You may have to travel for the right dog.

To be honest I found the most perfect little man on the many tears site, but they are in wales.... tad far tbh as I don't have my own car so have to rely on parents mainly! Plus it isn't the right time yet, but I totally could just have him now

All of mine are rescues and I just treat them like thay have never had any training and start from scratch.
Poppy was the worst - house training her was a nightmare as she was 5 months old when I got her and she'd spent most of her life in kennels she got used to going whenever and wherever she wanted!! Couple that with a terriers stuborness and tenacity and I had a right battle on my hands!! She got it eventually but even now if it's cold she wees literally on the doorstep Aw well at least it's outside!!!
I think a lot depends on the dog - Kiara is easy to train but as a gsd x bc she's usually one step ahead of me anyway!

Bailey will do anything for food so that made one that quite easy!!

Thanks for the info

I was very lucky with Jessie as she came ready made with impeccable manners, perfect recall and will stay at heel without command just when I need her to! She knows everything I need her to know so I dont actually need to train her as such.

However, she is a very timid, sensitive dog who hates to think she's done anything wrong. If i'm trying to teach her something specific and she doesnt understand, she seems to think i'm going to give her a hard time and basically shuts down. It's incredibly difficult to teach a dog like this. She doesnt do well in classes as the general noise and commotion puts her off and it seems the pressure of her being in a 'formal' training environment is too much for her.

So, I generally dont train her and she knows nothing compared to my other 2 whom i've had from pups. I do a little bit with her now and then but at the end of the day she knows sit, wait, lie down and recalls to voice and whistle so thats all I need from her for her to be safe.

She has started flyball which is a little too chaotic for her taste and she gets worried by the barking, crazy dogs but as soon as she knows she's going to fetch a tennis ball she's able to shrug her fears off. It's a very simple sport and she seems to enjoy it (kind of! Her tail is beginning to rise a little with each class!) so I think I may have found her little niche without her having to learn lots of commands or tricks.

I think certainly in my case, Jessie's previous home had a big part to play in how she reacts to training. Somebody did a very good job teaching her general doggy etiquette and she's the least bothersome out of my 3 but I think the way they taught her the law of the land may not have been so kind and so she's a bit of a worry wart, even after nearly 3 years with me.

As others have said, it can vary greatly depending on the dog.

One thing I would say: if possible be sure you get to walk the dog before you make a definite decision. You'll learn quite a bit that way.

Also, some of the rescue groups (as opposed to organisations e.g. Battersea, RSPCA) do NOT do very thorough assessments of the dog's temperament.

This happened to me and the result was a hellish first month which saw me in tears on a daily basis and all of us scared of Dex's tendency to try and bite...

Thankfully, it has worked out well for us as Dex was simply reacting through fear and tension. But had he been placed with a family with young kids, I think he may have got bounced back to the rescue.

So try and meet the dog more than once and walk him!

SORRY - just realised I've wandered off topic as you were asking about training.....!!! Sorry!

just be aware that some small dogs can still jump pretty high! (i.e. face height) especially when excited etc and you dont know the background.....just expect the unexpected is all I'm saying (in NO way to put you off getting a rescue)

That is a shame about her, but still sounds like a lovely girl

No no don't be sorry at all - any info is good! I never mind my threads wandering if it is all good info! Thanks

Yeah I would like to go for a walk with it

Again that is fine, it is nice to get experiences/info!
I do still definitely want a rescue dog