Here at Oregon Bernese I have guardian homes which give my dogs their own loving families who they live with other than when they come to have their puppies here in our cozy puppy nursery. When the dog retires, they stay permanently with their guardian family. This gives families who may not otherwise be able to find or afford a great quality dog from health tested bloodlines a chance to welcome one into their family at no cost to them in exchange for the dog staying with the breeder for 5-6 weeks to have each litter of puppies. Families get to visit the mom & puppies & choose the names the puppies. When a dog retires after 4 litters I pay for the girl to be spayed and then they will stay with their guardian family for life. I am so thankful to my guardian families who give such wonderful lives to the girls in my program.
Female Guardian Home Summary
The guardian female will be entrusted free of charge to her guardian to love on, socialize & be part of their family. I the breeder will cover all breeding related costs & health testing of the dog. The guardian will bring the dog to the breeder for health testing & vet appointments as needed. Once the dog is old enough & has had all of its health testing completed the guardian will notify the breeder when the female is in heat. She will stay with the stud for approximately 5-9 days after which she will be returned to guardian home during pregnancy until about 5 days before the due-date of 58 days to settle in. After the puppies are born she will stay with the breeder until the puppies are approximately 4-5.5 weeks old at which point she will go home to her guardian. The guardian is welcome to schedule visits when the puppies are 3 & 4 weeks old to see mom & puppies. The breeder will send updates on the dog to their family & post updates on social media. Once she has had 4 litters of puppies, she will be spayed and retire with her guardian home who will receive full ownership of the dog.
Note on training: I have had issues with Bernese who did not get enough socialization and training as a puppy. They are not a breed that you can relax and just expect to be good citizens and confident dogs without putting in the time at an early age. Because of this it is something I now emphasize as needed with my guardians. You will need to commit to consistent obedience training & social outings. I prioritize all guardian dogs earning their Canine Good Citizen titles. To facilitate this, I am willing to put $150 towards a puppy obedience course and $150 towards a more advanced course to earn their Canine Good Citizen Title. Especially in the first 6 months the guardian family will need to put a lot of time into training, visiting friends' houses with friendly dogs, visiting places like the vets and home-depot and lots of walks & new people. If you do not take your dogs out much and are looking for a low-maintenance dog who can stay home/in your yard as a puppy a guardian home position would not be a good fit. I would love to find a guardian either interested in doing a few UKC shows with the dog or please be willing to let me as the breeder to take her to a few shows to get her conformation & obedience titles.
Breeder will pay for the costs of:
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Purchase of dog
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Flight/Travel to Oregon
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Microchip & AKC registration
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Litter stipend of $500 for litters 3 & 4 (if at least 3 puppies are born in a litter).
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$150 towards a puppy obedience course and $150 towards a advanced course to earn their Canine Good Citizen Title
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Breeding related vet care
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Breeding health testing costs
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All costs of pregnancy, birth & lactation care & supplements
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All vet care costs of pregnancy, birth & lactation.
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Any vet costs & food when dog is at breeders.
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Cost of spay if after 2+ litters
Guardian covers the normal costs of a pet for example:
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Dog’s food/expenses related to being a family pet.
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Dog's non-breeding related vet care including monthly heartworm/flea preventative
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Boarding/pet sitting when needed for vacations etc. (things that are not breeding related).
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Gas too & from breeders or vets when needed.
MEET THE GIRLS LOOKING FOR GUARDIAN HOMES
Meet Shasta from Bella and General's 2026 River litter. She is sweet, cuddly and loves tummy scratches so much. She is very explorative and outgoing and loves to play with other dogs & explore her surroundings.
Her parents have had one previous litter that are growing into fantastic representations of the breed. Both Bella and General were imported directly from Europe as puppies. This is a 100% European litter with amazing champion & grand champion bloodlines. Both parents also have the sweetest, laid back & extremely intelligent temperaments.
Shasta will be approximately 85-100 lbs. with medium/long fluffy coat.
We are looking for a loving guardian family for her.
If Shasta passes her health testing as we hope she does, she would have 4 litters before retiring with her guardian family for life.
If being a guardian sounds like something you would be interested in please fill out the questionnaire below & email it too Knifongb@gmail.com
Guardian Questionnaire:
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What's your first and last name?
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Phone number?
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Number of children and ages? (if applicable)
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Do you currently have any pets? If so, tell me more about them. Are any intact males?
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If not have you had dogs in the past?
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Are you able to cover the non-breeding expenses of a puppy like food and npn-breeding related vet care? I highly recommend pet insurance for emergencies.
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Tell me more about yourself (Your lifestyle, family (if you have one), or anything else to help me make sure you're a good fit for my pups!)
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Do you live within 2 hours of Eagle Creek Oregon? Are you willing to drive the dog to me when needed for breeding & health testing?
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What type of home do you live in? (Home, Apartment, Townhouse, or Other), do you own it? If not has your landlord given you permission for a large dog?
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Are you willing to send me a video or pictures of a tour of your home & yard?
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Do you have a fenced yard?
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Will you be the primary caretaker of the puppy? If not, who will be?
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How many hours in a row a day would the puppy be alone for on a regular basis?
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Are you ok with dealing with the dogs heat cycles starting when she is 6-12 months old every 6 months? They can be messy & require diapers.
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Are you ok dealing with a pregnant momma? There are not a lot of complicated care needs, but she will need some extra supplements in her food (provided by me) & gentle exercise/protection from rougher dogs.
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Will you be ok being without your dog for 5-7 weeks for the birth & puppy time period? You will be able to visit weekly if you would like & will be sent updates but it is still time apart. Some families plan vacations etc during this time :)
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Are you willing to do a basic puppy training class (at least 6 instructed sessions) & adult Canine Good Citizen class/test with your dog to teach it proper manners & socialization? (I will put $150 towards the puppy class & $150 towards the advanced training).
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Are you ok with your dog participating in a few dog shows to earn her conformation titles? You do not have to actively participate in showing (although I am happy to teach you/doit together!) but you would need to be ok with her coming to me for a few weekends for the shows.
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Are you willing to drive the dog too me for vet appointments/health testing & breeding? This will be approximately 3-6 trips a year but may be more or less at times.
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Are you willing to meet in person or over facetime to go over the arrangement before bringing your puppy home should you choose to move forward?