Guardian Home program

A Guardian Home gets a pick of the litter puppy (chosen by PNW Havanese) at no charge. Occasionally we may have an older puppy or young adult. The Guardian Home becomes the puppy's forever home and they raise the puppy as their own, but the breeder retains breeding rights. Once the dog has fulfilled his/her breeding contract, he/she will be spayed/neutered (at breeders expense) and full ownership will be transferred to the Guardian Home. So it's kind of like a free lease to own program. 

We want all our breeding Havanese to live in loving homes as part of a family instead of living in kennels. Even though some of the dogs are our spoiled pets that live in our home, we can't provide enough love and attention to the number of dogs we need to have a healthy diversity in our program.

The Guardian home gets a high quality, health tested Havanese puppy that has been selected for its personality, conformation and health for free. The breeder pays for all health testing and breeding related expenses, including spay/neuter. Since the dog will need to be handled a lot and be able to adjust easily to moving between homes and going to the vet, we strongly encourage the dog to go through basic obedience classes which we will reimburse the Guardian home up to a certain amount. We also give a bonus if the dog can pass his/her Canine Good Citizen Test (CGC). When in breeding program, breeder will board dog at no charge when Guardian Home is out of town, depending on breeder availability. Guardian Homes in good standing will also get a discount if they choose to purchase an additional puppy in the future.  

The Guardian home is responsible for all regular day to day dog related care while dog is in their care including dog food, toys, grooming, etc. Veterinary care preventive (wellness exam, vaccines) and illness/injury (that is not breeding related). 

Breeder will cover all breeding related expenses (progesterone testing, health testing, semen collection, etc.) and care for dog while dog is staying with the breeder (whelping a litter, breeding visit, etc). While dog is in the breeding program, breeder will board dog free of charge when Guardian is out to town, depending on breeder availability. At retirement, breeder will pay for spay/neuter and will sign over all legal ownership to the Guardian Home. However, breeder will always be available for support and will take dog back if the Guardian is unable to provide care. 

1. Must own your own home or have proof of landlord approval and have no plans to move out of the area for the next 5 years.
2. Must live within 1.5 hours drive from Silverton, OR and be willing to drive to and from our home for breeding and whelping. Occasionally we may need to arrange transportation to our reproductive vet in Newberg. When our schedule allows we will pickup or drop off or meet partway. There is some flexibility with living distance depending on the area. 
3. Be willing to exclusively feed Pawtree kibble that can be ordered online and delivered to your home.
4. Be willing to crate and house train the puppy.
5. Be willing to socialize and teach basic commands (sit, stay, heel, leave it, etc.). Breeder will reimburse professional obedience classes up to certain amount and will give a cash bonus for successful completion of the Canine Good Citizen test.
6. Be willing to take extra precautions when the female dog is in heat. Having a fenced backyard is not a requirement as long as the dog is getting adequate exercise but the dog must be on a leash or safely contained at all times. Dog is not allowed to be left in a yard unattended, even if fully fenced when in heat. Dog is not allowed to go to dog parks or other high dog traffic areas when in heat or within 48 hrs of visiting our home to prevent pregnancy and transfer of diseases. 
7. Any other dogs of the opposite sex in the household must be spayed/neutered. All dogs in household must be current on core vaccinations or have annual titers.
8. Be willing to stay in contact with breeder and provide regular updates especially if you notice any concerns or changes in behavior or health. If it is a simple issue, often we can save you money in vet bills. We also need to be involved in veterinary treatment plans because certain precautions may need to be taken if the dog is pregnant or if we are planning on breeding soon.

• Usually the puppy will be 12+ weeks old when placed in the Guardian Home. At 1 years old we will start health testing. If she passes all health testing and is mature enough, she will enter our program and will be bred on her 2nd heat cycle or later. Typically she will have 4 litters before she is retired and spayed at breeders expense. As long as the pregnancy and whelping goes well and she recovers quickly, we follow the current reproductive research that recommends breeding every heat cycle and then retiring at a young age. Havanese typically go into heat every 6-7 months.
• If she does not pass health testing or it is determined that she does not meet our standards to enter the program, she will not be bred and all ownership rights will be released to the Guardian Home. They will still get the puppy free of charge but will be responsible for the cost to spay. 
• Guardian Home will need to notify us immediately at first signs of heat, even if it is her 1st cycle and we don't plan on breeding. 
• While in heat she will need to stay with us to be bred typically for 6-8 days. We may need to make arrangements for progesterone testing at the vet before that to determine ideal timing. 
• She will stay with the Guardian during pregnancy but will need to come to the breeder or the vet for an ultrasound mid-way to confirm pregnancy. Pregnancy is typically 63 days.
• 5-7 days before her due date she will need to come to the breeder for whelping and will stay there until she fully weans her puppies when they are 6-8 weeks old. 

• Usually the puppy will be 12+ weeks old when placed in the Guardian Home. At 1 years old we will start health testing. If he passes all health testing and is mature enough he will enter our program as a stud.
• If he does not pass health testing or it is determined that he does not meet our standards to enter the program, he will not be bred and all ownership rights will be released to the Guardian Home. They will still get the dog free of charge but will be responsible for the cost to neuter. 
• Breeder will need to be notified if the Guardian has any plans of being out of town for more than 2 days with or without the dog in case we are anticipating one of our females will go into heat and he will be needed.
• When we have a female in heat we will notify the Guardian. He will need to stay at the breeders for 6-8 days for breeding. 
• We reserve all breeding rights, which means he cannot be bred to any females that have not been approved by the breeder. It is very important that he not be around any females that are in heat. If the Guardian has other dogs living in the home, they must be spayed/neutered. 
• Currently he will probably only be needed 2-4 times a year but that may change in the future. Studs are typically retired at 6 years old and will then be neutered at breeder's expense and all ownership rights transferred to the Guardian.

1. Fill out a Puppy Application and make sure to note in the comment section at the end that you are interested in being a Guardian home.
2. We will setup a video chat (FaceTime, Zoom, etc.) to discuss further details, answer questions and start the pre-approval process.
3. You will then be placed on the Guardian Waitlist. We might have a puppy that needs to be placed soon or it could be a year or more since we are a smaller program. If at any point, you decide you no longer want to be on the waitlist, please let us know. 
4. If we think we may want to keep a puppy from a planned breeding we will reach out to you with as much notice as possible to see if you are still interested and if the timing is good for you. However, there is no guarantee that we will place a puppy at that time. As the puppies grow and we evaluate them, sometimes there isn't one that meets our current goals.
5. While we are continuing to evaluate the puppy to see if it is a good fit for our program, we will do the final screening and approval of the Guardian home which includes a home visit, references and proof of landlord approval if you don't own your own home.