What is a Guardian Home?
In order for us to continue our program of producing high quality well rounded puppies, we must pick the highest quality prospects from our litters and fully health test them to determine if that puppy will continue their parents lineages or if they would be better as a pet. One of our goals is for all of our breeding/show prospects to have a permanent home in a loving family environment whether they meet our strict breeding standards or not. Guardian families give us the opportunity to continue our dogs lineages and gives them an opportunity to have a high quality, pick of the litter, health tested dog while also being compensated for their service. All of our dogs live indoors and are treated as part of the family, we do not operate as a kennel so all of our dogs get the most of our time & attention as much as possible. Our guardian program allows for our show/breeding dogs to have the best care and individual attention possible. A guardian home is a family that raises our future breeding dogs for the life of the dog. This includes while we prepare them as puppies, during their time in our program as adults and after retirement. We are very picky with who we choose to raise our guardian puppies as we are entrusting you with a puppy that is very special to us and important for our program. Please be sure to read through everything down below as we sometimes change things around for a better program. We hope to speak with you soon!
*If there isn’t a puppy available at the time of your application being approved, you will be added to our waiting list for upcoming litters and you will be notified when we have a litter planned, a puppy or an adult dog of your preference.
Guardian home prospects are available at little cost to an approved home. Bear State Goldens reserves breeding rights to the dog and retains full ownership for the time period of the dog being in our breeding program. Once the dog retires from our program.. we pay for the spay or neuter, full ownership is transferred to the guardians and the dog continues their life as normal with their forever family. Some dogs may not be up to our standard of breeding and in that case: if the guardians would like to keep them, we require that they must spay/neuter the dog at 24 months. Once we receive confirmation of the Spay/Neuter, full ownership will be transferred to the guardians and no further payments will be necessary. The Guardian Family will need to learn the signs of a heat cycle and be willing to communicate, cooperate and coordinate with us to ensure a successful breeding. Stud dogs can only mate with approved females, so the Guardians are responsible for keeping the male away from intact female dogs. Guardians of intact males will need to consider the importance of keeping him properly contained to prevent unwanted litters. We reserve the right to cancel our guardian program if ever necessary. Bear State Goldens pays for all breeding expenses, whelps and raises every litter. Bear State Goldens decides whom the breeding dogs are bred to and when. All upcoming and active breeding dogs get free dog sitting with us for up to 2 weeks.*
We cherish our Guardian Homes for immensely loving and taking great care of our breeding dogs so well, so in return of their dedication..
*If there isn’t a puppy available at the time of your application being approved, you will be added to our waiting list for upcoming litters and you will be notified when we have a litter planned, a puppy or an adult dog of your preference.
Guardian home prospects are available at little cost to an approved home. Bear State Goldens reserves breeding rights to the dog and retains full ownership for the time period of the dog being in our breeding program. Once the dog retires from our program.. we pay for the spay or neuter, full ownership is transferred to the guardians and the dog continues their life as normal with their forever family. Some dogs may not be up to our standard of breeding and in that case: if the guardians would like to keep them, we require that they must spay/neuter the dog at 24 months. Once we receive confirmation of the Spay/Neuter, full ownership will be transferred to the guardians and no further payments will be necessary. The Guardian Family will need to learn the signs of a heat cycle and be willing to communicate, cooperate and coordinate with us to ensure a successful breeding. Stud dogs can only mate with approved females, so the Guardians are responsible for keeping the male away from intact female dogs. Guardians of intact males will need to consider the importance of keeping him properly contained to prevent unwanted litters. We reserve the right to cancel our guardian program if ever necessary. Bear State Goldens pays for all breeding expenses, whelps and raises every litter. Bear State Goldens decides whom the breeding dogs are bred to and when. All upcoming and active breeding dogs get free dog sitting with us for up to 2 weeks.*
We cherish our Guardian Homes for immensely loving and taking great care of our breeding dogs so well, so in return of their dedication..
