I'm in California. I am picking my new pup up in Texas. I would like to drive (2-3 days) but not sure a good idea with a new one? I am planning on putting the new pup with a live in trainer for a couple weeks prior to pick up. I'm a senior, never had a dog but they all seem to like me. My friends say I'm nuts. Any advice?
So much of training is about bonding I don't know how much use getting someone else to do it would be. Especially at that young age, I don't know what you could expect a trainer to really achieve for you in a few weeks. Youd also have to be really confident the trainer was going to do all the socialisation that is essential and not use harsh techniques that could have long term consequences. You'd be missing out on getting your puppy used to the things that are relevant in your life (in my case this would include cat, chickens, neighbour's sheep but also all the normal household noises and activities) I do most of my dog's training and not all of it is that transferable to my partner, though things got better when I persuaded my partner to use more training treats. The advantage of picking up your dog later would be improved bladder capacity but that's still a very long journey for a puppy.
