# A dogs worth



## doubleclucker (Mar 17, 2005)

Buying a pure bred dog can cost $500 or more, than add about $500 for professional training. Would you pay $1,000 for a trained dog?


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## quackattack (Sep 27, 2003)

By the time my dog (Scout) is all done with I will have paid somewhere in that ballpark. Thats not counting the cost of toys, kennels/crates, grooming equip,training tools, FOOD, VET BILLS, etc. I got my dog about a week ago and it cost $350 plus training is anywhere from $500-$1500.
They are a costly investment, but they are good investment.
Just my 2 cents


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## zogman (Mar 20, 2002)

Well you can forget the 4 years at a university and the frat parties :lol: 
Most dogs are happy to ride with you so they don't need their own car  
You get the picture :beer: I could go on and on.................
My first wife took our chessy when she left. I still miss him :withstupid:


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## tumblebuck (Feb 17, 2004)

$1,000 is just a start.....and now I have two of them! 

Just spent $200+ on a vet visit for the pup tonight.


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## birddog131 (Oct 28, 2004)

500 for training??? I want to go to your trainer! Most trainers I have found charge between 2-500 a month for training:
I simply couldn't afford to send my hounds to trainers so I put time in. $1000 bucks for a "trained" dog...is very inexpensive: $1000 bucks for even a "started" dog is VERY reasonable: 
My lab will hunt with the best of them, but is not trained fully (no hand signals consistantly, etc.) He'll sit at your side and go get ducks/geese though: 
The initial investment of a dog is VERY MINOR in comparison to the costs of having that dog for 10 years....
Are you looking at buying or selling a dog?


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## doubleclucker (Mar 17, 2005)

I would love another dog but I have three. One is 14, one is 13 & one is two with bad hips. I would love to work with dogs - train, but I guess with anything, it takes time. Just thought I would throw a feeler. Thanks.


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## snowsforlife (Mar 27, 2005)

I train my dogs by myself and i seem to do fine?... I have never had to bring a dog to a trainer


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## Springer (Dec 21, 2004)

I've never had any trouble with my dogs training me. Why would you need a Professional.


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## strand (Sep 29, 2004)

A fully finished dog sells from 2,000 to 10,000 dollars or more. I feel it is more rewarding doing the training yourself, but if you do not have the time, a good pro cannot be beat.

I think springer summed it up nicely :lol:


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## PJ (Oct 1, 2002)

The biggest thing with dogs is that you have to be CONSISTENT. Positve reinforcement. And there's no substitute for experience. My dad's buddie has two lab cross farm dogs that are awesome pheasant hunters because they go just about every weekend in the fall.


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## ej4prmc (Dec 3, 2004)

What the hell ever happened to training your own dog? uke: If you truely want a dog to be proud of you do it yourself! :bop: :run: :bs:


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

> I feel it is more rewarding doing the training yourself, but if you do not have the time, a good pro cannot be beat.


I agree that doing the training yourself is rewarding but it is not always possible. I've seen more than one would be self trainer that has ruined a good dog because they didn't know what they were doing. Anyone can train a dog to do the fido stuff like fetch, sit, and play dead but serious field training requires some training of your own self and it does take a lot of time. Keep in mind that even if you do have a pro train your dog it isn't as simple as shipping off the dog and getting one back all ready to go. A good trainer will require yourself to attend a few sessions for your own training, to learn how to properly handle the dog in the field according to the method he has trained the dog. Never met a hunter yet that wasn't proud of their dog whether they trained them or had help.


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## ej4prmc (Dec 3, 2004)

Being a "owner" of a dog is more than just feeding it. *I*feel that if you don't have the time to train a dog you shouldn't "own" one. A real man don't go around just sire-ing children only to let other people take care of their kids! If you don't have the time needed to raise the child/dog in the apropriate manner don't have them. A true bond comes from raising/training the dog, It learns to TRUST you, not someone else who is giving it some command. *I* feel the dog should be your partner in the field, but I know some people feel their dog is just that a dog. I just love the feeling of being a proud "parent" when my dog works a single bird for a quarter/half mile, only to be able to do my part a kill the bird, I think my dog has a smile on her face while fetching the bird back. I also have learned to trust my dog and her abilities(spelling) One of my dogs pasted away last year and my other is in the process of die-ing and I am not going to get another for a while becuase of the job and my lack of time for a pups training. I am not a believer in letting other poeple raise my "child"


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## redlabel (Mar 7, 2002)

Training a dog to be an acceptable hunting companion is not rocket science. It does take time, but it can be done in as little as 15 minutes a day if done with consistnecy.

If you want a fied trial placer that's another story, but then I want to hunt with a hunting dog not a field trial dog.


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## griffman (Jan 17, 2004)

What is a dog's worth? *PRICELESS!

*

A good dog is the most important tool you have as a hunter. You'll bag more birds with a 870 express and a good dog than with an average dog and a citori!

