Well-trained

[KenyiGirl]

What is your definition of a well-trained dog? I was looking on craigslist (not a good idea, I know!) but a few posts had dogs that were supposedly "well-trained". What would that mean to you?
Also, how long would it take get a dog to that "well-trained" point? Of course, every dog is different, but how long would you expect it to take?

[adojrts]

I think a well trained dog is one that reliably does the following for general training.

Recall
Sit
Down
Doesn't jump up unless invited.
Walks on a loose leash
Doesn't take off when off leash, checks in with owner.
House trained
Crate Trained

How long it takes has too many variables, raising a puppy with an experienced person it should happen with a few months.
Rescue/rehomed adult dog could take so much longer.
And as I already mentioned the experience plus the dedication of the owner also plays in to it.

[Southpaw]

Well-trained to ME means that the dog knows basic commands (sit, down, stay, come--although I wouldn't expect them to be SOLID, just an understanding) and has good house manners, such as being housebroken, not jumping on the couch, not bowling over guests, etc. Basically if I were to get a dog that's been advertised as well-trained, I wouldn't expect to have to do a whole lot of work--the "foundation" should already be there and I may have to just tweak a few things to better fit what I want.

I don't think you can put a timeframe on how long it should take to get a dog to that point. Puppies may be easier to mold but then you have to remember.... they're puppies and are still unpredictable and looking to test the boundaries no matter how much effort is put into training. I would consider Juno well-trained as far as puppies go, but we've still got some work ahead of us before she can really be considered a well-trained dog. With adults who knows, bad habits are hard to break.

[AllieMackie]

What Southpaw said is essentially what I would expect - pretty good house manners, house trained, knows basics of sit, down, come, perhaps not past basics.

Crate training, leash and off-leash manners.. I would not expect any of that in a craigslist ad unless specifically stated, and even then, offleash and onleash work often need re-training with new owner.

[Saeleofu]

At a minimum, a "well-trained" dog ought to be able to pass a CGC. MINIMUM. That doesn't necessarily mean they have to have been tested for the CGC, just that if they were to be tested, they'd pass. I'd like to see something closer to a heel than the CGC requires (though it doesn't need to be competition-level heeling by any means). Also a longer stay, and there were some other things I was going to add but they just slipped my mind Maybe i'll remember in the morning.

I consider my dog to be "well-trained." He has passed his CGC after I had him for 8 1/2 months. To be fair, he was probably ready before that, but I thought the test included much more than it actually did, and so I worked longer at it (I had parts of the ADI PAT and the CGC mixed up lol). When I realized that the CGC really didn't cover that much stuff, I had him tested within a month (they're generally held every 3 or 4 months here). He passed his first time. My dog knows the following commands (and I know I'm probably forgetting some):
sit*
stay*
down*
drop* (emergency down)
side/heel
allons-y* (my word for loose-leash walking, as opposed to heel)
wait*
hup (jump over a jump)
starting on directionals (he's pretty solid if I point in a direction)
automatic sit
come*
front
finish (comes to my left, turns, and sits)
lights off
go home (leads me home...not as solid as it was before we moved)
go on (go ahead of me)
starting weaves
starting to retrieve
fix it (untangle himself if he gets a foot over the leash)
wave
shake/paw
roll over (not solid yet, we work on this in between training other stuff)
leave it*
look* (or eye contact/pay attention, with or without a command)
kennel
off*
forward (go forward and apply pressure to a harness...at one point I was working on some guide work with him for shits and giggles and also just for experience; he's far from trained in guide work, but he does know forward and to pull when in harness..I may use that base for driving later)

He also has manners, and will allow me (or other people) to brush him, brush his teeth, scrape/scale his teeth, bathe him, clean his ears, clip/file his nails, examine him, etc. He does not nuisance bark, he doesn't chew things, he doesn't jump on people (he will occasionally paw at me/jump on me if we're doing something wild while clicker training, such as working on agility stuff). He doesn't beg or steal food.

