Before you bring a puppy home.
What to expect, what's included with every Sprague River puppy, and — important — what questions to ask any Lab breeder before you put down a deposit.
From application to homecoming.
Here's how a placement unfolds, step by step.
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Phone call
You ring Jim at (541) 892-7808. He's an old-school working-dog man — no online forms, no email queue. Just a real conversation about your life, your home, your past dogs, and what you're looking for. Ask anything you want.
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Deposit
If we both feel good, a deposit reserves your spot. Cash, Venmo, or Zelle. The deposit applies to the final price.
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Picking your puppy
As the litter matures, we help match each family to the right puppy based on temperament, color, sex, and what your home needs. This isn't first-come, first-served.
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Homecoming at 8 weeks
Pickup happens at the property in Sprague River, Oregon. You leave with the puppy, vet records, AKC papers, and our phone number for life.
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After you're home
Call us. Text us. Send us photos. We're not done once a puppy leaves — fifteen years of Lab placements means a lot of dogs we still check in on.
Want our vet's number?
Ask for it. We'll give it to you. Talk to the person who has actually examined every dog in our program — and form your own opinion before any money changes hands. Most breeders won't offer this. We do.
Your puppy goes home with this.
AKC papers
Full AKC registration paperwork — limited or full registration depending on your placement type.
Full vet records
Six-week vet check, first shots, deworming history, dewclaw removal. Everything documented so your vet can pick up right where ours left off.
Pedigree documents
Detailed lineage on both parents. OFA hip and elbow records. The Thornwood sire's pedigree with CHIC-certified grandparents.
A bit of the familiar
A blanket or toy with the scent of mom and littermates to ease the transition into your home.
Feeding info
What we're feeding, how often, and how to transition to whatever food you choose. Plus the standard schedule for the next few months.
Direct access to Jim
Our phone number. For questions, training help, or worried-new-owner check-ins. We've been at this fifteen years on Labs (twenty in dog breeding overall) — most things you'll wonder about, we've seen.
The questions every buyer should ask any Lab breeder.
If you're shopping around — and you should be — these are the questions that separate ethical breeders from the rest. Ask us. Ask anyone else you're considering. Compare the answers.
1. Can I see the OFA health clearances for both parents?
Hip and elbow dysplasia are the breed's two biggest hereditary risks. Reputable breeders get OFA evaluations on every breeding dog and publish them on the OFA website (ofa.org). If a breeder waves you off this question, or says "the vet looked at them," walk away.
Our answer: Both dams are OFA Excellent for hips and Normal for elbows. The current sire is OFA Good for hips and Normal for elbows. See the Our Dogs page for direct OFA links.
2. How old were the parents when bred?
OFA hip clearances aren't valid until age two. Any breeder pairing dogs younger than that is taking a roll of the dice on hips. Males should be at least eighteen months.
Our answer: Jim doesn't breed females before age two, and males not before eighteen months. Females retire by seven or eight.
3. How many litters has the dam had — and how often?
The Labrador Retriever Club code of ethics recommends no more than four to six litters in a female's lifetime, with at least one skipped heat cycle between breedings. Anything more frequent is hard on the dog.
Our answer: We follow the LRC code. Two litters a year across the whole program, max — one per female per year. Heat cycles skipped between every breeding.
4. Can I see where the puppies are raised?
Puppies raised in barns, outdoor kennels, or basements miss critical socialization. They should be in the home, around people, around normal household activity. If a breeder won't show you the whelping setup, that's a sign.
Our answer: Yes. Visits are welcome by appointment after a deposit is in place. Puppies are raised inside the house in a dedicated whelping setup, around the pack.
5. At what age do puppies go home?
Eight weeks. Not six. Not seven. Eight is the breed standard for good reason — those last two weeks are when puppies learn critical social skills from mom and littermates that humans can't replace.
Our answer: Eight weeks. No exceptions.
6. What happens if the puppy doesn't work out — for any reason?
An ethical breeder will tell you the dog comes back to them, no questions asked. Forever. Not "we'll help you rehome." Back to the breeder. This is the single best signal of how seriously a breeder takes the dogs they produce.
Our answer: She comes back to us. Always. We've placed forty puppies; one came back, and we took her without hesitation.
7. Will you give me references from past buyers?
Talk to people who've actually raised this breeder's puppies. A breeder who has nothing to hide will hand you a list.
Our answer: Yes — we're collecting references and testimonials right now. Ask in your application call and we'll connect you with past buyers happy to talk.
8. Can I meet the dam?
You should always meet the mother. Her temperament, health, and condition tell you most of what you need to know about the puppy you're considering.
Our answer: Absolutely. Lisa is the dam of the current litter and she's home every day. You'll meet her when you visit.
The first week at home.
