Started Dogs

[ruffbritt4]

Has anybody had an experience with a started dog good or bad? The biggest concern is that the dog was not in a house, and is a field trial dog that runs big and will not stay in the yard. Any help would be appreciated!

[Maurice]

Dogs that I start and sell are kennel dogs but well socialized.. When someone comes to look at them and they ask me if it will do well in the house I tell them the truth. I have no idea and they might be better served by getting a pup and raising it in the house. Most that took the chance and bought a young pointer from me have been real pleased how the dog adjusted to their home and routine. The main thing, will the new owner put the time in or will they punt at the 1st accident or mishap. They also have to come here and see the dogs in person, that helps me determine if it will work or not.

Mo

[whatsnext]

If the dog is worth anything in the field housebreaking the pup should be fairly painless and with older pups one benefit is they can hold off having to relieve themselves longer.

[birddog1968]

Kennel dogs that have spent the first year in a kennel usually transition very easily to the home.....

Im not sure how to handle your staying in the yard question, any dog left without boundaries is going to move beyond the confines of a "yard", big running or not.

[duckn66]

Kennel dogs that have spent the first year in a kennel usually transition very easily to the home.....

Im not sure how to handle your staying in the yard question, any dog left without boundaries is going to move beyond the confines of a "yard", big running or not.

This ^^. NO dog should be left unattended to run at will.

On another note. Last year I got a free English Pointer off of here. Well started. Never hunted (that I know of) just trained and had birds shot over him in a controlled environment.

He was 5 when I got him. Fantastic dog. He had never spent much time in the house and is still a kennel dog but he comes inside on occasion and is just as quiet as a church mouse. He goes around and inspects things then jumps up on the couch beside me and watches TV with me.

Making sure a bigger running dog is what I wanted to hunt with would be of more concern than whether he will transition to the house or not.

[Nutmeg247]

I acquired a started dog at 7 months roughly a year ago, that had been in a kennel and never been in a house. We had maybe 5 total accidents that I wouldn't call housebreaking per se (some were my fault for not recognizing that he wanted to go, and he selected a part of the house with a stone floor that is pretty close to being outside). The breeder was clear the dog had been clean in his kennel, but I don't have the experience to know whether dogs for whom this is true housebreak easier, or not.

Countersurfing was an issue, but is for most dogs. He was well-socialized overall. TV was an experience for him at first. He settled in very easily. Crate training was easy.

I hadn't seen the dog before he got off the plane, which was a leap of faith. My reason for getting a started dog was in part that I could deal with some onboarding issues with an older dog, but skip some of the teething and other puppie issues. I asked a lot of specific questions about the pup before I got him in terms of personality and so forth.

I had looked at rescue in addition to getting a started pup. After getting rejected by a couple rescues because I hunted, the started dog seemed an easy decision.

I definitely agree that any dog is going to roam from the yard. I live in a suburban part of Vegas, so for the inevitable time when the dog dashes out the front door, spent a good bit of time working on a reliable recall. He came from the breeder already somewhat car-savvy, so that was a plus.

[Steve007]

Ifor the inevitable time when the dog dashes out the front door, spent a good bit of time working on a reliable recall.

I aeree with everyone here, but especially duckn66,who wrote:

NO dog should be left unattended to run at will.

However,dashing out the front door is NOT inevitable. Just sit the dog before going out, and use a release word to allow him to move.Same for getting out of a car. NOt without a release word. Consistency is all. Squashed dogs are a downer. Recall is (obviously) important, but letting him get out of control at house or car door is easy to prevent.

[AZ Brittany Guy]

It seems like every bird dog kennel has a different definition of the word "started". Just make sure you understand what the sellers definition of started is.

[Nutmeg247]

Ifor the inevitable time when the dog dashes out the front door, spent a good bit of time working on a reliable recall.

I aeree with everyone here, but especially duckn66,who wrote:

NO dog should be left unattended to run at will.

However,dashing out the front door is NOT inevitable. Just sit the dog before going out, and use a release word to allow him to move.Same for getting out of a car. NOt without a release word. Consistency is all. Squashed dogs are a downer. Recall is (obviously) important, but letting him get out of control at house or car door is easy to prevent.

I definitely agree with everything you suggest here as well in terms of not having the dog get out to begin with.