Guardian Home

What is a Guardian Home?

The guardian program allows us to grow our program and continue to better our breeds, without sacrificing any of our dogs happiness and need for love and attention. While we want to keep all of our dogs with us, we understand that they will be happier with more one on one attention than we can give them.

As a guardian home, you are the permanent home for one of our breeding dogs while they are in our program. Once they are retired (and spayed/neutered at our expense), full ownership transfers to the guardian family and they get to keep the dog forever.

Becoming a Guardian Home gives you the opportunity to have one of our puppies or young adults as a family pet while he or she remains in our program at no upfront cost to you!

By offering the guardian program, we are able to ensure that our dogs get to live the best possible lives in a loving, caring home where they receive as much one on one attention as possible.

How much does it cost to become a Guardian?

You will receive a top quality dog that has been hand selected by us to remain in our program at a heavily discounted price.

Guardians are responsible for all “regular” dog care including providing food, treats, toys, etc. They are also responsible for normal vet care that is not breeding related. The dog must be kept UTD on all shots at guardians expense. Guardians are also required to pay for grooming unless they opt to do it themselves.

What are the responsibilities of a Guardian?

Potty train and crate train the dog
Teach basic commands such as sit, stay, lay-down, “no”, quiet, and leave it as well as how to walk politely on a leash
Must be willing and able to train using positive reinforcement only
Keep the dog as an indoor family pet and never allow them to live outside
Keep the dog off of the ground where other dogs frequent (dog parks, pet stores, etc) and away from unknown dogs until the dog is fully vaccinated (around 16 weeks)
Be willing and able to socialize the dog with other dogs as well as people
Provide adequate exercise and mental stimulation
Be able to bring the dog to and from the breeder within 24-36hr notice
Must be able to communicate, cooperate, and coordinate with the breeder effectively
Contact the breeder in the event of any serious illness or accident
Fenced in yard is required
Guardians are responsible for all transportation to and from us

What is the breeder responsible for?

Provide guardian family with a healthy dog
Pay for health testing
Pay for all breeding related expenses (ie progesterone testing, semen collection, etc)
Teaching the guardian family how to detect a heat cycle and how to care for a pregnant dog if they don’t already know
Pay for the spay/neuter upon retirement
Pay a monetary sum per litter
Provide lifetime support for the dog
Always be willing to take the dog back if the guardian family can no longer care for them

What if I don't want to breed my dog bred?

Becoming a guardian home for one of our dogs is a huge commitment and a decision that should not be made lightly. Please keep in mind that we are retain full legal ownership of the dog until they are retired from our program and guardians have a legal obligation to follow the contract. Our dogs are very high quality and have been hand selected to benefit and improve our program further. The decision to breed the dog relies only with the breeder. Becoming a guardian home is not for everyone! Please consider this commitment carefully.

Do you require a specific food or treat to be fed?

We do not require a specific food to be fed, however, we do require it be rated at least 4.0 stars on Dog Food Advisor. It is also required that they are not fed a grain free food.

I do prefer that our dogs stay on certain foods which can be discussed once approved.

For treats, we do not have any specific requirements, but they should be high quality, limited ingredient treats. For example, no “Ol Roy” or rawhide treats.

What if my dog is not suitable for breeding?

If your dog is deemed unsuitable for breeding by either us or one of our veterinarians, then the dog will be retired from our program. You will not be required to pay any fees, but you will be required to pay for spay/neuter at your expense. After that, full ownership will transfer over to you.

Benefits of being a Guardian

You are getting a top quality dog at a discounted rate
The dog will be health tested at the breeder’s expense
The breeder pays for spay or neuter
Once retired and spayed/neutered, full rights and ownership are transferred to you
Knowing your canine companion is blessing families all over the country

Ask yourself these questions before deciding to be a Guardian?

Can you be without your girl while she is with us for breeding and whelping?

For males, the timeframe that they’re gone is much shorter. Females will be generally be with us about one to two weeks during the breeding cycle, then again for about 7 weeks when they have puppies. This may happen up to two times a year.

Can you put in the time and commitment to train your dog?

One thing that separates us from many breeders is that we try our best to treat our guardian dogs as part of the family. This means that they will live in our home while they’re with us. While we do move our litters to our puppy area around 3 weeks to start the weaning process, they are always invited into our home.

To be able to do this, all dogs must have obedience training. At a minimum they should know how to sit, stay, lay-down, “no”, quiet, and leave it. Along with other basic manners (i.e. no jumping up, proper door etiquette (not bolting out), no counter surfing, etc.)

They must also be housebroke and crate trained. They must also be well socialized and not aggressive based on their upbringing.

Apply to be a Guardian