Would you buy a 'trained' dog?

YodelDogs

New Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2006
Messages
479
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Georgia
#21
People will pay $$$ for a puppy yet that same puppy a few months later, and many skills 'smarter' is now worth next to nothing.
This is sadly very true. As a breeder, I often keep 2-3 puppies to raise up. Once I decide who to keep, I look for homes for the others. These pups are already house-trained, crate-trained, and have some basic house manners yet people will simply not pay the same price they would have for a completely untrained 8 week old puppy. I don't get it?
 
Joined
Oct 4, 2012
Messages
886
Likes
0
Points
0
#23
We have one of those "protection dogs" as a patient at the clinic where I work. He's owned by a wealthy family who has several young daughters and is part guard dog, part nanny dog. He's old now but he's truly fantastic. Just an awesome dog.

In anticipation of their imminent decision to have to euthanize him due to degenerative myelopathy, they recently purchased another dog from the same place. They ended up sending him back. There was constant conflict between him and the older dog, and he was very intense with the girls.

Would I have a dog like this? No. I don't see a need for it and would rather "customize" my training to shape a pup into exactly what I need.
 

Gempress

Walks into Mordor
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
11,955
Likes
0
Points
0
#25
I can see the appeal. People do it with horses. Why not dogs?
I agree. I see there being a great market for a dog like that. Take a family with two full-time working parents, with no prior dog experience, and an elementary-aged child who is really in love with dogs and wants one. I could see a pre-trained dog as being a perfect fit.

I do have some issue with the price. But I could see, say, $3,000-$5,000 as being reasonable, depending on the breed of dog and what kind of training was done.
 

Doberluv

Active Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2004
Messages
22,038
Likes
2
Points
38
Location
western Wa
#26
No. I appreciate my puppies coming with crate training and a little potty training, and plenty of early socialization (that's a must) started by the breeder. It just gives them a little jump start. The rest I like to do myself. I enjoy it and it helps build a special bond between the pup and me.
 

AdrianneIsabel

Glutton for Crazy
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Messages
8,893
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Portland, Oregon
#27
Every dog I have had, aside from my first, has been 5-8 months old before I got the dog. Maybe I'm just not a baby puppy person?

My heart and soul belongs to that dog that I rescued at 10 years old. She has almost no training still and yet I would move mountains for her. I'm pretty sure for me bonds can come at any age with any training level.
 

Shai

& the Muttly Crew
Joined
Dec 14, 2009
Messages
6,215
Likes
0
Points
36
#28
Well to be honest I think such a service isn't really intended for most of the Chaz folks. Let's face it, many of us are the training-/behavior-/interaction-junkies of the dog world lol.

I mean heck I have a temp puppy I've been losing sleep over and training. Just about the time she's fully trustworthy in the house and has a really solid training foundation, she's going home. But it's fun. And that statement is not confined to puppies...Webby was a year old when he came home and very uhhhhh "self-educated" lol. But that worked for us and we figured each other out eventually. And the journey...well it was rough in places I think we arr both the better for it.

Though since doing this I've been asked if I am going to start puppy-raising as a business lol. Also: there are shelters in my area that work with prison programs and the like to train their dogs and thereby increase their adoptability. In those cases the dogs are often already adolescents or adults and having a solid set of basic behaviors in place seems to reall work for their organization. They have a good reputation...even if they wouldn't let me adopt a high-energy dog because I lived in an apartment at the time...*grumble grumble* ;)
 

Doberluv

Active Member
Joined
Dec 31, 2004
Messages
22,038
Likes
2
Points
38
Location
western Wa
#29
Every dog I have had, aside from my first, has been 5-8 months old before I got the dog. Maybe I'm just not a baby puppy person?

My heart and soul belongs to that dog that I rescued at 10 years old. She has almost no training still and yet I would move mountains for her. I'm pretty sure for me bonds can come at any age with any training level.
Definitely. I didn't mean to suggest that one only gets a special bond from training a puppy. I mentioned in my post that the early training and raising of puppies helped create a special bond. That is not to say that adopting an older dog precludes one from having a special bond. I most certainly think there's a unique relationship that comes from rescuing an older dog and giving it a new home. I think there's something there where they feel extra gratitude...they seem more appreciative for what they have. So, a wonderful bond can be built by all kinds of means. After all, we're humans and they're dogs. What more do we need? lol. I just meant that I've enjoyed having little puppies and working through their growing up. Not so sure I'd be up for it these days,:p but throughout my life, I've had several puppies and the process was quite rewarding and special bonds were developed.
 

