Before you buy your Golden Retriever, if you are being told it's a purebred, then you are probably being charged a premium. At this point stop and ask yourself if it's worthwhile. If you are looking for a good family pet with a lovable and easy going personality then you may not necessarily want a purebred, moreover you may not need a purebred.

Is this a dog that is going to be a family dog, ready for fun and play with yourself and your kids? Or is this a performance dog or a dog that might be bred someday?

Of course, lots are both of these things but if you don't plan to do anything formal with your dog, then going down the shelter and finding a mix or a Golden Retriever from the lineup will save a doggy life and provide you with a great dog and lots of resources.

Lets assume however that your plan is the former and that you do wish or may wish to participate in some AKC events sometime during the dog's life. If this is the case, then you need to know a few things right now.

First off, your dog cannot be eligible for AKC registration if the litter it came from is not registered. This is really only common sense when you think about it. You should receive from your seller an individual dog registration application.

Now this is critical, your seller, sometimes especially with a pup can't provide this right away. Why? Well most likely with the new litter the seller has either not registered the litter yet or the AKC hasn't responded yet. In any case, thats forgivable with a pup.

However, in lieu of the registration application, if you are being told your dog is an AKC Golden Retriever candidate, then your seller must provide the bill of sale and on the bill of sale the id of your new dog in full.