How much does a Golden Retriever puppy cost?

Each breeder sets the price of a Golden Retriever puppy, and the useful question is what sits behind the figure, such as how the parents were tested and what goes home with the puppy. Golden Retriever puppies listed on Puppy Connection right now are priced at $1,300.

A higher price is worth paying only when you can see what it buys, so the sections below walk through the things that can separate one Golden listing from the next.

What moves the price of a Golden Retriever?

Start with the work the breeder did on the parents before the litter was planned. For Goldens used in breeding, the national club's list covers hips, elbows, heart and eyes, plus a DNA test for the Golden form of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis. Those exams take time and money, so when two litters differ in price, ask whether both sets of parents were tested.

Registration is the next thing to compare, and AKC will only register a litter whose mother and father are both registered Goldens, so papers say something about the parents too. A puppy can also be sold on limited registration, which means the dog is registered but any litter it has later cannot be. Only the breeder can lift that limit, so ask which kind a listing means if you care about breeding someday.

Color comes up with Goldens because listings may use names like cream, light golden and red. The breed standard asks for a rich, lustrous golden of various shades and calls a coat that is extremely pale or extremely dark undesirable. A cream or red puppy is still a Golden Retriever, so a price raised for color alone deserves a question.

Which problems do Golden breeders screen for?

AKC notes that responsible Golden breeders screen for elbow and hip dysplasia, eye conditions including juvenile cataracts and pigmentary uveitis, and heart disease such as subvalvular aortic stenosis. Hip results also take time, because OFA will certify hips only once a dog is at least 24 months old, so a parent with final hip results on file has been tested as an adult.

Ask for the parents' registered names and look the results up yourself, since OFA keeps health screening results in a public database.

What comes home with the puppy?

All 3 listings here come with a vet exam and a health record. Each listing says what that puppy goes home with.

Two listings at the same price can differ a great deal once you add up the vet visits, vaccinations, microchip and any written guarantee. Read what each breeder includes, and ask what a guarantee covers and for how long, because the terms are the breeder's own.

How do deposits work?

Breeders who take a deposit ask $500 to hold a puppy. Before you send a deposit, ask the breeder whether it is refundable, what happens if the puppy does not pass its vet check, and how the rest of the price is paid.

On payment, the FTC's line is that a seller demanding gift cards, payment apps, cryptocurrency or a wire is running a scam, and a credit card gives you more protection. It also says a seller who will not let you visit, video chat or talk by phone is a reason to move on.

What should you ask a Golden Retriever breeder?

Ask to see the hip, elbow, heart and eye results for both parents, and ask whether the NCL DNA test was done. Ask what the parents weigh as adults and whether you can meet the mother. Ask what the price includes, what the deposit holds, and when the puppy can go home.

See Golden Retriever puppies

The Golden Retriever puppies listed on Puppy Connection each show the breeder's price and what that breeder includes, so you can take any of the questions above to the breeder named on the listing.