Windmill Farms Golden Retrievers

Windmill Farms Golden Retrievers Breed Preservationist - Puppies, Stud services and started golden retrievers. Carol Beuchat PhD

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“In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences.” — Robert Green Ingersoll You can dislike (and choose to not understand) laws that restrict breeding in particular ways, but it's science that will provide us with the understanding necessary to make the best possible decisions when we contemplate our next litter.

At the farmers market with Sage and Ruby today.The tamales are really good!
06/13/2026

At the farmers market with Sage and Ruby today.

The tamales are really good!

Overshot that one.
06/12/2026

Overshot that one.

06/12/2026

Genetic Discoveries

COI, Kinship, Haplotypes.

To effectively preserve the golden retriever breed, I understand that I must combine Coefficient of Inbreeding (COI), Kinship, and Haplotype Heterozygosity through a framework known as Genomic Optimum Contribution Selection (GOCS) paired with strategic mate Allocation (MA).

Relying on just one metric fails breed preservation. Low COI alone can still cause rare alleles to drift out of the population, while balancing broad kinship alone can accidentally disrupt specialized immune haplotypes like the Dog Leukocyte Antigen (DLA). Combining them creates a multi-layered filter: Kinship manages the population's future trajectory, COI manages the individual litter's safety, and haplotype heterozygosity protects critical immune functional areas.

At present I have 4 distinct golden retriever subpopulations in our pack.
1. US performance
2. UK working
3. US gun dog - Haplotype "Rare"
4. US popular sire-less, at least back to the 70's

I also have a couple of additional A-1 subpopulations.

1a. CAN, not using US popular sires. (Frozen)
2a. Combinations of DDHF pedigrees that combine some CH and some popular sire-less field pedigrees. These are unique to everything I have.
3a. Risen CH - who was born in 1975

After bringing in Nova (Popular sire-less) from the SE US. She is great for COI and kinship reduction but I found all her haplotypes are in the high occurrence category? This puzzled me a bit.

So I purchased Rose, once again great for lowering COI and kinship but she too had high occurrence haplotypes and DLA II is homozygous? Mmm what is going on with these regional popular sire-less golden haplotypes? I thought I would pick up some low occurrence haplotypes? Not just COI and Kinship.

I looked elsewhere a few months ago and brought in two more US goldens from a different regional location. Farah and Kate. There father's name was Charlie so, of course I went back to the original 1976 Charlie's Angels.

Interestingly, so far, every popular sire-less pup I've brought in (4) are CLEAR - CI1, CI2, CMS, DM, NCL, PRA1, PRA2, PRCD, SAN, HPN 1,2,3.

I just got Kate's VGL report back
DLA I DLA II
1066 @ 27% 2046 @ 24%
1069 @ 4% 2045 @ 4%

She's heterozygous and has two "rare" haplotypes. Also Sasha, the golden I breed who lived to 17 years old had 1069 & 2045??? Interesting! The UK goldens I have, don't carry 1069 & 1045? The US performance goldens I have don't carry 1069 & 1045? I'm thrilled I found another golden with 1069 & 1045? Especially since Sasha lived to 17 and haplotypes control longevity and immune system components.

So, my plan is to take Kate and Farah and cross them back to Buzz, a Scottish born Gael son living in the USA.

I already know the COI and Kinship will be great. I will get genetic COIs on this litter. But the real kicker will be the combination of rare Scottish haplotypes compared to US goldens and IF I can get a couple pups carrying 1069 & 1045 in addition to 1014 & 2050?

This is getting very interesting and super exciting over the next 3 years.

In conjunction with this, I contacted Rhonda about using a UK golden and a performance golden with Risen in 2027. The two outcomes are VERY unique. The best COI and kinship will be through the UK golden but if I pair a Ruby or Wacipi with Risen, I bypass both Barty and Zeus on one side. Then I can take a pup and cross back to UK and bypass Barty a second time on one side.

06/10/2026

Three mornings a week at the parkcuor park. Work and socialization.

Three mornings a week in the East field. ~ 300 acres with wild pheasants, geese, ducks, turkeys and mosquitoes.

