Guardian Home Application

A guardian home is a carefully selected family that partners with us to raise, love, and protect a dog whose future may hold special significance. Some guardian dogs may grow toward therapy, service, facility, emotional support, specialized companion work, or long-term breed-improvement evaluation as they mature. This application helps us learn about your home, your lifestyle, and whether this partnership may be a good fit.

Guardian homes are matched through a warm, careful process — application, conversation, references, and a written guardian agreement. For details about program terms, agreements, and approval language, please visit our Program Terms & Clarity page.

Section Fit

Guardian Home Application Questions

The Guardian Home application helps us understand whether your home, lifestyle, location, and family rhythm may be a good fit for a selected Brain First Shih Tzu™. There are no perfect answers. We are looking for honesty, stability, communication, and the right match for the right dog.

What is your full name?*

What city and state do you live in?*

How far are you from Brain First Shih Tzu™?

Who lives in your home?

Are there children in the home? If yes, what ages?

Do you currently have other dogs or pets?

Have you owned a Shih Tzu or other grooming-required breed before?

Are you comfortable maintaining regular grooming and coat care?

What does a normal weekday look like in your home?

How many hours would the dog usually be alone?

Where would the dog sleep?

Do you have a fenced yard or safe potty area?

Are you willing to follow care, grooming, safety, and development guidance?

Are you comfortable communicating regularly with updates, photos, and questions?

Are you able to travel for appointments or program needs when required?

Are you interested in a male, female, or open to the right match?

Are you comfortable with a written Guardian Home agreement?

Why does the Guardian Home pathway interest you?

What kind of personality would fit best in your home?

Is there anything about your family, schedule, lifestyle, or goals that would help us understand whether this may be a good fit?

Section 1

Applicant Information

Full name*

Date of birth

Phone number*

Email address*

Full address*

City, state, ZIP*

Preferred method of contact

Best time to contact you

How did you hear about us?

Section 2

Household Information

How many adults live in the home?

How many children live in the home?

Please list the adults in the home and their occupations or general schedules.

What are the children's ages?

Are children regularly visiting the home? If yes, how often and what ages?

Does anyone in the home have allergies to dogs?

Does everyone in the household agree to becoming a guardian home?

Who will be the primary caregiver for the dog?

Who will help with daily care, training, appointments, and communication?

Section 3

Home Environment

Do you own or rent your home?

If renting, does your landlord allow dogs?

What type of home? (house, townhouse, apartment, farm/rural, other)

Do you have a fenced yard?

If yes, describe the fence type and height.

If no fenced yard, how will the dog be safely exercised and taken outside?

Are there stairs in the home?

Where will the dog sleep?

Where will the dog stay when unsupervised?

How many hours per day would the dog typically be alone?

Describe a normal weekday in your home.

Describe a normal weekend in your home.

Is your home generally quiet, active, busy, chaotic, or variable?

Are you willing to allow a home visit, video review, or photos if requested?

Section 4

Current and Past Animals

Do you currently have dogs?

For each dog, list name, breed, age, sex, spayed/neutered status, temperament, and health concerns.

Do you currently have cats or other animals?

Are all current dogs up to date on vaccines and routine veterinary care?

Are all current dogs spayed or neutered?

If not, please explain.

Have you ever owned an intact dog before?

Have you ever managed a female in heat or an intact male near a female in heat?

Have you ever had an accidental breeding?

Have you ever bred dogs before?

Have you ever rehomed, surrendered, returned, or euthanized a dog for behavioral reasons? If yes, please explain.

Have you ever had a dog bite a person or another animal? If yes, please explain.

Section 5

Dog Experience and Training Beliefs

What breeds or types of dogs have you owned?

Have you owned a Shih Tzu or small companion breed before?

What do you enjoy about Shih Tzu?

What concerns do you have about Shih Tzu?

What training methods do you use or believe in?

How would you handle puppy biting?

How would you handle barking?

How would you handle potty-training accidents?

How would you handle fear, hesitation, or sensitivity?

Are you willing to follow Brain First training and development guidance?

Are you willing to avoid harsh corrections, intimidation, shock collars, prong collars, leash jerking, or punishment-based methods?

Are you willing to use structure, calm leadership, positive reinforcement, confidence-building, and emotional regulation support?

Are you willing to continue grooming preparation, handling exercises, crate/rest routines, and safe socialization?

Section 6

Guardian Home Understanding

Why are you interested in becoming a guardian home?

What does 'guardian home' mean to you?

Do you understand that a guardian home is not a casual puppy placement?

Do you understand that the dog may remain connected to our program under a written guardian agreement?

