I have had serval people ask, Why are Goldens so expensive?  Below is the reason why we charge what we do.

First, you need a great quality female, we paid $3000.

 There are all the vet bills to make sure your female stays healthy from the time you get her.

 Feed top quality dog food, we feed Purina Pro Plan Chicken and rice.

 You are not able to breed your female till she reaches the age of two. 

 You need to do DNA testing to verify you have a 100% Golden retriever and to make sure she does not have any health issues.

 You need to do OFA testing for Hips, Elbows, and Eyes at a minimum.

 Once you have completed all the above, then it’s time to find a great quality male.   Stud fees are $3000.

 We put mom on prenatal to make sure she gets all the nutrients she needs to carry and deliver healthy pups (Oxy Mate (prenatal).

 Start buying everything that is needed for delivering and taking care of the puppies. Below is a list of items needed to have a litter of pups:

 Whelping  box

Vinyl flooring roll to protect our floor in the whelping area

Digital thermometer

Lubricant

Bulb syringe/Nasal Aspirator

Digital weighing scale

Straight forceps (Hemostat)

Blunt end scissors

Bedding

Heating Pad

Dental Floss

Towels for each pup

Hand sanitizer

Antibacterial hand wipes

Blankets for each pup

Disposable gloves

Trash can

Tail wrap

Heat lamp

Calcium/Ice cream/yogurt

Washable Pee Pads

Disposable Pee pads (lots and lots)

Alcohol swabs (Prep Pads)

Iodine Solution

Bottle feeding kit (just in case)

Sterile feeding tube (just in case)

Whelping record & Pen

Puppy collars

Oxy mama (After delivery)

Gate to contain pups

Bed for me

Esbilac goat milk replacer

Vinegar to clean whelping area floor (lots and lots)

Vet phone number on hand in case of emergency

Once you have done the mating ritual you confirm pregnancy with an ultrasound test at the vet

 Day 58, You have x-rays done to get a puppy count.

 Once puppies are born, we stay with the puppies 24/7 for the first 5 weeks.  I have a bed that I sleep in with the puppies. I do the evening shift till 5am then my husband does the morning shift 5-12 noon. With this being the case we are not able to work. This is a full-time job helping mama and cleaning after the pups.

 We keep the pups in our family room, so they are in the high traffic area and surrounded by all the noise (TV, music, and 5 grandkids). 

 We go through a 37.5 pound of Purina Pro Plan Puppy food every 3 days for the first seven weeks for mom (she eats 10-12 bowls of food and around 15 bowls of water every day).  Mom needs her nutrients for nursing puppies. 

 We give Esbilac goat milk to mom for the first 4 weeks also and start the puppies around 2 weeks.  I buy the 5lbs bag for around $150.  This is the beginning stage of weening the puppies. They still nurse several times a day till 6 weeks then we only allow mom to nurse 3 times a day for a short period. 

 At two weeks we feed Esbilac goat milk to the puppies and week 3 we start adding Purina Pro Plan Puppy food to make mush.  Around week 5 puppies only get Esbilac goat milk only in the morning mixed with Purina Pro Plan Puppy food.  The remainder of the day they just get Purina Pro Plan Puppy food.

 We have 8 crates for crate training.  We start crate training at 6 weeks, and we use lots of Astro turf for our inside potting training.

 For entertainment we have lots of Puppy toys (slide, swing, tunnel, cube with hanging play toys).

 We deworm at 2, 4, and 6 weeks.

 We do 2 loads of laundry a day for the first 4 weeks.

 Puppies will get their first set of immunizations at 8 weeks, and their heath certificates from our vet.