When can puppies go to their new home?

At 8 weeks of age, our puppies are ready to go to their forever homes. At this point, they are well-socialized, confident, and ready to be placed in their new homes. Until this age, all of our puppies remain with us, whether they are picked up or delivered to their new homes.

Do you provide a warranty of your puppies?

Yes we do! We are committed to responsible breeding and only breed from the healthiest dogs that have solid pedigrees. We have done everything possible to minimize risks however in an unlikely event that your puppy should have a genetic defect, that we have tested for, we offer a one-year guarantee with an option to extend. It is impossible to guarantee perfect health. While genetics play a key role in your puppy’s overall health so does nutrition and environmental factors as well. Yes, we do have a guarantee on our puppies for genetics and hips. The details are spelled out in our contract which you will be issued upon placing your deposit. Yes we do! We are committed to responsible breeding and only breed from the healthiest dogs that have solid pedigrees. We have done everything possible to minimize risks however in an unlikely event that your puppy should have a genetic defect, that we have tested for, we offer a one-year guarantee with an option to extend. It is impossible to guarantee perfect health. While genetics play a key role in your puppy’s overall health so does nutrition and environmental factors as well.

Do you have references?

Yes! Please reach out to us and we will send you a few references of people who have purchased dogs from us in the past.

Do you allow visitors?

Of course, we welcome you to visit our home. We allow visitors once the puppies are 5 weeks old by appointment only, this ensures they have had enough vaccinations for it to be safe for you and our puppies. Sometimes we only allow visitors to meet the parents of the dogs not the puppies for safety reasons. We do ask that you do not bring any animals with you when visiting, this is to protect all of our puppies when they are still so young. Due to COVID-19, we have become a little more strict with visitors so visiting might be restricted.

Note: We are more than willing to Facetime you the puppies, parents, and where our puppies live and sleep because sometimes visiting is not an option and we want you to feel comfortable with choosing us for your puppy. We chose all our dogs as puppies from pictures & videos, so we understand the want to visit in person but rest assure we will do whatever we can to make sure you make a great choice when picking a puppy since we had to do that ourselves.

Do you remove the dew claws?

No. There is a lot of different opinions on this, but we do not remove the dew claws. From researching ourselves we made this decision because of the risk of pain for the dogs over their lifetime, it also has been said it can negatively affect their muscles. We don’t recommend it to anyone buying a puppy.

What is an english golden retriever?

A question we get asked a lot is what is the difference between a Golden Retriever and an English Cream Golden Retriever, and there is a difference but they are both classified as Golden Retrievers by the AKC. The reason they are referred to as “English Cream Golden Retrievers” is to distinguish the difference in European and American lines of the golden retriever. We chose the European version of this breed because of their amazing health, their average lifespan is nearly 1 to 2 years longer than American Golden Retrievers because of their amazing health, it has also been shown than 60% of American Goldens die of cancer. Their temperament is much calmer and mellow compared to American retrievers, which makes them amazing therapy and family dogs. Their coat is much lighter, they are built with blockier heads and lower to the ground which we think helps with their hip and elbow dysplasia in addition to great genetics.

What is the price of a puppy?

Our puppy cost is $3000-3500 for AKC Limited Registration. The price for our puppies reflects the quality of all our parents including champion bloodlines & amazing health clearances. It also represents our lifetime support, guarantee, and the way our puppies are taken care of in our home before going home to you. Your deposit of $250 goes toward the cost of the puppy.

How do I get on Claiborne Golden’s waiting list?

If you are interested in a current or future litter, please click 'Puppy Application' button above. Once the application has been submitted, we will reach out to you to start the process of interviewing you for our puppies. We do interviews to ensure we are a good fit for you and your family and that the puppies go to the best family.

Our waiting list order is based on the date the application & deposit are received, so please submit the application as soon as you can so we can move forward with the process. After approval, the contract will be sent for review and a non-refundable $250 deposit is due along with our contract. 

If the deposit is not received within the agreed terms & time, we cannot guarantee your placement. We accept deposits in form of checks, cash, PayPal, or Venmo.

How does the puppy selection process work?

Once the puppies have reached 6 weeks old, it is time to choose your puppy! The reason we wait until the puppies are 6 weeks old is to allow time for the puppies’ personalities to develop and to be fully examined by our veterinarian. Until week 6 we observe all of our puppies as they grow and develop and post photos and videos of the litter each week. At 6 weeks old we perform tests that tell us more about their independence, confidence, dominance, and overall personality.

