Welcome to Our Partner Home’s page. Here you can find all the information on Partner Homes, what they are, how they work in our program, and what to expect. Our goal is to make sure each and every dog/puppy apart of our family is cared for to the fullest, but we are also realistic and understand the limitations in our household. Which is where our Partner Program comes into play. Running a breeding program and helping building the next better generation of Australian Shepherds requires owning a lot of dogs. We ensure each dog lives happy, healthy, and full lives by making sure they have everything they need, whether that is in our own home, or one of our Partner Homes.
A Partner Home is a unique opportunity to join our company and our mission of breeding a better and healthier next generation of companions, while getting a quality dog and an ethical breeder’s support for a fraction of the price. All care associated with pregnancy, whelping and raising the puppies will be taken care of by us, the program. All you have to worry about is communicating when heat cycles happen, work with us on getting the dog breed, and some after care once the dog is returned to you. I will outline a better timeline below of what being a part of the program would look like. If you are interest in joining our program, check out the criteria listed below and see if this is the right match for you.
We currently are only looking to place females at this time, but check back in the future for updates, or feel free to ask about a male placement if you think being apart of this program is right for you. Please feel free to reach out with questions, opportunities, or inquires.
Requirements:
Must live 30-45 minutes from Roy, Ut
Must be available/willing to work with us in transporting
Must be communicative
Willing to complete CGC certificate/training, or complete the Chaos to Calm Course with Cornerstone Dog Training
Caring for all the dog’s needs including annual/as needed vet visits, food, grooming, day to day care etc.
The Program’s Financial responsibilities:
The program will pay for things such as
– Any vet visit related to breeding, this includes blood tests, ultrasounds, x-rays, emergency care related to pregnancy
– Genetic test if not done prior to puppy pickup (results are available on request)
– OFAs and any other test required to ensure female is sound and not at risk for carrying puppies
– Any food during the time she is confirmed pregnant and through the whelping process/after care
– Any additional care required during the breeding and whelping process: grooming, medical, day to day care needs, etc.
– Spaying upon retiring from the program, and any care associated with the healing process.
What it looks like:
After going through the process of setting up a Partner Home and seeing that success, we have settled on a few things that other programs don’t do. Here is something we are doing differently, we have decided the puppies that we are planning to hold back are going to stay with us until 16 weeks old. In that time, we will fully vaccinate them, complete the basics of training, crate/potty/leash and manners, and evaluate them for breeding potential. It is hard to look at an 8 week old puppy and decided for certain if they will be a good dog to add to the program and carry on the line. 16 weeks still doesn’t give us a for sure, but it gives us a better idea, and we can be more confident in our selection. During that 16 weeks we will do a genetic test, that plays a factor in who we hold back as well. Our goal is to breed healthier with every generation in both genetics passed down, temperament, structure, and how closely they follow the breed outline of an Australian Shepherd. We follow AKC’s definition and guide of what an Australian Shepherd should look like.
Another unique thing about our program, and you may have noticed it already if you have been following us for a while, is we have been naming all of our dogs in alphabetical order. We would like to continue that trend in our Partner Homes. We are registering the dogs before they go home and it is easier if we already have names picked out. The Partner Homes are welcome to rename the dogs after they have been spayed and retired from the program.
In summary, you are getting a fully genetic tested pup that is fully vaccinated, obedience training started, and full support of our program for a fraction of the cost. This pup is what breeders like to refer to as the “pick of the litter”. This is the pup that most aligns with the breed standard, and has an exceptional personality that we would love for the next generation to have. You can enjoy other perks of our unique program like grooming discounts, training resources, boarding options, and kick backs for being apart of our program.
Just like any of our other puppies, they will come with a contract, but in this case we have a 2 part contract. One in which encompasses being in the Partner Program, and one that continues after the dog is spayed and retired. You will house and care for the dog while we retain legal ownership of the dog until certain criteria’s are met, which are listed in the contract. Full contract will be sent if requested. Once items are completed, Legal Ownership will be transferred over to the Partner Home after a spay is completed at the expense of the program. Example of completing the contract are listed below:
Female produces a certain amount of litters, or reaches a certain age
Female does not do well with being a mom and we have decided to retire her early
Female has anything we decide we don’t want to breed like a genetic marker, unsound structure, or out of standard size, etc.
Female has health complications with pregnancy/OFAs, or anything else that could make breeding her a greater risk
etc.
Any results in early retirement will result in the program spaying the female and turning over legal ownership to the Partner Home where the second half of the contract picks up. The second half of the contract is the exact same as what is included in all of our puppy contracts.
