Fostering AKA Guardian home may be an option for you if you would like to have show dog in your home but don‘t want the expense of showing the dog yourself. I breed in order to conserve, preserve, and improve on the future of standard poodles. Therefor, I always plan to keep at least one puppy from each litter (and sometimes I keep 2!). Since I do not have a kennel, all my dogs are house pets. I want each of my dogs to have the best possible quality of life, so I seek out families for them. Of course it’s hard to know for sure at 7-11 weeks if a puppy really has what it takes, so it’s something I keep evaluating as they grow. Usually by about 8 months old it is clear whether a dog has the conformation & temperament required of a champion. All my future champions MUST have the temperament required to do therapy and obedience work, since that is a key to what I like. So even if he/she does not end up having the quality of structure required for the breed, he will be good enough to not break down during agility, and be a pleasant-tempered animal.
If the pup continues to look like a prospect, then I will take care of costs involved with showing, health screening and breeding. If after all this he makes it into my breeding program, we decide when to breed the dog (after 2.5 years old). If a female, she comes to my home to have her puppies & stay with me till they’re weaned (a good time for you to take a holiday!). If we keep a male, he is made available to me when I have a girlfriend for him (or if he has to go to the vet to get his semen collected to be shipped).
The foster home takes care of all the usual expenses of having a pet, such as regular veterinary care, vaccines, heartworm medicine, socialization, training classes, boarding, and so forth.
If at any time I decide the dog is no longer suitable/or retired from my breeding program, then you neuter the dog at your cost & I change the registration papers to belong fully to you.
If you decide to compete in performance trials with the dog, then I put a co-own on the title so it is easier for you to enter and not go in the “B” stream up against the pros.
As long as the dog is intact (capable of reproducing) I retain all breeding rights and choose the appropriate mates, etc.
Bottom line: the dog lives with you as your pet when not needed for showing or breeding/whelping (never more than a maximum of 3 times over her lifetime for raising puppies from a female, and for a male – whenever I decide he’s getting lucky, usually 3-5 days at a time!).
There are other options of course: to own a show dog outright and retain full rights (not for cross-breeding); or co-ownership, where we share the costs and the benefits together. Enzo, Rebel, Midori & Journey are all in co-own homes. Tuuli, Kismet and Rumour are all in guardian homes. Ella and Breeze are now owned 100% by their previous guardian homes.
If you think you might be interested in one of these scenarios, please feel free to discuss it with me further. My foster homes would be happy to chat with you as well, as they have become my dear friends.
