# Pre-trained vs. Puppy



## Nikki-Rose (Mar 3, 2014)

So I have spoken to a couple breeders the last few days and some have suggested I look into pre trained personal protection dogs.

I've never gotten a pre-trained animal before.

What are the advantages and disadvantages with pre-trained verses a puppy? 

I am wanting to train my new dog in person protection. I thought having the dog since puppyhood would give it more of a connection to you and make it more willing to protect if the need ever arrived.


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## Colie CVT (Nov 10, 2013)

You don't need to have a dog from puppyhood to have a connection with them. I got my older female when she was three and a half, and she knows who her mother is. She sticks very close, she enjoys her work. Her job is to watch out for trouble when we're out and about. She carries the poo when we are on hikes (she rolls in cow pies... >>). 

You want to consider what kind of access you have when you are looking into getting a dog for personal protection. That is not something that you train by yourself. You want to be sure that you have a trainer who you can work with that knows what they are doing. And just like with most jobs that you have for dogs, it is going to take a certain dog to do it. Truth is that most of the time, you just need a dog to look super scary, not necessarily go for somebody. 

My first dog was never really trained, but I loved to answer the door holding her collar when I didn't know who was on the other side. The sight of a 100 lb dog barking and growling at you is enough to make the average person pause easily enough.  Others probably can weigh in more, but I just wanted to say you don't necessarily need to have a dog from a puppy for them to love you and want to protect you. You simply need a bond with the dog.


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## huntergreen (Jun 28, 2012)

never felt the need for a pp gsd. but i can assure you, no one would have messed with my wife and daughters when running on trails with my wife and daughter. kyra put a drunk kid down so fast when hassling my daughter so fast it was scary. had her mouth on this guys throat yet did not leave a mark. daughter called kyra to come and this guy took off very quickly. imho, this is what a gsd is all about. not trained for this, just bonded to her family. a pp trained gsd is like a loaded gun an not for the average family owner.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

A pre-trained protection dog is LOT of money, and you still have to learn to be a PPD handler, and devote time and effort to refresher training. Not sure why you need or want a PPD, most of the time a GSD by your side that will bark at a threat is all the protection anyone needs. - 

If you get a pup from a good breeder with the correct drives and temperament, no reason you can't train the two of you together. You can start in protection sports to establish good basics, then move on to more realistic PPD training if you so wish. It is fun, you learn so much about dog training and dog temperament. You develop a closer bond, learn handling and training skills, get to see what your puppy is made of. It will be a couple of years before a pup is mature enough to really protect, assuming s/he has the right stuff, but the journey together is very rewarding.


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

You can't be sure if a puppy will have the drives and temperament you need. If I was going to go that route since I already know how to train it and bring it out I would find a 6 month to one year old dog showing the drives I need to at least start with already. At that point I can be reasonably sure about what I'm dealing with. 

Ideally you would have a dog that was super confident and friendly with a healthy prey drive and from lines with proven fight drive or at least nice defensive drives. If you got a dog that was already trained you can expect to drop at least 15k. Anything lower than that and you better start looking really hard because something is probably wrong.

If you really need a ppd make sure it's trained to go when you call for it. Don't fall for those romantic stories of dogs that will naturally protect you with no training. A dog that does it on command is a ppd dog. A dog that does it when he feels like it is probably a walking law suit. Huge difference.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

I would not want to buy a pre trained dog. I'd much rather support a good breeder that is producing what I like and get a pup to train myself....I want to be involved in every step of the journey.
There are many PP businesses that charge outrageous prices, they market themselves to the rich and famous using buzzwords~elite or executive. The dogs may or may not be what they claim, seeing some video's from one well known one....well...I think the business owners are laughing all the way to the bank. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/us/12dogs.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0


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## carmspack (Feb 2, 2011)

the ideal situation would be to get an untrained dog (for purpose) , which has been thoroughly and properly socialized , with basic useful house hold obedience . A great deal about the dog will be known, whether he is appropriate or not. 

This allows you to continue with training that you feel you need.

to buy the pre-trained dog though you have to watch out for disgusting scamsters who will exploit the fear of women that feel vulnerable . They will blow that out of proportion for their own gain. They will sell something for exorbitant prices and offer totally inappropriate , even fear reactive dogs saying that this is the protection.

Those unethical sellers are the ones that need to be feared, sometimes more than the situation the woman is trying to protect herself from. 

A good solid dog will fill your needs .


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Even then youre looking at thousands to train unless you know how yourself and even then you need the equipment volunteers and that kind if thing. You need to be trained. This isnt the kind of thing you read a book about or watch a few dvds and become an expert on.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Depending on your timeline...a trained PPD dog will be available now. A person that knows what they're doing, does it for a living, and has had the plan to train and sell a dog, can do it much quicker than a novice that has never done this type of training.

Not only are you going to have to find a person to help you train this dog, you'll have to pay that person, and you'll have to work that dog yourself. Sure, your bond is there, but if you want/need this dog ready quickly and working as a PPD...getting a trained one or a partially trained one is the only way to go.

Assume that at best your dog will be ready for PPD work at about 3 years old if you're going to be doing the training yourself.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Well, the main difference is going to be the cost. A nice puppy will be $1000-$2500 (depending on lines). A trained, adult personal protection dog....I don't even know, probably at least $7500 but I've seen those "estate dogs" doing for like $45k!!


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## Baillif (Jun 26, 2013)

Puppies are a crap shoot. I know a guy who saw the big 90 pound monster knpv mal we have here wanted one like it so he spent 1500 on a malinois for mondioring and come 3-4 months old the dog wasnt getting any bigger. He now has an 8 month old dog the size of a little fox that is clearly a malinois but super small and probably going to stay in the 40 pound range for life. Hes cute and drivey for food but hardly any prey drive not bitey and more or less useless for mondio. So there is that. You at least want a 6 month old so you have an idea of what the dog will be like.


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## Nikki-Rose (Mar 3, 2014)

Thanks guys. This has been helpful. 
Breeders were recommending pre-trained dogs to me because I am wanting a PPD and the train time for one is 3-4 years. 

I do already have a trainer lined up for my future dog that has experience in PPD, and dog sports. But I don't have the time to train one myself. With his training the dog would go with him 2-3 times a weeks for a couple hours each time and I would just have to go once every other week to learn the new commands the dog has been working on. 

Where as with a dog pre-trained I would have to take only a few days off to learn all the commands and the dog would be ready to go. 


My main concern with a pre-trained dog is if it will be friendly enough to do what I need a dog to do as well. 
I am constantly around others so I need the dog to be socialable enough to handle that without a chance of it hurting someone without a command given. 


I saw some people who sell PPD that say their dgs are trained to think for themselves and react with no commands needed. That sounds dangerous to me as sometimes friends and I play around with hitting each other and stuff. I wouldn't want a dog that mistakes play as a serious situation.


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