Buying a trained dog.

[BluntGreyLeader]

So we really want a dog but we know a puppy is out of the question, we have mobility issues, it would be too exhausting. Can anyone recommend where we might be able to acquire a dog that has had some training, something like a labrador or maybe smaller. I'm worried about going the rescue route as you never know what you're going to get and I really dont want stress of a reactive dog for instance. I know a few people with rescues and they often seem to have problems, not surprising really.
I have found some places selling dogs but to be honest I sometimes find it hard to justify the cost, some trained labs about £8000, (we would continue training). Im sure this option would suit us really well. It feels like a lot of money. In the grand scheme of things I can afford it, outgoings under control, no mortgage and decent savings. Has anyone gone down this route and been relieved that they paid more for a well adjusted dog?

Sometimes there are police dogs / service dogs etc that don’t make the grade that are advertised for rehoming. Perhaps contact the associations who train to enquire.

Mordor Gundogs but yes you will be £8-10,000 for a dog around a year old. And these are active family pets, not plodders or lapdogs.

If you have mobility issues, is a young dog the right decision? Will you be able to exercise a young Labrador appropriately? There are plenty of non-reactive older dogs in rescues.

What about something like a retired greyhound?

Retired guide dog?

Training a dog properly takes hours and hours. The cost will be a true representation of that.

I have looked at guide dogs, those that have failed to make the grade but that seems like a no go, perhaps just long waiting lists but ive never heard back.
I have tried the assistance dog route, due to our mobility issues, but there were reasons why we wouldn't be eligible.

What do you want the dog for and how much exercise can you give it? Could a retired greyhound work for example? I have never met a reactive one and they are quite happy to laze about for much of the day but like to run off steam in a secure field every now and again.

For company and I would like to continue to do training for some assistance tasks for my older parents, I live with them.
We all can do walks and use dog walkers as required.

Another vote for a retired greyhound. As long as you have a secure garden.

Seems like you are looking for an assistance dog.
I don't much about them so this might not be right but I believe they cost a lot which would make sense. Or you apply for one and then go on a waiting lists if it's decided you need one.

Already been rejected for an assistance dog.

A one year old dog isn't trained, the foundations are laid, but you will still have to do a lot of work. Do you have the time and commitment to take the dog to training at least once a week?

Another route in regards to finding the right dog might be to contact your local dog training club. They offer pet dog training and might even know of an suitable older dog available.

In regards to an retired greyhound do your research. They are big dogs with huge prey drive. This dog will spend a lot (if not all) of it's walks on a lead. Can you provide a safe outlet for this type of dog?
I know MN loves these dogs, but they are not suitable for everyone.

It might be that you need to look at a companion dog - something small that is easy to walk (big dogs can pull you over if you have mobility issues, and even a 'trained' one might have a moment). A miniature poodle, perhaps? They're bright little dogs, self-contained but very trainable, need a fair bit of exercise but not the hours of running that one of the larger breeds will want.

The idea of 'buying a trained dog' seems like a fantasy for people who like the idea of having a dog but want the fantasy of it being guaranted problem free.

A 'trained dog' is one that will have had the dislocation of spending time with a (possibly cynical) trainer and then having to move on. The new family will have to do a lot of work to aid the transition and help the dog to re-orientate all of its training cues to a profoundly new situation.

I can see the value of away-from-home professional training to develop specialised skills (eg working gundog stuff). But beyond that it just seems to be yet another way of thinking that consumerism can generate a healthy and happy life for animals that are just its pawn.

If you have mobility issues just give properly serious thought as to whether owning a dog is really the right thing for you.

Half of the point of training is the creation of a mutual understanding between dog and handler. The idea that you can replace that with an outsourced training is about as daft as the idea that you will get on better with your spouse if they have been to Spouse Training School.

The only respectable reason for away-from-home training is to develop very specialised skills that supplement that basic relationship between dog and owner. Even then, the owner would have to be trained by the dog trainer to continue the work that has been done professionally.

Im afraid I cant agree on this. Ive seen many instances where a dog thats been trained behaves and follows the commands of a different trainer exactly the way that it should because its been trained well. Someone gave an example of mordor gundogs and you can see the dogs are just as obedient when they are faced with someone who never trained them.

I can do some training everyday and a trainer can come to our house and garden