"Cream" Goldens - what's the deal?
Cream Goldens are just what it sounds like --- Golden Retrievers whose coats are light in color. They are erroneously referred to as "European Creams", "English Creams" and other variations.
The names originated in the US, as people wanted to differentiate their Goldens with European bloodlines from the American Golden. The AKC does not recognize this as a separate breed and in Europe, they are simply called Golden Retrievers. Since 1925, the AKC has recognized the Golden Retriever as a breed.
The breed (of any color) originated in Scotland and is thought to have first been shown in England. In 1868, Sir Dudley Marjoribanks (aka Lord Tweedmouth) mated a Yellow Wavy Coated Retriever to a Tweed Water Spaniel and the Golden Retriever breed was born.
Every 5 years, Goldens from around the world make the pilgrimage back to Guisachan House (pronounded goose-a-kin) in Tomich, Scotland. It's a quite a site to see nearly 500 Golden Retrievers and their people walking through the town to the grand house!
The reason having European bloodlines is so sought after is very practical.
The average rate of Goldens affected by cancer in the USA is 62%, compared to the European average of 33%!
July 2023
The annual pilgrimage to Guisachan House is shown in the above photo
About Dopey Dutch Puppies
Dopey Dutch Breeding Philosophy
Getting a dog from a Champion bloodline is great in that you can be assured the breeders have been responsible and are attempting to uphold the overall standards of the breed. However, many peoiple do not realize that a show dog is not required to pass any health clearances. This is why we spend time doing our homework to ensure the dogs we choose meet the highest standards in HEALTH as well as conformation. Several important conditions cannot be tested for until a dog is 2 years old. Many dogs being shown already have Championships at this point. If heart, hip, eye or elbow issues are discovered at that point, a responsible breeder may continue to show that dog, but will not breed them.
What do you look for in a dog to breed?
In the US, the OFA (the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals) maintains the CHIC Program (Canine Health Information Center) and their approval is the gold standard to which we hold all of our dogs to. Required tests are determined by breed to allow breeders to select dogs with less propensity to the major afflictions of any breed.
For Golden Retrievers, the OFA testing includes genetic tests, hip, heart (Advanced Cardiac - EKG) eye and elbow evaluations. Although preliminary testing can be done, most of these require the animal to be over 2 years old to ensure they have finished growing.
When you hear a dog 'passed hips', it means they are among the 78% of Goldens that are not likely to develop hip dysplasa. If you see a dog has 'excellent hips', they are among the elite group of 5.4% in this highest rated category. This is the only test with such a dramatic difference between merely passing and achieving an 'excellent' grade. For more information, check out this page on the OFA website: https://ofa.org/chic-programs/browse-by-breed/?breed=GR
In addition to passing health clearances, our dogs are also temperament tested and many have titles in various obedience and skills tests. On 'Our Pack' page, you will see many letters following the names of our dogs. There is a link on that page to the list of AKC titles and what they mean. To ensure dogs are not overly stressed during growth, many titles cannot be obtained until after the 2 year mark. Those tests that are not physically demanding can be done sooner. As an example, Canine Good Citizen (CGC) tests a dog's reaction to ordinary situations and some extraordinary situations. The dog must be calm and unphased during testing to pass.
When a 2 year old dog has passed all their tests, has exhibited an overall good attitude and aptitude for learning and is conformationally correct, they are considered to become part of the breeding program.
After selection, a breeding dog will only be bred once per year and no more than 4 times in their lifetime. After age 6, females are retired, whether they've had 4 litters or not, with only rare exceptions made. Males can be bred much later in life, but also have semen collected and frozen for future use. That is why our pack is 90% female.
Many breeders re-home their females when they are no longer being used for breeding. All of our dogs are family and we are very attached to them, so they remain as part of our family for the rest of their lives, with very few exceptions.
To create a breeding pair, whether using our own dogs or choosing a stud from another kennel, the personality of each dog, their size, color and lineage are all factored in to produce the healthiest, most well-adjusted puppies possible. As with any living thing, situations can (and do) arise, but careful preparation and thorough homework reduce the risk.
Because we take these steps when producing a litter, we offer an excellent guarantee to our new puppy families so that they can rest easy that if something does come up in the first two years, we will be there to help them through it in a variety of ways.
To find our more about the breeding process, please see our "Breeding Process" page or click the "BREEDING" button below.