Guardian Home
As much as I want to keep every yorkie puppy (and I do I promise), it’s just best for us to launch our Guardian Home Program!
We would like all dogs (our Yorkies in particular) to receive the proper care and attention they truly deserve. We have decided to add the option of Guardian home to families that have always wanted a lifelong pet and be apart of our Moon’s Yorkies family. They deserve a home and the highest care. Every so often we will have a puppy we have purchased to be a future parent or a puppy we kept back from one of our litters available for a guardian home. You will be getting one of the best dogs we have to offer at a great value for giving them a wonderful home and for following our guidelines for our breeding program. They will be spayed/neutered by me(the breeder) at the end of their time with me. Read below to find out more about this opportunity and fill out the application below if you believe you may be a good fit for our guardian home program.
I’m in a season where I’m expanding my program. Until this point, I’ve just had one male and two females (still in my care as forever pets).
Frequently asked questions
What is the breeder responsible for?
Provide the guardian with a healthy puppy.
Pay any veterinary costs associated with breeding, including but not limited to: progesterone testing, ultrasounds/radiographs, and necessary health testing.
Breeder will spay or neuter the dog when they are deemed no longer needed for breeding, be it because of age or health standards required for breeding.
Provide lifetime support for the dog.
Try to board dog at our home when guardian family is out of town.
Assist guardian with detecting and caring for a female dog (if female) in estrus cycle or pregnant.
Supplying food and prenatals to the mom at the time of gestation and vitamins for the male if needed.
If you have a male, the breeder will potentially give vitamins if needed.
What is the guardian responsible for?
Must live within 7-8 hours of Columbus Ohio and be local for 5 years during their participation in the program.
Provide your Yorkie with a safe and loving home.
Train your Yorkie on basic commands (sit, stay, wait, etc.) or attend obedience classes.
Housebreaking
Socializing with other dogs, adults and kids. We want a calm and well behaved dog.
Feeding your Yorkie an approved high quality food (We currently use Royal Canin wet/dry food).
Do not allow him/her to become overweight.
Keep dog socialized with dogs and people of different ages and sizes.
Keep your Yorkie clean and well-groomed.
Provide adequate exercise for your Yorkie to prevent issues such as hip displaysia.
Containing the dog in a fenced-in yard or on a leash.
Provide the dog with basic veterinary care, including but not limited to: Yearly wellness visits and vaccines, any medical issues the dog may have which are NOT related to breeding, and emergency vet costs (NOT related to breeding).
Notify breeder immediately when the female dog has come into her estrus cycle and be prepared to meet breeder upon request when dog is needed for breeding purposes or give dog up for approximately a week during breeding period.
For female breeding dogs, keep all unapproved intact male dogs away from her when she is in season. For males, keep females who are in season away to prevent accidental breedings.
No unfixed dogs of the opposite gender in the home with them.
Guardian must be willing to sign a legal contract and uphold all agreements between breeder and guardian.
If guardian family goes on vacation or out of town for any reason and your Yorkie is not sent to breeder’s home for duration of the vacation, I would love to watch the dog while this contract stands so they’re able to have some time and comfortability with me.
If your Yorkie does not pass certain health tests and is deemed by breeder to be unfit to reproduce, the dog will then be spayed or neutered at the expense of the breeder. Guardian will not be required to pay any fee for the dog in this event.
Guardian agrees to maintain this contract even if they relocate out of the area, including flying the dog back to the breeder at the expense of the guardian.
Guardian agrees to keep in close contact with breeder, regularly sending photos of dog and gives clearance to breeder to use any photos sent for marketing purposes (social media, website, etc.)
Should the dog die early of natural causes, this contract shall terminate. If the dog dies while in possession of the breeder, dog shall be replaced with a puppy from Elaine’s Yorkies.
If at any time the breeder finds the guardian to be non-compliant, the dog shall return to breeder immediately.
If the dog is altered OR bred purposefully without written consent of the breeder, guardian will owe breeder a sum of $3,000. Any legal costs involved with obtaining this payment will also be paid by guardian.
Fenced in backyard is preferred but we can discuss this.
What do I require to be a guardian home?
If you go to a groomer, your pup will need to be up to date on all vet records beforehand. They will be used to baths with me, but I would encourage starting their grooming around 5-6 months, but I like a little fluffy puppy for a moment! Here’s a puppy shampoo for yorkies I’d recommend. After 6 months, I would follow your groomers advice but typically it’s every 6-8 weeks I believe. I cut my own dogs hair. If you decide to do this, I would encourage nice clippers and scissors!
