Southstar Golden Retrievers breeds Golden Retrievers for obedience competition, hunt tests and therapy dogs. Most of all, our dogs will become beloved companions to their families! We are located in Albany, New York, in the heart of New York’s Capital Region.
Southstar Golden Retrievers was created by Diane Blackman. Ms. Blackman has over two decades of dog training experience, and became a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA) in 2005. Ms. Blackman is a certified evaluator for the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) Canine Good Citizen program and a certified evaluator for Bright & Beautiful Therapy Dogs. In 2015, she became a Certified Trick Dog Instructor (CTDI). Ms. Blackman is also a member of the International Association for Canine Professionals and holds the Professional Dog Training Instructor & Certified Dog Trainer Advanced certifications, is certified in Pet First Aid and CPR and is an AKC Mentor for the sports of obedience and Rally.
Ms. Blackman teaches group classes, private lessons, dog/dog aggression behavior modification, and professional competition handling at All Dawgs, the mid-size business she created in Albany, New York after moving from North Carolina. In North Carolina, she was an instructor for seven years at the Bon-Clyde Learning Center, a large dog training facility in Sanford, North Carolina. Diane has trained her own dogs (Tiger, Morgan, Hershey, Skye, Eagle, Duncan, Rory and Vista) to do therapy dog work and they have won many titles in obedience, Rally Obedience, agility.
Ms. Blackman graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science.
Our Breeding Philosophy
Our Mission as a preferred breeder of Golden Retrievers is to breed for the health, exceptional temperament, structure and longevity of our dogs. We want our dogs to meet and exceed the average golden retriever lifespan of 11-12 years, while having the ability to perform the activities they and their owners enjoy, such as obedience and field competitions and therapy dog work. We breed specifically to ensure that our Golden Retrievers will enjoy these activities long into their lives by having the correct structure that performance demands. We strive for dogs that have the correct Golden Retriever temperament and who can be in public with no human or dog aggression issues.
Our secondary focus is to produce Golden Retrievers that represent the type and beauty of this exceptional breed. Per the Golden Retriever Club of America (GRCA) standard, we focus on producing, “a symmetrical, powerful, active dog, sound and well put together” with correct coats “of rich, lustrous golden of various shades.”