Would like some input.

I sold a lovely 1-year-old trained girl to a sweet family.
They called me in a week and said, “she didn’t have enough play drive” for their active family.

They were concerned that she will only chase the ball about 5 times then lies down on the grass.

The lady is an avid runner and she wants the dog to run with her.
I explained about the growth plates etc.

She came over tonight and I took back my girl and refunded all the money, I was happy to do so. I want my puppy buyers and my dogs all to be happy.

I have a litter of pups right now and this family now wants a puppy from the litter.

I’m worried because how can I promise that the new puppy will be the avid retriever they seem to want?

They have never owned a dog before but are very responsible people.
I just love the lady.

Would you sell them a puppy?

Maybe they need a more high-energy dog?

I might be even more worried about them not taking your advice, and later to find out she took the puppy jogging with her each day.

Wow, I think you are right to be concerned. Maybe they just didn't have the bond with the dog because it was older. They may be more likely to fall in love with a puppy, and then if it turns out not to have the "play drive" they are looking for, it will be too late because they will already be in love!

I think if I were you, I would follow my instincts about this family, and if you like them, give them another chance. But, if on the other hand, you think they are a little on the "hard to please", side, I would count this as a blessing, and say goodbye and good luck!

I never sell to avid runners period. I try to steer them to field bred dogs or another breed such as vizlas, but regardless they don't get one of my dogs. These are retrievers built for short bursts of speed. Think Quarter Horse vs Thoroughbred.

Stopping after 5 retrieves is pretty quick unless we're talking some serious distances, is this girl in shape? You should know if the dogs in your lines are going to be retrievers and picking out a puppy with play/prey drive in a litter isn't hard. If you don't have it in your lines, refer them to a breeder who does.

I personally don't like the idea of running with a lab period, but I don't run ;) I would definitely make sure that "forced running before growth plates are closed" is covered in your contract though.

How do you pick out a puppy with "play drive" I'd like to know.

The 1 y/o they took is in fair shape, not great.
But she is still a puppy and I'm not a hunter or agility person. She's a wonderful mellow Lab. I get zillions of calls for a sweet mellow Lab.

This is the first time I have ever had some request a very high energy Lab that will run miles, hike 14 miles and retrieve endless balls.

I told her she may find the high energy one but she may also lose half her couch if she doesn't keep the Lab busy. :-)

The dogs in my lines and her sire's all play hard, chase balls and have hunting titles.

But remember they only had her 1 week and they expected a perfect dog.

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This is the part that would worry me. It sounds to me like something about this is setting off an alarm for you, as it does me. I would listen to your gut.

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Would you sell them a puppy?

no I would refer to a field breeder.

Prey/Play drive can been seen in puppies at 7 weeks.

Maybe go to a field breeder house and see how they evaluate a litter for abiltity, drive, preformance.

If they run maybe suggest another breed, like a DAL, or WEIM

Sounds like a good home for a greyhound.

Rescuers are often dealing with pet store dogs of field ancestry with WA-A-AY too much energy for the average family who just wants to throw the tennis ball five times and then go watch TV or get on phone or computer. Then the family could adopt the dog who is just as they want it, although there are not likely to be clearances on close relatives. What they see should be what they want to get before they take it home. Your puppies deserve someone who will cherish them and not run them into the ground. That being said, even an energetic Lab may need more mind work, or mental exercise, than just blindly doing the same thing over and over again. Labs often exhibit intelligent disobedience; a mind is a terrible thing to waste. Maybe send the family to a reputable Labrador rescue off the LRC page. Of course, many, many rescues are mellow pet Labs, but the high energy and high drive ones can be hard to place in our increasingly urban society.

NO , do not sell them another puppy. Refer them to another breed. A high energy Golden should make them crazy enough to be happy. The anxiety in that breed should satisfy their need to have a "play drive" dog.

no, I would not sell them a pup...the little voice inside you is already giving you a red flag.
What if the puppy is not playful enough for them, or something else...sounds like if they never had a dog before they'll come up with something stupid eventually.
I'd say something like, "I just don't think my bloodlines produce the play drive to meet your expectations"
that sounds Nice, not mean...then just don't return their calls or emails if they push you.

Have you ever placed an older dog before? The older the dog is, the longer the time the dog needs to transition to the new family. Even 8 week old puppies take a couple of days to transition. I often get calls that the new puppy is quiet (usually the family loves this). I have to tell them that when the puppy is comfortable in the new surroundings, you will see a different personality.

Why did this family want an older puppy to begin with?
If they are novice dog owners, then the last thing I would trust them with is one of my higher energy puppies. Also, if a family returned one of my dogs for a ridiculous reason like the dog would only retrieve 5 times, that would be that...no puppy for you!

If she was trained and was used to some mental stimulation, it sounds to me as if she was saying "'k, this was fun, but what's next? I'm bored!"

Why not refer them to Lab Rescue? There are
many High Energy dogs that desperately need
just that type of home. When people call me
about buying a high energy puppy I tell them
I do NOT breed that type of temperment and
refer them elswhere.

I would be very leery about this family. Their expectations are too specific. Living with and training dogs and children, requires a lot of flexibility. I would worry that these people, nice as they are, would be too rigid. If you place a puppy with them, you could be letting yourself in for a lot of trouble.

Thanks guys for all the thoughts and suggestions.

I have decided not to sell them a pup. Last night the only pups they were interested in were the 3 I’m running on. I only have 1 female left for sale and she just didn’t interest them.

When I first met them they told me a story and now I have to wonder about it some.

They said they had good friends that were throwing the ball for their Lab down a hill in to a lake and the dog would retrieve every ball even the last one when the dog never surfaced from the water…never to be seen again. Makes one wonder.

I’m glad that I have my girl home and they have their money back. It was a very friendly transition.

Whoever buys my 1 y/o is really getting a princess, very intelligent and wants to please. She’s healthy in every respect too. But for now I will enjoy her being home with me.

Like the other poster…I just don’t breed high energy Labs…mine have a spurt and then in a few minutes can be snoring

If they are set on a Labrador, this family needs a Labrador from someone who understands and breeds working dogs. Drive can be seen in litters at 6-8 weeks and I would never place a dog without it in a hunting home. Working dogs should have a desire to work for more than 5 minutes. If I saw no drive at all in my litters I would be concerned as this is a working breed, regardless of field/show lines. Every Labrador standard in the world describes this as an active breed.

A dog that poops out after 5 backyard retrieves could also have mild EIC - every dog is different in how they display the symptoms.

I would not allow a 1-year old dog to be a running partner, but that is a separate issue altogether.

This 1 y/o has plenty of drive. I just played with her she got the ball 10 times and wanted to go more.
These people don't know anything about dogs. My poor pup was trying to figure out what they wanted from her and that's not an easy task considering I tried to figure it out talking to them for 3 hours last night.

"They said they had good friends that were throwing the ball for their Lab down a hill in to a lake and the dog would retrieve every ball even the last one when the dog never surfaced from the water…never to be seen again. "

And they thought this was a desirable situation showing the kind of energy (and apparent lack of common sense) a Lab (and/or its owners) should have?

I agree that a Lab should be an active dog (I believe the standard says "very active"), but certainly this would not be a good thing- retrieving until the dog literally drops! And yes, a dog that has been in a new home for only a week is still trying to figure out what happened.

Sorry, folks- I'm taking a break from an editing job that's been very demanding, and I'm not in my most patient mode.