As breeders we sold a puppy to what we vetted to be a suitable home last year. We only allow our animals to go under contract. One of the conditions clearly states, If there is any behavioural problems they must report it to the breeder before  it gets out of control.
When the new owners collect their puppies  they are all given a pack produced by ourselves giving them as much information of the breed as possible. The Do's & Don'ts, feeding facts,health related literature, Crate training, A full 5 generation pedigree certificate along with all other bits and pieces bowl, toy, vet bedding etc. We do not allow our puppies to leave us before they are 8 weeks old, by which time they are all virtually house trained, allowing for the small accidents that occur in the new strange environment. We also say and mean that we are available 24-7 to be contacted should ANY PROBLEMS ARISE. We ask where possible a photo etc of the puppy as it is growing to be sent. We send Christmas cards etc. THEN yesterday after almost 10 months with NO CONTACT WHATSO EVER, we get a telephone call, to say that their dog had  got out of their secure garden (7ft fenced) and bit someone, who was now insisting that the dog be put down. They stated that they have had a problem with the dog, they are disappointed with it and are going to report US to the K.C. We are committed breeders, We don't allow our animals to go just any where, we vet carefully, we've turned people away, we love our dogs, and I now feel completely gutted and feel like walking away. We've bred champions, we love our breed, but it  has soured everything to think someone feel we have done them an injustice.  Do you think we are at fault!

Nope, you only had the shaping of that pup for 8 weeks, adn they have mismanaged it for 8 months!

Just get teh dog back.  Ask why they didn;t contact you sooner if the dog was so unsatisfdactory???

Absolutely not...

Unfortunately we all make mistakes, and no matter how carefully you vet prospective owners there is always the chance that an idiot like this could slip through...

I hope you get it sorted. :-)

Ellie, you sound like a wonderfull breeder, who is incredibly supportive and responsible. I wish there where more like you.

No, you are not at fault, in my experience puppy buyers are rarely seriously interested in dogs and will not even read the information you give them let alone act on it.  With my contract I get whoever is going to sign it to sit down quietly and READ it before they sign it - preferably on a visit prior to collecting the pup but this does not always work (see my posts about owner dumping pup with RSPCA instead of bringing it back to me - I am still seething about this a few months later).

If you get your pup back be VERY careful and try and get something in writing that should the people who were bitten pursue the matter then the owners of the pup are still liable and accept full responsibility for anything that ensues..  If they pass the pup back to you and the bitten people decide to press charges then you, as the owner of the dog will be liable and this could affect ownership of your dogs not just the pup but any others you own at the time

Thanks everyone for your support. Kerioak we actually give the contract out at the first interview so as the prospective owner can take away the contract read over it and seek advice. If they are not happy to sign the contract, they don't get the puppy. They are asked to bring back the contract if they are happy  when they come to collect their puppy. The contract is read over again and signed on our premises and witnessed. We have had people take the contract to a breed club and query it. I have had breed club secretaries on the telephone asking about it. I have forwarded a copy to them for their opinion and had praise as it is written out to cover  the dogs welfare only. This as far as we are concerned is first and foremost. Both myself & husband are absolutely gutted that it has been left so long before contacting us. We breed for temperament which really sticks in our throats that an animal bred by us has bitten someone and they are requesting for the dog to be put down. We can't find out the severity of the attack but still it leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

its a pitty that  all breeders was not like you, i cant understand why they did not contact you befor, it might not had gone this far.

Ellie,

Are you absolutely 100% sure that the dog has bitten someone? Is the incident being dealt with by the police?  How did the dog get out of a 7ft fence??

I can't understand why these people didn't contact you sooner if the dog is so unsatisfactory.  How have they treated/trained the dog?  If it left you as a young pup then you can't be held responsible for the way it has been brought up.

At 12 months old this dog is still a pup and may not be as bad as is made out;)  But, as Kerioak says, you need to be very sure that you are not taking on liability for something that is not your fault.

Hi Elli thats a awful shame but its not your fault for all you know these people might not of socialised this dog or mistreated it, they are just trying to place the blame onto you they probably are panicing about the dog biting someone and who do you call the breeder so they can pass the book as they dont wont to feel responsible for the dog being ordered to be put down so by place the blame they feel less guilty and not responsible try and find out why the dog bit or if the person it bit was trespassing into the back theres no way its jumping a seven foot wall if they had a problem with the dog they would of contacted you earlier definitely try and get the facts as they could be lying.  good luck frank

I know you think the world of your dpgs and pups, but i would not take the dog back and it's not ur fault. The owners have had this pup for so long and probley just can't cope with it or just got fed up with it as it's still a pup and pup's can do naughty things. Tell them it's there problem they haven't bothered with you all this time. Sorry for sounding so harsh but it's not your problem now.Take care. x

Pups we breed are always 'our problem', Justlou. If we're not puppy farmers, that is. The breeder has moral responsibilities all their lives long.

Hi justlou  I would still consider one of the pups i bred was my responsibility if a new owner contacted me to say they had a problem with the said dog. I would do my upmost either to rehome the dog or bring it back to my house until i could find a new home for him/her.That is the only downfall to breeding in my opinion that sometimes the home i once thought was a good and suitable home turned not to be so in the end.I would take any dog back without a second thought.

O.k, i understand all that but they haven't been in touch for so long, and now there's a problem they contact you. If you do take the puppy back just be careful that you dont become liable for whats happened. Take care. x

We took back one of our 'pups'  at nearly 7 years old - his owners could no longer keep him as their personal circumstances had changed and we were able to find him a new home very quickly where he has now settled - the point I'm making is that a breeder has to take reponsibility for the dogs they breed throughout their lives. Luckily we have kennels in the garden where 'Harley' could stay (we could not have him indoors as my male dog would not tolerate another mature entire male around 'his' girls .) He was most unhappy living outdoors as he had been a much loved pet but his new home quickly turned up and he was rehomed within a couple of weeks.

