Puppies: Purchasing a Puppy From Us
Many of our inquiries pertain to the process of purchasing a puppy from us, and what is involved.
First, read the Puppy Information Package. It will explain a lot of what to expect from your puppy and will answer many of your questions. If you are seriously considering reserving a puppy, fill out the Puppy Survey (pdf) and return it to us. this will help us to help you in picking out the best puppy for your situation and goals. By returning the survey to us, it gives us information we can use to help you pick the best puppy for what you are looking for. We may even send you to another breeder if we feel one of our pups would not make a good match for you, because not every puppy will fit the personality or expectations of every home. We can refer you to another breeder if we don't have any puppies available in the time frame you are looking for.
You may also fill out the survey online HERE.
Contact us either by phone or e-mail so we can discuss the dogs, upcoming litters, specifics on what you are expecting out of your Mal, and answer any other questions you may have.
Reserving Your Puppy
After we receive your application, we will put you on our update list and contact you when we have a breeding. In order to reserve a spot for a puppy we may request you fill out the reservation form for that litter, and return it to us. Note that we only take 6 reservations for puppies prior to whelping. Everyone else will be placed on a wait list. We must have valid contact information to consider a reservation for a puppy. When the pups are whelped, we will contact people on our reservation list first. People who submitted reservations have 14 days to submit their deposit for a puppy. If the litter you are considering is already on the ground, we will not hold a puppy until we receive a deposit. A non-refundable deposit of $500.00 is required to hold a puppy. Working / performance homes take priority in placement.
Before picking out your puppy, please reread through the information package, especially concerning the contract and vaccination protocols. If you have any questions or concerns, ask them before it is time to pick up your puppy. All of our puppies are sold under contract. If you are considering a puppy from us, you may request a sample contract when you submit your application.
Microchip
All puppies are microchipped before they leave for their new homes. Please read the microchip information page for more details.
Vaccination Protocols
Our puppies are vaccinated according to the Colorado State Veterinary College Vaccination "Program 1701" using an early split method. Understanding the protocols we use is vital to your puppy's health, as well as the contract health guarantees. More information can be found on the Vaccination Protocol page, as well as in the Puppy Information Package.
Shipping Options
Due to current USDA/APHIS regulations, we can no longer ship puppies. We realize this now limits where we can send puppies, but I refuse to raise my puppies in steel cages without interaction to people or other dogs and farm animals.. This is what APHIS would require of us if we continued to ship puppies.
Payment Options
We accept cash, checks, or money orders. Full payment must be received and cleared before taking possession of the puppy. If you pay for the deposit with a check, and pay final balance at pickup, payment must be in cash.
Cost and Considerations of a Puppy
This of course is the next most common question. Puppies are $3,000.00. This includes our contract, microchip and chip registration, AKC registration, appropriate vaccines, health certificate, and the Puppy Preparation course. On the occasion we use an outside male or have a leased litter, cost may be determined by the stud owner and may vary slightly.
A comment about the term of a pick puppy: Most people have little conception about what determines a pick puppy and I really wish there was a better term to use, but due to convention this is what we have. I prefer the term best fit as opposed to pick. The reason for this is, every dedicated breeder has specific goals in mind as to what they want out of a litter. Their ideal of that, or as close as they can come in a specific litter, would be considered their pick puppy. Because the Malinois is so versatile, people purchase a puppy for various reasons, and there are about as many reasons as there are breeders. Therefore, one breeder's pick puppy, may not be what a another person is looking for at all. This is why we prefer the best fit term. In this way a person can obtain a puppy that is better suited to their needs, not what we feel is the ideal puppy according to our breeding goals. We do still use the pick term to indicate puppies which we feel exemplify our breeding goals. There are many things we consider in evaluating a puppy, not just one or two things. We breed with the intentions of producing puppies to improve and maintain the highest working and structural qualities of the breed. Our breeding program focuses on the intense drives, determination, desire to work, and soundness in character of the Malinois.
With all that being said, I have one last comment for people who still insist on considering an extreme or pick puppy. These puppies ARE NOT HOUSEHOLD MATERIAL. They will stand on your dining room table to get a better view out the window (or the entertainment center, or kitchen counter, back of couch, or whatever). They will dig. They will bark, at you, your spouse, guests, delivery guy, whoever. They will jump up on your guests and stare them in the face. They will chase anything that moves. Nothing is far enough out of reach. Everything they can reach is fair game. They will jump the little gate you put up to keep them confined. They will chew through their leash if you look away for a few seconds. They will be dominant. If you think they can't possibly get through that little space, they can. If you think play time is over, they don't, they will protest. If you think that crate will hold them, it won't! And those are just the positive points.
We also have puppies that make wonderful companion dogs in very active households. However these pups still need some type of a job and will require training at least through intermediate off leash obedience in order to be acceptable partners.
Future owners are encouraged to visit to pick out their puppy with our assistance. We have Puppy Play Days at 5, 6, and 7 weeks where we allow visitors to see the puppies on training days. This allows people to get hands on with the puppies, see them interact with people and safe dogs, and see them in an environment outside their home. Again we understand this is not always possible, so it is vital to the future owner's happiness, as well as the puppy's, that we have as much information as possible on what a potential owner expects out of their puppy.