Where can I live and still be in your guardian program?

We ask that you live within an hour and a half drive of Casa Grande/Coolidge 85128

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Do I have to feed a specific dog food?

The family needs to feed Life's Abundance All Stages or another breeder approved dog food that is not grain free, free from fillers, corn and by-products. We are advocates for healthy nutrition for our dogs, and for feeding foods that will not cause health issues down the road. 

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Do I have to use a specific Veterinarian?

The guardian family is required to use our veterinarian Dr. Carly Meschino at Queen Creek Veterinary Clinic. We work very closely with our veterinarian and she knows our program inside and out. We trust her expertise and value her care with our dogs. 

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What happens if the puppy/dog becomes sick or injured while in my care?

If the dog becomes sick or injured, we need the family to notify us right away so we are involved in all decisions regarding the treatment of the dog. In many cases, we can save the family a lot of money if it is a simple issue, and other situations, the treatment may need to be specific if the dog is going to be bred soon, or is pregnant. We work VERY closely with our veterinarian to do what is best for the dog.

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Do I have to transport the puppy/dog to you for breeding, litters or health testing?

The guardian family is responsible for the transportation of the dog to us for breeding, litters and health testing. If you are unable to transport the dog to and from appointments we ask that you let us know at least 48hrs prior to the appointment. 

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What happens if the dog doesn't pass a health test as you want them to for becoming a breeding dog?

Our standards are very high and we are proud of it. Remember, breeding quality and pet quality are two different things. Just because a dog may not be the best breeding candidate doesn't mean he/she isn't the perfect pet. Your dog can pass all the health testing and we still may decide to remove it from the program. We aren't ashamed about removing dogs from our program. If we release your dog from the breeding program, we will set up an appointment to have your dog spayed/neutered with our veterinarian. The Guardian is responsible for all costs for the spay/neuter for any dog that has not produced a litter of 3 or more puppies. 

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What health testing do you do on your breeding dogs?

Our dogs are evaluated by the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) and/or PennHip for hips, elbows, patella (moyen & minis), heart and eyes. We run a complete genetic panel through Embark. If we need any supplemental genetic testing for genes that Embark does not test for we will use PawPrint or another like company.

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When do you begin health testing?

We will genetic test the guardian dog prior to placement to ensure we have a passing genetic test. Our next test is eyes and we typically evaluate eyes at 16 weeks old. Hips, elbows, patella, and heart are evaluated at one years old or later.

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At what age do you start breeding the dog?

Our breeding dogs go through extensive health testing prior to being entered into our breeding program. No dog will be bred if he/she does not pass any of the health testing. We will breed females on their second heat, which usually starts between 16 and 18 months. If a dog goes into heat at any time beyond 12 months, we must be notified immediately. We would also like to be notified when your puppy has her first cycle somewhere between 6-12 months of age, so we can have a calculated guess on when her next cycle will be. Males will not be bred until over 12 months old.

 

How often are guardian males bred?

Most of our guardian males aren't used for breeding very often. When we have a planned litter where we know we will be using the guardian male we will make sure to inform guardian family in advance. If we are studding to an outside female we will give as much notice as possible at least 48hrs. 

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How often are guardian females bred?

We breed our guardian females once a year.

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How long is our Guardian dog with you when breeding?

As soon as the family is aware the dog is in heat during a cycle she will be bred, we will have her come to the Dood Ranch about day 7-10 of the heat cycle. This gives us time to progesterone test the female to ensure we are breeding her when she ovulates. She will remain with us for about one week and then return home where she will remain throughout her pregnancy. A male dog will be in our home for about 5-6 days for mating unless we opt to return same day depending on our schedule. 

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How long is a female pregnant?

Dogs are pregnant for 63 days give or take a week (depending on ovulation).

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What happens when she is ready to have her puppies?

You bring your girl to us on day 50 of her pregnancy so she can settle in prior to delivery. We will whelp and raise the puppies. Mom will come back home when the puppies are between 7-8weeks old.

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Can we visit her when she has the puppies at your house?

No visitors are allowed due to the risk of bringing in illnesses to our unvaccinated puppies prior to moms go home day. The mom usually is extremely focused on her puppies and we do not want to interrupt that. We unfortunately have had a mom step on her pup killing it after having a guardian family visit, so we no longer allow visits with the puppies until moms go home day. When you come to pick up your mom we allow a one hour visit with the puppies. During this visit you will be asked to handle the puppies as we use this time as curriculum with the puppies as you are unfamiliar to them which helps build their confidence in new situations.

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Does this negatively affect the dog emotionally to go from the guardian's home to the breeder's home?

