Buying a started or trained dog has its advantages, but they come with a fair amount of risks and challenges as well.

The price tag for a started dog will be from $1000-3000 depending on the amount of training and the pedigree. A finished dog can be as much as $5000. While those seem high, if you add up all the time, food, and veterinary care, the trainer isn't getting rich.

First issue with started dogs is the reason they're being sold. Most are wash outs from hunt test/trials. That might mean they're not especially driven, which is probably just fine for a hunter. But it might mean aren't very biddable or are unmanagable in the field.

A started dog most likely has been kenneled all its life. It may or may not ajust to family life. My dog is kept indoors most of the time, it might be a challenge to get a kennel dog to settle down in the house. Plus they won't be house trained.

The biggest challenge is getting a started/trained dog to bond to you and work for you. That bond makes the difference between a dog that works and a dog that doesn't. In my opinion its much easier to develop a bond with a puppy than a trained dog, not that it can't be done.

As for labs being hyper, that's just code for being out of control. If you don't train and work with your dog regularly from 7 weeks to 3 years of age, you're going to have a hyper dog (unless you're blessed with an extremely mellow dog). That goes for ANY retriever or pointer.

If you're interested in a started/trained dog, check out http://www.working-retriever.com/ads/started.html