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Joyful Golden Retrievers
AKC - The American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club (AKC), a not-for-profit organization, is the nation's oldest and largest purebred dog registry, dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs, and breeding for type and function. ALL Joyful Golden Retrievers are registered with the AKC and we recommend all our owners to register their puppies too.
What is the AKC's purpose?
Purebred Dog Registry:
The AKC maintains a registry of purebred dogs, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of pedigrees.
Promoting the Sport of Purebred Dogs:
The AKC promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including dog shows and obedience trials.
Advocating for Purebred Dogs:
The AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being, and works to protect the rights of all dog owners.
Promoting Responsible Dog Ownership:
The AKC educates the public about responsible dog ownership and encourages responsible breeding practices.
Supporting Canine Health and Research:
The AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF) funds scientific research to prevent, treat, and cure canine diseases.
Breed Standards:
The AKC develops and maintains breed standards, which are guidelines for the characteristics of different purebred dog breeds.
Canine Good Citizen Program:
The AKC offers a training program called Canine Good Citizen, which teaches good manners to dogs and responsible dog ownership to their owners.
Kennel Inspections:
The AKC has a kennel inspection program to ensure that breeders are maintaining appropriate standards for their dogs.
OFA - The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is a non-profit organization that provides a database for health testing records, including radiographs (x-rays) and genetic test results, for dogs and cats, aiming to reduce the incidence of genetic diseases in companion animals.
ALL Joyful Golden Retrievers will have OFA hip, elbow, cardiac echo, yearly eye exams and genetic panels run with passing grades before being a part of our breeding program. All of our results are open to the public and listed on our male and female pages of our website.
Purpose:
The OFA's mission is to promote the health and welfare of companion animals by reducing the incidence of genetic diseases.
Database:
The OFA maintains a database of health testing records, including radiographs for hip and elbow dysplasia, and genetic test results for various diseases.
Services:
Health Testing: The OFA provides services for screening dogs for hip and elbow dysplasia through radiographic evaluation.
Genetic Testing:
The OFA also offers DNA-based disease tests and databases for specific genetic conditions.
Database Access:
The OFA's website and databases provide breeders and prospective owners with tools to research potential breeding mates and common health risks.
Breeders:
OFA testing helps breeders make informed decisions about breeding practices, aiming to produce healthier puppies.
Prospective Owners:
The OFA's databases can help prospective owners research breeds and common health risks, as well as potential parents, to pursue the healthiest offspring possible.
History:
The OFA was founded in 1966 by John M. Olin after several of his dogs became affected by hip dysplasia.
CHIC Program:
The OFA also has a Canine Health Information Center (CHIC) program that encourages breed-specific health testing and promotes the release of test results into the public domain.
OFA Numbers:
The OFA assigns numbers to dogs after reviewing their radiographs, and these numbers are accepted by the American Kennel Club (AKC) for dogs with permanent identification.
Puppy Culture & Early Neurological Stimulation
So you get your puppy home at 8 weeks...is your puppy prepared for normal daily stresses? Are they scared or at ease? Do they hide from kids, men or cars? Do they get jumpy around sudden noises? ENS is designed to introduce your puppy from a very early age to mild stressors in a controlled way. By the time you get your puppy they will be ready to conquer the world confidently and courageously.
So how does it work? We start at three days old by tickling the puppy's feet with a Q-tip and positioning the puppy in various positions. Throughout the next 8 weeks we advance to noise stressors, object stressors and people stressors. Each session only takes about 30 seconds. Puppies are so smart! All exercises are introduced in a controlled way with problem solving so the pup learns even if scared to recover quickly and understand the the pup is safe.
All these stressors help stimulate the neurological system which improves the growth and development of the pup's immune system, cardiovascular system, and stress tolerance.
If you have any questions regarding Early Neurological Stimulation, please visit the Puppy Culture website or feel free to contact us.
Genetic Testing
Genetics can be very interesting but very confusing to those who are not familiar with them! You may be wondering what it means when your puppy is or has the potential to be "clear" or a "carrier" for a certain disease. You may not even know that was a thing...As a pet owner you may not think that finding a breeder that conducts genetic testing is important but it is probably one of the most important things to make sure your breeder does! If you are purchasing as a breeder, genetics are one of the important aspects to consider when planning pairings.
Genetic testing is essential to being a responsible breeder in order to produce the healthiest puppies possible! All of these diseases are avoidable!
Common Golden Retriever Diseases
All the diseases below are avoidable! Make sure your breeder is doing the genetic testing to ensure no affected puppies are produced!
- Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome,CMS (COLQ,Golden Retriever Variant)
- Degenerative Myelopathy,DM (SOD1A)
- Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (COL7A1,Golden Retriever Variant)
- Golden Retriever Progressive Retinal Atrophy 1,GR-PRA1 (SLC4A3)
- Golden Retriever Progressive Retinal Atrophy 2,GR-PRA2 (TTC8)
- Ichthyosis, ICH1 (PNPLA1,Golden Retriever Variant)
- Ichthyosis, ICH2 (ABHD5,Golden Retriever Variant)
- Muscular Dystrophy (DMD,Golden Retriever Variant)
- Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis 5,NCL 5 (CLN5 Exon 4 Deletion,Golden Retriever Variant)
- Osteogenesis Imperfecta,Brittle Bone Disease (COL1A1,Golden Retriever Variant)
- Progressive Retinal Atrophy, prcd (PRCD Exon 1)
- Retina Dysplasia and/or Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (SIX6 Exon 1,Golden Retriever Variant)
GOOD DOG ORGANIZATION
Good Dog is an organization that is dedicated to supporting and educating good breeders around the country. They have brought the best veterinarians and educators together to support qualified breeders. Joyful Golden Retrievers is proud to be a part of the Good Dog/Good Breeder Community.
Good Dog and Joyful Golden Retrievers know that a dog is much more than a dog — they’re a member of the family and a best friend for life. When the source of your new best friend has such a big impact on their health, behavior, and well-being, finding the right one should not be left to chance.
How does Good Dog evaluate breeding programs?
The screening department comprehensively considers many aspects of a breeding program, focusing on five key areas:
- Breeding practices
- Physical health of the breeding dogs and puppies
- Mental health of the breeding dogs and puppies
- Environment
- Buyer education and policies
Good Dog evaluates each key area is assessed individually and an assessment is also made on the program as a whole.
ORGANIZATIONS & AFFILIATIONS
