Hokkaido Guardian Homes
We do not believe that puppies/dogs are best served by being kennel raised. When we first started this breeding program, I made a promise to the dogs that they would never become kennel dogs. However, when the program started to grow and bringing in new bloodlines became necessary for both our program and Hokkaido preservation in North America, we simply ran out of space for dogs in our home. That is why we created our Guardian Home program. By placing some of our dogs in a “home away from home” environment from the time they are puppies or young adults, we are doing our best to ensure their happiness for the entirety of their life while still letting them contribute to Hokkaido preservation efforts.
This program is also a fantastic way to get involved with the Hokkaido community and preservation efforts without diving straight into it alone. Many people prefer to start off breeding this way, and eventually add in breeding dogs of their own when they feel they are ready.
This program is also a fantastic way to get involved with the Hokkaido community and preservation efforts without diving straight into it alone. Many people prefer to start off breeding this way, and eventually add in breeding dogs of their own when they feel they are ready.
Who Owns the Dog?
All dogs placed in Guardian Homes are owned by and registered to Apricity Kennel until breeding requirements have been fulfilled (3 litters for females, 6 breedings + semen collection/storage for males). At this time, we spay/neuter the dog and relinquish ownership over to the Guardian Home completely unless other arrangements have been made and outlined in the contract, such as a Guardian Home wanting the dog to have a litter with them as the foundation male/female for their developing breeding program. If we find that the dog has problems with breeding or it would otherwise be unhealthy for them to breed again, we will stop the breeding program with the dog and they will be relinquished to the Guardian Home. All dogs will automatically be relinquished to their Guardian Home on their 7th birthday, regardless of whether breeding requirements have been fulfilled or not.
What Guidelines Do I Need to Follow?
FOOD: Guardian Homes must only feed the dog food which is approved by us. We are advocates for healthy nutrition for dogs, and feeding them foods that will not cause health issues such as cancers, tumors, allergies, etc. The foods we ask you to feed are easily found. Approved foods include, but are not limited to, Nature’s Logic, Carna4, Canidae, Purina Pro Plan Sport, and a balanced raw diet (either pre-packaged or handmade). The dogs in our home are fed Nature’s Logic, and proteins are rotated monthly to help avoid developing food allergies.
VETERINARY: The Guardian Home is responsible for regular veterinary care such as wellness exams, vaccines, flea and tick prevention, etc. Pet insurance is recommended to help cover costs in case of accidental sickness or injury, but we don’t require it. If the dog becomes sick or injured, the family must notify us immediately so we are involved in the decisions regarding the treatment of the dog. All breeding-related expenses such as health testing, progesterone, artificial insemination, ultrasounds, etc are covered by us.
TRAINING: All of our puppies are required to attend at least 6 weeks of puppy socialization classes, whether they are placed in a Guardian Home or sold outright. From there, we highly encourage you to continue taking training classes and participating in sports/activities with the dog! We reimburse Guardian Homes 50% of group training class costs (puppy socialization class not included) and $50 for every title they earn with the dog.
TRANSPORTATION: The guardian home is responsible to assist in the transportation of the dog to us when needed for breeding, whelping, or health testing. This is probably the most inconvenient part of the guardian’s responsibilities. Please think through this carefully! We generally will not pick up dogs ourselves. This is the Guardian Home’s responsibility and part of how they earn the dog through the program. We expect that the dog come to us within 1-2 weeks of when needed and be picked up 1-2 weeks after they are ready to go. Should you be unable to drop off or pick up the dog, we can usually arrange for someone else to do so at cost. For all transportation arrangements, we are required to give at least 30 days notice so Guardian Homes have time to plan. We understand you have a life and don't expect you to drop everything and bring a dog to us.
GENERAL: We ask the family to practice safe handling of the dog always. This includes not leaving the dog outside if they are not at home, not letting the dog sit in the back of an open pickup, using a leash in public, providing basic obedience training so the dog has manners, staying up to date with regular grooming and nail-care needs, and always being an advocate for the dog by not placing them in a situation where they feel overstimulated and reactive.
