Built for Golden Retriever breeders

Software That Keeps Up With a Golden Waitlist

Goldens mean big litters, families who found you eight months ago, and buyers who already know to ask for hips, elbows, heart, and eyes. Whelpify gives your program a real website, one organized waitlist, and deposits through your own Stripe account, with no marketplace cut.

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Golden RetrieverSporting Group

Typical litter6to 10 pupsLarge litters, weekly weigh-ins that matter

AKC popularityTop 5Consistently among the most registered breeds

Core clearances4Hips, elbows, heart, eyes on each parent

Go-home8weeksMost programs place at eight weeks or later

About the breed

The Family Dog Everyone Already Wants, Which Is Exactly the Problem

The Golden Retriever was developed in the Scottish Highlands in the late 1800s as a gundog that could retrieve on land and in water. A century and a half later it is one of the most popular breeds in the United States, and demand for well-bred puppies outruns supply in almost every region.

That popularity cuts both ways for a breeder. Families arrive knowing the breed standard, the difference between field and conformation lines, and the fact that "English cream" is a shade of golden and not a separate breed. They expect to see clearances, they expect a waitlist, and they expect to be kept in the loop for months.

Goldens are generally sound into their early teens, but the breed carries well-documented risks: hip and elbow dysplasia, subvalvular aortic stenosis, inherited eye disease, and a high cancer rate that the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study is still working to untangle. Responsible programs screen every generation and publish the results.

Breeding Goldens today

What the Market Looks Like Right Now

Honest context for planning a litter. These are the ranges we see on public listings and in parent club guidance; your region, your lines, and your reputation move them.

Typical pet price$1,500 to $3,500Fully cleared parents and known lines sit at the top; limited registration is the norm for pet homes.

Litter size6 to 10Averages near eight. Plan weigh-in routines and supplementation for the small ones early.

Gestation63 daysFrom ovulation. Progesterone timing is common in Golden programs, especially with shipped semen.

Deposit norms$300 to $500Usually non-refundable, applied to the balance, with the balance due before or at go-home.

Waitlist length6 to 12 monthsEstablished programs commonly carry a waitlist that spans more than one litter.

What buyers ask firstClearancesOFA hips and elbows, a cardiologist exam, and a current eye exam, then cancer history in the line.

Whelping Notes for Goldens

Big litters make birth weights and daily weights your early warning system. Log them from day one so a fading puppy shows up in the numbers before it shows up in behavior.
Early neurological stimulation and structured socialization (Puppy Culture, ENS, or your own program) are widely expected by Golden buyers. If you do it, say so on your site.
Most programs hold puppies to eight weeks, and many states require it. Build the timeline backwards from the go-home date when you schedule vet visits, microchips, and first vaccines.
Field-bred and conformation-bred Goldens attract different families. Being clear about which you breed saves everyone months of mismatched expectations.

Why Golden breeders pick Whelpify

Run a Golden Program Like the Waitlist Business It Is

Three things Golden breeders tell us they spend the most time on, and how Whelpify handles each one out of the box.

01 / Waitlist

Eight Months of Families, Organized

Golden buyers apply early and wait patiently, as long as they hear from you. Every application lands in one waitlist with the family's sex and color preference, timing, and notes attached. When a litter arrives you can see who wanted a light golden female in spring without digging through a spreadsheet or a Facebook inbox.

Light golden · FGolden · anyDark golden · MSpring 2027Has fenced yardTherapy prospect

Preferences captured on the application, visible on every waitlist card

02 / Clearances

Hips, Elbows, Heart, Eyes, on Every Parent Page

Attach OFA numbers, CHIC status, cardiologist and ophthalmologist results, and DNA panels to the sire and dam once. Every litter and puppy page shows the parents' screening beside their photos and pedigree, so the question buyers always ask is answered before they email you.

OFA hipsGood

OFA elbowsNormal

Cardiac (echo)Normal

Eyes (annual)Normal

PRA1 / PRA2Clear

IchthyosisCarrier

03 / Deposits

Ten Deposits, Zero Chasing

Offer a puppy to a family with a response window, take the deposit through your own Stripe account or mark a Zelle payment paid, and let the balance request go out on the date you choose. If a family steps back, the next match on the list hears about the puppy automatically.

HFHarper family$500 paid · Mar 2

DOD. Okafor$500 paid · Mar 3

LThe Lindqvists$500 paid · Mar 5

MRM. Reyesbalance $2,000 · Apr 21

Health testing

The Four Clearances Golden Buyers Know by Name

The Golden Retriever Club of America's Code of Ethics asks breeders to screen both parents for hips, elbows, heart, and eyes before breeding, and to have the results recorded with OFA. Most serious buyers have read that page.

