Many people prefer to purchase an 8 week old pup, so that they can ensure the pup is raised to their standards. This certainly is a benefit to buying a pup; however, today, I am going to discuss tips on buying a dog that’s older than a year.

Over the years, I have bought a couple of dogs at the age of 1.5 years. Neither dog had done much on stock, but also did not have any BAD habits with regards to stock. To me, this is more important than actually being trained. I actually bought both without first meeting them.

Tweed came to me because he was from some of my breeding at the time, but he developed an overbite and the owner wanted a breeding stud dog. I took him, had him neutered, and then trained him from scratch. He was a tremendous working & trial dog. He is still with us at the age of fourteen!

Here is a picture of Tweed in his younger days.

A few years ago, I messaged a friend to see if they had any dogs available under the age of two, and she sent me a video of a 1.5 year old, Bryn. Bryn was just doing a bit of balance work, as my friend had been too busy to train her. I liked the way Bryn moved, so I thought I would give her a try. She is now my top competing dog and is a wonderful little worker. She has won the 2024 Calgary Stampede & the 2025 Western Canadian Double Lift Field Trial.

Here is CWS Bryn

I also bought a fully trained five year old dog from Wales, Kinloch Bee. Once again, I knew the owner and trusted her opinions and advice. Bee worked immediately for me and was one of the most talented dogs I have ever owned. My dream dog!

It did take almost a year before we fully understood each other while competing. This is because she was fully trained and had all the buttons & whistles to compete at the top levels of sheep field trials. I had to learn and adapt to her needs.

Here is Kinloch Bee

I would highly recommend more novice handlers get a started or lightly started dog. It will cost more than a puppy, but will save hours of frustration and you will know what you are getting. A softer, quieter, started dog would be so much easier to learn with, as opposed to a novice handler starting a novice dog.

Here are three key tips for purchasing an older dog:

1. Know the person you are buying from. Get references or referrals, view their dogs working (practice & competitive), find out how the dog was raised. This can be a deal breaker!

2. Get the health records, DNA tests, etc. A vet check is also useful.

3. Through video or in person, watch the dog work the sheep. Even if it’s just balance work, you can see what the dog is like for its natural ability. If the dog is further along in training, watch it work in several different areas on different stock.

I would never rule out purchasing an older dog, as you can often "see" what you are going to get for their working ability, as opposed to a pup that will take a couple of years to develop. Thorough research can help make the experience a positive one.

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