A Guardian Home is a method used by dog breeders where their breeding dogs are fostered or adopted by a family. The dog lives with the family, or Guardian Family, when it is not used for breeding. The Guardian Family provides a loving and caring environment that replicates the everyday life of a standard family dog.
How does a Guardian Home Program work?
Guardian Home Programs differ by the breeder. However, a few features are generally the same across each program.
The breeder first chooses a Guardian Family for their dog. It can be a female (dam) or a male (sire). Often, it is a puppy that will go to a Guardian Home. This ensures the puppy grows up with its new family from the beginning.
The puppy will live an everyday puppy life with its new family. The Guardian Family will take care of all the needs of the puppy. This includes health checks, proper training, socialization, grooming, etc.
Once the dog is at the appropriate age, the breeder will want to start breeding. The age depends on the gender of the dog.
If the puppy is a female, it is recommended that it not start breeding before two years of age. Males can start breeding at 12-15 months of age. Our Sires & Dams in Guardian Homes will be health tested (expenses covered by the breeder).
Male Guardian dogs won’t need to return to the breeder until the breeder decides to have another litter.
At this point, the dog will typically go back to the breeder for mating. The breeder will keep the dog for a few days or even a week or two. Then, the dog is returned to its everyday life with its Guardian Family. Once the dog is confirmed pregnant (if it is a female dog), it will return to the Guardian Home for the duration of its pregnancy. Pregnancy in dogs typically lasts 63 days or about three months. The specific timeline for the dog’s return to the breeder is specific to the breeder and its program.
At some point between 1 week before labor, or 1 week after labor- the Dam and puppies will go to the Breeder’s home to whelp and raise the litter. The dam will spend time raising, whelping, and weaning her puppies at the breeder’s location. Usually, breeders will allow the Guardian Family to visit their dog after giving birth to their litter. Some breeders will not allow families to visit due to the risk of infection or disease transmission to the pups.
Once the puppies are older and properly weaned, the litter’s mother will return home to her Guardian Family. This process will repeat itself before the dog is retired from breeding. We do not breed our females more than 2x.
As I mentioned, each breeder will have a slightly different process for their Guardian Home Program. If you are interested in becoming a Guardian Family, you will need to seek specific details from the breeder. We do not allow Dams to have more than 2 Litters in our CO-OP.
How are Guardian Families chosen?
Below are a few questions and qualifications that are typically found in an application to make sure you are a good fit for the breeder:
Are you located in the area?
Breeders prefer local families. It wouldn’t do anyone any good if you lived in Ohio, but the breeder is in Utah. The breeder wants to check up on their dog from time to time. Plus, they will need the dog for breeding. Things are more complicated for both parties if you aren’t a few minutes drive away.
Do you have enough free time/availability to be a Guardian Family?
It takes time to raise a dog, especially a puppy. The breeder wants to ensure that you can devote enough time to proper socialization, training, and exercise.
Do you travel frequently?
If you are out of town often for business or pleasure, the dog will be either left at home or in the kennel. Or, if you plan on bringing your pup, it is tough to schedule visits and mating if the dog isn’t around.
Do you have experience raising dogs?
The last thing a breeder wants to do is hand off their prized stud to someone who has no experience raising dogs. Plus, a Guardian Family relationship can be challenging if you’ve never had a dog before. This is especially true if you plan to be a Guardian Home for a female.
Pregnant dogs require a lot of specialized care and frequent health testing before and after their due date. It’s better left to someone with some experience.
Do you have other pets in the house?
If you already own a friendly dog, being a Guardian Family is an excellent way to add another pup to the mix. If your dog is not friendly, I suggest you skip this program.
Do you have a fenced yard?
I have seen some breeders require a fully fenced yard as part of their application. It’s a legit concern, but I don’t think it’s that necessary. After all, I own a massive Bernedoodle in a one-bedroom apartment. She gets plenty of exercise and affection – yard or no yard; she’s spoiled.
Do you have children?
This is an important one for both you and the breeder. If you are going to be a Guardian Home, you will want to make sure that the puppy is well-socialized towards children.
As a breeder, you want your dogs to socialize well with young children. No one likes a dog that is afraid of children or aggressive towards them.
Does it cost money to be a Guardian Home?
The answer to this question is mainly dependent on the breeder. Some breeders require you to pay a deposit, while others pay you to take care of their pup.
Some breeders will require a deposit because they practically allow you to take one of their puppies. Eventually, the dog will be entirely yours. We are still working out an agreed upon term of our Guardian Home Program. At this point, we are segmenting interest for a Guardian Home Program. We are still leaving it up to the breeder
Dog ownership does cost money. All dogs require a level of care that isn’t free. Grooming, food, toys, vaccinations, etc. It adds up, so be sure you are prepared to take on the financial responsibility of raising a dog.