Co-Ownership. What is it?
Co-ownership, Guardian homes, Partnership homes....these are a bunch of phrases you might hear breeders use when it comes to certain or specific puppies within a litter. But what do they mean? What can you expect?
I can't talk for other breeders as each has their own system and expectations, but I can definitely explain my expectations.
I can't talk for other breeders as each has their own system and expectations, but I can definitely explain my expectations.
What is it?
Effectively, it's owning a dog jointly with the breeder with the hope that dog might contriubute to a future generation.
Why is it important?
There are a couple of reasons.
Firstly, every litter we breed is thoughtfully matched taking in to account so many variables. We research the health of parents we are using, all relatives of those parents from great great grandparents down to offspring, nieces/nephews, distant cousins and everything in-between. We spend a great deal of time looking for the most unrelated dogs we can, whilst gathering information about temperaments and quirks, and consult the breeding committee in Finland with proposed combinations so they can provide us the most accurate information.
Once all of that has been ticked off, and we’ve selected a dog, we then begin the process of liaising with dogs owners to work on importing semen, which can take upwards of a year to arrive in Australia and get through quarantine. Sometimes it doesnt come to fruition and we have to start the process all over again until we find a dog with the right fit, who is also open to the idea of allowing a piece of him to come to Australia.
By that time, we’re heavily invested both mentally and financially in the outcome and cross everything that we get to produce some magical little puppies that will benefit the breeds genetic diversity down the track.
Secondly, our dogs are family and live underfoot in our home, we don't have a giant breeding facitiliy or kennels...we want our dogs to thrive and flourish. It would be unreasonable to keep a puppy from every litter in our own yard, and as is the case across most of Victoria, we’re capped on the number of dogs we can have at home. We want all our dogs to receive the love and attention they need and deserve. There is no right number for any one person but for us, our dogs are our life, and we want them to live their very best lives without deprivation. This means we limit the number of Lappies we keep ourselves at home and so, rely on owners such as you to help share the lappie love with people across Australia.
And Thirdly, we also want to contiune to provide ethically raised puppies to families and share the magic of our breed to help preserve their hertiage and future through purposeful, responsible and accountable breeding.
We cannot continue to preserve this magical breed without the help of dedicated owners such as you. By assisting us as Co-Owners, every dog we breed gets to live a fulfilled and sensational life with loving owners, whilst still being able to contribute to the future of Lappies in Australia. Each dog has the potential to leave behind a legacy and by investing in a purposefully bred dog's future, you become a part of that legacy.
Firstly, every litter we breed is thoughtfully matched taking in to account so many variables. We research the health of parents we are using, all relatives of those parents from great great grandparents down to offspring, nieces/nephews, distant cousins and everything in-between. We spend a great deal of time looking for the most unrelated dogs we can, whilst gathering information about temperaments and quirks, and consult the breeding committee in Finland with proposed combinations so they can provide us the most accurate information.
Once all of that has been ticked off, and we’ve selected a dog, we then begin the process of liaising with dogs owners to work on importing semen, which can take upwards of a year to arrive in Australia and get through quarantine. Sometimes it doesnt come to fruition and we have to start the process all over again until we find a dog with the right fit, who is also open to the idea of allowing a piece of him to come to Australia.
By that time, we’re heavily invested both mentally and financially in the outcome and cross everything that we get to produce some magical little puppies that will benefit the breeds genetic diversity down the track.
Secondly, our dogs are family and live underfoot in our home, we don't have a giant breeding facitiliy or kennels...we want our dogs to thrive and flourish. It would be unreasonable to keep a puppy from every litter in our own yard, and as is the case across most of Victoria, we’re capped on the number of dogs we can have at home. We want all our dogs to receive the love and attention they need and deserve. There is no right number for any one person but for us, our dogs are our life, and we want them to live their very best lives without deprivation. This means we limit the number of Lappies we keep ourselves at home and so, rely on owners such as you to help share the lappie love with people across Australia.
