What would you do if a perfectly wonderful puppy with no obvious issues was going to a home that is questioning a couple things before leaving? They visited yesterday and up until then they had seen lots of pictures from the day of whelp. They played with the puppy on my kitchen floor for a good 1/2 hour and he is simply beautiful and very hard to find fault with. They are getting a top puppy and it will be a pet. Today I get an email asking if the puppy has ectropian, "His eyes seem to droop a little more than the rest". Huh? "He was scratching his ear", Huh? Firstly, the entire litter was cerf'd at 7 weeks which was last week and they all passed. Secondly, his eyes do not droop, nor do the other puppies' eyes droop. As for the scratching; that is ridiculous! He probably itched his neck once or twice because they dislike the rick rack, or because he was getting tired. Should I feel alarmed because I do. They are supposed to pick him up this Sunday and I am having reservations. I shot off an email and told them there was no point in their buying him if they can't trust me. Of course I explained that non of the puppies had ectropian and did he not believe the specialist??? And they don't have fleas or mites...geesh. Do I give them another chance? I dislike buyers that have a little knowledge, or think they do and run amok with it!

They sound like people that will call you every week with ridiculous issues that amount to nothing. I've had that before. I would expect it if you sell to them. Make sure your contract is spotless before they sign it.

Hold on to your puppy with both hands ! Return the deposit if you have one, and move on ! One more minute of your time with these people is too much , spend it finding a home that will love the puppy, not find faults where there are none.
There are people that can be educated , and then there are people that are a waste of time, and you have the latter. These are people that think there money buys perfection, and you will never hear the end of them ! You and your puppy deserve better !

I agree with the other people. "Sorry - I decided to keep this puppy and I am returning your deposit." They will be scanning the internet for every little thing and they will drive you crazy. We need to be as choosy with our puppy buyers as they are with us.

Don't you dare let that puppy go. You will be so sorry. Keep him for now. Run the other way. If you have ever listen to anyone before now is the time. Experience talks loud. Do not let these people have him.

Thank you everyone. That is how I feel. I actually heard my cell phone ring at 7:00a.m. as I was cleaning and feeding the pups this morning. I ignored it as I was still fuming a bit. I went on my own personal tirade while I heard a message being left. Then I listened to it after I was all finished with the whole farm. First he said he was "in shock" by my response in the email. Then he said he didn't mean to make it a personal attack. He said he was sorry and that he doesn't know enough about dogs and just wants to make sure he's bringing in a healthy dog. Those 2 things he mentioned are ridiculous...none of the puppies have anything remotely close to ectropian and I've had litters with a slightly droopy eye and all have turned out fine anyway and they've always passed Cerf at 7 weeks. He kept apologizing and saying it wasn't a personal attack. He did sound remorseful. I will add that they tried to talk me down on price at the start and I said absolutely nada. They agreed to the cost and pursued a puppy. They asked for a little help on the payment also. I agreed to have them pay the bulk of the cost at time of sale and make 2 smaller payments in the next 2 months for completion of paymnent. Pretty reasonable don't you think? So, do you see why this made me feel like they want their cake and eat it too? After all he IS one of the picks in this litter. They are begging to take the puppy. Ughhhh!! Haven't responded back yet. They will be going to MY vet if that makes any difference. My gut says they will be trouble, but my vet has my back and she has one of my dogs from 9 years ago. She may be a voice of reason to them. I'll wait for replies. I'm torn.

I appreciate everyone's input. I want to say that again as I know there are many more experienced breeders on this forum than I. I've been doing this for 22 years and there's so much more to learn.

Drop them!!! You will regret selling this puppy or any puppy to them. You should not drop your price for anyone and you can forget about getting payments in the future. Drop them right away!!! Don't sell them the puppy it is not worth the aggravation you will deal with later on. Not to mention their lack of experience can hurt the puppy in the long run. I never sell puppies to owners with no experience with dogs. Even the ones who I have sold puppies to who have owned labs before have proven to be a dissapointment to me as owners. I have learned that when a buyer wants the puppy they will say and tell you anything you want to hear just to get that puppy. Once the puppy leaves with them they do what they want to and all they said before means nothing.

Drop them!!! If you care for your puppy's well been, drop them. If they don't have the money to pay for him, how are they going to pay for his care? I would just tell them to do some more research and when they are ready, then they can contact somebody else. That you feel they are not ready for a puppy quite yet. I'm sure you'll find a new family for your puppy.