At week 6 we will text multiple pictures and videos to you of each puppy and describe their personality and traits to the best of our ability. Before you choose your puppy, we will discuss with you the type of temperament you are wanting so we can best help match you. If you are very active you might want a puppy that is busier than someone who isn’t on the go as much. Our puppies are a lifetime commitment and a member of your family, so it is our responsibility as well as yours to help in any way we can to make sure it is a perfect match for the puppy and you.

The selecting of your puppy is done in the order the application & deposit is received and you each will have 8 hours to choose.

We will start with the person who has 1st pick and move down the list in order, everyone has 8 hours to make a decision.

We know it is not always possible to pick out your puppy in person, so with facetime and video and photos to help you make your decision.

All of the puppies are given nicknames but you pick the name of the puppy. His/her name will start with “Claiborne.” (Example – Claiborne Cocoa Bliss) this will be their official recorded name. You can have any “Call” name if you choose to.

At this point 50% of the payment is due.

Keep in mind: We will not know the number or genders of the puppies for sure until they are born. If you are the last one to select and the puppy is not what you had in mind you will have the option of moving to the next litter in the order next available. At that time, I will contact those on the waiting list first to offer the puppy to them before advertising on our Facebook page. Claiborne Golden reserves the right to select the first 2 puppies from each litter.

Where are you located?

My husband and I live in Longview, Texas on 5 acres, then we are surrounded by 50+ acres owned by our neighbors and family. Sara’s parents are at the end of the road so our dogs have plenty of room to run and play and are constantly between the two houses. Longview, Texas is located 2 1/2 hours away from Dallas and 1 hour outside of Shreveport, Louisiana, easily accessible from I-20.

Are you a kennel?

We are not a kennel, all of our Goldens are our pets and live in our home with us and lounge while watching tv. Kevin plays ball with them every night in the yard while I cook their meals. They have a lot of room to run and play and love to spend a lot of time outside, on the porch furniture, or inside the house. We have visited several breeders who keep their dogs locked in kennels all day, and that is just isn’t a good life for anyone especially goldens who love to be with people.

Where do your adult dogs live?

Our dogs live inside and have free access to two different fenced yards. We chose to have two yards that are connected by a gate so if we are having friends over they can be put in one yard and when there are no guests they can roam from yard to yard. One yard is a tad smaller and connected to our doggy door with a small porch, and the other yard is bigger and connected to our large back porch with furniture that they enjoy lounging on. Rarely are our dogs left alone, but if we leave we have several security cameras outside so we can watch them. We also use the two yards to separate the dogs when needed. When the mothers are nursing, don’t want them to breed, or just gave birth they use the smaller yard so they can have more privacy and not so much stress of the other dogs possibly running and playing too rough. We also use the back porch for the puppies when they are a little older to get some fresh air!

Are your dogs AKC registered? Do you offer full registration?

All of our puppies are AKC registered and they automatically come with limited registration. Limited registration gives you all the rights of AKC registration, but it makes any litters/puppies the dog would be unregisterable. On a case by case basis, we offer full registration to approved individuals for an additional fee. Limited registration means the dog will be a family pet and the owner will not be able to use the dog for breeding purposes and the dog may not be allowed in some AKC shows. Unlimited registration means there are no limitations on breeding or showing.

Do you ship?

Pick up and taking home your puppy occurs after the puppy is 8 weeks old, the remainder of the payment is due at this time.

You are responsible to pick up your puppy on the pre-scheduled date, usually on the afternoon of the weekend after the puppies have turned 8 weeks. You need to have your own crate.

We offer FREE local pick up in Longview, Texas and surrounding East Texas areas that are less than 1 hour.

$300 for up to 2.5 hour car delivery from our home to yours - this includes DFW & Shreveport, LA airports for pick up. Sometimes further car deliveries are available on a case-by-case basis and these deliveries are charged based on mileage. We are willing to work with you on other locations if necessary, we try our best to work with families on various options for meeting to get their puppy!

Delivery

$1000 personal delivery by one of our team members to your closest major airport (this option is for 8 week old puppies only).

SHIPPING

We are not comfortable shipping our puppies in cargo. If you live out of state we suggest you flying into the DFW airport and you can take the puppy back in the cabin with you. This is usually cheaper than flying the puppy in the cargo, also much less traumatic for your puppy. With COVID they have become stricter with shipping puppies which has caused the price to go up.