Late am and early pm with pups.

Every evening at the river.

Out at sunrise, Pepper flushed three roosters this morning. She has quickly become the best hunting golden I have. Ever had actually. Although Griz was right there. To see her work gives me tingles in the spine. Her nose combined with her tenacity and interest is outstanding. Her drive is not for everyone as she is hyper focused on her work.

I plan to use her with Ephraim at some point, a gundog with 30 years of upland breeding behind him. They could produce some of the most outstanding gun dogs we've had thus far with the injection of UK lines embodying the genetic diversity goals we aspire to. We are very fortunate to have and use her on the farm.

What I learned from the ICB breed preservation course about breed preservation. If you're serious, take the course. **...
06/10/2026

What I learned from the ICB breed preservation course about breed preservation. If you're serious, take the course.

******************

Finding Genetic Diversity in a Breed
If breeders wish to improve the genetic diversity of their dogs through an outcross, how can they identify dogs that are genetically different? One way is by examining the dendrogram that results from cluster analysis of kinship coefficients.

There is another tool called “principal components analysis”, which is a statistical technique that clusters together genetically similar dogs. Instead of a dendrogram, the analysis produces a scatter plot on two-dimensional axes. The genetic similarity between individuals is shown by the distance between them. So, a population of animals might be depicted as multiple subpopulations identified as clusters of dogs. In the PCA plot for the Golden Retrievers in this sample, most dogs fall in a large cluster across the middle of the space, but there are some dogs that fall in the lower left quadrant of the graph. These differences in distribution might identify field vs bench dogs, UK vs US dogs, or any other subgroupings that for one reason or another have become genetically less similar to other groups through selection, breeding isolation, or genetic drift.

Breeding for health - This graphical information indicates that breeders who wish to prioritize health could produce litters with lower inbreeding through choice of less related parents. Remember that the risk of producing genetic disorders from recessive mutations is proportional to homozygosity. Consequently, the most effective way to reduce the frequency of genetic disorders caused by recessive mutations is not through DNA testing, as commonly assumed, but by reducing inbreeding (F). DNA tests will not produce healthy dogs as long as there are other mutations lurking in the gene pool that we can’t test for. However, a reduction in inbreeding (reduction in homozygosity) will reduce the risk of ALL such recessive disorders. Reducing homozygosity should also reduce inbreeding depression, with positive effects on health, function, and lifespan. The negative effects of inbreeding Goldens have been documented for various fitness traits such as litter size and lifespan (Chu et al 2019; Yordy et al 2020; Kraus et al 2023).

"In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments; there are consequences."

"Remember that the risk of producing genetic disorders from recessive mutations is proportional to homozygosity."

I receive around 15-20 comments/questions a day regarding the breed preservation theory. While I try to respond to mos...
06/09/2026

I receive around 15-20 comments/questions a day regarding the breed preservation theory. While I try to respond to most of the questions, there are days I simply don't have time.

In short, this is NOT a theory of breed preservation.

I've taken theory and implemented a FULL on breed preservation mode complete with goldens, 4 subpopulations, 900 acres of proving grounds and over 20 units of frozen all from as many subpopulations as I can find from those who are willing to help.

Its FULL time and very busy. My basis uses science from the Breed Preservation courses, Institute of Canine Biology, Jeffery Braggs work and Zoology preservation work, namely the San Diego White Rhino preservation. We have 15 vets with our goldens including a neurologist and oncologist. I have dedicated 15 years to the project with COI, Kinship and Haplotype goals. It's a 3 fold approach and 4 subpopulations based on other preservation successes.

I will work the genetic outcomes through at least F4 generations hence the 15 year plan, using the most diverse golden genetics I can find. I know from Dr. Beuchat and Embark that we can get less than 10% COIs. I have used the data from the ICB. Based on the VGL work and my rapidly growing personal database, I have a good understanding of how they affect the auto-immunity of our goldens. Something few, if any, are doing but I find very necessary.

Every day someone writes: "You don't know what the genes hold!"

