The pedigree or "papers" is a confirmation of the purebredness of your puppy. The pedigree is not and cannot be a confirmation of the quality, exhibition and/or breeding potential of your puppy, but rather a confirmation that the puppy is the offspring of the stated father and the stated mother. The pedigree also lists other ancestors (in the case of the Croatian Kennel Club, 4 generations) in which the names of the dogs, health results, championships and working tests, and the color of the parents are listed.

 

PEDIGREE AS A CONFIRMATION OF QUALITY?

The quality of a dog is a very debatable concept and quite subjective. There is a standard for every breed, and every breeder should strive for their ideal type of dog that is in the standard. The quality of a puppy is most often reflected in its characteristics. With golden retrievers, more "quality" is considered, than the show quality that is most interesting to breeders and exhibitors; the quality of puppies is also reflected in temperament, willingness to work, etc. A show quality puppy does not necessarily have to be a puppy with the qualities of a rehabilitation dog or rescue dog. Every breeder who cares about the owners of their dogs being satisfied and getting what they wanted in their new friend will try to connect the right dog with the right owner. Dogs that are of the highest cynological quality, i.e. those that most closely match the standard in appearance, usually stay in the kennel or go to show/breeding homes. Dogs that are mild-tempered, very calm and have high tolerance go to families with small children or as dogs for some form of rehabilitation. Dogs that are alphas in the litter, eager to prove themselves, active and work go to homes where their qualities will be used!
So - every puppy is a quality puppy, it's just important to match your wishes and needs with it, and this is where the relationship between the breeder and the new owner, and honesty on both sides, is very, very important.

 

PEDIGREE AS A HEALTH PROOF?

A pedigree is not a confirmation of the health of a puppy, but rather a confirmation that all the prescribed conditions have been met for the puppies to receive a pedigree, which means that the parents have undergone the prescribed health examinations and have passed certain tests successfully and been evaluated in terms of exterior, whether at an exhibition or a show. No one can guarantee the health of your puppy because it is a living being. The breeder is the one who, through systematic study of the lines, discovers which dog carries what and forms his lines based on that, but the breeder cannot predict what health results he will get in a particular litter, but by choosing healthy individuals that give healthy offspring, the possibility of some hereditary diseases becomes much smaller than with uncontrolled breeding. For more information about the diseases that golden retrievers are susceptible to, see here .