How It Works

From Application
to Forever Home

The full seven-step process — explained honestly, with what we do, what you do, and what to expect at each stage. No mystery, no surprise fees, no "we'll let you know."

The Seven Steps

Your Puppy Journey, Step by Step

1
Day 1 · Application

Submit Your Puppy Application

The process starts with our written application — a thorough but plain-language questionnaire about your household, your experience with dogs, your training plans, your living situation, and what you're looking for in a puppy. We read every submission personally. Submitting it does not commit you to anything; it simply starts the conversation.

We prefer detailed answers over quick ones. The more specific you are, the better we can tell whether Exolinez is a fit for your family — and which litter, sex, and temperament profile would match you best.

You Fill out the application honestly and completely. Share what you know about your schedule, training plans, and what you're hoping for. Us Read the full application within a few business days and respond personally — whether we think there's a match or not.
2
Week 1–2 · Consult Call

Breeder Consultation Call

If your application looks like a fit, we schedule a real conversation — by phone or video — usually 30 to 45 minutes. This is where we answer every question you have, talk about our current and upcoming litters, walk through what's realistic on your timeline, and start to understand your household in more depth than a form can capture.

It's also where you get to interview us. We expect questions about health testing, pedigrees, what the puppies are being fed, how we socialize them, what support looks like after pickup — all of it. A family that shows up with hard questions is a family we take seriously.

You Come prepared with specific questions. Be honest about timing, budget, experience, and what you need from us. Us Answer everything directly, share paperwork on request, and be upfront about which (if any) litters we think are a match.
3
Week 2–3 · Approval & Deposit

Approval and Deposit

If both sides are comfortable moving forward after the consult, we formally approve your application and invite you to place a $500 non-refundable puppy deposit on a specific litter. The deposit secures your spot and is applied toward the final puppy price at pickup. Before you pay anything, we send over the full contract to review — pricing tier, what's included, the health guarantee, and the return policy — so there are zero surprises later.

Once the $500 deposit clears and the contract is signed, your spot is locked. We stop accepting additional families for that slot, and your role shifts from "applicant" to "expectant family." The deposit is non-refundable but transferable to a future Exolinez litter if the current one doesn't produce the right match.

You Review the contract carefully, ask any remaining questions, sign, and submit the deposit. Us Provide the contract and any health paperwork in advance, confirm receipt of the deposit, and add you to the litter roster.
4
Whelp + Weeks 1–5 · Litter Updates

Litter Born & Weekly Updates

When the litter is born, you hear about it first. From that day until your puppy goes home, you get regular updates — photos, weight checks, milestone notes, and video as the puppies start opening their eyes, walking, and playing. This is one of the best parts of working with a small hobby breeder: you're not just waiting in a queue, you're watching your puppy grow up from the first week.

Every puppy in the litter is observed daily. We note personalities as they emerge, and we start forming opinions about which puppy is the right fit for which family on our roster.

You Enjoy the updates. Start prepping your home — crate, bowls, baby gates, vet appointment — for pickup. Us Whelp the litter safely, monitor every puppy's development, and keep you in the loop with weekly content.
5
Weeks 5–7 · Temperament Match

Matchmaking: Your Puppy Is Assigned

Between weeks five and seven, we formally match each puppy to a family based on temperament fit, energy level, sex and color preference, and the family's experience level. We do not operate first-come-first-served on puppy pick. A first-time owner who asks for "the calmest male" gets the calmest male — not the alpha female who happened to be reserved first. That's the entire point of matching.

Once assigned, we send you specific photos and videos of your puppy and start talking about pickup logistics: date, location, whether you're driving, flying in, or using a flight nanny.

You Be flexible about which specific puppy is matched to you — trust the temperament evaluation. Start finalizing pickup logistics. Us Evaluate each puppy's temperament honestly and assign pairings that work for both dog and family. Explain every match.
6
Week 8+ · Go-Home Day

Pickup Day & Go-Home Handoff

Puppies go home at eight weeks minimum. On pickup day, we walk through the puppy binder with you in person (or on video for flight-nanny handoffs), review the health certificate, explain the feeding schedule, go over the first-week expectations, and answer every last-minute question. You leave with the puppy, the starter food, the familiar bedding, the binder, the AKC paperwork, and our direct phone numbers.

We also pay the balance at pickup, not before. No surprise fees and no scope creep — what you agreed to at deposit is what you pay now.

You Arrive prepared with the balance payment, a crate for transport, and any last questions. Plan to spend time with us before leaving. Us Hand over every document, walk through the binder in person, and make sure you leave feeling supported, not rushed.
7
Forever · Lifetime Support

Lifetime Breeder Support

The handoff isn't the end — it's the start of a relationship. For as long as your Exolinez dog is alive, we're a text or phone call away. Training setbacks at four months, food transitions, vet second opinions, the first time your teenager pushes back at eight months, questions about neutering timing, recommendations for trainers in your area — you get us, not a customer service email. We've helped owners through every stage of Cane Corso ownership, and we take that role seriously for the full life of the dog.

We also maintain a written take-back commitment: if life ever changes and you can't keep your Exolinez Corso, we take the dog back — no questions, no shelter. Responsibility for a dog we produced doesn't end when the check clears.

