Downsides of buying a trained puppy/dog?

[GreenDragonisLoose]

I'm looking into buying a ready-trained young labrador, rather than a puppy and training it myself.

So you pick the sex, traits that you want, and it comes toilet trained, with recall, house manners etc.

Any downsides to this? Seems too good to be true so I must be missing something?!

The whole point of training is that it builds the relationship with you and you work as a team. The dog learns to trust you and follow your instructions. Getting someone else to train a dog doesn’t mean you can get the same results. Plus I would worry that they wouldn’t employ the sort of methods I would. Harsh training may get initial quicker responses and a quicker payout from prospective owners.
So no. Definitely not.

you miss out on the cute puppy phase!

@GreenDragonisLoose sounds very lazy of you. Should you even have a dog?

I have never got a puppy as I don't want to deal with the stress! I have always rescued and have never had an issue bonding with my dogs due to not having trained them myself.

Is this a new thing then where they are kept and trained on purpose before being sold?

I don't think the bonding would be an issue but I would definitely want to ensure positive training methods were used.

I'm not sure if it's a new thing or not, I've just heard about it though!

With the company I've been recommended you just tell them the traits you need and they'll match you with a dog; anywhere between 10-18 months old.

Missing the cute puppy stage would be okay for swapping out land shark stage!

It hugely depends on where you get the dog from.

Will they also train you? As in teaching you the comands that the dog knows? How to reinforce the training? Trouble shooting if the dog has "forgotten" a command?
Just be aware that dog training is a very long process and often a dog needs reminding of some of the things they have learned. So while you might be able to cut out things like house training, other stuff like walking on a loose lead in a busy area may need some input from you.

It all depends on the dog, how bright it is, the personality and how it responds to you & your energy.

I would say an older puppy or young dog that is partially trained isn't a bad thing, as long as you are prepared to put in the work and continue with the training.

I’m a writer and one of the things I write about is shooting and gundogs – and recently I’ve written two pieces about fully-trained gundogs, both featuring one of the best-known breeders of fully-trained labs and spaniels in the country.

Having been up there and seen his dogs, I can honestly say that they’re amazing. But would I have one? No – not because the dogs aren’t 10/10 and beautifully trained, and beautifully mannered, and all-round gorgeous, because they are, but because for me buying a fully/part-trained dog takes a whole heap of fun out of the experience of having a dog. Yes, having a puppy is hard but there are so many brilliant aspects of those first few months/a year, and I wouldn’t swap that for even the best working dog.

@TippledPink Definitely not a new thing in the gundog world, no. Quite normal for dogs to be trained and sold on, and whole litters produced for that purpose.

I got an older rescue dog when i didnt have confidence in training. That was a lovely thing to not have to worry about toileting and puppy biting etc.

Do you get to meet and choose the dog yourself, OP? I ask only as it might be the right sex and have lovely manners, but your personalities might not click.

Also, will you learn and be using the same command words as the pup's trainer? I sent one of mine away to be trained as a working dog when older. Her trainer was frustrated because she didn't 'know' certain commands, as we used different words.

Yes you get opportunity to pick and meet the dog to see if you 'click'!

They are very clear with the training commands, so I'd continue to use the same words (poor dog would be very confused if not I imagine)

Thanks for everyone's thoughts!

Training is life long with dogs. It needs constant repetition and reward reinforcement. Toilet training is actually really easy - it’s just habit. The hardest thing we found was teaching them it’s ok to be alone. That took months. Recall isn’t consistent until they’re adults and nerds proofing in multiple environments. Is it a working line lab? If so it will need a job to do.

Training is a bond to be built between dog and handler. Two legs four feet. Labs are so so easy and eager to please. I don’t know why you’d want anyone else to train your dog. I’m a trainer and I train people. Not dogs.

Training is for the owner as well as the dog. Hell, it’s even more for the owner than it is for the dog.

I wouldn’t do this unless it was a service/assistance dog.

If you can't be bothered to train a dog you shouldn't have one

The only downside that I can see is that you would miss out on the cute puppy stage.

Judgy Juju here… why not adopt a dog? The breeding industry is horrific - especially for female dogs. There are so many dogs that need a loving home that I don’t understand why you would buy from a breeder. I’m sure I’m going to be absolutely slated now, but this is how I feel about it, and quite strongly!

Hmmm. I can see how this 'ready-grown' dog thing may be popular in some places/circles but what happens when the dog hits adolescence at about 14-15 months and loses all their training again?! It's like the toddler stage all over again. Well it was for us!
Our labs didn't really grow up until about 3 years old. I wouldn't have swapped the birth to that age stage for anything.
Also this ready-grown dog thing could be a way to pass on dogs that have been returned to breeder because of issues? If you really want one that's pretty much ready to go, what about a failed guide dog puppy?

The only companies I’ve ever seen offering that looked dodgy AF - I’d be real dubious as to how they’re getting the dogs and how they’re training them tbh.

Great thoughts! I don't mind missing the puppy stage, and rescue dogs are an unknown so I wouldn't go that route. A few friends have big issues with theirs.

An adult, trained, well-adjusted dog would be ideal for me. I live in the countryside and walk miles every day, so the dog would have a great life.

Failed guide dog would be an option, definitely!

But the chances are that the adopted dog was bred in far more horrific conditions than a puppy from a reputable breeder, reared within a loving home. A lot of rescue dogs come from puppy farms. This is what the "adopt don't shop" mentality unwittingly encourages. People need to be educated into buying puppies from reputable, caring breeders, not puppy farms, backyard breeders or free ads. This is where the problems lie.

I think it's a terrible idea, surely the whole point of a dog is that you can bond with him/her through training? Do you just want a robot? Get a large stuffed toy.

I see the appeal of what you’re planning, but there’s no such thing as a ‘ready trained dog’. One thing we were told early on when getting a dog is that every interaction is a training situation. So your dog may know the commands, but you’ve still got to learn them and get used to using them with your dog.

In many ways, what you’re doing is, in principle, rehoming a dog that has had some training before. But you’ve got to realise that training is ongoing.

@CoubousAndTourmalet
That's the same argument as people who buy happy meat where the animals have been raised on small, organic farms by caring farmers. Not saying it's not better than the mass production of meat but supply could never meet demand.

Puppy farms exist because people want cheap puppies in the same way they want cheap meat.
It's at the demand end that things have to change.

Educating people who don't want to be educated is doomed to fail.

Yes exactly that, buying an adult dog that has a great foundation of training :)