Guardian Program

Cornerstone Mini Aussies’ Guardian Program

The concept behind a guardian home is simple. We, Cornerstone Mini Aussies, need to continue producing new females or males to enter into our breeding program. The challenge is that we physically cannot house all of those females or males with us!

The solution is to select a top-quality puppy from one of our litters and place him/her, for FREE, with a local family who will love and care for them. The family would own the puppy, but we would retain the breeding rights. This provides a win-win for both parties! Guardian dogs would remain your forever family pet but would come to us every so often to sire or whelp their litters, then return back to you until the next breeding cycle.

In 1968 a group of breeders in California decided to work together to breed smaller versions of the beloved Australian Shepherd. They wanted to create an Aussie under 17” with the heart and drive to work stock, but was still easy to travel with and live inside the home. As you can imagine, their popularity grew quickly within the rodeo circuit!

This smaller variety of Australian Shepherd was first recognized and registered through the National Stock Dog Registry (NSDR) and called Miniature Australian Shepherds.

In 2010, meetings began with the American Kennel Club (AKC) registry to include the Miniature Australian Shepherd. In 2011 they were accepted into the AKC under the new name ¨Miniature AMERICAN Shepherds.¨ As of July 1, 2015, the Miniature American Shepherd is fully recognized as an AKC Herding Breed.

Expectations:

Guardian families are expected to properly care for their new puppy/dog both physically and financially. We would cover all costs associated with breeding and caring for all litters produced. We would also own the litters.

Guardian Home for a Female:

Once the female is of age, typically around 18 months and is having her SECOND heat cycle, we would have her over for a few days for breeding. This includes 2-3 trips to Strafford Vet Clinic for progesterone testing to identify the ideal date for conception.
Thirty days after breeding we will schedule an ultrasound to see if she is bred
The time between breeding and whelping is roughly 60 days. The female will remain with you during that time.
A few days before she is due, she will come stay with us to get familiar and comfortable so when she whelps she feels safe and sound.
She will remain with us until we wean the puppies at six weeks. After that, she simply returns home to you until it’s time to breed her again (approximately every 6 months). During the time she is here, you are certainly welcome to visit!
During the “off season” we would love the female to come over for playdates or even stay with us during a weekend you may need to go out of town. The more familiar she is with us and our home, the more comfortable she’ll be during her time here with puppies.
Females will retire from our program around age 4-6. At that time she would simply be spayed and continue to live the remainder of her life with you as a loving pet.

Guardian Home for a Male:

Male dogs can be ready for breeding by 12-15 months of age
When the chosen female comes into heat, you would be contacted and made aware of the estimated breeding timeline over the next few weeks.
When it’s time to breed you would need to bring the male to our home or to Strafford Vet Clinic. You would need to reserve approximately 30 minutes. The male would return home with you afterwards. The process could take 2-3 visits and will be fully communicated with you ahead of time.
If there is a conflict where you couldn’t get your male to the breeding on the required days/times, arrangements would need to be made ahead of time to insure the male was available.
Males will retire from our breeding program between 9-10 years of age unless an earlier arrangement is necessary. At that time he would simply be neutered and continue to live the remainder of his life with you as a loving pet.

Qualifications to Become a Guardian Family:

Must have a fenced yard
Must have previous experience with owning a dog and have adequate knowledge of caring for a dog
Must be able to provide proper health care, nutrition, and exercise
Must provide intentional training and socialization of puppy/dog
Must keep up with grooming and overall bathing/brushing of dog
Must be able to pay attention and detect when a female has come into heat
Must live within an hour or less from Springfield, Missouri.

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