No! Remember they will already "know" us from the times we have taken them for health testing appointments, or boarding. We try very hard to give them so much attention and love that it is a pleasant and enjoyable experience for them. Everything the mother feels causes things to happen inside her body that can affect the puppies. The less stressed and the more relaxed she is, the better it is for the puppies. So, it is very important that the guardian home not make the transition difficult for the dog. If you act upset, nervous or sad about leaving her, she will feel that and be agitated, we need to make sure that doesn't happen!

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What happens during pregnancy and what do I have to do differently with the dog?

Pregnancy is actually very easy. We have detailed information of what happens each trimester with everything you need to know, this is provided to our guardian home at the time of placement. The dog may act a little more tired, or not eat normally for a few weeks, may have morning sickness. In the last couple of weeks of pregnancy, she is usually becoming hungrier and sleeps more as time progresses. Otherwise, normal activity is typical. Being in shape is always best. Normal play and romping and running during the first half of the pregnancy is great. After that, we limit activity to walks on a leash, and no ball chasing types of activities. No chemicals may be given during pregnancy. We require no vaccinations, flea medicines and heartworm during this time. If there is an illness or injury we are to be involved in determining how she is to be treated. 

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What happens if the puppy/dog gets sick or injured while in the guardian home's care?

While the dog is in your care and home, any illness or injury that happens is your financial responsibility, just as it would be if you had a non-guardian pet. We need to be involved in knowing what is going on and determining medications, treatment etc. but the family is responsible for those expenses. We have your dog's best interest at heart. If you are negligent and your dog is lost or dies when in your care we will ask for you to be responsible for our financial loss. If your dog is injured or dies and can no longer participate in the program and you were being responsible, we will not hold you liable for the loss. Bad things can happen to anybody. 

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What expenses do we pay for and what things does the breeder pay for?

The guardian family pays for any normal care items for the dog. Food, dishes, leashes, beds, crate, normal veterinary care, vaccinations and deworming, toys, grooming, spay/neuter upon exit of our program. If the dog needs meds due to worms, parasites, illness, infection or anything unrelated to pregnancy, it is the guardian's responsibility to pay for those expenses. We pay for all expenses related to health testing for breeding purposes, all breeding and litter expenses.

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How many litters do you usually breed before retiring the dog?

We contract for up to 4 litters for females. Sometimes we don't breed at all. So the number of litters depends on each individual case. A female averages 4 litters in our program. If the puppies are of exceptional quality AND the female has been cleared by our veterinarian there could be up to six litters. If we find that the female has problems with deliveries or it would be unhealthy for her to breed again, she will be released from our breeding program and will be yours. For males this will vary based on each individual agreement. 

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Who pays for the spay/neuter surgery?

The guardian family pays for the spay/neuter surgery if no litter has been produced. If a litter has been produced BD4U pays up to $250.00 towards the cost of spay/neuter.

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What are the grooming requirements and do you want us to keep the dog clipped a certain way?

We do require that the dog be kept groomed and mat free. If you are unable to keep the coat in good shape yourself, you are required to use a groomer to do so. If the dog is brought to us with a matted coat, or a coat that is in bad shape, we have the right to groom them ourselves or take them into a groomer, but you are responsible to reimburse us for that expense before the dog returns to you. Guardian dogs are ambassadors for our program. It is important that their coats are maintained and not matted and in bad shape.

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Where can I board my dog?

If you ever need boarding we would love the opportunity to board your dog as long it fits in with our family schedule and we have the space. It is always great to have the opportunity to play with one of the dogs in our program. If we are not available to board we have a few contacts we are happy to provide.

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Do you have guardian home meet ups?

Yes! We ask that each guardian family commit to in-person playdates and get togethers every 3 months. 

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What if we decide to move?

Committing to being a guardian home means you are committing to stay within 1.5 hours of Casa Grande/Coolidge AZ 85128 until your dog has completed his/her contract and ownership has been transferred to you. If you decide to move out of these boundaries you must inform us immediately and we will discuss options. If you are moving too far we will have to place the dog in a new guardian home or you'll be asked to pay the full purchase price.

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What happens if we join the guardian home program for a quality breeding dog, but don't intend to honor the breeding contract?

We make a great commitment emotionally and financially to our owners and guardian dogs. We ask that you only enter into our guardian program if you are willing to make the same level of commitment to your dog and to us. Unfortunately, we have been forced to put a penalty for those who break our contract as we find some want the dog, but have no intention of honoring the contract. We want to work with you and for this to be mutually beneficial for all involved. We work very hard to only select the best of the best of dogs for our guardian homes. We have a financial penalty to discourage those that would want to get a dog and break the contract by using the dog for their own breeding program. If you are willing to make an honest commitment to us and our breeding program we will be very flexible and will do all we can to make this program work for you and your dog. We don't want to be controlling or intrusive into a family's life. We consider our dogs and owners like extended family and enjoy the extra interaction we have with them in the guardian program. We are very fair and reasonable and want to work with you to make this a happy situation for all of us.

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