Which is best... is it better to buy a trained dog or get a puppy and then train it??

Question

i'm looking to buy a medium or small dog for my daughter and i really adore puppies. i'm still undecided to get a puppy because i'm usually at work a lot and wasn't so sure if i had enough time to train it. anyhow for some reason i would prefer a pup than an older one. so is it really hard to train a puppy??

Answer 1

If no one is home to train a puppy, do yourself and the dog a favor, get a dog already trained. While it doesn't take a long time to train a pup you have to be there to do it. check this out:

the first thing to remember about house training a puppy is there ability to hold themselves is limited. a rule of thumb is they can hold "it" usually 1 hour for each month of age. 2 months old = 2 hours, 3 months old = 3 hours, etc. when your puppy wakes up (morning, nap, whatever) the pup has to go, right then! take the pup out. when the pup eats or drinks, it has to go, take the pup out. after exercise (play), take the pup out. when the pup does it's thing outside praise it. a lot. tell the pup how good, how smart it is. you have to pay attention to the pups "looking for it's spot" behavior. when you see that behavior indoors, whisk the pup out. if you catch the pup in the act, simply tell it "NO!" and whisk it outside. if you find a puddle or pile after the fact, clean it up with an enzyme cleaner (pet food store) get a newspaper and hit.... yourself in the head and say "i should have been paying more attention" daytime training they get pretty fast. night time training is easier if you crate train the pup. also remember the one hour/one month rule. you will have to get up through the night to take the pup out. good luck.

three websites on how to crate train a puppy

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~rc207100/info-pub.htm

http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html

http://www.planeturine.com/pettips/dsp_crateTrainPuppy.cfm

Answer 2

Puppies are a lot of work, I'm sure you have heard that before but it is so true. Think about your child, would you leave a baby home alone all day while you were at work with no one to supervise them? A puppy can not go 8 hours a day without going outside or having interaction with people. Just like a small child. This is the #1 cause of dogs not being able to be house trained. Now that's just one area a dog needs to be trained, then there is socialization, do you have time to socialize your new pup? If not you could be looking at an antisocial, house pooping/peeing pain in the ***. I'm sure that's not what you want either. ( These dogs are the ones that new owners get sick of very quickly and end up at the animal shelter with a sign on the cage NOT HOUSEBROKEN) These dogs get adopted last.

I have had a lot of experience training adult dogs and puppies. I have seen what happens when dogs are not socialized and not trained in the proper way. Training is a total 100% commitment that you sign up for you adopt a puppy or even an older dog that has not had the proper training or socialization.

My advice for you is to write down all your activities away from your home in a week. See how much free time you actually have to devote to a dog or a puppy. Will you be able to spend at least an hour a day walking him/her to get out their energy? Another hour a day on commands and challenges? If you don't keep a dogs mind busy they get bored easily and that is when bad dog behaviors result. (ie: chewing everything in sight, trash shoes, clothes, furniture, anoyance barking, ext ext..)

If you need anymore advice or info please don't hesitate to ask. Hope this helps.

~tiki~

Answer 3

Well it does depend on the type of dog.... i have a three year old jack russell and i got him when he was 8 weeks old. He was a handful...and im still training him. If your daughter is home and she is 13-15 or older than i would go with the puppy because your daughter would be able to stay home and play with him. If neither of you are at home much then i would get an older dog that has been potty trained and know not to chew things. Some puppies are potty trained and know not to chew things, but you'd have trouble finding one. You also don't have to get a really old dog.

My little jack has been a lot of fun and i love him to death. just be sure that you know that you can handle a puppy. If you do decide on a puppy then be prepared to have hundred of things ruined. I speak from experiance.
older dogs are extremely sweet......... i have one too....the only problem is that they may try to escape...... make sure that if you do get an older dog you proof your yard.

Answer 4

Puppies are cute and sweet no arguement there. Puppies are a lot of work and when they are little you need to come home about noon time to feed and let them go potty.
I'd love to have a pup..but my work schedule
maynot allow that. If you do not have a trained dog around to "help" Puppies are or can be ... a hair pulling nightmare.. they chew, aren't potty trained, need attendtion, have a ton of energy, need more attention,
and need training and patience. They need medical care.. fresh water and attention,
they need ot play,,, summer and winter.

Training a puppy does need a firm hand and
depending on the breed of dog you need ot use the same words/similar tone.

Our dog we got trained... and what a wonderful gift that has been. When I have to work a 9 hr day.. I still feel guilty for not having time to play with her. I'm just saying there is a lot to know..and for as much as you plan... there are planty of "Unexpected
things" that come up.

Do you know a good dog trainer?

The dogs we had growing up weere not "trained " from a pro. I enjoy our triend dog SO MUCH MORE ..if you do go with a puppy.. bes ure to take classes..you will enjoy each otehr ALOT MORE>>

Answer 5

Very common in working Border Collie lines. Some of the Big Hats make a living training up dogs and selling them to handlers looking for their next trial dog, but don't want to do the the early work of raising a pup and beginning herding training. I don't really think there is much of a demand for this in companion sports though, as people are interested in developing a relationship with their dogs. You sort of need that in companion events, where as when you are doing real work, work a dog is bred to do, the dog will do the job, regardless of if was purchases as a pup or older trained dog by a handler. I have no problem with this practice. I have yet to purchase a dog, but I may consider saving on training efforts and buy a started dog some day.

Answer 6

There are pros and cons to each side with this. Yes, puppies are adorable, but they are also completely untrained, require MUCH more time than adult dogs, potty in the house, chew on things, get rowdy, etc. Are you prepared to handle that? And, if your daughter is under the age of 6, I would recommend against a pup.
If you adopt an older dog, especially from a rescue rather than a shelter, the dog will come home with training, likely spayed/neutered, and the rescue will have a good idea of the dog's temperament. And, despite the older age, you will bond with your dog.
I would suggest going to your local PetSmart, as we have adoption groups working in each and every store. The types of groups we allow in the stores are no-kill groups, and often have a much better idea of the dogs themselves. They could help match you up to the dog that is a good fit for your household. Good luck!

Answer 7

It depends on what kind of dog you get. I just got a Husky puppy a couple weeks ago and she already knows how to sit, shake, lay down, etc. but she won't go outside!! Huskies are really hard to train. I would start with a puppy though, because then the dog will be comfortable with your daughter. Look into the breed you get because some have different characteristics you may not want.

Answer 8

I would totally recommend an adult dog; you know what you're getting, and as you suggest, MUCH less work than a puppy. Take your daughter to the shelter and hang out with some of the dogs that catch your eye. Even if you end up falling in love with a puppy, at least you'll have some idea of its personality. Good luck!

Answer 9

That depends on the breed. Some breeds are really smart & good with kids. Some aren't. Cockers are great family dogs, I have 4! Poodles & Chi's are not for kids & can be hard to train. If you don't have time to care for & train the pup it'd be best to get an older dog. The cuteness factor wears off about the 3rd time you step in poo in the middle of the night!

Answer 10

It depends on how much time you have to spend with your dog. If you are at home a lot and have a lot of time to spend with the dog, then go with the puppy and train it yourself. If you don't then probably a trained dog will work best for you, but the bonding process will take longer because the dog will be older. Good luck hun, and have fun with your pooch.