1. Is there any continued training after the dog is purchased?
Yes, we offer annual Maintenance Training to sharpen our dogs’ obedience and protection skills. This allows our dogs to operate at their best day-in and day-out all year round. Training can take place at our location in Boise, Idaho, or at a location of the buyer’s choosing. It’s fully-customizable and can be done all at once or over a period of time.
2. How many dogs do you have available at this time?
We currently have five German Shepherds available to be reserved. They are of various ages and colors and both male and female. Our goal is to offer a variety of dogs to our buyers while maintaining our high standards by keeping our numbers small.
If you click on the “Dogs For Sale” menu option, you will see our full selection of available dogs.
3. What is the reservation process like?
Our job is to pair the right dog with the right buyer. After a thorough assessment, and after a dog has been selected, we require a down payment to reserve a dog. We also have a buyer agreement that includes our health and temperament guarantee. The balance is due when the dog has completed our training program and is ready for its new home.
4. Can I spend time with my dog after it's reserved?
Yes, we encourage this! We feel it’s mutually beneficial for buyers to get to know their dog as the dog is developing. This helps cement a strong bond and allows us to break up the Handover Training into bite-sized pieces.
5. Is it okay to have another dog at home?
Yes, so long as the other dog is friendly. We will not sell our dogs to homes that have other dogs who are aggressive. That is not a win-win situation for anyone. Additionally, while we do not require it, we do encourage our buyers to seek out obedience training for their other dog/s so that all dogs in the home are operating on the same wavelength. Having the same standards and expectations for all dogs is important. Training also establishes leadership in the home which helps dogs live harmoniously together as a unified pack. We are more than happy to assist with training through our pet dog company, Valor K9 Academy, which is located in three states currently: Idaho, Tennessee and Washington.
6. Are the dogs involved in any dog sports?
Yes! In addition to protection dog training, we are actively pursuing training and titling in other various dog sports. Our trainers have all titled their personal dogs, as well as client dogs, and are excited to put titles on their protection dogs as well. The local dog sports available to us are dock diving, nose work, barn hunt, herding and more! A few of our trainers are seeking out-of-state trialing in arenas such as PSA and IGP, as well. These sports will be fun extracurricular activities buyers can continue to do, if they wish, as a fun exercise outlet and bonding opportunity with their protection dogs.
7. What kind of health testing do you do?
Our dogs undergo extensive health testing to ensure they are healthy and sound before being sold. This includes full panel Embark DNA testing against 200+ genetic diseases to include Degenerative Myelopathy (DM). A copy of the results are included in the sale of each dog. All dogs have their hips and elbows x-rayed around 12 months of age to determine the health of their joints. They must receive a preliminary passing rating for hips and elbows from the University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program (PennHIP) or the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). A copy of the dog’s x-rays and copies of official ratings are provided with the sale of each dog.
8. How do you protect your dogs' developing joints while they're young?
We focus on three key areas: diet, weight and exercise. We only feed highly nutritious and expensive raw food-based diets. We keep our dogs thin to prevent undue stress on their joints. And we only allow them to participate in age-appropriate exercise while providing strength & conditioning training and body awareness training as a proactive injury preventative measure. Genetics only plays a small role in determining the overall health of a dog’s joints, so we do everything possible to protect our dogs’ developing joints.
9. Are your dogs good with kids?
Absolutely. Our dogs are raised around kids and love interacting with them. They are gentle, mindful of their size and playful. They love to play fetch or just follow kids around and explore the world with them. They are great babysitters as they are both watchful and vigilant with their little ones. “Good with kids” is an absolute requirement for our home raised and trained protection dogs. Our dogs are family dogs first and foremost!
