Our senior sweethearts often face a number of common health problems related to their advancing age, including arthritis, failing vision, hearing loss and other issues. And while you can’t necessarily prevent these problems, you can work with your vet to help ensure your dog is as healthy, comfortable and happy as possible as he ages.

Arthritis.

This painful, degenerative joint disease affects most dogs at some point during their senior years. Larger dogs tend to be more at risk, but any size dog can suffer.

A layering / multi action treatment plan for arthritis or joint issues often has the best outcome for the dog. In many instances no one or two things long term will make a huge difference but 4/5 things together can make a huge difference. Read More >

Enrichment.

Dogs are meant to live active lives, rather than sleep until their owners come home. Many studies have shown that enriching an animal’s environment improves the psychological and physical well-being of animals. Dogs need both mental and physical exercise to be balanced and healthy.

Dogs want to use their brains! They have wonderfully intelligent, creative brains that need to be challenged and stretched to help prevent boredom-related behaviour issues. Using some of the ideas listed will not only help dogs’ brains, but will also improve relationships with our dogs.

Read on for some simple, practical ways to provide enrichment for your dog each day. Note that all dogs are individuals, so not all of these activities will appeal equally to all dogs. The key is to experiment and find what works for you and your dog. Read More >

Exercise for adult dogs.

It’s complicated, and there’s no one answer. Each day and each dog is going to be different.

The most important thing is to listen to your dog. If they show reluctance, or start slowing down, then you are going too far. However, if you rely solely on your dog telling you when to stop, you could still badly overestimate what they should do.

FOR OWNERS.