The first step toward bringing home a Selah Mountain puppy is completing our Puppy Application online.

There is no fee to apply. The application helps us learn more about your family, lifestyle, experience with dogs, and what you are hoping for in your future puppy.

Once your application has been reviewed and approved, we will contact you to discuss current or upcoming litters that may be a good fit.

An approved application does not automatically reserve a litter position. When you are ready to reserve an available position on a specific litter, a $300 non-refundable reservation fee is required. The reservation fee is applied toward the total purchase price of your puppy.

Once the reservation fee is received, your position on that litter’s reservation list is established.

Once your application has been approved, you have chosen an available position on a specific litter, and your $300 reservation fee has been received, you will be added to that litter’s reservation list.

When pregnancy is confirmed, we will send an update with the anticipated timing for the litter and continue communicating with families as the pregnancy and litter progress.

If you join a litter after one of these payment deadlines has already passed, the applicable payment will be due when your reservation is confirmed.

Applicable sales tax and any transportation or delivery expenses are not included in the puppy price and will be added where applicable.

Please make scheduled payments by the required deadlines to maintain your position on the reservation list. If an unexpected circumstance affects your ability to make a scheduled payment, please contact us as soon as possible.

Throughout the puppies’ first eight weeks, families on the reservation list receive regular photos and updates so they can watch the litter grow and begin getting to know the puppies.

We believe puppy selection should consider temperament and compatibility rather than appearance alone. A young puppy’s individual personality becomes clearer as they develop and experience new situations.

At approximately 7 weeks of age, the puppies are temperament evaluated. The evaluation, along with our observations throughout the puppies’ development, helps us better understand characteristics such as confidence, energy level, human focus, responsiveness, resilience, and interaction style.

We use this information to help families understand the puppies available at their selection turn and identify which puppies may be the best fit for their home, lifestyle, and preferences.

Temperament evaluation provides useful information about a puppy at that stage of development, but it cannot predict or guarantee an adult dog’s exact temperament, behavior, or suitability for a particular type of work.

Puppy selections generally take place at approximately 8 weeks of age.

Selection order follows each family’s position on the litter reservation list. Selah Mountain Dogs may reserve the first two selection positions for our breeding program when needed. Pet-home selection order then follows the reservation list based on when reservation fees were received.

When it is your turn to choose, we are happy to discuss the available puppies, share what we have observed about each puppy, and help you consider which puppy may best fit your family.

Occasionally, a puppy originally being evaluated for our breeding program may later become available to an approved pet home. If applicable, additional terms or pricing will be discussed with the interested family before a decision is made.

Families who currently hold a reservation on a litter are welcome and encouraged to visit the puppies once they are old enough.

For the health and safety of the litter, puppies generally do not receive visitors until they are at least 5 weeks old. We may postpone visits if we believe a particular litter needs additional time before meeting visitors.

Young puppies have developing immune systems and can be especially vulnerable to infectious disease. Before visiting, families may be asked to:

• Avoid high-traffic dog areas for at least 72 hours before visiting
• Follow our sanitation procedures upon arrival
• Wear a protective gown or other protective covering while interacting with the puppies

These precautions help protect your puppy, their littermates, and the other dogs in our home.

At this time, puppy visits are limited to families who hold a reservation on the current litter.

Puppies are generally eligible to go home at approximately 8 weeks of age. We typically schedule puppy selections and go-home appointments around the litter’s 8-week birthday.

Before going home, your puppy will have received:

• Age-appropriate vaccinations
• Age-appropriate deworming
• A veterinary health examination
• A microchip
• Puppy health and vaccination records
• The additional items and benefits included with your puppy as outlined on our Price List

Your puppy’s balance must be paid in full before going home.

We schedule individual appointment times so each family has time to meet with us, ask questions, review important puppy-care information, and enjoy meeting their new puppy.

If you know in advance that you will be unable to pick up your puppy on the scheduled go-home date, please contact us as soon as possible. Additional boarding or training charges may apply if your puppy needs to remain with us beyond the scheduled go-home date.

Families who would like additional support before bringing their puppy home may enroll in our Puppy Kindergarten extended board-and-train program.

Puppy Kindergarten begins after your Selah Mountain puppy turns 8 weeks old and focuses on building age-appropriate foundations for life in their new home.

Training may include:

• Crate training
• Potty-training foundations
• Socialization and environmental exposure
• Recall foundations
• Manding and appropriate ways to ask for attention
• Foundational obedience such as sit, stay, down, and release
• Leash foundations
• Bite inhibition
• Puppy self-regulation
• Confidence-building experiences

Puppy Kindergarten is currently $500 per week. We generally recommend at least two weeks for families wanting more time for foundational skills to develop, although the length of stay is up to the family.

Training outcomes vary by puppy, age, temperament, and length of stay. Puppy Kindergarten provides a foundation for continued training at home rather than a guarantee of a fully trained puppy.

Learn more about Puppy Kindergarten →

Whenever possible, we prefer that puppies travel with a person rather than being shipped through airline cargo.

If you are unable to travel to Colorado to pick up your puppy, please contact us as early as possible. We can help you explore available transportation options, which may include a flight nanny or ground transportation provider.

Transportation availability and cost vary by destination and provider. All transportation and delivery expenses are the responsibility of the buyer and are not included in the puppy purchase price.

We understand that circumstances and timing can change.

With Selah Mountain Dogs’ approval, a reservation may be transferred to up to three future litters.

Please understand that your selection position may change when transferring to another litter because each litter has its own existing reservation list. A transfer also does not guarantee the availability of a particular size, color, gender, coat, temperament, or parent pairing.

Reservation fees remain non-refundable.