I disagree. They know nothing other than what they read on the Internet. If, after 22 years you cannot find t in your heart to sit them down and explain that taking this pup means becoming part of your family, and that that means being open and honest with one another, then maybe you shouldn't breed, or just keep what you breed.
Having said that, if you do choose to take them by the hand and walk them through this, you can't do it halfway. It will be a long process, but hey, that's what giving back means. Who know, maybe we will have a new family come into the fancy, or a family that really does become your extended family. I know some of my " newbies" are my most valued friends.
Take a deep breath, walk in their shoes a moment, then decide what to do. They probably did speak with a dozen breeders and spent hours on the Internet reading scary things. It will work out for the best. have them speak with your vet. Settling their fears may take care of yours. Who knows.

I would have dropped them as soon as they started trying to negotiate on the price, they would never have even gotten this far. That bothers me more than the questions.

I agree with "no". Take time with these people. We all started out in pure bred dogs at some point and were full of questions. However - I would not want delayed payments. I only accept partial payments from folks I know.

No, no and heck no. You will be so sorry. These folks might need help but it would not be me going down on my price or baby sitting them. You will have problems forever. Run.

exact same thing happened to me 5 months ago and I didn't pay attention to the warning signs.....what a disaster this buyer has been, picking this poor puppy apart, I have offered to refund for the return of the puppy, that is still not enough, they just want to complain non stop and for me to fix it........ RUN!

I disagree with no. If you have to sit them down and explain simple things how on earth can they do right by a puppy?

No!! to poster No.

I would NOT let them have the puppy. There is a home out there that will love to have this puppy, even if he develops an issue in the future.

They are buying a puppy with the attitude of a consumer, not looking at it as bringing a living baby into their home. Even if they overcome that attitude, let them start over with someone else. You will probably never feel good about this placement.

They also wouldn't have gotten this far with me. Only people I know well would be getting a payment plan from me. If they can't afford the purchase price, they can't afford the vet bills if he eats a sock or gets sick i.e.lymes. The purchase price is a small part of what this dog will cost them in the future.

I'd have sent them this article
How Much is that Doggie in the Window?
The Surprising Economics of Purchasing a Purebred Puppy.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/allenstjohn/2012/02/17/how-much-is-that-doggie-in-the-window-the-surprising-economics-of-purchasing-a-purebred-puppy/

Good luck with your decision.

Sorry, these people sound like total losers. Questioning the soundness of a puppy at the last minute is a very big red flag. If they need a loan, they should go to the bank - not a breeder. And I completely disagree with "No". If you have been in dogs for 22 years, you have done more than your share of teaching already.

Move on , do not let them have this baby. They act as if they are buying a new car. This is not an object, it has a heartbeat for crying out loud ! And as far as "the easy payment plan" are you nuts ?! It is not a car, stop acting like it is, what are they going to do when this puppy gets a sports injury , or needs extra Vet attention , I'll tell you what.....you will be getting a phone call, and some serious demands ! Your puppy deserves better, its your job to see that each one gets the BEST home you can find, this is not that !

These people simply do not have enough respect for mother nature. If they are on a budget and want a perfect puppy...Walmart has some wonderful stuffed animals. Sorry to be so blunt.

If they cannot afford the pup now...what is going to happen when that pup swallows something and needs veterinary care.

I heard on television once, that human instinct is actually a pretty good radar...but socialization has taught us to ignore this built in alarm system. Listen to your gut.

Yes you need to do what feels best to you for sure. I do agree with "no" that we need to educate and take time with some buyers - I have done just that with certain buyers and they have over time blossomed into true dog people. However - sometimes people will not prove to be understanding dog people and realize that - yes they are taking home a living thing - a baby/toddler and they should trust you as the breeder - if you think ;these folks are not trusting you then yes, - scat!!!

That is so true. Don't you love when they say, friend said, family member said, country vet said. Lot of pups have sagging eyes for a while. Lots look like they have been over played with, they are babies, and have tired eyes. Some put a collar on a baby and wonder why they scratch. DUH Sorry, for the first time ever, just had one of these same folks. Cut from that very same mold.

Personally, I would not automatically yank the pup because the buyers were questioning and asking about things. They are new lab owners and want to know.

What if a buyer came on here and said that they bought a pup that before they brought it home, they thought it had ectropian, and might be infested with 'critters'. And it turned out that it had these problems (not in this case). Wouldn't any one of you suggest that they should have asked the breeder about it? Shouldn't a buyer ask the breeder any and all questions that they have about the pup?

Any breeder that gets huffy and offended just because the buyer is asking questions, is, in my opinion someone to avoid like the plague. Kudos to the buyer for asking, and NOT ignoring their own feelings. Perhaps they noticed the pup having a "droopy eye" day, and went back to research before questioning the breeder.

