***  2026 Litter Reservations Now Open  ***

Filigrigold is a small, family-run kennel, breeding selectively, conscientiously, and with purpose. With only a couple of carefully planned litters each year our waitlists fill very quickly, well before puppies are born. To avoid disappointment, families wishing to welcome a Filigrigold puppy in 2026 are strongly encouraged to contact us early to discuss our upcoming litters and current availability.

Applications are via our PUPPY ENQUIRY FORM (this form must be received prior to approval for our waitlist or being offered a puppy)

 

“Strictly Ballroom Litter”
We anticipate puppies early March, ready to join their families mid May, 2026

All breeding stock are fully health screened and genetically tested for breed specific health conditions. For a full list of what we screen/test for please visit our Policies & Procedures page.

 

           

At Filigrigold, we don’t simply raise puppies — we build foundations.

Each litter is planned with health, temperament, and sound structure in mind, then raised through a structured early development program designed to produce stable, resilient family dogs.

What Guides Each Litter

Every Filigrigold litter begins with careful planning and research, not convenience or timing. We breed selectively and infrequently, with the long-term wellbeing of the dogs and the breed always guiding our decisions.

Our focus is on producing Golden Retrievers that are structurally sound, temperamentally stable, and true to classic type — dogs who are not only beautiful, but kind, confident, biddable, and well suited to life as cherished companions.

We breed for balance and versatility. Our dogs are selected for temperaments that allow them to thrive across a range of roles — from devoted family companions to dogs suited to therapy, assistance, working, and performance pathways — depending on the individual dog and the opportunities provided by their home.

Health, temperament, and structure are considered together in every pairing. We do not chase trends, colours, or short-term demand; we prioritise what will produce balanced, healthy dogs capable of thriving in real family homes for a lifetime.

Placement Process

Placing our puppies is a considered and intentional process. We take time to get to know each prospective family and to understand their lifestyle, expectations, and experience, so that we can make thoughtful and appropriate matches between puppies and homes.

The first step in this process is our Puppy Enquiry Form. This allows us to learn more about you and to determine whether a Filigrigold puppy is likely to be a good fit for your family and circumstances. Submission of the questionnaire does not guarantee availability or approval, but it does allow us to begin a meaningful conversation.

Families who are provisionally approved are invited to meet us in person at the appropriate time. We value these visits highly, as they allow us to build a relationship with our puppy families and to ensure that expectations, values, and long-term commitments are aligned.

Because our responsibility extends to every puppy we place, this process is not rushed and is not transactional. It exists to support the long-term wellbeing of our dogs and the success of the families who welcome them.

 

Choosing & Matching Puppies

Many people expect to choose a puppy themselves from a litter. While we understand this instinct, our experience has shown that the most successful long-term outcomes occur when placement is guided by careful observation, experience, and understanding of both puppies and families.

We assess our puppies from birth onward, paying close attention to their development, temperament, confidence, energy levels, and individual personalities. This allows us to understand each puppy as an individual, rather than as one of a group.

As part of this process, we select any puppies we may retain for our own breeding or show program first. We then focus on thoughtfully matching the remaining puppies with the families who are best suited to them, taking into account lifestyle, household environment, experience, and expectations.

This approach reduces the risk of mismatches and supports better long-term outcomes for both dogs and families.

Our aim is always to create the best possible fit between puppy and home — one that supports the wellbeing of the dog and the success of the family over the long term, rather than simply fulfilling a short-term preference.

 

Development & Assessments

From birth onward, our puppies are closely observed and supported through each stage of early development. We monitor physical growth, neurological development, and behavioural responses, allowing us to understand how each puppy is maturing over time.

Our early development program is guided by what we refer to as our Three Pillars of Early Development — a structured framework designed to support resilience, confidence, adaptability, and appropriate social responses during a puppy’s most formative weeks.

At around six weeks of age, each puppy undergoes a structured temperament assessment to help us understand individual traits such as confidence, sensitivity, sociability, and adaptability.

At around eight weeks of age, we assess each puppy’s physical structure and movement, particularly in relation to soundness and breed type. This supports both our own program decisions and thoughtful matching for families.

These observations and assessments help guide our placement decisions with care, clarity, and long-term wellbeing in mind.

 

Puppy Family Day

As part of our placement process, we invite our puppy families to attend a Puppy Family Day when puppies are approximately six to seven weeks old.

This is a relaxed and welcoming opportunity for families to meet us, meet the puppies, and experience the environment in which the puppies have been raised. It is often the first time families see the puppies in person, and we want it to feel like the beginning of a relationship, not a formal assessment.

Puppy Family Day also plays an important role in our matching process, as it allows us to observe early interactions between puppies and families in a gentle, supportive way. This helps us ensure that each puppy is placed in a home where they are most likely to thrive.

Attendance is an important part of our process, but above all it is intended to be an enjoyable and meaningful step for families as they prepare to welcome a new puppy into their lives.

 

Go-home, Care & What’s Included

Our puppies are ready to join their new families at around nine to ten weeks of age, once they have had the time they need with their mother and littermates to develop appropriate social and emotional foundations.

Prior to leaving our care, all puppies are health checked by our veterinarian, receive their first vaccination, are microchipped, and follow an appropriate parasite prevention schedule.

Each puppy leaves with a comprehensive Puppy Care Pack designed to support families through the early weeks and months. This includes essential information, guidance, and resources covering health care, training, age-appropriate exercise, nutrition, and general puppy wellbeing.

To support families as they begin their journey, each puppy also leaves with a complimentary initial period of pet insurance arranged on their behalf, and families are enrolled in our online Puppy Owner Education program to provide structured guidance through the first weeks at home.

Ongoing guidance and support is always available to our puppy families — we consider ourselves a lifelong point of contact for the dogs we breed and the families who welcome them.

Our puppies are priced to reflect the depth of care, planning, and responsibility involved in their breeding and early development, and we are happy to discuss details with families who feel aligned with our approach.

 

Registration & Show Enquiries

Filigrigold puppies are placed on the Dogs Australia Limited Register.

This reflects our commitment to responsible breeding practices and ensures that breeding decisions remain carefully considered and guided by experience, health data, and long-term stewardship of the breed.

Enquiries regarding puppies for show or breeding purposes are considered only in limited circumstances and from existing Dogs Australia–registered breeders who hold a registered kennel prefix. Such enquiries are assessed separately and on a case-by-case basis.

 

For families considering a Filigrigold puppy

We understand that choosing a breeder and welcoming a puppy into your life is a significant and deeply personal decision. We are honoured by the trust our puppy families place in us and we take that responsibility seriously.

Because of the care, time, and intention invested into each litter, Filigrigold puppies are not available frequently and we are not always able to accommodate every enquiry. Our process is designed to support thoughtful, long-term placements and the wellbeing of the dogs we breed above all else.

If our approach resonates with you, we warmly invite you to begin by completing our Puppy Enquiry Form so that we can learn more about you and explore whether a Filigrigold puppy may be the right fit for your family.