Guardian Program

What is a Guardian Home?

We do not believe that puppies or dogs are best served by spending their lives in a kennel. Doodles/Retrievers are social animals that adore their families and want to be with them, participating as a loved family member. By placing them in a loving home environment that will be their forever home from the time they are puppies, we are ensuring their happiness and best start in life. We feel this is the best method for our breeding program.

Our Guardian Program allows for local families to have our “pick of the litter puppy” and have an amazing opportunity to be a part of bringing up top quality, healthy pups that will make so many families happy. The Guardian Home puppy is part of the Guardian Home’s Family forever, while the breeding rights are retained by Cabernet Goldendoodles for a set amount of time.

The guardian dog will only need to be made available for breeding-related vet appointments, mating, and whelping, but aside from these instances will live with the Guardian family on a permanent basis. 

Once the Guardian Dog has completed his/her breeding career, he/she will be spayed or neutered at Cabernet Goldendoodles expense, and the dog will remain a forever pet of their Guardian Family!

To be considered you will need to:

• Live within one hours drive of Chesapeake, VA.
• Have a fenced in yard
• Own your home
• Provide all necessary routine veterinary care, vaccines, heartworm prevention,      flea/tick prevention, regular exercise, and grooming. 
• Allow access for breeding/testing appointments
• Leave the dog alone for a reasonable number of hours during the day
• Do not have an intact (unfixed) dog in your home
• Take their dog to obedience classes and teach basic commands/self control no      later than 1 year old. Canine Good Citizen equivalent obedience certification is required (https://www.akc.org/products-services/training-programs/canine-good-citizen/finding-classes-and-evaluators/)
• Be committed to continued socialization
• Feed a diet that Cabernet Goldendoodles recommends (Purina Pro Plan)
• Feed recommended amounts of food and ensure that the dog maintains a health      weight
• Send regular updates with pictures
• Notify Cabernet Goldendoodles immediately when a female begins her heat cycle
• And most importantly, provide all the love, care, and attention that you can!!

As the Breeder, Cabernet Goldendoodles:

• Will retain ownership until the breeding agreement is fulfilled and the dog’s career is completed.  At that time Cabernet Goldendoodles will spay/neuter at our cost and transfer full ownership rights, registration and pedigree to the Guardian. Our use is determined on an individual evaluation and is different for sires and dams.
• Pay for all breeding and extensive testing related costs.
• Spay or neuter the dog and transfer ownership to the guardian if it is determined that they are not suitable for breeding.
• Cabernet Goldendoodles will take possession of the dog for mating, whelping,      raising puppies, as well as vet and testing related vet visits.

You will receive weekly updates and pictures of your puppy’s activities and development during any stay here with us.

How Many Litters Will A Guardian Female Produce?

Each dog is individually accessed before determining their required litters. Most of our Guardian dogs will have between 3-4 litters for us.  Female Guardian Puppies placed in a Guardian home will have up to (and no more than) a total of 4 litters normally between the ages of 2 an 4 years of age. The health and well being of our breeding dogs is a priority to us, and Cabernet Goldendoodles will determine the health state of the dog prior to breeding. Occasionally we may decide to have fewer litters if we have accomplished our goals in development of our Guardian dog in a shorter period of time. Again, this is solely determined by Cabernet Goldendoodles.

What are the advantages of being a Guardian?

- Essentially you are getting a top quality pick of the litter puppy for free!

- You will have an opportunity to invest in Cabernet Goldendoodles breeding business and as a result you can be entitled to monetary compensation for the production of health offspring. 

- Your dog will be of exceptional health and conformation and receive all health and genetic testing for free by 12 months of age including genetics, hip testing, eyes, and cardiac evaluations. 

- You have an opportunity to be part of an exceptional breeding program that provides top quality puppies to local families in the area. 

- Times when the dog will be staying with Cabernet Goldendoodles for breeding/whelping are excellent opportunities to plan family vacations/travel without the concern for boarding costs

- You will ALWAYS have direct support from Cabernet Goldendoodles for all health, training, and breeding questions for the life of the dog.

- If your situation should ever change and you can no longer care for the dog, Cabernet Goldendoodles will take possession and full responsibility for the dog, no questions asked. 

Some questions to ask yourself before considering a Guardian relationship:

Are you willing to deal with a female dog going into season? More than likely females will go through 1-3 heat cycles before they are mature enough to breed and managing approximately 10 days of menstruation during these timeframes takes some additional effort. Females will also be very popular with other male dogs and have a tendency to seek out mates during this timeframe. It is the responsibility of the guarding to ensure no accidental breedings occur. 

Are you willing to commit to open communications and a relationship with Cabernet Goldendoodles? You can expect vet visits, check-ups and your pet going on ‘honeymoon’ and whelping. While we will work with you, you need to be willing to be supportive of the process.

Can you put the time/effort into training your dog? Obedience training and Canine Good Citizenship are crucial for our breeding dogs. If you want to reduce stress on the dog, it’s helpful to maintain consistency with the rules and expected behaviors between your house and Cabernet Goldendoodles. You need to be willing to socialize your dog and put the effort into exposing her to other people and animals and training.

Can you give your dog up required whelping/breeding up to two times a year? When your dog is ready to whelp her litter, she will return to Cabernet Goldendoodles for approximately eight weeks. It’s emotional, and if you have young kids, it might be a difficult concept to explain. Ultimately though, you do get the joy of knowing your dog is going to have babies that make another family as happy as she makes you. We will also ask that you visit our home from time to time so she is familiar with our dogs and the environment that she will be whelping so she is comfortable during her stays. 

Are you planning on staying in the area for the next few years? It goes without saying but if you’re considering a transfer to Dubai or interstate in the next few years, this may not be a beneficial arrangement for you.