Would You Like to Be a Guardian Home for our Breeders?

Becoming a guardian home for one of our breeding dogs can be an excellent way to have a top-quality dog as your family pet. Here at Beach Doodles, we do not believe in the long term kenneling of our dogs (or any dog for that matter). Dogs raised and kept in kennels often do not get the proper socialization and stimulation that is needed for them to become well balanced, happy animals. Therefore, we like to place our upcoming breeding dogs in their forever homes as puppies with suitable families, while we retain legal ownership and breeding rights of that dog for a specified period of time.

What this means is that the dog lives with you as your family dog. You pay for all of the dog’s regular health maintenance (annual exams and vaccinations), food, grooming and other expenses. We pay for the genetic health testing required for our breeding dogs in addition to all breeding expenses. Some of these expenses include hip and elbow films, annual or semi-annual eye checks, screening for multiple genetic illnesses, and various other tests associated with the breeding process such as semen analysis, progesterone levels, etc. Once the dog has passed its initial health testing (prior to 18 months), and he or she becomes sexually mature he or she comes back to Beach Doodles, as needed, for relatively short periods of time for breeding and/or whelping. When the dog completes his or her breeding obligations, you are given permission to neuter or spay the dog, at your own expense, providing proof to Beach Doodles that this has been completed, and the dog comes home to enjoy the wonderful life you have provided for him or her since puppyhood, legal ownership being transferred to you. Males are typically retained as sires for a longer period of time than breeding females, but they do not need to leave their families for extended periods of time. Females in guardian homes may have up to six litters (minimum of four) prior to being spayed, so their breeding career is often shorter than that of males, but they have to leave their family for longer periods of time.

There are many things that Guardian families need to consider besides frequent separation from their pet. Guardians of females sometimes have to deal with several heat cycles, keeping their girl protected from well-meaning gentlemen callers when she is in season. The Guardian family will need to learn the signs of a heat cycle starting and communicate, cooperate and coordinate with us to ensure successful breeding. Guardians of males will need to be comfortable with some “macho” behavior in their un-neutered boy as well as protect his “purity” so to speak. Yes, there are doggie venereal diseases that we will test for prior to breeding with an unknown female, so your male will only mate with approved females chosen by Beach Doodles.

The price you’d pay for a multi-generational Australian Labradoodle puppy from Beach Doodles is $3,000, plus g.s.t. The price to purchase a “breeding quality” Australian Labradoodle with breeding rights would be significantly higher (approximately 4-5 times higher). The Guardian program allows a family to have a “breeding quality” dog for no up-front cost. Should a dog placed in a Guardian Home not test out for some reason, or we decide not to breed that dog, we will cover the cost of spay/neuter and the dog will revert to a pet contract for a fee of half of pet price. Once breeding, our guardian families of our females receive $100 for each puppy born in a litter, to a maximum of 5 puppies, for each litter that your dog has for Beach Doodles, in consideration for your time away from your pet and for taking such great care of her ($100 for each litter sired by males). Our health warranty is the same for any dog raised at Beach Doodles, whether it is in a Guardian Home or a pet home.

Guardian Programs provide benefits for the Guardian Family:

  • Guardian Families have a ‘pick of the litter’ puppy, chosen and named by the breeder
  • Guardian Families have additional information as to the overall health of the dog
  • Guardian Families receive ongoing support and training directly from the breeder of their dog
  • Guardian Families can schedule trips during breedings/helpings without worry or cost of kenneling their pets

Guardian Programs provide benefits for the Dog:

  • The dog doesn’t need to be re-homed as an adult after retiring
  • The dogs are well socialized and in stable, loving home environments
  • The dogs are well-loved, cherished family members

GUARDIAN HOME AGREEMENT PROCESS

There are a few requirements for providing a Guardian Home for one of our dogs:

  • Guardians must have some previous dog experience, especially so with males
  • Guardians must NEVER strike the dog with an object or their hand as a form of discipline
  • Guardians must live in a house with a fully fenced yard
  • Guardians must keep the dog on a leash when outside unless the dog is in a fenced area (fully fenced Off Leash facilities are okay)
  • Guardians must take their dog to formal puppy classes, as well as further obedience classes with their dog
  • Guardians must ensure the puppy is socialized to adults (male and female, people of color and people in hats, masks, costumes, etc.), children of all ages, other dogs and other species (ie cats) and ensure that the dog is confident and friendly, never skittish
  • Guardians must provide appropriate veterinary or emergency care when needed, including vaccinations, titer testing, de-worming, etc. All veterinary care is to be discussed with and approved by breeder, prior to any treatment taking place. Guardian’s veterinarian must be made aware that dog is a Guardian Breeding dog and that breeder is to be added to dog’s chart as co-owner.
  • Guardians must feed the dog a commercially prepared RAW diet, approved by the breeder, along with required supplements, which change when females are pregnant
  • Guardians must not allow the dog to participate in extended strenuous running on concrete or other hard surfaces before 18 months of age
  • Guardians must notify breeder immediately when a female begins any heat cycle
  • Guardians must not allow a female around intact males during her heat cycle
  • Guardians must not allow a male to breed ANY females other than those chosen by the breeder at a time determined by the breeder
  • Guardians must live within reasonable driving distance from Beach Doodles and Guardians are responsible for all transportation of bitch/stud to breeder at any time that bitch/stud is needed for health testing, progesterone testing, breeding or whelping. These times will be planned between breeder and Guardian and not last minute.
  • The Guardian Program is only open to families with children over the age of 5, on a case by case basis.
  • Guardians and all others that live within the home must be interviewed by the breeder and sign the agreement.
  • Guardians must communicate, cooperate and coordinate with the breeder regarding testing, matings, helpings, and other breeding related activities
  • New Guardian Families are required to purchase our Puppy Starter Kit. In this way, we know that you will have everything you need to start out right with one of our puppies. The Puppy Starter Kit is fully inclusive of everything you need to bring home a new puppy, and nothing you don’t. The kit costs approx $700.
  • Guardians must agree to set up a weekly training schedule with Beach Doodles to keep up with training.
  • Guardians must keep up with grooming. In some cases, Beach Doodles will offer to do this at no cost.
  • Guardians must agree to not feed dog from table and no human food given
  • If for some reason, the puppy does not pass breeding health testing, the guardian home puppy becomes a family pet. Therefore, the family pays half of what a family pet cost is.
  • At the age of 18 months, health testing starts. If puppy passes all test, then puppy will become a Beach Doodles breeder until 4-5 years of age. At that time, family is required to have dog spade/neutered at breeders expense and become a family pet.

What’s included in the Guardian Home puppy starter kit?

Everything that the Family Pet gets with all of the training tools.

For example, leash/treats/clicker, gentle leader, prong collar, and the e collar

Scheduled weekly training with all of the family household cooperation.

Please read, print, sign and send back once the Guardian Home Application form has been filled out and approved.

Signature_______________________________Date:____________

Please contact us if you would like more information or are interested in becoming a Guardian Home.

Guardian Home Application Form

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