IMO, the only two things you can't skimp on are a dog and a pair of boots.

If someone said, you could hunt with a "great" dog for $100 a year for the next 10 years.(amounting to about $3 a day if you hunt 30 times a season). Would you do it?

Or, would you opt to hunt with an "average" dog, for say $30 a year for 10 years.(amounting to about $1 a day @ 30 hunts).

Now, thats not to say some $300 dogs are not better than some $1000 dogs, but odds are they are usually not. Pedigree is a great investment. Kinda like insurance. Good breeders will give guarantees for hip dysplasia, other defects. The real good breeders will "make it right" for you if you are unhappy with the performance of your dog. They may offer money back, a new pup, help in training your dog, etc.etc... these are things the "backyard" breeders can't and won't offer with a $200-$300 puppy.

Professional breeders back their product and offer a quality product that is almost always guaranteed. Thus the high initial cost.

As with most anything nowdays....you get what you pay for. I for one, am NOT willing to take a chance on "average" pedigree. I've never been that "lucky" of a guy to turn garbage into gold, I don't see that changing by buying an unproven background dog!

I've wasted money a lot worse ways than paying high dollar for a dog! Keep in mind we're not talking about just any dog here, we're talking about a hunting dog. Hell, people are willing to pay $1000 or MORE for a pug or chiahaua(sp)! There are very few things in this life that I love more than hunting, if I have to spend big money on a dog to enhance my experiences in the field, it's well worth it to me! :2cents:

*disclaimer* It is not my intent to put down low priced dogs! Some of the best dogs I've seen have been low dollar or even free! My point is that I feel it is not a bad investment to spend big dollars on a dog. Another thing a top dollar dog may bring to the table is TRUE committment. Anyone who is willing to spend big money on a pup, is probably willing to committ to the extensive training and care that goes with the making of a great gundog. Example- If I spent $1000 on a pup, I damn sure would do everything I had to do to turn that dog into a good one! If I spent $100 on a pup I may not be as willing to work as hard.


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## Gohon (Feb 14, 2005)

I don't know what this "a real man" hog wash is suppose to represent but it certainly doesn't represent credibility. As one person pointed out it may be possible to train a field dog in as little as 15 minutes a day but the results will most likely not be very rewarding. Several short sessions a day is the usual norm and some people simply don't have this time available to them because of work or other matters. To tell these people they shouldn't own a dog because they may be working long hours, family obligations, or what ever is ridiculous. There is nothing wrong with hiring a pro to help train your dog if needed.


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## Remmi_&amp;_I (Dec 2, 2003)

griffman said:


> IMO, the only two things you can't skimp on are a dog and a pair of boots.
> 
> quote]
> 
> That is all that needs to be said! :beer:


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

I don't believe in buying a purebred dog. I have owned $50 hunting dogs my entire life and am one of the most dedicated out there. I have spoken to my fair share of purebred breeders and everyone has told me their best hunters were crossbreds.

My first couple of dogs were labs and now I have a brittany/springer cross. She is a hunting freak...ducks, geese, pheasants, grouse....doesn't matter, she just wants to hunt.

I am more concerned about what the parents look like, the temperment, and their hunting background and not what they look like on paper.

For the purebred people out there that may want to slam me, I am sorry, but I will always have a crossbred hunter. I am not saying your dog isn't good or that mine is the best. I am just saying that a good hunting dog can be found for less than a $100. All of my hunting partners have purebreds (labs, drathhar, GSP) and they are all great dogs. They hunt excellent, but mine keeps the pace and I shoot just as many birds as they do in the course of a year and I saved myself the money that they didn't.

Two of them vowed to not go with purebreds after they retire theirs.


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

All the basic training, commands, etc. can be taught in the average city lot with 15 mins to 1/2 hour consistent training per day. But there comes a time when the pup must graduate and go on to higher learning.
The biggest problems people living in urban areas face at this point as I see it, are:
1) access to a place with reasonable cover to work the dog under a semblance of hunting conditions.
2) access to birds, birds, and more birds. There is no substitute for birds when training a bird dog. Training a bird dog using dummys only is really limited and is only a start. Exposing a young dog to his first "real" birds on the opener is a recipe for disaster! Even an experienced well trained bird dog on opening day with no "tune up" when excitement, guns going off, losts of birds, multipe flushes, etc. often results in loss of control and frustration, especially if he/she hasn't been worked much or at all, on real birds since the previous season.

I always wondered why someone with some land and birds could do well setting up shop near to urban areas, rent out their training fields by the hour, half day, etc. and sell birds (wing clips,flying pigeons, maybe pen raised pheasants. chukar or quail for final training) Probably a lot of would-be trainers out there could do their own training or at least a much better job of training and "tuning up" their dogs BEFORE the opener. Would make the ourdoors much quieter on the opener - less cussing and yelling at Fido busting birds out there!! Ha! I'm sure we've all been there - done that!


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