Bow Valley Labradoodles Guardianship Program

Common Guardian Home FAQs

How does the Bow Valley Guardianship Program work?

Our Guardianship program allows Bow Valley to agree with a guardian home to place our breeding dogs in a loving, secure environment for the duration of their lives. We believe healthy, happy dogs breed beautiful, healthy companions. We want the best for all our dogs, regardless of their involvement in our breeding program or as a pet. 

To become part of the Bow Valley Guardianship program we ask that you read this entire page of information and common questions. If this is a program that interests you, fill out the Guardian Application. We will contact you to begin discussions and see if any available breeding dogs would be a good fit for your family.

Once a dog has been agreed upon by both parties we will sign a Guardian contract. The guardian home is responsible for either a board and train fee or completing private sessions and or puppy kindergarten with novice and advanced classes. Once the dog has complete the board and train/private classes program the guardian will sign up and continue with puppy classes. When the dog is ready and all health testing has been approved we will begin breeding the dog. We work with our guardian families on timelines and expectations so you can plan and prepare for any disruptions to your life. 

As compensation for the disruptions breeding creates there is a financial incentive. For our females that have litters, the guardian homes receive $100 for each puppy born in a litter, to a maximum of 4 puppies (max $400/litter). This is in consideration for your time away from your pet and for taking such great care of her. The guardians of our male dogs receive $100 for each litter sired by the males. The logistics of the program and steps are expanded on in the questions below.

Please make sure to fully read everything before reaching out to us for clarification of the program.   

We also do frequent sleepovers every couple months for either a weekend or a couple of weeks depending on what the dogs needs to feel comfortable in our home prior to breeding.

What guidelines do Guardian homes have to follow when raising a Bow Valley Labradoodle?

Guardian families must feed a dog food approved by Bow Valley Labradoodles. We are advocates of healthy nutrition for dogs, and for feeding the dog foods that will not cause health issues like cancers, tumors, allergies, etc. The foods we ask you to feed are easily found.

All vaccines, dewormer and grooming need to be current. Bow Valley will approve all timelines and vet deworming/tick/flea prevent to insure the products are safe for our breeders. We ask our guardian families to communicate and get approval with us any appointments and deworming/vaccines given before any upcoming breeding times (at least a month in advance in particular for our girls to ensure the safety of our girls and any potential pregnancies).

We require the family to avoid all chemicals unless necessary, and to not give supplements or medicines unless approved by us. This includes flea, heart worm, or any other meds. If the dog becomes sick or injured, we need the family to notify us right away so we are involved in all decisions regarding the treatment of the dog PRIOR to medication being given. Please keep any candy, cleaners, or foods harmful to dogs up high and put away since these can cause death in the case of accidental ingestion. We ask the family to practice safe handling of the dog. 

• Do not leave the dog outside if they are at home alone.

• Don't let the dog be transported in the back of an open pickup truck. 

• A leash must be used at all times in public. 

• Provide basic obedience training so the dog has good manners. 

• All things that should be done to protect your dogs physical and mental health. 

Guardian dogs may not attend off leash dog parks or doggy daycare while the dog is intact (protects the dog as well as prevents any unplanned and unwanted pregnancies). The guardian home is responsible for the transportation of the dog to us when needed for breeding, litters, or health testing. This is the most inconvenient part of the guardian responsibilities. Please think through this carefully. We will not meet families or pick up dogs ourselves for breeding purposes. This is the guardian home responsibility. We do expect that the dog only come to us within 1-2 days of when needed, and be picked up 1-2 days after they are ready to go.

What age do you begin breeding the dog?

We will usually breed on the first heat following the dog is over 12 months of age. If a dog goes into heat at any time beyond 12 months, you must notify us immediately so we can assess whether or not we will breed. This will depend on how many other girls are cycling and having litters, as well as the individual dogs age and situation. We would also like to be notified when your puppy has its first cycle, somewhere around 7-9 months of age, so we can have a calculated guess on when her next cycle will be. For our males once they have passed their preliminary tests and we are satisfied with any pre-training we can breed them around 12 months of age if they are mature enough.

How long is a dog with the breeder for breeding purposes?

As soon as the family is aware their female dog is in heat we will have them arrange to bring the dog to our vet for progesterone testing around day 7-8 of the heat cycle. Again, please be aware that we will not house the dog for long periods before or after the times they are needed. We will arrange for sleep overs during separate times when we do not have females in heat or litters on the ground. If you are unable to drop off or pick up the dog within 1 - 2 days of when needed, you will be required to find someone else who can do so for you, or we can ask one of our dog transporters if they are available for $100 per trip. 

