Guardian dogs are carefully selected from either one of our own litters or from another reputable breeder. They are the pick of the litter in both temperament and coat and will join our breeding program providing they pass all the health and temperament tests required, this is done before they turn one. We don't like to kennel our dogs, so we have them live with a family to help keep that beautiful temperament a 'family' dog has, where they are loved and cherished, as they should be. As a guardian family you would need to be willing to bring the dog to us when they are required for breeding purposes, this could be to our property in Brookfield or to one of our vets in Brisbane, we use QVS (Stafford) for most of our breeding.  This will be for progesterone testing, when a female comes into season, for mating (natural or AI) and of course whelping.  Our female dogs don't have any more than three litters each and once she has been retired (before five years old) she becomes your forever pet.  

Guardian families need to be comfortable having a dog that is not de-sexed living with them, in a fully secure house and yard. This would mean, for a female, she would need to be kept in a very secure area when she comes into season (usually every 6 – 9 months) to prevent unwanted pregnancies, she is also unable to go out for walks and/or to the dog park for this period of time (approx 3 weeks). She would need to come to us or our chosen vet, for mating or AI but can return home to you while she is pregnant (dog pregnancy is approx 63 days), she will require a vet check and ultrasound (at our expense) half way through the pregnancy and an x-ray the week before she is due, both are usually done at QVS.  She will return to us a few days before she is due to have her puppies, where she will live with us for the first 5 - 6 weeks of the puppy’s lives.  As her guardian family you will need to be comfortable looking for signs and changes as she comes into season, we will teach you what to look for. Our guardian families are encouraged to come and visit her once her pups are a couple of weeks old and share the joy of watching her puppies grow, new mums are usually very protective of their pups and need the initial couple of weeks to bond quietly with their pups. We will send lots photos and videos of mum and bubs while she is in our care, we understand how much our families miss their girls while they are away and try to do what we can to help reassure you she is happy and enjoying her time with us and her babies. For a male guardian dog, he would only be required to leave his family for up to 3 days at a time, however it is usually with only a weeks notice.  If we are doing AI, he is required to be dropped off to QVS where he can board overnight and be collected the next day, after the second AI is complete or he can go home in between AI appointments.  We do expect our dogs to be well socialised and obedient and for you to keep us informed about the dog while in our program.

As the breeder we are be responsible for all breeding related costs. As a guardian, you are responsible for all other 'wellness' costs i.e. vaccinations, worming, flea and tick treatments, good quality food, training etc. You will also be responsible for grooming and be required to take the guardian puppy to obedience classes.  We require all guardian dogs to be crate trained and happy to supply you with information on how to do this.  This is something we strongly suggest for all of our puppies, guardian or pet.  At six months of age we need them to have a full coat to take photos for our website, however they will require regular brushing and bathing (can be done at home or by a professional ) to keep the coat in a good condition. You can have their ‘points’ professionally groomed to help keep them neat and tidy. Female guardian dogs will need to have a maternity groom 1 – 2 weeks before her puppies are due.

There is an upfront bond of $1,500. The puppy will be micro-chipped, vaccinated and wormed.  $1,000 will be reimbursed to the guardian family once he/she has been retired, (desexed at our expense). If we believe it is in the best interest of the guardian dog to not breed with him or her at all, the $1,500 becomes the cost of the dog and is not reimbursed. We also ask you to commit to a one day puppy development clinic with out preferred trainer for $300, you will learn how to care for your puppy so you can raise them to be well behaved, sociable dogs.  This is paid directly to the trainer.

We understand this is a very big commitment, however we have found all of our wonderful guardian families enjoy being a part of our program by helping to improve the breed and bring joy to many more families, while being able to watch the puppies grow.  Many keep in contact with the new puppy families and have play dates with mum and/or dad. We also organise puppy play dates for all of our dogs, both guardian and pet.  

We are happy to put you in contact with some of our existing guardian families to have a chat if you’d like to talk directly to others that have experienced the process. If you are still unsure after considering the information provided here, reading over our guardian contract and speaking to other guardian families, it may be that a pet puppy will suit you better.