And Thirdly, we also want to contiune to provide ethically raised puppies to families and share the magic of our breed to help preserve their hertiage and future through purposeful, responsible and accountable breeding.
We cannot continue to preserve this magical breed without the help of dedicated owners such as you. By assisting us as Co-Owners, every dog we breed gets to live a fulfilled and sensational life with loving owners, whilst still being able to contribute to the future of Lappies in Australia. Each dog has the potential to leave behind a legacy and by investing in a purposefully bred dog's future, you become a part of that legacy.
Ok I get the why, but what does it involve?
It's a little different depending on the gender of the puppy, but all breeding and health related expenses are covered by us.
For both sexes, we ask that they are kept entire (not desexed), and at around 18 months- 2 years we conduct non-ivasive health testing.
This involves hip and elbow X-rays (a morning trip to the vets) and an eye check (similar to what you’d have conducted for an eye exam, about 20-30 minutes total), and based on those results, we make a decision about moving forward. As we ask any of our puppy owners to keep their dogs entire until around that age, there isn’t really any difference up until this point, besides the health checks.
For boys, if we’re all happy and on board to proceed, we may look to collect semen from them, after which you’d be able to desex if you choose. We generally ask owners to give us a 3 month grace period if they are considering desexing their boys, so we can faciliate any collections or further health testing if they are required. You are also most welcome to keep your boy entire, and actually that would be preferred! I just try to make the process as easy as possible on owners.
For a female it becomes a little more complicated, as we track their cycles and try to plan according to the rough history we have in regards to their seasons. We generally won't breed with a female younger than 2, so this means owners will have a seaon or two, to contend with. Once we've selected a suitable partner, we create a rough timeline of when we expect her in season, and begin organising all the behind the scenes things.
Once she is in, I generally ask that they return to us for a week or two to faciliate a mating. This often involves multiple trips to our reproduction vet (generally a minimum of 5-6 over a week or 2), or I can collect the girl from you on days appointments are required if that is preferred.
They then return back home to you for the next 8 weeks. Preganancy is confirmed via ultrasound at around week 4, and we will have them again return to us again around a week before they are due (pregnancy lasts 9 weeks). This allows them time to settle in and we can introduce them to the whelping box and ensure they feel comfortable. They will stay for 8 weeks on puppy duties before they can return back home again. You are always more than welcome to come for visits whenever you like, our house is your house while we have your girl.
It’s not for everyone and it’s an arrangement I only ever want by mutual agreement, as I never want someone to feel like they have no choice or are forced in to doing something. I only ask that you get to know me better over the first 12-18 months so you can be comfortable in your decision. We also provide remuneration for being so gracious in allowing us to borrow your family member.
We don't demand multiple litters from girls we co-own and never will. We ask that they be allowed to have one litter, but sometimes that one litter may not proceed. There are a myriad of reasons that we may pull the pin but we do like to have a redundancy in place. We may also lose the opportunity to use a chosen male or female, through no fault of their own, and that can sometimes mean an entire thoughtful combination with decades of dedicated work behind them, is gone from the genepool forever. So we ask potential owners to be open minded to the idea.
For both sexes, we ask that they are kept entire (not desexed), and at around 18 months- 2 years we conduct non-ivasive health testing.
This involves hip and elbow X-rays (a morning trip to the vets) and an eye check (similar to what you’d have conducted for an eye exam, about 20-30 minutes total), and based on those results, we make a decision about moving forward. As we ask any of our puppy owners to keep their dogs entire until around that age, there isn’t really any difference up until this point, besides the health checks.
For boys, if we’re all happy and on board to proceed, we may look to collect semen from them, after which you’d be able to desex if you choose. We generally ask owners to give us a 3 month grace period if they are considering desexing their boys, so we can faciliate any collections or further health testing if they are required. You are also most welcome to keep your boy entire, and actually that would be preferred! I just try to make the process as easy as possible on owners.
For a female it becomes a little more complicated, as we track their cycles and try to plan according to the rough history we have in regards to their seasons. We generally won't breed with a female younger than 2, so this means owners will have a seaon or two, to contend with. Once we've selected a suitable partner, we create a rough timeline of when we expect her in season, and begin organising all the behind the scenes things.
