As a guardian, you would notify us immediately when she comes into heat, no matter the age. We will not breed her before she is a year old, but it is important for us to start tracking her heat cycles. When she is of breeding age, we may perform first progesterone test with our vet around day 3 of being notified, in case she is further along in her cycle than expected, however, this may vary.

During her heat cycle, it is EXTREMELY important to keep her away from any unaltered males and to keep a close eye on her when she is outside. This can be around a 2-3 week period.

We will never breed a dog before 1 year of age. Long before we will breed a female in our program, we will conduct testing to ensure she is a good candidate to continue in the program. We will do a preliminary evaluation of hips after 6 months of age. We will also conduct a genetic health screening early in the life of the puppy. We will evaluate elbows after 1 year of age. A dog will not be bred before these tests are completed and we have ruled her fit to breed. Additional factors will be taken into consideration as well, such as the maturity of the dog.

This greatly depends on the schedules of both the breeder and the guardian home. If you are very close by, have a flexible schedule, and are able to bring her to and from us, then she may not need to stay with us for her heat cycle, though she always can.

If you are further away or don’t have a flexible schedule, then she will need to stay with us (typically 5-7 days).

Dogs are typically pregnant for about 63 days. Multiple factors determine when a dog will deliver including breed size, litter size, etc.

In the beginning of your dog’s pregnancy, you can expect to notice only minor changes. A pregnant dog may seem more tired at first and eat less. Some mamas may also have morning sickness the first few weeks as well. During the first half, normal activity and exercise may be continued. If mama is not wanting to eat, it may be necessary to add in chicken or a high quality canned food to make sure she’s getting enough nutrients.

During the second half of her pregnancy, your dog should not be allowed to engage in rigorous activity. Light exercise like walks is totally okay. You may notice her appetite increase and it is important to increase her food intake. Be sure to consult us to discuss what to include and keep out of her diet during this timeframe!

While your dog is pregnant, she should not receive any vaccines, medications that are not approved by us, heartworm meds, or flea and tick meds. .

We require our mamas to come back to stay with us 7 days prior to her expected due date. This gives her time to adjust being back in our home with us and also allows us to start monitoring her temperature so we have a better idea of when she may go into labor.

After the puppies are born, she will need to stay with us for up to 6 weeks. Her length of stay will be dependent on how the weaning process goes. After weaning is complete, our other adult dogs will take over socialization for mama dog and she can return to her family!

Visits with mama and puppies are allowed but the frequency and duration will be dependent on our schedules and how visits are affecting mama dog. We know it can be hard to be separated, but we also know it can be hard for mama to see her person/people and then to have them leave again.

Our females can have up to 5 litters per our contract. The health and safety of our dogs is our top priority, so we will always assess whether it is appropriate to breed them or not based on market demand and their readiness.

If they have difficulty delivering, have complications, aren’t a good mom, or if our vet recommends that they should not have any more litters; then we will retire them from our program.

Yes, we are so grateful to our Guardian Home Families for loving and caring for the dogs in our program. You are a valued part of our team!

We also understand how hard it can be to give your dog up for several weeks at a time. We offer compensation for each litter your dog delivers and a bonus incentive for each puppy you help us sell!

We will never breed a dog before 1 year of age. Long before we will breed a male in our program, we will conduct testing to ensure he is a good candidate to continue in the program. We will do a preliminary evaluation of hips after 6 months of age. We will also conduct a genetic health screening early in the life of the puppy. We will evaluate elbows after 1 year of age.

A dog will not be bred before these tests are completed and we have ruled him fit to breed. Additional factors will be taken into consideration as well, such as the maturity of the dog.

When breeding naturally, males will usually stay with us about 5-7 days. This allows them to “honeymoon” every other day. This length of stay is only required when the male lives further away.

If a male lives close by, the guardian may be able to bring him to us every other day for his dates for natural breeding or to our veterinarian for a visit if we are using AI.

This will vary based upon our planned pairings and whether we are contacted by outside breeders for stud services. A male may not be bred at all on a given year if we have no planned litters or requests for stud services, but a male may also be needed for breeding multiple times in the same year.

Males stay in our program for 6 years after they go to their guardian home. However, we may retire some males early based on our discretion, the dog’s age, and/or the recommendation of our reproductive vet.

We retain all breeding rights. This means that he may not be mated with any unapproved females even if it is an “accident”. Males should never be allowed around any unapproved females in heat.

Yes, we are so grateful to our Guardian Home Families for loving and caring for the dogs in our program. You are a valued part of our team!

We also understand how hard it can be to give your dog up for several weeks at a time. We offer compensation for each litter your dog successfully sires and a bonus incentive for each puppy you help us sell!