Red Chrome

Active Member
Joined
Oct 26, 2006
Messages
1,568
Likes
0
Points
36
#30
I would ABSOLUTELY buy a trained dog. I'm actually looking at started dogs for my next Schutzhund dog.
 
Joined
Feb 4, 2008
Messages
7,099
Likes
1
Points
38
Location
Illinois
#31
Naw, what would be the fun in that? Besides, I need to get out all my mistakes now so I can make even more stupid ones later. Can't do that if all the base training is already done. I'd have to go do crate games with my sister or something to make sure I get all my newb "Ooooh, shouldn't have done that" out.

In all seriousness I don't think I would enjoy it since I much prefer the act of training to the act of competing. Way less stressful and way more fun.

Could really see the market though.
 

smkie

pointer/labrador/terrier
Joined
Dec 16, 2004
Messages
55,184
Likes
35
Points
48
#32
Nope. I would not trust anyone else to train my dog the way I want he she trained. I want the bond, the trust, the whole show to be developed between the dog and ME. End of story there.
 

Kimbers

New Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2011
Messages
337
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Denver
#33
No, but that's because I really love the experience of training the dog myself. Having it pre-trained would take the fun out of owning the dog for me. (Not to say that once my dog has basic manners, it's not fun. I just like doing it, so why would I pay someone else?)
Also, I'm insanely picky with what and how my dog is taught, so that may be an issue. There's only one other person I personally know who I would trust to do it the way I like.
And for agility or other sports? No. I'm the kind of person who likes to see what goes on to get to the point something's at. The dog has amazing contacts? I want to see the process it took to get there. The dog jumps like a flying tank? Again, I want to see why.
There's definitely the awkward while where both dog and handler are giant clutzes, but I guess I always thought the point of the sports was to demonstrate what you have done with your dog. Dog sports mean different things to different people, of course.
 

BlackPuppy

Owned by Belgians
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
674
Likes
0
Points
0
#34
My first dog was a "trained" dog. He had basic obedience, and cost me $2,000. Only problem was, I wasn't the person that trained him, so it took some time to bond with him and get him to understand that I was the person he needed to listen to. He was a great dog. Lost him to cancer. :(

Anyway, I liked the idea as a first dog. I had no experience, and I learned a lot from him. And thankfully, I didn't have to make any bad mistakes attempting to train him the wrong way. Now I know how to train.

ETA: My second dog was my Malinois puppy. :yikes::yikes::yikes::yikes:

 

Sekah

The Monster.
Joined
Feb 6, 2011
Messages
1,339
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Toronto
#35
I think I would have trouble bonding with a dog with whom I'd not been around since [their] early days. I'm definitely not a "love every dog I meet" type of person. I think I kind of need to be the centre of the dog's world from day one. Plus I maintain that the relationship I have with Cohen was forged through the many (many, many) hours I've spent training her.
 

BlackPuppy

Owned by Belgians
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
674
Likes
0
Points
0
#36
I think I would have trouble bonding with a dog with whom I'd not been around since [their] early days.
This wasn't a problem with me. I really loved that dog and he did all he could to make me happy. He was the dog that all my future dogs had to live up to. Now that Doerak has been gone for many years, I have my Laekenois, who is "best" dog, and every dog is going to be measured to his standards.
 

yoko

New Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2005
Messages
5,347
Likes
0
Points
0
Age
37
Location
Oklahoma
#37
I think I would have trouble bonding with a dog with whom I'd not been around since [their] early days. I'm definitely not a "love every dog I meet" type of person. I think I kind of need to be the centre of the dog's world from day one. Plus I maintain that the relationship I have with Cohen was forged through the many (many, many) hours I've spent training her.
As someone who is only experienced in rescues with issues and the youngest being four month at time of adoption and the oldest being two years at the time if adoption I have no issue with not being there from day one XD
 

SkyRock

New Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
Messages
151
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Florida
#39
One of the things I like the most about owning dogs is the training process. However, I would actually buy a trained dog if said dog matches what I am looking for. I don't really have a problem with the price and I guess it all depends on what breed the dog is, level of training the dog has, and method of training used by the trainer.
 

Saeleofu

Active Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
9,036
Likes
0
Points
36
#40
Only if it was a well-trained service dog, and even then I'd have trouble paying $7500. Not that they're not worth that much, because they totally are more than worth it, just that I would probably be more likely to train my own at that price.
 

Members online

No members online now.
Top