FAQ
Please Read Through Our Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to the most frequently asked questions about Iron Range Goldens below. Please fill out a inquiry form under contact tab, email, or facebook message, if you have additional questions or if you are inquiring about a puppy.
WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
We are located in a small town of Bovey, Minnesota.
WHAT IS EARLY NEUROLOGICAL STIMULATION?
Here is a great article on Early Neurological Stimulation, https://breedingbetterdogs.com/article/early-neurological-stimulation
WILL I BE ABLE TO WATCH MY PUPPY GROW?
Yes! We post weekly updates on our puppies so you can watch them change and grow each week! Join our facebook page for additional photos and videos, Iron Range Goldens.
WHERE ARE YOUR PUPPIES RAISED?
Iron Range Golden puppies are born and raised in our home. When they are four weeks old, they are moved from the whelping box in our room, out to a larger playpen area. Our play areas have access for the puppies to start going outside where they can begin to explore their new world.
WHAT WILL MY PUPPY COME WITH?
All puppies will go home with a puppy basket, AKC Limited paperwork, Vet Exams, First set of Shots and wormed at 3,5,7 weeks.
CAN WE COME SEE THE PUPPIES AND YOUR PLACE?
We allow people to come pick out their puppies in person starting when the puppies are around 6 weeks. We start by going down the list in order of deposit. At that time, you will set up a time and day you would like to come meet everyone. We will help guide you in choosing your puppy to match the best puppy to your lifestyle.
*It is not realistic to accommodate every visit request we receive. We limit visits to the families who have placed deposits. These families have already taken the steps of filling out an inquiry form, health guarantee, placed a deposit and talked with us during the first 6 weeks of their puppy's life before ever coming to our home. Limiting visitors also helps keep our puppies safer. Thank you for understanding.
DO YOU REQUIRE A DEPOSIT?
The puppy contract/health guarantee must be signed, and an inquiry form filled out prior to a deposit being placed. We require a $800.00 non-refundable deposit to hold a puppy for you. (Remaining balance of $1200 plus $157.50 total tax is due during picking selection at 6 weeks. Puppies will go home at 8 weeks).
Deposits are accepted by cash, check or PayPal.
*Do not send a deposit without communicating with us first.
In the case a pregnancy did not take or there are not enough puppies of your chosen gender you will have three options to choose from.
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Full deposit returned
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Choice of the opposite gender
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Move your deposit to another litter
We accept 4 male and 4 female deposits for a litter. Puppies are reserved in the order of which we receive the deposits.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REFUND ANY DEPOSIT!
Iron Range Goldens reserves the right to refund a deposit if we feel that placing a puppy in a particular home is not in the puppy's best interest. We do not sell our puppies to anyone that we don't feel will give a good home to the puppy.
WHEN CAN I BRING MY PUPPY HOME?
Puppies are ready to go home at 8 weeks. Puppies Must be picked up between 8 and 9 weeks of age, unless prior arrangements have been made. We can hold your puppy for an additional week (week 9 to 10) at a fee of $15 a day. If the puppy requires vaccinations during the stay, that will be a separate fee. If your puppy has not been picked up by 10 weeks, we reserve the right to put your puppy back up as available and you will forfeit your deposit.
HOW MUCH DO YOUR PUPPIES COST?
Our puppies are $2,000 plus tax for pet homes with limited AKC registration. $800 nonrefundable deposit, $1200 remaining balance plus total tax, $157.50, will be due during picking selection at 6 weeks. (Puppies go home at 8 weeks). Total puppy price for 2024, $2157.50.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIMITED AND FULL REGISTRATION?
Limited Registration means that the dog is registered but no litters produced by that dog are eligible for registration. A dog registered with an AKC Limited Registration shall be ineligible to be entered in a breed competition in a licensed or member dog show. It is eligible, however, to be entered in any other licensed or member event. These events include: Obedience, Tracking, Field Trials, Hunting Tests, Herding, Lure Coursing, Agility and Earthdog.
Full registration is for those who are looking to actively show their dog, or would like to breed.
DO YOU OFFER FULL REGISTRATION?