You may choose to pick up your puppy later then the specified Sunday. We are glad to give you this option and provide care for $100 a week.

Are all your dogs health tested?

Yes!! All of our dogs must pass hip, elbow, heart, and eye clearances before entering our breeding program. We also look at temperament before breeding in addition to the health clearances. Our dogs are OFA Certified for heart and eyes and PENNHIP for hips. We also have only selected dogs for breeding that have longevity and no health problems in their bloodlines.

Do goldens shed a lot?

Yes they do!  I suggest purchasing a Roomba and scheduling it to run at night & we have a brushing routine. We use the furminator and it helps a lot with their double coat - we have also heard fish oil helps! I had a golden growing up and during the summer we always had her shaved, but now I have learned that their coat actually protects them from hot and cold temperatures so shaving doesn’t help them it actually prevents their coat from protecting them from the sun!

Should I spay or neuter?

We feel that waiting to spay/neuter is beneficial for health and longevity of your golden. There has been research that has lead us to believe that spaying/neutering at a young age before puberty will have negative effects, increasing chances of joint issues and cancer, and also affects their growth due to the lack of hormones. We ask that you do not spay/neuter before the age of one year old and no later than the age of 24 months.

Can we come for a visit?

We encourage families to visit our home and see how our dogs live, we usually do not allow people to visit the puppies because of how fragile their immune systems are. But we will gladly show off our studs & dams with special protocol to ensure the safety of you and our dogs. Due to covid we have changed up our visiting procedures. Thankfully with technology, it is easy to FaceTime now if you would like to see our dogs, where they sleep, the puppies in our home. Also, through our website and Facebook page, Claiborne Golden, we provide a lot of information for you to get to know us. We do allow families to come on pick up day after puppies have been given shots and certain protocols are in place!

We chose all our dogs via Facetime and online so we understand that it is scary so we go above and beyond to make sure you feel confident in your decision with lots of videos and photos!

Do you offer Stud Services?

Email or text us and we will send you a stud contract to look over! When we receive the signed stud contract we will ask you to bring us the female after progesterone testing has been done which determines the very best day to breed. Progesterone testing make it easy for you to know best day to come breed naturally or to meet at the vet for Artifical Insemination. We also collect and ship Navy’s semen, we will ship semen all over the U.S.

You will need to contact your veterinarian and discuss artificial insemination and testing the bitch’s cycle to determine exact best days for insemination. Semen is collected and shipped FedEx overnight to your vet’s office. The semen is stabilized using an extender and is good for 72 hours or more. The semen will come boxed with a freeze pack that will help to preserve it until it is inseminated. There are some extra fees associated with this method, please contact us right away so we can order the shipping kit.

What do you feed your dogs?

We feed Purina Pro Plan and Royal Canin. Among the many reasons, the food is high quality and the results speak for themselves. A high quality food will have less filler and more nourishing ingredients, this results in better health, higher energy, and smaller, less frequent stools. We also feed a once a day supplement called NuVet that can be thought of as a vitamin for dogs. The product was recommended to us by other professional breeders and we also have seen good results from the two.

In addition to kibble, we also feed our puppies and dogs homemade meals: chicken, rice, sardines, and fruits & vegetables.

For puppies less than one year we feed Royal Canin Puppy. It has the proven nutrition that puppies need for forming their bones and helping their immune systems. The puppies also get a nutritional supplement after age 6 weeks. They are fed a daily NuVet vitamin and nutritional supplement.

What kinds of pictures do you provide as we wait for our puppy?

We make pictures and post them to the website at birth, 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks, 6 weeks, and 8 1/2 weeks. They will either be posted on the days that puppies are exactly these ages or possibly one or two days later.

At birth, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 3 weeks, we take several group shots.

At 4 weeks and 5 weeks, we will provide a few videos and 2 or 3 individual pictures of each puppy.

At 6 weeks old the puppy selection happens so we provide a video and several individual photos of each puppy. In this set of pictures, there will be a few pictures of every puppy standing and/or sitting on the ground as well as a close up face shot.

At 7 1/2 - 8 weeks, we will take 2 or 3 individual pictures of each puppy right before they are picked up. Between 7 weeks and the time puppies leave us, we will do a short video of each puppy going through their training exercises.