Once she is in, I generally ask that they return to us for a week or two to faciliate a mating. This often involves multiple trips to our reproduction vet (generally a minimum of 5-6 over a week or 2), or I can collect the girl from you on days appointments are required if that is preferred.
They then return back home to you for the next 8 weeks. Preganancy is confirmed via ultrasound at around week 4, and we will have them again return to us again around a week before they are due (pregnancy lasts 9 weeks). This allows them time to settle in and we can introduce them to the whelping box and ensure they feel comfortable. They will stay for 8 weeks on puppy duties before they can return back home again. You are always more than welcome to come for visits whenever you like, our house is your house while we have your girl.
It’s not for everyone and it’s an arrangement I only ever want by mutual agreement, as I never want someone to feel like they have no choice or are forced in to doing something. I only ask that you get to know me better over the first 12-18 months so you can be comfortable in your decision. We also provide remuneration for being so gracious in allowing us to borrow your family member.
We don't demand multiple litters from girls we co-own and never will. We ask that they be allowed to have one litter, but sometimes that one litter may not proceed. There are a myriad of reasons that we may pull the pin but we do like to have a redundancy in place. We may also lose the opportunity to use a chosen male or female, through no fault of their own, and that can sometimes mean an entire thoughtful combination with decades of dedicated work behind them, is gone from the genepool forever. So we ask potential owners to be open minded to the idea.
Do I have a say in what my dog can do or when it happens?
Of course!
We discuss the timing with you and if that doesn't work, thats fine! We'll come up with a plan that suits us both. Please understand that there is a lot of work involved in raising a litter, so in the early stages of planning we have organised our daily life plans to accommodate this and started the process or shipping semen to our reproduction team. The earlier you can let us know, the better prepared we can all be. For first time mums, which is the majority of our co-own girls, we won't have a litter past the age of about 5.5. The liklihood of success begins to decrease fast and we don't want to risk the health and wellbeing of our mums to be. The timing will generally be somewhere between 2-4 years old.
In terms of what you can or can't do with your dog, I'll provide lots of guidance and support to help you through the pregnancy stage. Outside of the pregnancy stage, they are just your dog, there aren't too many things that are off the table. A few medication considerations, but thats about it. I do provide the girls with a meal topper to help support their bodies throughout pregnancy.
I ask all owners, regardless of co-ownership, to attend basic obedience with their dog, keep their dog at a good weight and fitness level for their overall wellbeing, and we recommend feeding good quality raw or freeze dried/airdried food to nourish their bodies. It's especially important for mums to be in good physical condition as they'll be carrying extra weight during pregnancy.
We discuss the timing with you and if that doesn't work, thats fine! We'll come up with a plan that suits us both. Please understand that there is a lot of work involved in raising a litter, so in the early stages of planning we have organised our daily life plans to accommodate this and started the process or shipping semen to our reproduction team. The earlier you can let us know, the better prepared we can all be. For first time mums, which is the majority of our co-own girls, we won't have a litter past the age of about 5.5. The liklihood of success begins to decrease fast and we don't want to risk the health and wellbeing of our mums to be. The timing will generally be somewhere between 2-4 years old.
In terms of what you can or can't do with your dog, I'll provide lots of guidance and support to help you through the pregnancy stage. Outside of the pregnancy stage, they are just your dog, there aren't too many things that are off the table. A few medication considerations, but thats about it. I do provide the girls with a meal topper to help support their bodies throughout pregnancy.
I ask all owners, regardless of co-ownership, to attend basic obedience with their dog, keep their dog at a good weight and fitness level for their overall wellbeing, and we recommend feeding good quality raw or freeze dried/airdried food to nourish their bodies. It's especially important for mums to be in good physical condition as they'll be carrying extra weight during pregnancy.
Contact Us
Kira Lee
Ehana Finnish Lapphunds
Ehana Finnish Lapphunds
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