No, our puppies are sold to pet homes on limited registration only.
HOW DOES THE PUPPY SELECTION PROCESS WORK?
Puppies are selected in order of deposits received. Puppy selection can be difficult at an early age, so we wait until pups are around 6 weeks old to begin the selection process. This gives the puppies some time to develop physically and emotionally. Every puppy is designated a colored collar from birth so that we can observe and note the personalities of each puppy as they grow.
DO YOU OFFER SHIPPING?
No shipping available at this time!
*We can arrange to meet at the airport for families flying in.
Yes, take note we will only ship to a major airport!
We charge an additional 500 for shipping. Which includes;
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A health exam and certificate provided by our vet for air travel
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An airline approved travel crate
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A Food and Water Dish
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The flight made to travel during a safe temperature
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Delivery to the airport
WHAT HEALTH CLEARANCES DO YOUR DOGS HAVE?
Iron Range Goldens have OFA testing and are tested for Progressive Retinal Atrophy or PRA-prcd, Golden Retriever PRA GR-PRA1 & GR-PRA2, Muscular Dystrophy, Degenerative Myelopathy, Ichthyosis and Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis.
A previous OFA veterinary journal publication* compared the reliability of the preliminary evaluation hip grade phenotype with the 2 year old evaluation in dogs and there was 100% reliability for a preliminary grade of excellent being normal at 2 years of age (excellent, good, or fair). There was 97.9% reliability for a preliminary grade of good being normal at 2 years of age, and 76.9% reliability for a preliminary grade of fair being normal at 2 years of age. Reliability of preliminary evaluations increased as age at the time of preliminary evaluation increased, regardless of whether dogs received a preliminary evaluation of normal hip conformation or HD. For normal hip conformations, the reliability was 89.6% at 3-6 months, 93.8% at 7-12 months, and 95.2% at 13-18 months. These results suggest that preliminary evaluations of hip joint status in dogs are generally reliable.
*Please Note
OFA is a great tool we use to make our breeding decisions. However, we want to make it clear that it is not possible to produce 100 % perfectly healthy dogs. A dog is a living creature, not a product on a shelf. Again, it is very important to understand there are no perfect dogs! There is a misconception that if the parents are tested, all the puppies will be completely healthy for life. Golden retrievers are prone to a wide variety of health issues. Everything from eye, heart, hip and elbow problems to allergies, hot spots, skin issues, immune mediated diseases, hypothyroidism, epilepsy and cancer. Cancer is the main cause of death of golden retrievers. Every breed of dog has their own set of health issues. Most health screenings tell us only what a dog’s health is at one period in time. For example, the orthopedic foundation of animals was founded in 1966. After 55 years of Breeders using selective breeding, hip and elbow dysplasia still remain one of the top issues of dogs. Do not be misled when a breeder tells you the parents are tested so your puppy will never have any of those issues. “Pay more up front, so you don’t spend more in medical bills later,” they say. The truth is dogs with excellent hips can produce puppies with dysplastic hips and vice versa. The same goes for heart and eyes. The health screenings are not perfect but they do allow us to stack the deck in our favor. You have a better percentage chance at a healthier puppy out of health tested lines going back multiple generations but I cannot stress enough, it doesn’t mean you will never run into health problems during your dog’s life.
We find Genetic testing is very important and offers more potential! For golden retrievers these include; Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL), Ichthyosis (ICH), Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRCD, PRA1 and PRA2), Muscular Dystrophy (MD), and Degenerative Myelopathy (DM). These are autosomal recessive genetic mutations. A puppy or dog must inherit a copy of the mutation from each parent in order to be affected. Genetic testing allows us detect asymptomatic carriers and affected dogs prior to breeding to avoid producing affected offspring. At this time, genetic testing has a limited number of tests available. Our hope with the different genetic laboratories and the foundations continuous research that more advanced reliable health screenings and more genetic tests become available in the years to come.
HOW MANY LITTERS DO YOU HAVE A YEAR? DO YOU EVER HAVE MORE THAN 1 LITTER AT A TIME.
We have between 2 and 5 litters a year. It often happens that litters will overlap because girls living in the same home tend to come in season together.