How Does Breeding Work?
MALE: The males have it easy. When we decide it is time to breed the dog, we will arrange transport with the Guardian Home for the dog to come visit (usually a few days, but if we have multiple females we’d like to use him for, we may decide to keep him for a month or two so Guardian Homes don’t have to repeatedly travel back and forth).
FEMALE: Females require a bit more responsibility. Guardian Homes will be required to notify us at the start of each heat cycle. Expect the first heat cycle to start between 7-9 months of age, last 21 days, and come about every 7 months (this varies from dog to dog though). If we have plans to breed the dog on a particular heat cycle, we will notify the Guardian Home the cycle beforehand. This gives us all many months to prepare.
When the time comes to breed the dog, we will arrange transportation dates with the Guardian Home so she is with us for a breeding. We will then send the dog home for the first 30-35 days of her 63 day pregnancy, or until she is confirmed pregnant by ultrasound. Most people don’t notice any behavior changes in the dog, though some say they are a bit more tired and hungry. Regardless, there are no major routine changes necessary during the first half of pregnancy. We encourage regular walks and low-impact exercise to maintain fitness. Once confirmed pregnant, she will be returned to us to settle into our home and prepare for puppy raising. We want to make sure she is given plenty of time to feel safe and spoiled in our house so her whelping is as stress-free as possible for her and her puppies.
She will return home after puppies start to leave for their new homes, between 8-12 weeks of age, and after she has been examined and cleared by our veterinarian.
GENERAL: All breeding and puppy rearing expenses are covered by us, and as such, any "profit" from resulting litters will stay with Apricity Kennel. Guardian Homes may visit at any time throughout the breeding process! We highly encourage Guardian Homes watch, take notes, and learn if they are interested in becoming breeders in the future.
What is the Cost?
Aside from the day-to-day expenses outlined above, puppies and dogs are placed into their Guardian Home with a $500 security deposit to secure the dog and ensure the Guardian Home will uphold their part in the agreement. This also covers the dog's spay/neuter surgery at the end of the agreement, and goes towards reimbursing the Guardian Home for training classes, showing, and titling expenses should they choose to do this with the dog. Essentially, the security deposit is gradually returned the more active you are with the dog in activities which help with breed ambassadorship!
We reserve the right to offer the dog up for sale to the Guardian Home as a non-breeding pet before the above conditions are met should we not find them fit for our breeding program. The offered price will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the age, health, training, titles, and other work that has been put into the dog by us or the Guardian Home.
All dogs placed in Guardian Homes are owned by and registered to Apricity Kennel until breeding requirements have been fulfilled (3 litters for females, 6 breedings + semen collection/storage for males). At this time, we spay/neuter the dog and relinquish ownership over to the Guardian Home completely unless other arrangements have been made and outlined in the contract, such as a Guardian Home wanting the dog to have a litter with them as the foundation male/female for their developing breeding program. If we find that the dog has problems with breeding or it would otherwise be unhealthy for them to breed again, we will stop the breeding program with the dog and they will be relinquished to the Guardian Home. All dogs will automatically be relinquished to their Guardian Home on their 7th birthday, regardless of whether breeding requirements have been fulfilled or not.
What Guidelines Do I Need to Follow?
FOOD: Guardian Homes must only feed the dog food which is approved by us. We are advocates for healthy nutrition for dogs, and feeding them foods that will not cause health issues such as cancers, tumors, allergies, etc. The foods we ask you to feed are easily found. Approved foods include, but are not limited to, Nature’s Logic, Carna4, Canidae, Purina Pro Plan Sport, and a balanced raw diet (either pre-packaged or handmade). The dogs in our home are fed Nature’s Logic, and proteins are rotated monthly to help avoid developing food allergies.
VETERINARY: The Guardian Home is responsible for regular veterinary care such as wellness exams, vaccines, flea and tick prevention, etc. Pet insurance is recommended to help cover costs in case of accidental sickness or injury, but we don’t require it. If the dog becomes sick or injured, the family must notify us immediately so we are involved in the decisions regarding the treatment of the dog. All breeding-related expenses such as health testing, progesterone, artificial insemination, ultrasounds, etc are covered by us.
