Last Updated on May 12, 2026 by Kim Crawmer, KPA CTP, LFDM
Your Maremma Puppy Is Ready. Your Timeline Might Not Be.
The Extended Stay Program lets committed buyers delay pickup without disrupting your puppy's development — or your peace of mind.
Life doesn't always cooperate with litter timelines. If you're fully committed to your Maremma but your move, your season, or your schedule doesn't align with the go-home window, Extended Stay was built for you. Your puppy stays right here on the farm — same environment, same livestock exposure, same daily life — until you're truly ready.
What Is the Extended Stay Program?
The Extended Stay Program is a structured option for buyers who need additional time between their puppy's go-home window and their actual pickup date.
This is not boarding. This is not a kennel. Your puppy doesn't move to a new environment, adjust to new people, or lose the farm exposure they've been building since birth. They stay exactly where they are — on our working farm in Lemoore, California — and continue the same daily routine that's been shaping them since day one.
Extended Stay is available to buyers who are already in — meaning your reservation is placed, your final payment is complete, and your puppy has been matched to you. This program is for people who know what they want and simply need a little more time to be ready.
Is Your Timeline a Few Months Out? That's Exactly Who This Is For.
Most people who find Prancing Pony Farm aren't ready for a dog tomorrow. They're planning — maybe for spring when the new property is ready, maybe for fencing projectys to be finished, maybe for fall after summer vactions are over, maybe for a specific season that works for their farm calendar. That planning instinct is exactly right.
The problem is that Maremma puppies don't wait. Litters happen on their own schedule. By the time your timeline lines up, the puppy that would have been perfect for you may already be living on someone else's farm.
Extended Stay changes that math.
Here's how buyers are using it:
"I want a puppy, but not until [specific month]." If there's a litter whose timing is close but not quite right, you don't have to pass and hope something comes along later. Reserve your puppy now, pay your final balance when the litter hits 12 weeks, and arrange extended stay through your actual pickup date. Your dog is secured. Your timeline is respected. Nothing is left to chance.
"I want an older puppy — not a young one." Some buyers specifically want a dog that's past the youngest stage — more settled, more developed, already further along. Extended Stay makes that possible without waiting indefinitely for a dog that's already that age. Reserve a younger puppy, let them grow on the farm, and bring home the dog at the age that actually works for you.
"I've been waiting for the right litter. I don't want to miss it." When the right litter is announced and your gut says this is the one, you shouldn't have to talk yourself out of it because the timing isn't perfect. Extended Stay means timing is a logistics question, not a dealbreaker.
How to Plan Your Timeline:
Getting on the Master Reservation List is still the right first step — it holds your place and keeps you in line when litters are announced. But if you have a specific pickup month in mind, tell me during your discovery call. I'll help you look at upcoming litters, estimate go-home windows, and work backward to figure out whether extended stay makes sense for your situation and how much it would add to your total.
You'll have a real number, a real timeline, and a real plan — not just a spot on a list and a lot of waiting and wondering.
What Your Puppy Is Doing While You Wait
During an extended stay, your Maremma continues:
- Daily livestock exposure — working alongside the animals they'll eventually guard, building the instincts that make a Maremma a Maremma
- Farm socialization — regular interaction with people, children, and the sights and sounds of an active working farm
- Continued development — the same nutrition, veterinary care, and enrichment that's been in place since birth
- Relationship with their environment — no disruption, no adjustment period, no setback
What you're getting is more of what you already paid for. The foundation we've been building together just keeps going.
How the Pickup Window Works
Every litter at Prancing Pony Farm has a defined pickup window — the two-week period when puppies are ready to go home. This window is calculated at birth and published on each litter page so you always know exactly where you stand.
Here's how the timeline works:
| Milestone | What It Means |
|---|---|
| 12-week date | Final payment is due; vaccination, microchip, deworming, and contracts are completed |
| Go-home window | The two-week period when you can pick up or arrange shipping at no additional charge |
| Extended stay start date | The day after the go-home window closes; billing begins here |
You can find the go-home window and extended stay start date listed on each litter page and the Available Puppies page from birth. That means you can do the math before you commit — no surprises. The Extended Stay is for people who need more time after the Go-Home Window closes to bring home their puppy.
