A guardian home is a forever home for one of our breeding dogs. Instead of keeping all of our dogs ourselves, we place some of them with carefully selected families who raise and love them as their own.

They live with you full time as your pet, while we retain breeding rights for a small number of litters.

We maintain the strictest standards with our guardians in how they are cared for. Our guardian dogs are members of the family and we want to ensure their owners are a good fit, as well as the ability to have a good working relationship with us. We have an extensive interview process. All guardian homes will sign a contract that outlines expectations and requirements. Guardians must live within 1 to 1 1/2 hours of Boise, Idaho and be willing to drive the dog to our home or vet for occasional testing. Very rarely we work with families outside of that range with unique situations that make it possible to bring them when needed.

There is no cost for our guardian dogs. You are responsible for the daily care and routine costs associated with owning a dog. Food, Supplements, training, vet care, and regular grooming. We do require all guardian homes to feed an approved dog food. Your puppy comes with 30 days of free pet insurance with Trupanion and most of our families opt to stay on that.  We pay all costs associated with reproduction/breeding including extra supplements, tests and reproductive vet bills.

For some, the initial cost associated with having a well bred dog is too high, and for others, they just want to be sure they are getting the pick of the litter. We occasionally will keep back a female or male from a litter and that is the puppy they wanted. In exchange for us being allowed to have breeding rights, they get the dog they wanted at no cost. Our guardians get to be a special part of our program without having to do the work of raising puppies.

It depends on the guardian dog. If you have a stud dog, we would only need him occasionally for about half an hour, up to a couple of days at a time max. (Rare that we would have them that long, only would happen if we needed to travel with him out of state). If you have one of our females, we would have her for about an hour or so when she is first bred, and then for about 7 weeks for puppy delivery.

Poodles, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and Cavapoos

The best way to find our most up to date info on what we have available or to be on a list to get a dog or puppy is to fill out our guardian application below.

Be sure to let us know that you are looking to be a guardian home and tell us a little about yourself. We get a lot of inquiries and are looking for just the right home for our babies and adults. Pacific Northwest Doodles reserves the rights to refuse guardian home status to anyone for any reason. We work very closely with our guardian homes and have extremely strict standards. Even if you think you fit each of our requirements, the working relationship is very important and we need to make sure we have great communication and relationships with all of our guardians.

Yes. There is no upfront cost for the dog.

We cover all breeding-related expenses, including health testing and anything directly related to reproduction. You are responsible for normal day-to-day care like food, grooming, and routine vet care.

With you. Always.

This is your dog, your companion, your family member. They are not rotating homes or going back and forth. Once placed, they stay with you for life.

For females, they will come to us when it’s time to have their puppies, then return home once the puppies are weaned.

For males, it’s much simpler. They come for a quick “date” and then head right back home with you.

Yes, in most cases.

We look for homes where the environment is a good fit and where all animals are well cared for and get along safely. All other dogs in the home should be spayed or neutered unless they are part of our guardian program.

We actually have several families who love this so much they come back for a second or even a third guardian dog.

No.

You are not responsible for delivering puppies. We handle the whelping process and make sure both mom and puppies are fully supported and cared for.

Some of our guardian families also choose to become Puppy Nannies. If that’s something you’re interested in, we’re always happy to talk through what that could look like.

We guide you through the entire process.

During pregnancy, your role is mostly normal day-to-day care with a few added guidelines. As delivery gets closer, you’ll bring mom to us and we take the lead to ensure everything is handled safely and intentionally.

Our goal is to make this a smooth and supported experience for you, not something you feel like you have to figure out on your own.

Because this is the best life for the dogs.

Our dogs are raised in real homes, not kennels. They get one-on-one attention, consistency, and a family of their own. They experience normal life. Kids, routines, outings, and all the little things that shape a well-rounded dog.

That foundation matters. It produces more stable temperaments, healthier dogs, and ultimately better puppies for the families who trust us.

It also allows us to keep our program small and intentional. We are not trying to scale or house large numbers of dogs. We focus on quality, relationships, and doing things the right way, even when it takes more time and effort.

At the end of the day, every dog we bring into our program deserves to be deeply loved and fully part of a family. This is how we make that happen.

If a dog does not pass our health testing, they are simply removed from our breeding program.

Nothing changes for you in terms of your relationship with the dog. They stay with you as your pet, and we move forward with spaying or neutering at the appropriate time.

All of our dogs come from fully health tested lines, so this is very rare. When it does happen, it has not impacted the dog’s quality of life. It simply means they do not meet the high standards we hold for our breeding program.

Our goal is to be extremely intentional about what we bring into our program, and health testing is a big part of that.