TRAINING: All of our puppies are required to attend at least 6 weeks of puppy socialization classes, whether they are placed in a Guardian Home or sold outright. From there, we highly encourage you to continue taking training classes and participating in sports/activities with the dog! We reimburse Guardian Homes 50% of group training class costs (puppy socialization class not included) and $50 for every title they earn with the dog.
TRANSPORTATION: The guardian home is responsible to assist in the transportation of the dog to us when needed for breeding, whelping, or health testing. This is probably the most inconvenient part of the guardian’s responsibilities. Please think through this carefully! We generally will not pick up dogs ourselves. This is the Guardian Home’s responsibility and part of how they earn the dog through the program. We expect that the dog come to us within 1-2 weeks of when needed and be picked up 1-2 weeks after they are ready to go. Should you be unable to drop off or pick up the dog, we can usually arrange for someone else to do so at cost. For all transportation arrangements, we are required to give at least 30 days notice so Guardian Homes have time to plan. We understand you have a life and don't expect you to drop everything and bring a dog to us.
GENERAL: We ask the family to practice safe handling of the dog always. This includes not leaving the dog outside if they are not at home, not letting the dog sit in the back of an open pickup, using a leash in public, providing basic obedience training so the dog has manners, staying up to date with regular grooming and nail-care needs, and always being an advocate for the dog by not placing them in a situation where they feel overstimulated and reactive.
How Does Breeding Work?
MALE: The males have it easy. When we decide it is time to breed the dog, we will arrange transport with the Guardian Home for the dog to come visit (usually a few days, but if we have multiple females we’d like to use him for, we may decide to keep him for a month or two so Guardian Homes don’t have to repeatedly travel back and forth).
FEMALE: Females require a bit more responsibility. Guardian Homes will be required to notify us at the start of each heat cycle. Expect the first heat cycle to start between 7-9 months of age, last 21 days, and come about every 7 months (this varies from dog to dog though). If we have plans to breed the dog on a particular heat cycle, we will notify the Guardian Home the cycle beforehand. This gives us all many months to prepare.
When the time comes to breed the dog, we will arrange transportation dates with the Guardian Home so she is with us for a breeding. We will then send the dog home for the first 30-35 days of her 63 day pregnancy, or until she is confirmed pregnant by ultrasound. Most people don’t notice any behavior changes in the dog, though some say they are a bit more tired and hungry. Regardless, there are no major routine changes necessary during the first half of pregnancy. We encourage regular walks and low-impact exercise to maintain fitness. Once confirmed pregnant, she will be returned to us to settle into our home and prepare for puppy raising. We want to make sure she is given plenty of time to feel safe and spoiled in our house so her whelping is as stress-free as possible for her and her puppies.
She will return home after puppies start to leave for their new homes, between 8-12 weeks of age, and after she has been examined and cleared by our veterinarian.
GENERAL: All breeding and puppy rearing expenses are covered by us, and as such, any "profit" from resulting litters will stay with Apricity Kennel. Guardian Homes may visit at any time throughout the breeding process! We highly encourage Guardian Homes watch, take notes, and learn if they are interested in becoming breeders in the future.
What is the Cost?
Aside from the day-to-day expenses outlined above, puppies and dogs are placed into their Guardian Home with a $500 security deposit to secure the dog and ensure the Guardian Home will uphold their part in the agreement. This also covers the dog's spay/neuter surgery at the end of the agreement, and goes towards reimbursing the Guardian Home for training classes, showing, and titling expenses should they choose to do this with the dog. Essentially, the security deposit is gradually returned the more active you are with the dog in activities which help with breed ambassadorship!
We reserve the right to offer the dog up for sale to the Guardian Home as a non-breeding pet before the above conditions are met should we not find them fit for our breeding program. The offered price will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the age, health, training, titles, and other work that has been put into the dog by us or the Guardian Home.