What is a Guardian home?

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Guardian homes are an excellent way to expand a breeding program while ensuring the dogs live in loving family environments. Here's some detailed information about guardian homes for male and female pups:

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Ideal Guardian Family Qualities

• A stable home environment with time to provide attention, training, and socialization.

• Commitment to maintaining the dog's health and fitness.

• Willingness to follow breeder guidelines, especially regarding reproduction.

• Open communication with the breeder for health updates, heat cycles, and breeding arrangements.

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General Guardian Home Responsibilities

1. Ownership Structure:

   • The breeder retains ownership rights for breeding purposes.

   • The guardian family provides the dog with a loving home as their family pet.

2. Care and Maintenance:

   • Guardian families are responsible for routine care, including food, grooming, training, and regular vet checkups.

   • The breeder typically covers breeding-related expenses (e.g., health testing, stud fees, whelping costs).

3. Contract Agreement:

   • A guardian home contract outlines all terms, including breeding rights, care responsibilities, and conditions for transfer of ownership once the dog is retired from breeding.

 

Male Pup Guardian Home

1. Breeding Use:

   • Males are used for stud purposes, starting around 12-18 months once health and fertility testing is complete.

   • The breeder will need access to the male for artificial breeding. This could mean short visits to the breeder's home, or if not close to the breeder, the guardian home would need to be able to either learn to collect and ship semen, or have a repo vet in close proximity that can complete the collection.

2. Breeding Duration:

   • A male may remain active in a breeding program for several years, depending on health and breeding needs.

   • Typically retired by 5-7years old, at which point the male will be neutered and full ownership may transfer to the guardian family.

3. Guardian Considerations:

   • The male must remain intact (not neutered) until retired.

   • Families need to maintain the male's health and ensure no unauthorized breeding occur.

 

Female Pup Guardian Home

1. Breeding Use:

   • Females are part of the breeding program starting around 18-24 months, after completing health testing and having at least two heat cycles.

   • They typically whelp 3 litters.

2. Breeding Process:

   • During breeding, the female will stay with the breeder for mating(7-10days) and then go back to their guardian home during gestation.

   • Between day 53-57 gestation, the female will go back to the breeder’s home to get ready for whelping and will stay in the breeder’s home while caring for the puppies until they are weaned(between 4-5 weeks old)

   • Guardian families should prepare for these absences and be supportive during this time.

3. Breeding Duration:

   • Females are retired after their agreed number of litters(usually around 3-4 years of age)

   • After retirement, the female will need to be spayed and then full ownership is transferred to the guardian family.

4. Guardian Considerations:

   • The female must remain intact until retired.

   • Proper care during heat cycles is essential to prevent unauthorized breeding.