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Guardian Family Program 

Thank you for your interest in our guardian program.  

We offer unique opportunities for local  families to be involved in the development of the breed by committing to our guardian program and welcoming a Lovelocks puppy into your life.

Our guardian program offers a supportive community with a dedicated family Facebook page as well as regular doggy play dates.   

Benefits

There are many  benefits for Guardian families,  they will have the 'pick of the litter' as chosen by the breeder, ongoing support and advice, with an added benefit of free care for your dog during breeding times  especially beneficial for well timed holidays.  It is a way for families to be involved  and contribute to the breed development, our breeding program and our Cobberdog community.

There are no purchases costs for female puppy's and males are heavily reduced to compensate for their use in the program.

Australian Cobberdogs have a strong human focus and it is important they are raised with a kind and loving family to thrive and live their best life.  For this reason we chose to use a guardian program allowing our future breeding dogs to go home as puppies where they will live in their forever homes.

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Pictured left, Lovelocks Mindy Matthews who lives with her guardian family .

Backgound

I am committed to support the continued development of the breed, and am driven to see Australian Cobberdogs recognized as a pure breed in the future.  For this to happen, breeders must work together across the globe to achieve uniformity, predictability and stable attributes.  There are logistical markers we need to meet collectively including a defined number of multi generational dogs across several countries that all 'look' and 'behave' the same before we can move from a breed in development to a recognised breed.  There is the added complexity of three official height ranges so this needs to be achieved in all height divisions.  With so few foundation breeders for many years this would not have been possible, however their work in setting the foundation traits, the advancement of DNA testing and a new generation of committed breeders will see the breed development spear head toward the goal and with the diversity of genetics needed to ensure the breed and breeding programs remain robust into the future.

 

'Lovelocks' is not just about breeding beautiful therapy temperament dogs for families, although this is an honorable purpose in itself, I truly believe in the intention and purpose of the breed as a whole and committed to the development, with active involvement in the breeding community across the globe, and strive to improve upon my own program.  It is not just about breeding multiple litters from same pairings and selling puppies, rather carefully selecting pairings for specific traits to improve upon the generation before, and in some cases bring in new genetics to add something into the program.  For this, our breeding dogs have a relatively short period of 'breeding life' with females in guardian homes contracted for only 2 litters.  As you can imagine to contribute to the breeds development in a meaningful way a larger number of specific dogs for a shorter reproductive time is required.  One way to achieve this is to have a large kennel and run dogs for 2-3 years before re-homing as adults and the other more humane but higher risk is using the guardian program.   

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How it works

The first step to becoming a guardian is to see if you meet the initial logistical criteria, then consider if you are willing to adhere to the requirements of the guardian contract.  Guardianship is not for everyone, but it can be perfect for those who are interested in the breeds development and agree with the guardian home purpose.

To be considered for a guardian home you:

  • Must love dogs

  • Located in Brisbane, Ipswich or surrounds (within an hour of Ipswich/Brisbane is ideal)

  • Have a secure fenced yard, and agree to include the dog in your everyday life, including sleeping indoors

  • Have ample time to be with your dog such as retired, work from home, part time worker etc

  • Willing to attend cobberdog play dates in Brisbane, and look forward to being involved in the Lovelocks community

  • Have friendly, reliable and honest communication and character

If you feel you meet the criteria we would love to hear from you to discuss the finer details, and of course meet you at our next cobberdog play date.​

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Finer Details

  • Guardians are required to sign a contract which outlines the responsibilities of both the guardian  (you) and the breeder (us).

  • Guardians pay for the puppy/dogs general everyday care & regular maintenance (annual veterinary, food, grooming, training etc)

  • We pay for MDBA pedigree registrations, vet checks and testing for breeding purposes such as DNA testing, Hip/Elbow testing, any expenses relating to breeding, ultra sounds/ x-rays if applicable. 

  • Females are contracted for 2 litters only, with the first breeding to take place after all health testing has been completed and the dog is of breeding age.  Females will be required to visit with us for mating which may be up to a week.  They then return to their guardian families.  A week before due date, they come back for whelping and raising puppies (approx 8 weeks all up).  Females will be de-sexed and returned to their guardian homes at the end of the contract and all ownership will transfer to the guardian at that stage.  There is no money payable to the breeder for a female guardian puppy, she is paid for by her use in the contract.

  • Males are contracted for 3 years, and may be used several times between the ages of 12 months to 4 years, and on occasion at short notice.   They will be required to spend a few days up to a week at a time during mating, throughout the year.   Males will be de-sexed and returned to their guardian homes at the end of the contract and all ownership will transfer to the guardian at that stage.  Male guardian puppies are sold at half of the pet puppy price + fulfillment of the  contract.

  • If for any reason the pup is found to be not suitable for the breeding program the dog  will be de-sexed, returned to the guardian family, the guradian contract will revert to a pet contract and a fee of half of pet puppy price is payable to the breeder.

  • It is of utmost importance that you provide a kind and loving home, be willing to train and socialise your dog including attending play dates, meet ups etc.

  • You must be of good character, honest and reliable, with friendly communication and have a willingness to work with us, so together we can have a successful mating and produce a future generation. 

  • Agree to follow a dietary guideline consisting of a combination of raw feeding and a small amount of kibble.  Ensuring the health and longevity of your puppy. 

  • Previous or current dog ownership is a bonus, as is social media savvy, and someone who loves to provide regular updates.

 

We are very grateful for the huge interest in our program, when it comes to choosing guardians, we prioritise those on our wait list and people who we have met through our cobberdog play dates and meet ups, so keep an eye out on our Facebook page for the next gathering, its a great opportunity to find out about our dogs in person and for us to meet.

If you feel this would be an ideal arrangement for you and your family, please send through an email to discuss, we hope that you will be as excited as we are to be involved in this unique opportunity to help shape a breed from its early stages of development.

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