I would not expect a dog advertised as "well trained" to be able to do the entire list I made (I put a * by the ones I think are needed at a minimum), and I would not personally require all those before I call a dog well-trained. I would, however, require all the manners I listed (with the exception of scaling teeth), as those are things that are really necessary to make your dog pleasant to work with. If a dog knows commands but has squat for manners, I wouldn't call it well trained.

I also believe that no dog is ever fully trained; even the most well-trained service dogs (and I've heard of some that know hundreds of commands) can always learn something new. It keeps them mentally stimulated to continuously learn new commands.


As a side note, "fix it" is above all my favorite "trick." It's wonderful to not have to untangle your dog all the time I highly recommend teaching it to your dog.


Anyway, I do think well-trained ought to mean trained beyond the basics, or at least that the basics are solid and the dog has manners.

ETA: Of course housebroken too! And though I'd like to see a dog that's crate-trained, not all people crate their dogs, and I respect that choice. I don't agree with it, but I respect it.

[Maxy24]

When I hear people say there dog is well trained I suspect they are well behaved (no jumping, excessive pulling, barking, aggression, mouthing, counter surfing, trash eating etc.) and probably know "sit" and "come" in slightly distracting environments.

Do I consider it "well trained", I don't know, I would never be content with my dog learning only those things but manners is very important.

FYI Phoebe is well trained but would probably not pass her CGC, she has fear reactions such as moving away from someone petting her and becomes fearful of objects that mad a loud bang (that is improving however). She is very well trained however. Her fearful reactions would cause her to fail her CGC.

[Tankstar]

To me basiclly what ever one else has said.

I think Blaze is well trained. people with dogs that I know who are not well trained think he is some super powered dog who is amazing. But really its just basic manners and obiedience he knows. My neighboors always say they wish their dog was reliable like Blaze, and I say its possible to do, you just need to train them. none of them get it. No wonder why Im always catching their dogs when they get loose lol.

Im not sure if he would pass his CGC, I think he might. I was going to try out for it in the summer, but with my grandfathers illness then death, I wasnt up to it.

Blaze knows.
sit
stay
come
back (get behind me)
down
wait
stop
knows a few tricks. not to many, as I dont care for them lol.

his only "tricks" are preforming agility lol

is 100% house broken no matter where he goes (friends houses, pet stores, dog stores, training facilities.)

he is reliable offleash and listens well. when offleash.

gets along well with other dogs. tolerates people well. he would rather not be fussed over by strangers, but will put up with it. he would never dream of biting. he just isnt a people dog. Such as "OMG a new person, I MUST GO SEE THEM NOW!11!!11, I loveeeeeee new people"

I can leave food on a table with out worrying about it bein gone 15mins later. no counter surfing.

Blazes biggest down fall, and I dont blame it on training, he is a collie after all. is barking. he LOVES to bark. but he will quite when told.

knows to sit and wait for food. out for doors. walks ect.

Im probably missing somthing but that to me is well trained.

[smkie]

well trained to me would be rock solid on the basics.

[Doberluv]

"Well trained" is very subjective. Well trained to me is solid on the basics. Weller trained are those extras. Wellest trained is trained for some specialized task or job with those extra special skills learned. Like my grammar?

[Lolas Dad]

Well trained to me is the dog can do the following.

Come when called by name.
Sit
Stay or Wait
Housebroken
Does not chew on anything other than it's own toys
Does not have any separation anxiety issues
Can be trusted with a neighbor if need be
Is not aggressive around other dogs.
does not bark continuously and when it is after giving the quiet command obeys it.
Crate trained
Does not need to sleep in a human bed with a human
Does not jump up on people
Does not jump up on furniture unless invited to
Is not food aggressive or possessive
Is not toy possessive
Is good with children whether or not they live their
Does not beg for food

And if he or she is really well trained
Picks up its own poop and disposes of it properly
Wakes you up when its time to get up
Has breakfast made for you
Has the morning paper on the table
Drives you to work so you can get some extra sleep while on the way to work
Cleans the house for you
Makes dinner for when you get home