What About Just Buying a Pre-Trained Dog?
"There Are a Number of Reasons Why Training Your Dog At Home Is Going To Be Your Best Bet."
Should you buy a pre-trained dog? The simple answer to this question is ‘yes’ and ‘no. It may depend on what your reason for owning the dog is.
Usually when people look to purchase a pre-trained dog, it is because of a specialty hobby or need that the person has.
Examples of Specialty Dogs
- Sled dogs
- Dogs for duck hunting
- Dogs for fox hunting
- Therapy dogs
- Seeing-eye dogs
- Personal protection dogs
- & More…
Cost of a Pre-Trained Dog
Pre-trained dogs aren’t cheap. Additionally, it could be daunting to try and find one pre-trained in the specific areas of obedience that are important to you and your family. These types of pre-trained obedience dogs start at $5000 and can easily cost you over $40,000 for specially trained and certified Personal Protection Dogs.
Reasons to Buy a Pre-Trained Dog
There can be valid reasons to purchase a pre-trained dog. For instance, some people with a disability may require a service dog and would not always have the ability to do the intense training that the dog would likely require. For instance, someone who is blind or has a sight disability likely would not be able to train their dog.
Another common reason for people to buy a pre-trained dog would be time. Some people may simply have more budget than time and would prefer to purchase a dog that has already received obedience training. You could purchase a dog that has a minimum of training – for example, the dog is just house-trained. Or purchase a dog that has a large amount of obedience training.
People with young children, especially those that have little experience owning a dog may choose to purchase a dog that has had training, particularly socialization. Being assured the dog will behave well around young children may be enough of a reason for some people to spend the money to buy a pre-trained dog.
Reasons to NOT Buy a Pre-Trained Dog
Obedience training your dog can not only save you a lot of money, it can be a great opportunity to bond with your new four-legged friend. Getting to know his or hers personality is important and rewarding. Training a dog yourself will bring you both closer together and the joy of seeing your dog progress in their training can be very fulfilling.
Cost is definitely a big reason to not buy a pre-trained dog. Many dog trainers are highly skilled and command a lot of money for training. It may surprise you to know how inexpensive a good dog training course can be.
Final Thoughts
There are some other avenues that you could explore if you’re more interested in just purchasing a pre-obedience trained dog for your home and family. You can look into rescue dog or prison training programs where the dogs will earn Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certificates before they are placed. Once in your home, these dogs will require a period of adjustment, but it will be a good start.
Pre-trained specialty dogs, like the ones mentioned above, will require a huge investment of both time and money if you intend to see them live up to their potential.
Unless you have a very specific purpose in mind for your new pet, it’s probably best that you pick a dog you feel an attachment with, let him accommodate to his new environment (your home) and then either enroll him in obedience classes, hire a professional dog trainer to come out to your home and work with him, -or- even better yet, get a top notch and comprehensive Dog Training Course like the one below…
No matter which route you decide to take, we’re sure that you are about to find your new best friend, who will love you forever, and never break your heart 🙂
