Fed up with puddles on the floor and barks at the wind? Dog lovers can now pay £15,000 for a pre-trained six-month-old pup
Published: | Updated:
Puddles on the floor, chewing the sofa and barking at the wind... it's all part of the joys, and frustrations, of training a new puppy.
But dog lovers can now pay an eye-watering premium of around £15,000 to avoid that phase altogether – and get a six-month-old pup who comes fully house-trained and can sit on command.
There has long been a market for pre-trained dogs for the rich and famous, including Game of Thrones actress Indira Varma, who bought her cocker spaniel from a high-end kennel service.
But specialist dog trainers say there is now increasing interest from busy families or retirees keen to avoid the demanding early days of caring for a puppy, and are prepared to pay up to ten times the normal cost of a pedigree pooch for the privilege.
Antonia Mitchell, founder of The Trained Dog Company in Surrey, told The Mail on Sunday she saw a gap in the market after Covid, when there was a spike in demand for pets by first-time owners who struggled to train them.
She said: 'The dogs leave us with loose lead walking, one hundred per cent recall, ability to settle in cafes and pubs, manners around doorways, neutrality to all people, dogs and livestock. It takes time.'
Dog lovers can now pay an eye-watering premium of around £15,000 for a a six-month-old pup who comes fully house-trained and can sit on command
Specialist dog trainers say there is now increasing interest from busy families or retirees keen to avoid the demanding early days of caring for a puppy Pictured: Trained puppy dog Leo
Ashley Davis, head trainer at Trident Elite Family Protection Dogs in Leicestershire, added: 'They wanted to skip the chewing and toilet-training stage in the house, and welcome home a well-socialised, balanced family pet from day one.'
Dogs are only available from six months, in accordance with laws to prevent puppy farming.
One pre-trained puppy owner, who asked not to be named, bought her pup Leo on retiring.
She said: 'The time, expertise and care invested in Leo's early development have given us a confident, well-adjusted companion and allowed us to enjoy life with him from the very first day.'
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.