We have had some puppy buyers who find the adolescent stage difficult to manage and have phoned me in desperation sometimes when their youngster is being difficult - but at least they have TALKED to me about it and I have been able to offer advice. You have been put in a very difficult position as this has come out of the blue and at the end of what has probably been an escalating problem due to their unrealistic expectations of what a young juvenile should be like. Buyers sometimes don't think beyond the cute puppy stage and a bouncy youngster can need firm handling ( especially in a working or pastoral breed).

I wish you good luck in this - this is NOT your fault - you provided the best possible start you could for this puppy but you cannot completely plan for idiots like this  :( and believe me you are not the only responsible breeder who has been placed in this position - if breeders such as yourself gave up then only those who DONT CARE will be around to breed - chin up :D

Yvonne

Justlou - what Trevor has reported shows how far responsible breeders must be prepared to go when they have puppies - you have to go all the way, all the time.

Margot

Thanks for the comments Trevor. We have had owners on the telephone asking for advice and guidance which we are only too happy to do. We have recently had a dog back due to the owners splitting up and we've placed him in a lovely new home. It was difficult for us to keep him indefinately as we only have girls at home and all he wanted to do was hump! It was so hard though, letting him go a second time, as now he is grown up with a lovely nature and a laid back character.It's so different from letting the puppies go at  8 weeks.
As you are aware puppies are placed in homes all around the U. K and to be fair we as breeders are responsible for them. We were there  from conception through to delivery. My husband and I work our annual leave around whelping so one or both are present for the full 8 weeks until the pups leave. It is hard work as alot of you know.
We have visited owners when they have a problem to give advice and cast an eye over the pup all over the country. This however has completely knocked us both sideways, the first being that the animal has actually bitten someone when we insisit that all our animals are taken to classes to intergrate them into society, we can't get it out of our head. The second is that after 10 months this is the  first time  we have had any contact. I've written a number of times  and now  we've been told that he is disappointed in the dog. I can't help but wonder what sort of life this pups had if he's been a disappointment. We've been told by the owner that the pup is to be put down so no chance of it coming home. This is a kick in the teeth!

I am sorry but a breeder has the responsibility for teh dogs welfare all it's life no mateer waht.  Even if saadly (and I ahve known this happen) the owners so mismanaged the pup to ruin it's temperament and had the heartbreak of arranging to have it put to sleep.  We bring them into the world and if the worst comes to wort should be the ones to make hard decisions.  As for the owners you grit your teeth and take the dog.  In this case have something drawn up in writing that you are taking no liability for the dog whilst it was not in your ownership, and that they now have no further claim on the dog.

i think you sound like a FAB breeder.i just have one question though....did you  try tofollow up with this pup when it became clear that the owners were not "sticking" to the contract & giving you updates etc?

Hi Michelled , yes we did. We try to remain in regular contact, we insist on landline no: rather than mobile etc.  but in this case the telephone was disconnected we have wrote on many occassions ie just little notes eg. Just to let you know we're thinking of you! How's it going etc. but you have to draw the line somewhere or else you end like a stalker! As I said before our puppies are placed all over the U.K  we have dogs at home and is a near impossiblity to 'knock round; and see them all.Although this hasn't stopped us if one of our animals has had a problem or been ill we have visited for our own peace of mind and to let the owner know they are not alone. We do take it seriously. I agree with others who have said that the breeder is responsible for the animal. After all they are my babies. I've washed, fed top'n'tailed, bathed them. Rubbed life into one or two only to have it tarnished by a so called responsible owner who 'Knows how to handle his dog' and the cutting remark that it is a disappointment to him!! My baby a disappointment, NEVER. You can only vet people on what they say, on the people that vouch for them and take them at their honour.  the owner has made it clear that he didn't want our advice, he had familiy & friends with dogs who knew best and prefared to listen to them.This has been the worse week of my breeding life. Both my husband and I can't sleep and we know feel if we are affected so much perhaps it is time to walk away. 

its just one of those things then,try to get the dog back thats all you can do.i guess sometimes people dont want to admit when they are having problems & cant ask for help.
youve really done all you can,you cant make people be honest can you?

I wish all breeders are like you. As a prospective buyer of a puppy (due in Jue), I would not hesitate to contact the breeder if there were any problems, I will probably call just for advice from time to time, you guys are the experts, not us.
I had a rescue dog before and after a couple of walks in the park, started to see his aggressive side, (I believe that he was abused before), but instead of giving him back to be put to sleep, I put him in a muzzle. It took 3 years of hard work to make him an absolute softy. Us as owners have to take responsibilty for our dogs.

It is so sad when this sort of thing happens. We have only bread 1 litter so far and we offered 24 hour back up to our new owners, had contracts etc.

We have also had an owners who's pup bit someone after they had ignored all the advice we gave (they had been on the phone to us every week). We had mentioned on several occasions that we would be willing to take the dog back if they felt they could not cope, but they would not part with him.

It broke my heart because I could see in his eyes that the dog was not happy. When he bit, they were going to have him put to sleep, they still wouldn't let us have him back. We even got some legal advice and discovered that, as they own the dog, the contract does not mean anything in legal terms. In the end they were going to give the dog a second chance and seek help from a qualified behaviourist, They would not accept that in their case, it's them that needs training more than the dog!

We will never know the outcome for this dog, as they refuse to speak to us now. We had been as careful as we could when finding homes for the pups and it has really made me think about what we should do in the future.