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What is a guardian home?
We believe every pup deserves a loving and caring home with their forever family. We are not a kennel breeder. In order to keep growing our program, we have a guardianship program to keep our pups happy and with their forever families while they remain a breeding dog. Our guardian families help us continue breeding these dogs by caring for them in their own homes. We retain the breeding rights, while the guardian home provides the love, care, and attention that every pup deserves.
Would I make a good fit for this program?
If you live near the Portland metro/Washington County/Salem area and have time during the day to love on, bond with, socialize, and train a puppy, you might make a great guardian home! In exchange for providing a loving home to one of our breeding dogs, you will receive the breeder's pick of the litter at a reduced adoption fee.
What is expected of me as a guardian home?
Location
Guardian families must plan to remain in the Portland metro/Washington County/Salem area until the end of their pups breeding career.
Health
The health and well being of our breeding dogs is our number one priority, and we expect that our guardian homes will make it their priority as well.
- We expect our dogs to have access to a fenced yard, or a minimum of a 6 foot dog run/potty area.
- We expect our guardian homes to use food from one of our preferred food brands; however, we know that every pup is different, and we will work with you to come up with a nutrition plan that is best for your pup. We do require a nutritional supplement specifically designed for the optimal health of breeding dogs; these supplements will be purchased by us, and we will ship them directly to your home.
- We expect our guardian homes to regularly exercise your pup and stay current on all vaccinations and vet visits. All veterinarian care will take place at Newberg Veterinary Hospital in Newberg Oregon and transportation will be provided by the guardian family. All breeding related vet costs will be covered by us, routine wellness care is to be paid for by the guardian home.
Training & Socialization
Our breeding dogs temperament is a representation of our program, and we expect our guardian families to make training and socialization a priority in their family.
- We expect our guardian families to take your pup on regular outings and expose them to many different experiences/environments. We ask that you prioritize socializing your pup with many different animals and people.
- We ask that you continue the crate training program we start before your pup goes home. Crate training helps dogs learn to self soothe and limits their anxiety by providing a safe space. This helps create more secure adult dogs.
- We expect our guardian families to limit the amount of time pups spend home alone. Being "too busy" to give the proper time and attention to training and socialization is not a lifestyle we will support from our guardian home.
Grooming
We believe the dogs that we are entrusting in your care represent our program and expect the dogs to be well groomed.
- Regular grooming is a requirement, doodle grooming appointments can cost $80-$100 per grooming. Grooming expenses will be the responsibility of the guardian home. Professional grooming appointments should take place every 8-10 weeks.
Other
Guardian families will need to be willing to drive to appointments for medical testing or "dates" with male dogs as they arise. As mother nature dictates the timeline of when these "dates" take place, this will require a bit of a flexible schedule,
Above all, the most important responsibility of a guardian home is to provide a safe and loving home to one of our dogs. We ask that you consider making this commitment carefully, and to make sure you have the time to train, socialize, and care for your pup.
What is it like to own a breeding dog?
As a guardian home, owning one of our breeding dogs is very similar to owning any other dog; however, there are some additional responsibilities.
Frequency of heat cycles is different for every female, but generally they go into heat every 6-8 months beginning around 9-10 months old. When we first started this program, we were unsure if the heat cycle would be difficult or inconvenient, but we found it to be surprisingly easy to deal with. Nora wears washable diapers that stay on with velcro. We change the diaper every few hours as needed, and she sleeps in her "house" with no diaper and some washable bedding. These simple steps have prevented any messes. We found that dealing with heat cycles twice a year was surprisingly easy, and not as big of a deal as we initially thought it might be.
Your pup will have her first litter on her third or fourth heat cycle. When it is time for your pup to give birth, she will be kept at our home in Tualatin, Oregon to whelp and raise her pups for 6-7 weeks. We know our breeding dogs are cherished members of the guardian home family, and we are happy to arrange visits at our home during this time.
Our females will have a maximum of four litters depending on the recommendation of our breeding specialist veterinarian. If your pup has only had two litters, but the vet recommends that be their last litter, we would end the contract early and ownership would be transferred to the guardian family at that time. Although we contract for four litters, the actual number of litters your pup has may be less depending on what is best for their health.
If you're interested in our guardianship program, but want more details on what it's like to own a breeding dog, please reach out and we'd be happy to answer any questions.
I think I would make a good fit for this program, how do I get started?
If you think you would make a good fit for this program, we would love to hear from you. We are currently searching for one guardian home for a female puppy ready to go home in late May of this year. Please either fill out an online application and note in the "other" section that you are interested in this program, or contact us directly via phone or email to discuss further. We look forward to hearing from you!