For our males they can be dropped off here for 30-45 minutes and picked up the same day or are here for breeding times for a couple of days. Depending on distance the male may be able to go home and be returned when we need to do the next breeding session. Typically we keep them both here to minimize stress and lots of driving for our families.

How long is a dog pregnant?

Dogs are pregnant for 63 days.

How long is a female dog with the breeder after she give birth?

She will come to us between 7 - 9 days before she is due with her litter. This gives her time to settle into our house, get used to seeing the whelping box. She must become very comfortable with being in our house and being with us all the time. We do not want the mom to feel threatened by us when she is getting ready to whelp. She will go home after puppies are weaned. This will be around 6 weeks of age.

Can we visit our female with her puppies?

We do not allow guardian homes to visit until puppies are at least 4 weeks of age. Please be aware though that no handling of puppies will be allowed until they are 4-5 weeks of age. You may visit the guardian dog and spend some time with her if she is doing well with leaving her puppies for short periods. We do try to limit this visit to one hour as our schedule is very busy and puppies are not best served by being away from mom for longer than that.

Is there any negative impact on the dog to move from their family home to the breeders home?

No. There is an initial "Where is my family going?" when they bring her to us, but in every situation the dog is settled and comfortable and doing very well within an hour or two. We try very hard to give them so much attention and love the first couple days that it is a pleasant and enjoyable experience for them. This is also important as everything the mother feels causes things to happen inside her body that can affect the babies. The less stress and the more relaxed she is, the better it is for babies. So, it is very important that the guardian home not make the transition difficult for the dog. If they act upset or nervous or sad about leaving her, she will feel that even more greatly and we need to make sure that doesn't happen. Bringing her and hanging out in our house with her for an hour or so and just pretending like it's any other visit you'd make is very important. If we can have the family sneak out so the dog isn't even aware they've left, that is usually best too. She rarely acknowledges for more than a couple of minutes that anything has happened. This is why we also schedule sleep overs during non hormonal times to have a safe and secure mama and dad in our home.

What happens during pregnancy and what do we need to do differently during our dogs pregnancy? 

Pregnancy is very easy. I have a list of what happens each week during the development of puppies, and I give that to our guardian homes at the time we begin breeding. The dog may act a little more tired, or not eat normally for a few weeks. The last couple weeks of pregnancy she is usually becoming more hungry and sleeps more as time progresses. Otherwise, normal activity is typical and it is important to continue with walking the dog right up to the end. This helps during delivery. Being in shape is always best. Normal play and romping and running during the first half of pregnancy is great. After that, we limit activity to walks on a leash and no ball chasing type of activities. No chemicals may be given during pregnancy. We have to be notified immediately of any illness or injury so we can be involved in determining how she is treated.

What if the dog gets sick or injured while with the guardian home?

While the dog is in guardian's care and home, any non-genetic illness or injury that happens is the financial responsibility of the guardians. We must be involved in treatment plans and know what is going on and determining medications, but the family is responsible for those expenses. Health insurance is recommended during her/his breeding years. This insurance is for your protection because these dogs are extremely valuable as breeders.

What expenses are covered by the guardian home and what is covered by Bow Valley Labradoodles?

The cost of joining the Bow Valley Guardianship Program is FREE. The guardian home is responsible for either a board and train fee or completing private sessions and or puppy kindergarten with novice and advanced classes. Guardians are responsible for normal care items; food, dishes, leashes, beds, normal vaccinations or wormings, flea meds, heartworm meds, toys, grooming needs etc. If the dog needs meds due to worms, illness, infection or anything unrelated to pregnancy, it is the guardian’s responsibility to pay for those expenses. We pay for all expenses related to health testing for breeding purposes, all breeding expenses and litter expenses. Bow Valley Labradoodles will cover the cost of spay/neuter after the completion of the contract.

How many litters does a female dog have before they are retired?

We contract for four litters. We may only breed three or two, or one, but we have the option of four. We are concerned for the well-being of our program dogs. If we find that the girl has problems with deliveries or it would be unhealthy for them to breed again, we will stop the breeding program with her. After the contract has been fulfilled, Bow Valley Labradoodles will work with the guardian home to spay the dog at the expense of Bow Valley Labradoodles. Once proof of the spay is provided to Bow Valley legal ownership is transferred to the guardian family. For our males dogs they will go through their testing and once passed have to be available to Bow Valley Labradoodles during certain times of the year. He will either visit us for one day or we can keep him here for a few days depending on timing for breeding. Our males will stay in our program until they are 6 years of age at which time they will be neutered at the expense of Bow Valley Labradoodles and once proof is provided of the neuter ownership will be transferred over to the guardian family.

Who pays for the spay or neuter surgery?