Do I need to sign a contract?
Yes we require guardians to sign a contract, it outlines every detail so that both the breeder and guardian know what is expected of them. It protects both parties and creates a greater chance of success. If the breeder decides to retire the dog early, or if the pup has been surrendered by guardian for whatever reason, the contract at that point will be null and void. If you’d like more info about the terms the contract contains, feel free to contact us and we will be happy to provide a copy of the contract for you to view.
If you have a female, the contract will expire after 3-4 litters.
If you have a male, the contract will expire after 7 years.
These time ranges may shorten. NOT lengthen. Spay/neuters will be done at the end by me and you will get the AKC paperwork.
What happens if I decide I don't want my dog bred?
Becoming a guardian home for one of our dogs is a huge commitment and a decision that should not be made lightly. Please keep in mind that we are retain full legal ownership of the dog until they are retired from our program and guardians have a legal obligation to follow the contract. Our dogs are very high quality and have been hand selected to benefit and improve our program further.
Becoming a guardian home is not for everyone! Please consider this commitment carefully.
What about transportation?
They will need transported to me for breedings, ultrasounds/testings and for the whelping of their litter in my home. At times, I may be able to meet if needed, but I’d love you to visit me!
If you have a female, you are more than welcome. to go to ultrasounds with me if you’d like.
Who owns the dog?
It’s your dog in every way except for breeding.
The Breeder retains full ownership and breeding rights of the Dog and breeding decisions of the dog.
The Guardian is entrusted with the care, custody, and control of the Dog. Once the dog is done in the program, full custody will be given to the guardian home.
I’d love for you to act like this is your dog though. That is why I’ve created this program!
FAQ: Process
Female dogs heat cycle normally last about 18 days. They come between 6-18 months but every dog is different. They typically come into heat every 6-9 months.
At first, the vulva will start to swell, vaginal discharge is blood-tinged (In the winter, you may notice this in the snow outside where she pees, or you'll notice a little blood where she sleeps or sits).
Typically you may notice a drop of blood on the floor here or there. For tile or wood floors, this is easy to clean up. If you have carpeting, you may want to use a doggie diaper. Each female is different but most keep themselves quite clean. Their bed can get stained while they're in heat so you may want to put a towel over it. But again, my girls have always done a great job at keeping themselves clean.
She will likely have a bloody discharge for the first week but then when the female is receptive to males, her vaginal discharge decreases in amount and is straw-colored.
A female in heat can attract male dogs by her scent so, it's important to not let her outside alone unsupervised while she's in heat, even if you have a fenced yard.
While mama dogs are very attached to their puppies when they're born, and rarely leave their whelping pen for the first while, they start to wean them naturally when the puppies are about 6 weeks old. Slowly they nurse them less and less and start to become more and more interested in getting out and about for periods of time away from their puppies.
By the time the puppies are 9 weeks old, the mama dog is ready to see them go! 🙂 She's happy to be back home with her family again. Promise!
My girls are thrilled to be sitting on the couch running around with our family way more truly.
Our guardian dogs love people and are happy to be here with us and also having the opportunity to play with the other dogs here. We will be familiar to her because she started here and she will be here fairly often after she is of breeding age. We make sure she feels as at home here as possible and has a comfortable, relaxing setting to have her puppies.
Once they're born, her puppies are all she will think about and will want to be with them constantly. So, no she won't be sitting around feeling sad about where she's at. 🙂
If male, they cannot start until the age of a year old. I will probably wait a little longer than this and make sure they pass their health testings.
For females, I like them to have their first breeding during their second or third heat cycle depending on some factors such as age, health, and timing.
If I plan on your female having 3 litters, she will start having puppies on her second or third heat cycle. If I plan on 4 litters, I may do 2 litters, off the next and on 2 after that.
My hope is to have your female done breeding by the time they’re 5 so they can just live the rest of their life in bliss and love with you!
If you have a male, they can sire quite a few litters. My boy Teddy has sired 26 puppies. He’s good at his job! I typically only do 2 litters a year so I’m not overproducing puppies
If female, I like them to have 3 litters, maybe 4 litters. They can be let go from the program if there’s health issues with the mom and babies, etc. I, the breeder, will make this call.