Sounds like they apologized for the miscommunication. If it were me, and I asked questions as a new buyer to the breed, and the breeder jumped down my throat, I would run in the other direction

The asking for a payment plan, may be a different matter, and depends on the breeder's own feelings.

How did they respond to your answers? They probably didn't know what a CERF exam entails and allergies are a puppy buyers biggest nightmare. They probably never bought a well bred puppy before or paid that much. Depending on how they responded to your answers I might cut them some slack. Did you pick their puppy for them? Did they know this in advance?

Most breeders require that puppies be examined by the buyers vet within 2-3 days anyway. If their vet finds any problems you should take the puppy back.

Pet owners ask plenty of questions and we all are thrilled they do and are happy to answer all and more. Most have been doing this for years. But when out of the blue one comes along with all that is wrong with the puppy and you know nothing is wrong. Then I would think, you can never make them happy. Go the other way. If something is giving you a bad feeling, take heed.

The "gut feeling" was right. He is off my list. He was going to be trouble with a capitol "T". I am a very reasonable person and this just didn't smell right to me. He kept wanting his cake and eating it too. Thank you for all the replies...something good to say in every one. There is no right answer all the time and I was willing to work with them, but it was one thing after another.

Then there are times a potential puppy buyer is so effiecent at lying that they slip through your red flags.
I can only think of one time when I sold a puppy to a nice family who asked me if I was firm on my price. That family turned out to be a dream family for one of our puppies.
Recently a man called me up telling me how their older dog passed away from cancer. They had many years of doggy raising experience. The wife stays home, they have no children. Then he asked me how much I sell my pups for. It went down hill from there. He said he could not possibly pay that much even for a well bred puppy. Our conversation went on for a bit longer, with me trying to explain why a well bred puppy costs so much. Then I find out his wife was on the other end of the line listening to our conversation. The husband tells me that his wife wants to talk to me and as he is passing the phone off to his wife, I hear this husband say, " There are at least 7 other breeders on our club's list who sell their puppies for less you( me ) do. " I knew for a fact this was a lie on their part as I had dropped my asking price for this particular litter due to this recession. The minute the wife gets on the phone I let her have it..husband got back on the other line secretly listening to our conversation. In all the yrs of breeding litters, I have never experienced out and out lying, trying to get a good deal on their new puppy. The wife listened to what I had to say about how it's wrong to lie to a breeder, how it's wrong to barter with a reputable breeder, how insulting it is and I went on and on for 10 minutes. Finally, the wife told me that they spent all their money on their dog who was dying of cancer so they can't afford to pay absorbant prices on their new puppy. I then told them that they should hold off on buying a puppy until they can afford a well bred labrador puppy or go adopt from a shelter. They were firm on their not wantint to pay any more than $400.00 which was the price that this coupld was telling me that 7 other breeders on the list were charging. It was so astounding to me. I told them that the show breeding world is a very small place and if they were smart, they would not approach any other breeders on our list using the same tactics they used on me. Some other man wanted a nice black puppy for his kids for Xmas this year but he only wanted to pay me $200.00. Since this recession, it seems people have lost their ability to reason.

But I always think if they can't pay for the price up front, they might not have money to take care of the pup anyway. Better to just say the timing sounds wrong with you all right now. Even rescue is over $200 in our area. Yes, don't even barter with me. Big turn off.

I sent on payment before. Nightmare! Never again. Had to take puppy back for bounced checks. Then to find out puppy did not get all vaccines or spay when needed. I do agree however to answer any question out there. Nice to educate.

I have an older retired show bitch, who I spayed, and want to find a good retirement home for. this bitch is a multi champion, multi specialty winner, lots of training, very sound,all health clearances, sweet temperament, etc. I am asking the cost of her spay for her....and I've had multiple inquiries who want her for free.
I've had some wierd folks inquiring for her....one wanted details of her show record, jotting it down on a notebook she pulled from her purse, then said she wanted all her rosettes and trophys too!
another gal came out to meet her, seemed very nice, liked the dog, then says she would need to make payments on the $300 price! I told her no, if she cannot afford $300 for her, she certainly cannot afford to care for my dog the way she deserves to be cared for!
another guy called, said he wanted to come out and get her....asked me no questions about her! I said we needed to discuss this before he came to see her....once I told him I wanted $300 for her, he was not interested...my gut feeling was he wanted a free dog for some bad reason....I kept thinking maybe a bait dog for pit bull fights?!
sorry, I'll keep caring for my girl, she is a wonderful dog, and if I cannot find someone who agrees with that, so be it.