What is a "performance Home" and why would they get precedence on a puppy?

Many perspective buyers get confused by our contract clause that anyone purchasing a puppy for a performance home will get precedence in puppy selection over a pet home- regardless of waitlist order. We do this for several reasons, and wanted to take a moment to clarify for all below!

Firstly, what the heck IS a performance home? 
A performance home is how we term a placement for a puppy that is intending on actively competing in officially sanctioned dog sports and receives formal recognition and awards of merit for their success. In terms of our interests, this is important to us and our program as it adds both credence and validation to the quality of dogs we aim to produce. As we breed to better our line (as opposed to just producing puppies because we can), these successes of our offspring reflects back on the quality of their parents and substantiates our own endeavors. In terms of those searching for a competitive dog- finding the right puppy for the job is really important to ensure the success of a dog. For this reason, if we have an active competitor looking for their next performance dog, we give their selection needs precedence over a pet home. They will have very specific needs regarding drive, nose work, and temperament.

For those new to the idea of dog sports....
Competing in organized dog sports also does much more than help our program! It benefits the organizations such as AKC and UKC in addition to the sports themselves by continuing to encourage participation. There is nothing quite like actively competing as a dog/handler team in any of these sports and we would hate to see any of them disappear. It's truly a level of partnership that is very special. Participation in these sports is also TREMENDOUSLY rewarding for the dogs! The time and energy spent preparing and then competing offers so much enrichment to them and allows them all to meet their inherent potential while doing what they love to do!

Our line is focused on high retrieval drive while maintaining the high biddability that makes Golden Retrievers so great! We strive to have a high energy dog that also has an "off" switch that allows them to be the classic loveable family pet their breed is known for. While we personally pursue AKC and UKC sanctioned Obedience Trials and Hunt Tests, any dogs from our lines should be expected to excel at these sports as well as any requiring nose work, high drive, and water! (Agility, Dock Diving, Field Trials, Rally, Barn Hunt, etc.)