You Reach out whenever you need to, send us pictures, and let us know how the dog is growing. We love hearing from our families. Us Stay available, honor the contract, and support you for the life of the dog — period.

With Every Puppy

What's Included

Every Exolinez puppy goes home with the following, every single time. Nothing is an upsell, nothing is an add-on — it's all part of the agreed-upon price.

Health Certificate

A written vet-issued health certificate dated within days of pickup, confirming the puppy has been examined and cleared by our veterinarian for travel and go-home.

Age-Appropriate Vaccinations

Full vaccination schedule completed for the puppy's age at pickup, with clear written notes on the dates for the remaining rounds you'll need to schedule with your vet.

Registered Microchip

Every puppy is microchipped before go-home, and the chip is registered in your name — not ours and not left unregistered — so the dog is always traceable back to your household.

AKC Registration Paperwork

Full AKC registration documentation with a traceable pedigree. Companion puppies go home with limited registration; show and breeding tier puppies go home with full registration per the contract.

Puppy Starter Pack

A starter bag of the exact food the puppy is currently eating, a piece of bedding that smells like the litter, a written feeding and grow-up guide, and the full puppy binder with every record.

Lifetime Breeder Support

Direct phone and text access to us for the life of the dog. Training, health, nutrition, behavior, or just sending us pictures of your Corso at five years old — we're here for all of it.

Written In The Contract

Our Health Guarantee, in Plain Language

Every Exolinez puppy is backed by a two-year written health guarantee against severe hereditary and congenital defects — the kind of issues that responsible health testing is meant to prevent. That means conditions like hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, and other major joint or structural defects that trace back to genetics rather than management. The guarantee is documented in the contract you sign at pickup, and we walk through it with you before you ever place a deposit so there are no surprises later. We're willing to stake our reputation on the pairings we choose, and the two-year coverage is how we back that up in writing.

If a covered condition appears within the guarantee window, the process is straightforward. Within 24–48 hours of noticing the issue, you notify us and provide a bill of health from a licensed veterinarian documenting the diagnosis. From there you have two options: you can return the dog to us, or you can choose a similar pick from an upcoming Exolinez litter as a replacement. Either way, we make it right at the source rather than leaving a family stranded with a dog that isn't what we promised.

The guarantee does not cover issues caused by owner neglect, mistreatment, injury, or management-related problems — things like a dog being over-exercised on hard surfaces before the growth plates close, obesity from overfeeding, injuries from accidents, or infectious diseases picked up from the environment. It also does not cover veterinary bills. We cover the dog — the replacement, the take-back — but reimbursement for vet expenses, medications, surgeries, or ongoing treatment is not part of the guarantee. This is standard practice across reputable breeders because vet costs are unbounded and unpredictable; what we can stand behind is the dog itself and the decision to keep that family whole.

Coverage is also conditional on reasonable care during the two-year window: keeping up with the vaccination schedule, feeding a breed-appropriate diet, following our written grow-up guidelines, and scheduling regular vet visits. These conditions exist because many joint issues in large breeds are caused by management, not genetics — and no breeder can guarantee against a dog being handled in ways that create problems genetics had nothing to do with. Beyond the paperwork, we'd rather take the loss on a single dog than compromise the trust families place in the line, and we've built the guarantee around that principle.

What You're Signing

Contract Highlights

A summary of what every Exolinez contract includes. The full written contract is shared with approved families before any deposit, so you'll see the complete language in context — not just the summary.

Two-Year Written Health Guarantee

Two years of coverage against severe hereditary and congenital defects (hips, elbows, joint and structural issues). Requires a licensed vet's bill of health within 24–48 hours of notifying us. Remedy is a replacement puppy of similar pick from an upcoming litter, or a return — veterinary bills are not covered. Excludes issues caused by neglect, mistreatment, injury, or management.

Spay/Neuter Terms (Companion Tier)

Standard Companion puppies are placed on limited AKC registration with a written spay/neuter requirement — timed appropriately for a large breed, never at the expense of the dog's growth plates closing normally.

Take-Back Commitment

If at any point in the dog's life you can no longer keep your Exolinez Corso, we take the dog back — no questions, no fees, no shelter. Responsibility for a dog we produced doesn't end at pickup.

Right of First Refusal

If you ever decide to re-home the dog, we get first opportunity to place it — either back with us or with another vetted Exolinez family — before it's advertised or transferred to a third party.

AKC Registration Per Tier

Companion puppies go home on limited AKC registration. Show Prospect and Breeding Rights puppies go home with the appropriate level of AKC paperwork for their tier, per the written contract.

Locked Pricing at Deposit

The final puppy price is locked the day you deposit. No surprise upsells, no "premium pick" fees at pickup, no auction dynamics between buyers. What you agreed to is what you pay.

Lifetime Breeder Access

Direct phone and text access to the breeders for the life of the dog — for training, health, behavior, or breed-specific questions. Not a customer service address. The actual people who raised the puppy.

Note: the full contract is shared with approved families before deposit. We don't publish a downloadable PDF on the public site, because the contract is tailored to specific litters and tiers. If you'd like to review the exact language before committing, we'll send it during the consult call.

Ready to Begin?

Start With the
Application

Submitting the application doesn't commit you to anything — it starts the conversation. We read every one personally and respond to every family.