CHIC (Canine Health Information Center) issues a number when a Golden has all four core results on file with OFA. Listing a CHIC number on a parent's page is the shortest possible way to say "we did the work."

Each dog record has a health section for results, registry numbers, and uploaded certificates. The public parent page shows what you choose to publish, and every puppy from that pairing links back to it.

Hips

OFA evaluation at 24 months or older (or PennHIP). Fair, Good, or Excellent are passing grades.

Elbows

OFA elbow radiographs at 24 months or older, graded Normal or by dysplasia grade.

Heart

Examination by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist at 12 months or older, ideally with an echocardiogram, screening for subvalvular aortic stenosis.

Eyes

Annual exam by a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, recorded through the OFA eye certification registry, watching for pigmentary uveitis, cataracts, and PRA.

DNA Panels

Commonly PRA1, PRA2, ichthyosis (ICH1), neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, and degenerative myelopathy. Carriers can be bred responsibly to clear partners.

Everything under the hood

Set Up the Way a Golden Program Runs

The full platform is included on every plan. Here is how the pieces map to a Golden breeder's week.

Your Own Stripe, Not a Marketplace Cut

Deposits and balances go straight to your account. Prefer Zelle, Venmo, or a check for some families? Send a branded invoice and mark it paid in one click.

Applications That Ask the Golden Questions

Fenced yard, activity level, other dogs, experience with a 70-pound adolescent. Build the application once and every family answers the same thing.

Weigh-Ins and Photos, Per Puppy

Log weights and weekly photos on each puppy record. Families on the waitlist get a litter page that updates as the puppies grow, not a text thread.

Three Generations, Drawn for You

Link sire and dam and Whelpify renders a pedigree with photos and registration numbers on every parent and puppy page.

Facebook and Instagram, Without Re-Uploading

Mark a puppy available or publish a litter announcement and it posts to your Page and Instagram with the photo and link.

Contracts Families Sign From Their Phone

Your purchase agreement, health guarantee, and spay/neuter terms become signable forms attached to each family's file.

How a Golden program actually runs

Big Litters, Long Lists, and a Lot of Updates

The rhythm of a Golden program is particular. These are the numbers the workflow is shaped around.

Typical litter

6to 10 pups

Every puppy gets its own page, status, and deposit record from birth.

Waitlist span

2litters or more

Families routinely wait through a litter. Statuses and notes keep the list honest.

Buyer specificity

sex· shade · timing

Preferences are captured on the application and matched when a puppy goes available.

Health focus

OFA· CHIC · DNA

Core clearances attach to parents and appear on every puppy page automatically.

Update cadence

weekly

Weigh-ins, photos, and litter page updates are what keep a long waitlist calm.

Deposit strategy

per-pup· $300 to $500

Offers with a response window, automatic balance requests, and receipts for every payment.

Golden Retriever FAQ

Questions We Get From Golden Retriever Breeders

Can I show OFA and CHIC results for each parent on my Golden Retriever website?

Yes. Each dog record has a health section where you enter results and registry numbers and upload certificates. What you publish appears on that dog's public page and on every litter and puppy page that descends from it.

How does Whelpify handle a waitlist that spans more than one litter?

Every applicant sits in one list with a status, their preferences, and notes. When a litter is born you offer specific puppies to specific families with a response window, and anyone who passes stays on the list for the next litter without re-applying.

Can families pick a color shade or sex in advance?

They can state a preference on your application (for example, a light golden female), and those preferences are used to notify matching families when a puppy becomes available. Final matching is always your call.

What does a Golden litter page look like for buyers?

The litter gets an announcement page with the parents, their clearances and pedigree, and every puppy with photos, current weight, price, and status. As you update the dashboard, the page updates.

Do I have to use Stripe for deposits?

No. Stripe is built in if you want card payments straight to your own account, and you can also send invoices for Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, Cash App, or check and mark them paid yourself. Whelpify takes no cut of your sales either way.

I also breed another breed alongside my Goldens. Does that work?

Yes. Every dog, litter, puppy, and waitlist entry is tagged by breed, and your website presents each breed cleanly. Multi-breed programs are supported on every plan.

30-day free trial

Set Up Your Golden Retriever Program the Way You Actually Run It

Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial and includes the full platform. Most breeders have a site up in an afternoon.

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