The buying path: six stages for a Colorado protection dog

1. Define the jobWrite down whether you want a calm family guardian, a personal protection partner or a property guard. Include the people, children and other animals in your home.
2. Check your housing and rulesConfirm your lease or covenants and your city or county dog rules. The law page and housing page help.
3. Find a source you can seeChoose a professional whose facility or training sessions you can observe. Use the seller check for questions.
4. Test the dogMeet the dog more than once. Watch it work around other people, in an unfamiliar place and on a leash.
5. Read the paperworkGet a written agreement, health and vaccine records and the terms for returning the dog if it does not fit.
6. Plan the first weeksBook your veterinarian, license the dog where your city requires it and arrange handler lessons.

After stage two, you may want help finding professionals. K9PN is a referral service, so it receives your request and routes it. It does not appraise dogs or run the training, and it never replaces your own visit.

Plenty of Colorado buyers consider sources elsewhere. Insist on a live video session or an in-person visit, settle on travel arrangements early and never send a deposit for a dog you have not seen working.