A few practical things to have on hand before pickup day. We'll go over all of this in detail during the placement call, but here's the short version.
- A crate Wire or plastic, mid-size. Lab puppies grow fast — get something that will fit a 70-pound adult dog.
- Stainless steel food and water bowls Skip the plastic; Labs chew and plastic harbors bacteria.
- The food we're feeding We'll tell you what we use in the placement call. Transition gradually to whatever you prefer over a couple of weeks.
- A simple collar and leash Nothing fancy. They'll outgrow it in three months.
- Puppy-proofed space Cords, shoes, anything chewable — out of reach. Labs explore with their mouths.
- A vet appointment scheduled Plan a wellness check within the first week or two. Bring our vet records with you.
- Patience for crate training and house training The first two weeks are the hardest. They get dramatically easier by week three.
What you're signing up for, honestly.
Labradors are the most popular dog breed in America for good reasons — and they're also misunderstood by a lot of buyers. Here's what fifteen years of breeding them has taught us.
Seven months in.
This is Queenie, from one of our previous litters. She's seven months old here — past the wobbly puppy stage, deep in the gangly-teenager phase, full of drive and still learning. By her first birthday she'll start to settle. By two, she'll look like Lisa.
An eight-week puppy is adorable. We don't want anyone forgetting that the puppy will be this dog within a year — and the working-line genetics behind her mean she'll want a job, not a beanbag.
They're high-energy until they aren't.
Lab puppies are a lot. They're mouthy, they're busy, they want to be doing something every waking minute for the first year. They calm down — usually somewhere between eighteen months and three years, depending on the dog. Plan for the first eighteen months to be active. After that, you get the famously chill adult Lab.
They need a job, even if it's a fake job.
Working-line Labs especially. If you don't give them something to do — fetch, swimming, tracking scents, training drills, even just walks with purpose — they'll find something to do, and you won't like it. This isn't a couch-only breed unless you really commit to giving them an outlet.
They love water.
If there's water anywhere within sniffing distance, your Lab will find it. Rivers, lakes, mud puddles, kiddie pools. Plan for muddy paws. Plan for towels by the door.
They're good with kids — when raised right.
Labs are famously kid-friendly. That said, no breed gives you a guarantee. The work is on both sides: a well-bred Lab plus thoughtful training plus kids who learn to handle a dog respectfully equals a great family situation.
They'll live with you for 10–14 years.
That's the commitment. A decade-plus of food, vet care, training, time, and companionship. We don't place puppies into homes that haven't really thought about what that means.
What our purchase agreement covers.
We use a written agreement on every placement. Here's a plain-English summary of what's in it — you'll get the full document during your application call and can read every word before you sign.
Health guarantee
Every puppy comes with a six-week vet check confirming good health at the time of sale. You're required to take the puppy to your own vet within seven days for an independent wellness exam — if that vet finds a serious condition we missed, we'll refund or replace. For hereditary conditions specifically (hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, hereditary eye conditions), the guarantee runs 24 months from birth, with the dog under appropriate veterinary care during that time.
Return-to-breeder, for the life of the dog
The most important clause in the agreement. If at any point in this dog's life you can't or don't want to keep her, she comes back to us — not to a shelter, not to a stranger, not posted to Craigslist. This is non-negotiable and runs for the entire life of the dog. Of forty puppies we've placed, one has come back. We took her without hesitation.
Limited vs. full AKC registration
Pet/family placements receive limited AKC registration — the dog is fully registered with pedigree, but offspring cannot be registered. Limited-registration puppies must be spayed or neutered at the age your vet recommends (typically 12–18 months). Full registration with breeding rights is available for approved breeding or competition homes at a higher price.
Deposit and payment
A deposit reserves your specific puppy through the eight-week home-going. Balance is due in cash, Venmo, or Zelle at pickup. If you cancel more than 14 days before pickup, your deposit can be applied to a future litter. Within 14 days of pickup, the deposit is forfeited unless we're able to place the puppy with another approved buyer.
Care expectations
You agree to provide adequate food, water, shelter, exercise, and veterinary care; to maintain age-appropriate vaccinations and parasite prevention; and to recognize that this is a working-line Labrador with real exercise needs and strong drive, especially in the first 1–3 years. The agreement doesn't prescribe specifics — just that you treat the dog the way any responsible owner would.
Ongoing support
We commit to remain available for the life of the dog — for questions, training guidance, anything that comes up. The agreement isn't a transaction; the dog stays part of our program forever.
Want the full document? Ask Jim on the call and we'll get a copy to you to read before any deposit changes hands. Nothing in this summary is binding until both sides sign the actual agreement.
Ready when you are.
If you've read this far, you're the kind of buyer we want to talk to. Give Jim a call and let's see if there's a good match.