Timeline:
Disclaimer, this is may vary depending on dog and the other factors.
Female is chosen before 8 weeks old for potential, the program will pay for genetic testing, will be registered, receive puppy shots, and provide basic training.
At 16 weeks the Female will go home with the Partner Home and contact will be kept regarding the Females health, heat cycles, and any other details that may come up. The Partner Home will care for the Female including annual shots, continue training, and every day care.
When the Female reaches the age of 2, the program will coordinate and pay for OFAs to be done. This does require the Female to be put under, and she will need to be monitored for 24 hours after. Care can be arranged for us to house and keep an eye on her if the Partner Home cannot, or opts to allow us to care for her. Results will be share with the Partner Home as well, and a final decision will be made on if the Female will officially be bred. Upon her next heat cycle we will breed her to a male of our choosing.
What the breeding process entails:
When the Female goes into heat, 1-2 weeks after we will need to do a progesterone test at the vet, based on the results of her levels, (multiple progesterone tests over a few days may be needed) we will coordinate when to breed.
After confirming the female is ready, she will be bred to a complimentary male 2-3 times over the course of 3-5 days (this allows for a day inbetween each breeding).
Options of her staying with us for that time frame, or having the Partner Home come to us or to the chosen, approved male over 2-3 separate days is up to the Partner Home’s preference.
From there we wait until roughly 30-35 days where an ultrasound will be done to confirm pregnancy.
After pregnancy is confirmed, we will send you a bag of puppy food to slowly transition her onto. Feeding instructions and guidelines will be included, so you are not left in the dark. The increase in protein from the puppy food will help her stay a healthy weight as she is growing puppies and prepping to produce milk.
About a week before the due date, the Female will be scheduled for an X-ray and will from there come to our house to settle into her whelping space. Providing her a chance to get used to her whelping space before puppies arrive will help lower her stress levels.
She will stay with us until puppies are weaned, usually between when puppies are 4-6 weeks. Once we are sure she is safe to leave without complications, she will be sent back to the Partner Home with after care instructions, and concerning things to look out for.
From there she will slowly transition back to adult food and slowly return to normal activities.
Any communication, updates, and puppy visits are up to the Partner Home. We are happy to keep you as involved or not involved as you feel comfortable with.
This process will repeat for every cycle we decide to breed until the contract is completed. How often we breed is purely based on the female, how she recovers in between litters, and timing. The most important being the health of the female.
After the completion of the contract, the Female will be spayed at our expense, and options of after care are available if you would like us to care for her during the recovery.
We put a lot of work into these puppies and we are looking for someone who wants to be apart of our vision of making a happier, healthier next generation. Please contact us if this sounds like a good fit for you. We may not always have a puppy available to the Partner Program, but you will be placed on the waitlist for a future puppy from one of our litters when one catches our eye.
Price for a Partner Home is listed in the Price page. A non-refundable deposit is still required to join the waitlist. If at any point you change your mind about the Partner Program, but still want a puppy, you will be shifted to our main waitlist/waitlist price.
We understand that not every dog is cut out for this job, and not everything goes to plan. Health and well being of the dog is and will always be top priority. If we do one litter and your female hated every minute of it, we are done. The dog will be retired and they can live a happy and fulfilled life with you. If something pops up in their genetics that we do not want to pass down to the next generation, the same result, they will not be bred, and will be spayed and returned to live a happy and fulfilled life with you. None of these outcomes will prevent you from assuming ownership of the dog after they have been fixed. This also includes if we decide to retire the female early for any reason not specified above.
Again, our goal is to keep everyone happy and healthy.
When a female retires out of our program, they will be spayed at the program’s expense.
All rules with dogs being returned to us apply especially with our Partner Program dogs as well, as outlined in our puppy contracts. We are here for the life of the dog no matter what. We are here to support and help you through whatever you need.
Disclaimer:
We reserve the right to refuse an application if it does not feel it is a right fit for us. We are looking for a special kind of home that believes in the future we are trying to help create.
Compensation:
There will be compensation for joining our Partner Home Program. Message us for more details, a section will be included in the contract outlining details. This includes, but is not limited to:
Compensation for travel
Compensation for the time the dog is away from you
Bonus for successful referrals
And Bonus for achieving extra titles and awards should you choose to show/compete with the dog
More
For additional questions, and inquiries, please reach out to us through email, our phone number or social media. We are more than happy talking things through, making it work, or addressing new situations or concerns that we may not have thought of. We are open to new situations and learning and working together to achieve our goals.
Email: Sagehousepups@gmail.com
Phone: (385) 615-2105
Facebook: Sage House Pups
Instagram: @sagehousepups