Bow Valley pays for the spay surgery after the girl has had time to recover from the last litter and have her hormone levels return to normal. This is usually about 2 months after puppies are weaned. We also cover the cost of neutering our males, usually around 7 years of age.

What if the dog fails its health test and physical to become a breeding dog once fully grown?

If the puppy fails to meet the high testing standards we have set for our breeding dogs we have two options. One is the guardian contract would revert to a pet contract with additional charge of full pet price if we decide to go that direction. The other option is to return our dog/puppy and try again with another potential breeder puppy or passed breeder. Our health warranty is the same for any dog raised at Bow Valley Labradoodles, whether it is in a guardian home or a pet home. We occasionally place puppies in their guardian home before the extended health testing for our breeders is completed. Most often we wait until 5- 6 months of age to receive the preliminary health test results. We are very careful to know the lines we work with, and it's not typical to have a health test come back so poorly that we have been unable to use the dog as a breeding dog. Remember, that breeding quality and pet quality are two different things. Just because a dog may not be the best breeding candidate doesn't mean they aren't the perfect pet. If we decide a potential breeding quality dog does not pass health standards or if the temperament we are looking for with training does not meet our standards we can choose to spay/neuter the dog and the guardian family will agree to paying current pet price as signed in the contract.

Are there any grooming requirements for the dogs?

We ask that families keep the dog in one of the typical cuts for a Labradoodle. Grooming must take place every 6-8 weeks for a full groom. Weekly toe nail trims and eye trims with ear cleaning. The most important part is the head and ears. We want them to have the look a doodle is supposed to have, especially when they come to visit us the first time around 9 months of age as I try to get a lot of pictures of them for the website. It's very easy and most groomers will do okay if given specifics when you take the dog in. If you do the grooming or cutting yourself, it's not that difficult and I can give specifics on how to do it. It's quite fun. I enjoy my time clipping away at the coat. We do require that the dog be kept groomed and matt free. If you are unable to keep the coat in good shape yourself, you are required to use a groomer to do so. If the dog is brought to us with a matted coat, or a coat that is in bad shape, we have the right to take them in to our groomer and have them shaved down or worked on, but you will be responsible to reimburse us for that expense before the dog returns to you. Guardian dogs are ambassadors for our program. They must be maintained and not matted and in bad shape.

Some Other Benefits of Guardian Homes

Guardian Families can schedule trips during breedings/whelping without worry or cost of kenneling their pets. The dog doesn’t need to be re-homed as an adult after retiring. The dogs are well socialized and in stable, loving home environments. The dogs are well-loved, cherished family members!

There are a few requirements for providing a Guardian Home for one of our dogs: 

• Guardians must have some previous dog experience, especially for families interested in a male.

• Guardians must NEVER hit the dog with an object or their hand as a form of discipline.

• Guardians must live in a house with a fully fenced yard.

• Guardians must keep the dog on a leash when outside unless the dog is in a fenced area.

• Guardians must take their dog to formal puppy classes, novice and advanced. Further obedience classes are recommended to work at achieve Canine Good Citizen Award with their dog.

• Guardians must ensure the puppy is socialized to adults (male and female, people of colour and people in hats, masks, costumes, etc.), children of all ages, other dogs and other species (ie cats).

• Guardians must provide appropriate veterinary or emergency care when needed, including vaccinations, de-worming, etc. All veterinary care is to be discussed with and approved by the breeder, before any treatment taking place. The Guardian must provide copies of the vaccinations when done within 2 weeks via email or text of the certificates or vet records..

• Guardian’s veterinarian must be made aware that the dog is a Guardian Breeding dog and that breeder is to be added to the dog’s chart as co-owner.

• Guardians must feed the dog approved quality kibble (we use Acana) or a balanced RAW diet, along with required supplements, which change when females are pregnant. Guardians must not allow the dog to participate in extended strenuous running on concrete or another hard surface before 18 months of age. Guardians must not allow a female around intact males during her heat cycle.

• Guardians must not allow a male to breed ANY females other than those chosen by the breeder at a time determined by the breeder.

• Guardians are responsible for all transportation of bitch/stud to the breeder at any time that bitch/stud is needed for health testing, progesterone testing, breeding or whelping. These times will be planned between breeder and Guardian.

• Guardians and all others that live within the home must be interviewed by the breeder.

• Guardians must communicate, cooperate and coordinate with the breeder regarding testing, matings, whelping, and other breeding related activities

To qualify to become a guardian family we do ask that the dog is not left at home for more than 6 hours a day. We prefer that there is another dog in the family. Our dogs are used to our family being home for the majority of the day and love socializing with their people. If you are interested in finding out more information and becoming a guardian family please contact us and fill out a guardian home application.