Training Older Dog

They say that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, are they
right? They are partly right. An older dog will take a heck of a
lot more training and dedication from its handler than a younger
dog will, basically because an older dogs mind is a lot more
“set” in its ways. An older dog will have passed that crucial
period in its life that influences what the dog will behave like
when it is older, therefore it already thinks it knows how to
behave and trying to teach him other ways to behave can take a
lot of time and effort.

It is not impossible but you can’t train an old dog like you
train a puppy. You have to be a little bit stricter on an older
dog because they have a lot more intelligence than a puppy and
know how to drive you round the bend. An older dog will more
likely do something if he thinks its his idea rather than yours,
for example if he goes to sit , say sit and then praise him, he
will think it was his idea and if you keep on repeating this
process sooner or later you will have him sitting on command.
This process will work for many of the commands, like fetch,
come, stay and heel.

In saying that you may find that your older dog is particularly
easy to train, some dogs have a streak of stubbornness which
means they do not train as easily as others but some are a lot
more susceptible to training methods. Training an older dog will
of course be difficult but bad habits need to be broken and long
term habits need to be stopped. Your dog will thank you for it
in the end and the end result will be well worth the trouble.

Training an older dog can be a gruelling task but try making it
fun by joining a class (they are not just for people with
puppies) or try to get some support from family or friends,
invest in some training products like toys and treats, or even
go as far as a training school, but one thing is for sure once
you’ve taught your dog what he needs to know the bond between
you will grow and you will become inseparable.