Guardian Homes

At Three Bridges Cobberdogs we have a Guardian Programme in place as an important part of our ethical breeding practices. The Guardian Programme is a rewarding venture for all concerned and is designed to ensure the physical and emotional welfare of breeding dogs.

To apply, use the adoption form and select ‘A guardian family puppy’ from the question ‘What are you applying for:’

Guardian homes have been around for many years and were originally conceived by one of the founders of the Australian Cobberdogs, Tegans. We endorse the use of guardian homes for breeding dogs of all walks of life as they have proven time and again that breeders who truly care, do not need to house their breeding dogs in kennels. Guardian Programmes are now successfully used all over the world in many different breeds with great success, moving us ever closer to abolishing puppy farms and mass kennelling.

Occasionally, we will have a puppy who has very special qualities to carry on the precious genetics of superior health and intuitive temperament.

These puppies go to live with their forever guardian family (includes singles too) – with no purchase cost – from around 9 weeks when they leave us. In return you give a loving secure forever home where he or she does not have to share your affection with too many others. In this way we fulfil our commitment to continue to produce quality, healthy puppies for our families and the Australian Cobberdog breed. Three Bridges Cobberdogs retains the breeding rights for a set period of time.

If you are the Guardian of a girl she will come to stay with us during her heat cycle and again at the last stage of pregnancy. At whelping time, the dog comes back to Three Bridges Cobberdogs where we can supervise the birth and are close to the 24 hour vet should there be a need. The new mother will stay with us until the pups are weaned, and will then return to her family. During her stay with us you are welcome to visit as often as you want after the first 4 weeks.

After the set breeding period is finished, the family is responsible for having the dog desexed, the contract finishes and she is yours forever, free of charge.

If you are the Guardian of a beautiful boy you may need to bring him to us for three or four short honeymoons before he is neutered and you are given complete ownership. The timeline for a male could be 3 or 4 years even though he may not have many honeymoons, for us it is all about genetics not lots of puppies.

Three Bridges Cobberdogs pays all expenses to do with breeding, hip and elbow scoring, and DNA testing. Guardian families are responsible for the usual ongoing costs of keeping a pet dog, including vaccinations and worming, food, tick and flea prevention, grooming and general vet bills and obedience classes.

To qualify to be a Guardian Family for our potential breeding pups, there are some conditions that families / singles must fulfil and they must be prepared to meet our conditions on how the puppy is to be raised. Below is a general outline:

Most importantly, you must be around a 40 minute drive of the M90 Junction 2A (Halbeath Interchange) in, Fife. This is important for us to be able to work with you in breeding season, including veterinary health and pregnancy checks and tests, and for whelping. You will be required to do some travelling, sometimes you may have to drive to our property hand over the dog and drive all the way home, so it is very important you are prepared for some inconvenience.
You must have a fully fenced garden to keep the dog safe.
You must be prepared to provide a loving, caring home, where the dog is welcome inside the house and is considered part of the family. There must be somebody home for a good amount of time each week so the dog is not left alone for extended periods.
You must be prepared to continue the socialisation and training of the dog. This ensures that the dog is a good, polite pet for your family, and easily managed and adaptable when the dog visits for breeding. This includes crate training, grooming, leash training and puppy school training with a professional dog trainer.
You need to be prepared to brush and comb your dog 2 to 3 times a week and regularly have a groomer bath and brush to ensure no hidden knots are forming until the dog is a year of age, we then do a photo shoot and after that you can cut the coat short if you prefer.
You also need to be prepared to send regular photos and updates so we get to learn as much as we can about the personality of the dog, how he or she is doing and how they are looking.
You must be willing to continue to provide a predominantly fresh, raw food diet.

If you fulfil the above conditions and would like to learn more about our Guardian Programme, please complete our Adoption Form, and submit, we will assess your application and get back to you.

We may want you to visit us, see how long the drive is, see our Cobberdogs and meet us, we can then confirm if we feel you would be a welcomed guardian family member. As soon as your puppy is born we will contact you, so you can enjoy watching your puppy and their family grow with frequent photos mostly posted on Facebook so you can download and start your new family member’s own scrapbook.

Guardian homes also receive first preference for a second guardian dog or puppy. If you would like to buy or care for another one, you will also be first in line for a puppy from your current guardian dog.

If you have any questions then you are welcome to pm us on Facebook, or contact us at our website. Like and follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with ongoing puppy news and announcements.

If you would like to adopt a Three Bridges Australian Cobberdog, please read our Adopting a Puppy information, before you continue the adoption process.

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