What "Health Tested" Actually Means
"Health tested" is the most overused and under-defined phrase in dog breeding.
Every breeder says their dogs are health tested. Very few explain what that actually means - which tests were performed, by whom, using what methodology, and what the results were. The phrase can mean anything from a basic vet visit to the kind of multi-domain screening protocol that takes two years to complete. Without specifics, it means nothing.
At Just Behaving, health tested means this:
Hips and Elbows
Hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia are among the most common orthopedic conditions in Golden Retrievers. Both are heritable, both are polygenic, and both can be present in a dog that appears perfectly sound on the outside. A dog can run, play, and show no signs of lameness and still carry orthopedic pathology detectable only by radiograph - pathology it can pass to its offspring.
We screen every breeding candidate using two complementary radiographic methodologies.
The first is a distraction-index passive laxity evaluation - a specialized set of radiographs taken under sedation that measures how much the femoral head can be displaced from the hip socket under controlled pressure. The result is a Distraction Index, a number between 0 and 1, where lower means tighter hips and lower risk of degenerative joint disease. This methodology provides a quantitative measurement that goes beyond the subjective "looks good" of a standard x-ray.
The second is a conventional extended-view radiographic evaluation by board-certified veterinary radiologists, performed at twenty-four months or later. The evaluating radiologists grade hips as Excellent, Good, or Fair (all within the normal range) or as Borderline through Severe dysplasia. Any dysplastic result eliminates a dog from our program.
For elbows, we require radiographically Normal results - Grade 0 under the internationally established grading criteria. Any sign of elbow dysplasia, even Grade I, is disqualifying.
By using both methodologies, we get the most complete orthopedic picture available. For families who want to understand the science behind these evaluations in depth, we have a dedicated article on hip and elbow dysplasia in Golden Retrievers.
Eyes
Golden Retrievers face several hereditary eye conditions - and some of the most serious ones do not show up until middle age or later. This is why we require annual comprehensive ophthalmoscopic examinations by board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists, not a one-time check. Eye clearances are valid for twelve months because some conditions are late-onset.
These examinations are thorough: the ophthalmologist dilates the pupils and uses specialized instruments to inspect the cornea, iris, lens, vitreous, and retina. The purpose is to detect any signs of hereditary eye disease - including hereditary cataracts, progressive retinal atrophy (which we also screen for genetically), and distichiasis.
We also include gonioscopy - a specialized examination of the iridocorneal drainage angle using a contact lens - specifically to screen for Golden Retriever Pigmentary Uveitis (GRPU). GRPU is a breed-specific condition that typically manifests between ages eight and ten, progresses silently, and can lead to secondary glaucoma and vision loss. Uveal cysts are strongly associated with subsequent GRPU development, and gonioscopy can detect these cysts before any clinical signs appear.
The challenge with GRPU is that it usually develops after a dog's prime breeding years - meaning a dog can pass the genetic predisposition to multiple generations of offspring before anyone knows it is affected. This is exactly why we continue annual eye examinations even after a dog is retired from breeding, and why we encourage heightened monitoring for offspring of any dog later diagnosed with GRPU.
Heart
Subvalvular aortic stenosis is the most prevalent congenital heart disease in Golden Retrievers. It is a condition in which abnormal fibromuscular tissue develops below the aortic valve, creating a fixed narrowing that obstructs blood flow with every heartbeat. It can range from mild and subclinical to severe and life-threatening - and crucially, a dog with mild-to-moderate SAS may show no outward symptoms at all.
This is where screening methodology matters enormously.
A standard veterinary wellness exam includes listening to the heart with a stethoscope - auscultation. This can detect loud murmurs. But published research has documented that agreement between general practitioners and cardiology specialists on murmur detection in puppies can be as low as kappa = 0.01 (van Staveren et al.) - meaning that under field conditions, first-opinion auscultation missed nearly all murmurs a specialist identified. In Golden Retriever-specific longitudinal screening, seven of twenty-one puppies who ultimately met SAS criteria had completely normal heart sounds at their first evaluation, only developing detectable murmurs later.
This is why we require echocardiographic evaluation by a board-certified veterinary cardiologist - not just a stethoscope check. Doppler echocardiography directly measures blood flow velocity through the left ventricular outflow tract and can visualize the fibromuscular obstruction that causes SAS. It detects what auscultation misses. Any dog with confirmed SAS at any severity is permanently removed from our breeding program.