- For our Mama Dogs:
- For our Stud Dogs:
To qualify, you must:
- Have experience with dogs and preferably have raised a Golden Retriever or a large breed dog before
- Be prepared for a home-visit and provide references prior to the dog/puppy being placed in your care.
- Live within 2 hours from Orangevale, CA and willing to meet halfway. Must be flexible with dropping off and picking up the dog for breeding, training, showing and whelping. Must be flexible with bringing the dog to our vets for Reproductive needs and health tests if we are unable to.
- No plans of relocating within the next 5 years. If Guardian Home does decide that they need to relocate while the dog is in our program and not retired, they must return the dog/puppy back to the owner(Bear State Goldens).
- Be willing to provide basic training that is standard for dog ownership such as: house, leash, crate, basic obedience and socializing the dog.
- Be responsible for annual vet exams, Food, bedding, collar, leash, toys, crate, treats, flea/tick meds, vaccinations, etc. when the dog is in your care.
- Keep up to date on DHPPL, Bordetella, Rabies vaccinations, Heartworm meds, Flea/Tick preventative (Bravecto) and Regular Dewormings. Must be able to send a copy of all vet visits to the breeder. Preferred: the dog to be kept on Pet Insurance(Trupanion)
- Contact the breeder in any emergency situation such as a serious injury, illness, accident, etc.
- Be able to contain an intact dog when in heat and not allow him or her to mate to unapproved dogs. Any opposite sex dog living in the home MUST be Spayed/Neutered in order to prevent pregnancy.
- Have good communication and attention to detail. Female will come into heat and guardian family must notify us as soon as possible. Experience with a female in heat is a plus! *
- *Understand that Bear State Goldens is waiving the purchase price of the dog in exchange for a service- you must be willing to communicate, cooperate and coordinate with us during their time in our program, and be dedicated to providing a safe, loving home for the lifetime of the dog. Guardian home applicants must understand that the ownership of the dog will remain Bear State Goldens until ownership is transferred by the decision of Bear State Goldens. Guardian contract includes serious legal repercussions for: Negligence resulting in death or serious injury, Spaying, Neutering or Relocating of the dog while the dog is in the program and without Bear State Goldens consent.
- Keep the dog safe and contained at all times (fenced in backyard). Dog is to be an indoor dog and never left outdoors unattended for long periods of time.
- Must also be willing to keep the dog at a healthy weight and not allow them to become under or overweight. Must also keep dog on breeder preferred(Purina Pro Plan) dog food and supplements that we may recommend. We will send the dog home with a feeding guide to follow.
- Be willing to drop off mama dog at breeders home or meet for testing, showing, training, up to 7 days for breeding, the last week of pregnancy and up to 7 weeks during puppy rearing. Guardian Family is allowed to visit by appointment. Breeder will also send regular updates. Pregnancy care includes prenatal supplements(provided), regular walks and regular playtime. In the third trimester the mama dog is not to run, fetch balls or play roughly as this can harm her & the pups.
- Be willing to drop off stud dog at breeders home or meet for testing, training, showing and breeding. Stud dogs may be with us for up to 1 week for breeding.
- Be willing to send regular photo/video updates and/or bring the dog to visit every so often. *Ability to create and maintain an Instagram page for the dog is a plus. *
- Must take preventative care to not overwork or over exercise the dog(under the age of 24 months)
- Be willing to complete Canine Good Citizen classes for AKC CGC title(Class is compensated, this title usually takes a few training classes)
- Be willing to keep up with regular grooming.. including regular baths, teeth brushing, ear cleanings, hygienic breed specific hair trims, nail trims and daily-weekly hair brushing. This may be done by the Guardian Home or by a groomer.
- Be willing to preserve the natural look of the dog with the exception of regular grooming. Please no hair shaving, hair dying or excessive coat thinning/cutting. No hair cutting will be permitted by anyone other than the breeder at minimum 5 months before a dog show.
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