Do you understand decisions regarding breeding, health testing, evaluations, spay/neuter timing, ownership transfer, or return-to-program may be part of the agreement?

Are you willing to communicate openly and consistently with us?

Are you willing to send updates, photos, videos, and developmental information when requested?

Are you willing to notify us immediately about illness, injury, heat cycles, behavior changes, major household changes, moving, travel, or safety concerns?

Are you willing to attend required veterinary, training, health testing, or evaluation appointments?

Are you willing to keep the dog in appropriate physical and grooming condition?

Are you willing to prevent accidental breeding?

Are you willing to keep the dog safe from unsafe interactions, roaming, neglect, or preventable harm?

Are you willing to return the dog to the program if you can no longer keep them, per the written agreement?

Section 7

Service, Therapy, and Working Temperament Potential

Are you interested in a dog with future therapy, service, facility, emotional support, or specialized companion potential?

If yes, what type of work or support are you hoping for?

Do you understand that no puppy can be guaranteed to become a service, therapy, emotional support, facility, or breeding dog?

Do you understand that working potential must be evaluated over time as the dog matures?

Are you willing to protect the dog's confidence, emotional regulation, recovery skills, and trust during development?

Are you willing to follow guidance about socialization, exposure, rest, and public outings?

Are you willing to avoid overwhelming the puppy with unsafe or excessive exposure?

Are you willing to continue foundation skills such as focus, recovery, calm handling, grooming tolerance, rest, and confidence-building?

Section 8

Breeding and Program Participation

Are you open to a dog who may be evaluated for future breeding?

Are you open to a dog who will not be bred if they are not the right fit for the program?

Do you understand breeding decisions are based on health, temperament, structure, maturity, emotional stability, and program goals?

Are you comfortable managing a female dog through heat cycles if applicable?

Are you comfortable preventing contact with intact males during heat cycles?

Are you willing to make the dog available for breeding-related appointments, health testing, reproductive care, or evaluations if applicable?

Are you willing to follow written instructions around breeding, pregnancy, whelping, recovery, and puppy timelines if applicable?

Do you understand breeding-related expectations must be explained in the written guardian agreement before placement?

Section 9

Veterinary Care and Health

Current veterinarian name

Veterinary clinic name

Clinic phone number

Clinic address

May we contact your veterinarian for a reference?

Are you willing to keep the dog current on routine veterinary care?

Are you willing to seek veterinary care promptly for illness or injury?

Are you willing to follow agreed-upon nutrition, supplement, vaccine, parasite-prevention, and health-care communication guidelines?

Are you willing to discuss major medical decisions with us when required by the guardian agreement?

Are you willing to keep copies of vet records and provide them when requested?

Are you willing to carry pet insurance if required by the guardian agreement?

Section 10

Lifestyle, Travel, and Safety

How often do you travel?

Who would care for the dog if you travel?

Would the dog ever be boarded?

Would the dog attend daycare?

Would the dog go to dog parks?

Would the dog be allowed off leash outside a fenced area?

Would the dog ride loose in a vehicle or be secured?

Are there pools, ponds, livestock, large dogs, predators, or other safety concerns near your home?

Are you willing to notify us before major changes such as moving, new pets, new household members, divorce, serious illness, job changes, or inability to keep the dog?

Section 11

Preferences and Fit

Are you interested in a puppy, young adult, or adult guardian dog?

Do you have a sex preference?

Are you open to either male or female?

Do you have a color or coat preference?

Are you willing to accept the dog who best fits your home, even if not your first visual preference?

What energy level fits your home best?

What temperament qualities matter most to you?

What would make a dog a poor fit for your home?

Are you prepared for grooming needs, coat care, tear/face care, dental care, and small-dog safety?

Are you prepared for the financial responsibility of daily dog ownership?

Section 12

References

Reference 1

Name

Relationship

Phone

Reference 2

Name

Relationship

Phone

Reference 3

Name

Relationship

Phone

Veterinary reference, if not already listed

Trainer, groomer, breeder, or animal professional reference, if applicable

Section 14

Anything Else

Please tell us anything else you would like us to know about your family, your home, your experience, and why you believe you may be the right guardian home for one of these dogs.

A guardian home is a serious commitment.

These dogs are not casually placed. They are entrusted.

Guardian Home placements are limited and are never rushed.

The right match matters more than a fast placement. We are looking for families who will love deeply, communicate clearly, follow guidance, and understand the honor of helping raise a dog who may shape the future of Brain First Shih Tzu™.

Ask About Guardian Availability Learn more about Guardian Homes Read the Guardian Home FAQ Learn About Our Puppy Development Program