Purchasing a Puppy
Not all Golden Retriever litters are created equal, even good quality litters/dogs within a litter will have a range of temperament and energy level. Some are more laid back couch potato type while others are the workaholics that want to be kept busy; with every energy level in between. It is important to find the right litter that matches your needs. It is important to think about how this new member of your family will fit in, and what expectations you have. Will this be a hunting companion, a dog to play ball with the kids, a dog to go for long walks? Just because a reputable breeder has a litter available it does not mean the litter is right for you. I first try to determine if a litter is appropriate for a particular family by asking how they see the puppy fitting into their home. If I feel a potential home and a litter are a good match I will accept a deposit. However I usually do not actually accept the deposit until I know that bitch is pregnant, which is 21 days following the last breeding date. My pet contract is online and I have links to the litter pedigree and health clearances on the sire and dam. I will send a questionaire to potential homes to help me determine if a particular litter is appropriate for their home and requests such as sex preferred, ages of children, family member who will take primary responsibility for the pet, special needs such as hunting, etc and in general how they see this new family member fitting into their family. I use these letters to help remind me of specific traits and situations when I am doing the Puppy Aptitude Testing to help me determine which puppy goes to which home.
Puppy Aptitude Testing (PAT) is performed at 7 weeks of age. This testing helps us evaluate potential differences among littermates. PAT was developed from a combination of different research projects. Puppies are tested on both social and obedience aptitude. These tests help give us indications of different personality traits of different puppies. We use this information to help determine which puppy goes to which home. Puppy owners do not pick out their own puppy. It’s not a matter of people coming out and say “oh that one’s cute” They’re all cute. Cute is not a problem for Golden Retriever puppies :). We try to match the right temperament with the right home. After watching a litter develop and then evaluating the temperament test we are better able to pick the right puppy for the right home.
Cost – Puppies are sold as either pet or competition puppies. Pet puppies are sold with a pet contract and with limited registration. Limited registration means that if bred puppies from that dog could not be registered. Our pet puppies are not to be bred and we strongly encourage spay/neutering. Pet puppies range from $2000 - $2,500. A deposit, of usually $500-$800, is required to hold your puppy with the remainder due when you pick up your puppy.
Competition puppies are sold with a variety of contracts and guarantees depending on the litter and desires of the purchaser. This can be discussed. Competition puppies range from $2,000 - $3,000 depending on the litter and contract/guarantee desired.
Shipping - We have shipped puppies all over the country and are fine with this. We do encourage finding a direct flight if possible, even if you have to make a bit of a drive. We know out of Oklahoma City this is not always possible. We do charge an extra fee for this as it takes signfiicant time to get a puppy properly crate trained, special trip and cost to the vet to get a health certificate, time to purchase/prepare the crate and the actual trip to the airport. Even if you fly in and take the puppy with you we will still charge a fee as puppy still has to be crate trained and have the trip for health certificate. Depending on situation $200-$400 plus the cost of the shipping and crate.
Extended Stay - If a puppy is here for more than 2 weeks after the designated "go to new home date" there will be $20. a day of board. By that age it is important for puppies to no longer be treated like a litter and must start their house and crate training and basic obedience lessons and travel sociaiization.
Naming – All puppies from Benden kennel are registered with “Benden” as the prefix of their name. Each litter has a litter theme with naming criteria. Usually this is a word designation such as the word “school” as the litter designation. All puppies in the litter would have the word "school" somewhere in their registered name. Example – Benden’s School’s Out Forever. The call name can be any name you choose. AKC limits a name to 33 letters and spaces. For an additional fee you name can be up to 50 letters and spaces. It is the responsibility of the Buyer to send the registered name to the Seller in writing.