For the full evidence behind why this distinction matters, see our article on heart disease in Golden Retrievers.
Genetic Panel
We perform comprehensive DNA testing through accredited veterinary genetics laboratories for every known Golden Retriever hereditary condition with a validated test. The core panel includes:
Progressive Retinal Atrophy (GR-PRA1 and GR-PRA2) - inherited retinal degenerations that cause progressive blindness, typically manifesting in mid-adulthood. Two breed-specific mutations have been identified in the SLC4A3 and TTC8 genes, both autosomal recessive with full penetrance.
Progressive Rod-Cone Degeneration (PRCD) - another form of PRA found across many breeds, rare in Golden Retrievers but included for completeness.
Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCL) - a devastating neurodegenerative disease caused by a mutation in the CLN5 gene. Affected dogs typically develop progressive neurological decline around one to two years of age and do not survive beyond three. This is autosomal recessive and completely preventable through pair selection.
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) - a late-onset neurodegenerative condition associated with the SOD1 gene. Penetrance in Golden Retrievers appears lower than in some other affected breeds, and the genotype-phenotype relationship remains an area of active study. We test for it and manage it conservatively.
Ichthyosis - a skin condition causing abnormal flaking and scaling, caused by a mutation in the PNPLA1 gene. Not life-threatening but lifelong. We avoid producing affected puppies through informed pair selection.
Here is the key concept: a carrier is healthy. A dog carrying one copy of a recessive mutation will never develop the disease. It can, however, produce affected offspring if bred to another carrier of the same mutation. Our management is straightforward - carriers are bred only to genetically clear partners. No affected puppies. No unnecessary loss of genetic diversity from eliminating healthy carriers from the breeding pool.
Temperament
Temperament is not a blood test. It is not something you can screen for with a swab or an x-ray. But it is the quality that determines whether a dog can actually live well in a family - and it is the first thing we select for.
Our temperament evaluation is ongoing and multi-stage. We observe puppies from birth, noting which are first to explore, how they respond to handling, how they interact with their littermates. At approximately forty-nine days, we conduct a structured puppy aptitude test - evaluating social attraction, following, restraint response, sound sensitivity, visual startle recovery, and other indicators. Through adolescence and into adulthood, we continue to assess behavioral stability, social confidence, and the calm, friendly temperament that defines the breed.
We are honest about the limitations. Published research indicates that puppy temperament testing at seven weeks has low-to-moderate predictive validity for adult behavior. We do it anyway, because imperfect data still informs our puppy-to-family matching process, and because our longitudinal tracking across litters allows us to evaluate patterns that no single published study captures.
Only calm, confident, friendly adults enter our breeding program. No exceptions. For the full treatment, see our article on temperament and selection.
Longevity Tracking
This is the one most breeders do not do.
We track health outcomes and cause of death across every generation of dogs in our program. Every litter. Every dog. Every diagnosis. Every year of life. When a dog dies, we record the age and the cause. When a dog develops a significant health condition, we log it. These records are maintained by family line and aggregated across litters.
This longitudinal surveillance allows us to see patterns that would be invisible in any individual dog's clearances. A dog can pass every health screening available and still come from a line where hemangiosarcoma appears at seven years instead of eleven. You cannot see that in a single set of clearances. You can see it in a data set that spans generations.
This is unusual in the breeding world. It requires sustained relationships with puppy families, honest conversations about difficult outcomes, and the willingness to let data change your decisions. We believe it is one of the most important things a breeder can do.
What "Health Tested" Should Mean
Every family considering a puppy from any breeder should ask one question: what, specifically, does "health tested" mean?
Ask which screenings were performed. Ask who interpreted the results - a general practitioner or a board-certified specialist. Ask whether the cardiac evaluation included echocardiography or was stethoscope-only. Ask whether eye exams are annual or one-time. Ask how genetic carrier status is managed. Ask what happens when a test result comes back that is not what the breeder hoped for.
If the answer is vague, that is information.
At Just Behaving, the answer will never be vague. We will walk you through every screening, explain what the results mean, and answer any follow-up question you have. Our Critical Breeding Index provides the full framework, and our detailed articles on each screening domain go as deep as you want to go.
If you have questions about our dogs, our protocols, or our program, reach out. We would be glad to talk. There is nothing about our process we are unwilling to discuss.
For more on our overall approach to responsible breeding, see our articles on breeding for health and congenital vs. hereditary conditions.