Exactly-

Genome-wide heterozygosity is the direct biological countermeasure to inbreeding depression in purebred dogs. Its a counter measure to 60% cancer, it's a counter measure to deleterious recessive genes and its a counter measure to autoimmune related inbreeding results. While artificial selection fixes desirable physical and behavioral traits, it simultaneously drives up homozygosity, which locks in deleterious recessive mutations and erodes basic biological fitness. No breeder is exempt from nature's reality.

Quote from a GRCA Genetics Committee member:

"The scientific analysis included 317,527 Goldens registered with The Kennel Club from the 1970s thru 2006, which averaged 6-8 generations of dogs. During that period, they found that only 18% of females and 5% of males produced offspring, and that the “popular sire syndrome” was more pronounced in Goldens than in any of the other breeds studied. The authors stated, “It is striking that seven breeds retain

Levi is finding that he gets much more carrying time than walking time when the kids come over. He's a great sport and l...
06/09/2026

Levi is finding that he gets much more carrying time than walking time when the kids come over. He's a great sport and loves the attention.

Ironically I have granddaughters with light hair and brown hair. I love them both so much. Its what's inside that matters most.

06/09/2026

I tried to catch the flush but I missed it, we were out at sunrise with the young dogs flushing pheasants. The alfalfa is tall and wet. The pheasants love the cover and the dogs love the challenge.

This morning I added the ladder climb to the urban agility circuit. My goldens get a lot of field and stream time. This ...
06/09/2026

This morning I added the ladder climb to the urban agility circuit. My goldens get a lot of field and stream time. This is as fun for me as it is for them. It adds variety to our training and their day.

I don't have a teeter totter, but I do have a 10-ft suspended bridge

Breeding AnnouncementTay (Athollridge Aurora) is coming into estrus and will be breed via TCI with VCCH OTCH6 MACH POC ...
06/08/2026

Breeding Announcement

Tay (Athollridge Aurora) is coming into estrus and will be breed via TCI with VCCH OTCH6 MACH POC The Rosehill Connection VCD4 TKA UDX9 OGM MH TDX MXB MJB WCX VCX CCA OBHF.

I spoke with Tay's breeder this morning. LOVE that Scottish accent! The Tay originates in western Scotland on the slopes of Ben Lui (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Laoigh), then flows easterly across the Highlands.

Litter Highlights.

One of the main differences in UK bred goldens is that they are rarely if ever trained using e-collars. UK Breeders specifically select these goldens for their intelligence, highly biddable temperaments and cooperative working attitudes. They therefore naturally possess a strong desire to work with their partners rather than just working for you as subordinates. This innate willingness to please means they respond best to positive reinforcement and collaborative training methods.

Beyond Tay's impressive working lineage, which includes "picking up' and competitive heritage, she embodies the ideal standard of a functional, versatile field to family companion. She is very confident and driven.

"Bridge"—officially known as VCCH OTCH6 MACH POC The Rosehill Connection VCD4 TKA UDX9 OGM MH TDX MXB MJB WCX VCX CCA OBHF was an extraordinary, versatile golden retriever bred and trained by Rosehill Retrievers. This incredible golden stand-out achieved the pinnacle of multi-discipline success, cementing a legacy as a true master across agility, tracking, obedience, and field work. Bridge represented the absolute ideal of the breed's working intelligence and athletic adaptability, proving capable of transitioning seamlessly from intense, technical obedience rings to demanding, high-drive wilderness track lines and Hunt Tests (MH).

An intentional pairing of Bridge's elite, multi-discipline line with a native Scottish-born golden retriever creates a powerful bridge between modern canine capability and historic breed genetics. This concept beautifully honors the breed's origins while looking ahead, toward an exceptionally balanced genetic future.

A TCI breeding with this combination of US x UK lines is a dream come true. Lorie has been a mentor and supporter for some time. Thank you!

Depositors will be notified when we have a confirmed pregnancy.
Thank you for your patience.

https://k9-data.org/test-breeding/32677

Calculated COI (12 generations): 0.26%
Unique ancestors over 2000
Unique UK Haplotypes

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84335

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