Golden Retrievers originated in the British Isles. A Scottish lord, Baron Tweedmouth, was the first Golden Retriever breeder. The Baron desired to breed a yellow-coated water spaniel that had tracking and retrieving skills as well as the charm of a family pet. Using various dog breeds including the now-extinct Tweed Water Spaniel, the Newfoundland, the Irish Setter and the Bloodhound, Baron Tweedmouth bred an eventual litter of four Golden Retrievers. These four puppies were the ancestors of modern Golden Retrievers.

Developed by a Scottish Lord in the 1800s, Golden Retrievers are the result of breeding various water spaniels, bloodhounds and the Irish Setter. The resulting breed has resulting characteristics of all. Any Golden Retriever breeder can tell you that Golden Retrievers love water, are skilled at hunting and tracking and make excellent companions.

The American Kennel Club registered the Golden Retriever in 1925 and the breed has had an illustrious competition history since. A Golden Retriever won the very first obedience championship. Few Golden Retrievers are behavior school dropouts. The breed excels at following directions and learning new skills.

Many buyers desire not only purebred Golden Retriever puppies but also champion purebreds. Though the price is higher, puppies from champion lines retain their value and may pay owners back in a big way if they win in competition. Unfortunately, because of the demand for Golden Retrievers, there are illegitimate breeders who will falsify records to raise the price of non-champion litters.

These breeders use puppy mills to make a profit by churning out a high number of litters in a short period of time. This practice causes both mothers and puppies to become unhealthy.

A Golden Retriever breeder loves the breed want to know where their puppies will end up and would like to stay connected with them and hear about their progress. Breeders who sell to pet stores don't know or care what type of home Golden retrievers end up in and do not try to keep in touch with buyers once money changes hands.

A Golden Retriever breeder you should avoid is any that sells puppies to pet stores. Reputable Golden Retriever breeders have a good reputation in their communities and do not need to have pet stores broker or sell puppies for them. Good breeders love their breed and will therefore not ship them away to be stocked on shelves like merchandise. A breeder that treats animals as objects is a bad breeder. A breeder that does not care where or with whom the puppies end up is a bad breeder.

A Golden Retriever breeder that asks no questions of buyers to determine whether buyers and puppies are a good match is a bad breeder. It is important that buyers do their research before purchase so that they do not feed the cycle of bad breeders making a profit and churning out more puppies in their puppy mills. Good breeders ask buyers many questions. The goal of the good Golden Retriever breeder is to find puppies a good home.