📅 About Your Puppy's Go-Home Window
Every litter has a specific Go-Home Window — a two-week period that opens roughly one week after puppies turn 12 weeks old. Twelve weeks is our minimum age, not your pickup date. Final deworming, vaccinations, microchipping, contracts, and payment all happen in those first days after the 12-week mark.
Please don't book travel or arrange shipping until you have your confirmed window dates from me. Pickup appointments are weekdays only. Board fees apply after the window closes.
Pricing
Extended Stay is priced at $200 per month, per puppy — billed in half-month increments.
| Period | Per Puppy |
|---|---|
| Full month | $200 |
| First half of any month (days 1–15) | $100 |
| Second half of any month (days 16–end) | $100 |
Why half-month increments — and why that's fair:
For buyers who need just a few extra days, short-term boarding runs $30/night. At that rate, even two weeks would cost $420. The Extended Stay half-month rate of $100 covers up to 15 or 16 days — a significantly better value for buyers who need a meaningful block of additional time.
Half-month increments mean you're never paying the daily rate in disguise. There are no daily rates and no weekly rates within the Extended Stay program — just clear, predictable pricing you can plan around before you ever commit.
This is introductory pricing. As we refine the program and demand develops, rates will be evaluated. Buyers who arrange extended stay now are locking in at our current rate.
Extended stay fees are paid in full at the time of your final puppy payment — not in monthly installments, not after the fact. Everything is settled in one transaction so there's nothing hanging over the relationship.
Availability
Extended Stay is a limited program.
Not every litter or every puppy in a litter will have extended stay availability. Farm capacity, the number of stays already in place, and my assessment of what each litter needs all factor into whether it's offered. It is not an automatic entitlement with every purchase.
Extended stay spots are offered on a first-come, first-served basis to buyers who are already in the reservation system. If you know you'll need additional time, the right move is to say so early — not after your go-home window has already closed.
How to Add Extended Stay to Your Purchase
Extended stay is arranged at the time of final payment (or before) — not separately, not later.
Here's how it works:
- When your puppies reach 12 weeks, you'll receive your final payment link
- If you need extended stay, let me know your intended pickup date at that time
- I'll calculate your extended stay fee based on half-month increments from the go-home window close date
- That fee is added to your final invoice and paid in full alongside your puppy balance
- Your puppy stays on the farm and continues developing until your scheduled pickup
One payment. Everything settled. No monthly invoicing, no reminders, no awkward follow-ups — just a clear plan and a confirmed pickup date.
Why Families Choose Extended Stay
A Maremma from Prancing Pony Farm is a significant investment — not just financially, but in the relationship between dog and farm. The Extended Stay Program exists because we'd rather extend that investment wisely than rush a transition that isn't ready to happen.
When you leave a puppy on this farm longer, they don't fall behind. They get further ahead.
What's included in your Extended Stay:
- Continued farm-based raising in the same environment
- Daily livestock exposure and passive LGD development
- Regular handling and socialization
- Ongoing health monitoring
- Kim's attention and oversight throughout
Your credentials matter to us. Ours should matter to you.
Kim Crawmer is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner, Licensed Family Dog Mediator, and MSCA Code of Ethics breeder with nearly a decade of experience and 200+ Maremmas placed across multiple US states, Canada, and Hawaii. Extended stay dogs stay with a professional dog trainer, not a caretaker.
Ready to Talk About Your Timeline?
If you're in the reservation system and need more time before pickup, let's get it sorted before your go-home window closes.
If you're thinking about adding a Maremma to your farm but feeling unsure about your timeline or the idea of training young puppies, we may have options for you.
Book a discovery call and we'll walk through your timeline, calculate your extended stay fee, and finalize your plan — so you can stop worrying about the calendar and start getting ready for your dog.
Ready to Protect What You Love?
Join scores of happy families who sleep peacefully knowing their beloved animals and family are protected by reliable Prancing Pony Farm Maremmas.
✅ Health-tested bloodlines ✅ Proven working genetics
✅ Lifetime breeder & professional trainer support included
