Training an Older Dog

Everyone is well aware that the old saying “you can’t teach old dogs new tricks” is not true. This is because dogs are just like human beings who keep learning something new every day. While this is true, this usually means unlearning old tricks for both dogs and humans. Since dogs are creatures of habit, they will need to continually exercise or practice whatever trick you have taught them. Whatever you teach your dog, you have to remember older dogs can still be trained. There are just some things which you must remember when you are doing so.

Older dogs have a physical limitation. This may sometimes cause an incapacity for a dog to do a trick which you want him to do. Because he is incapable, you might think he cannot learn it. But really, older dogs can get tired easily and loses their interest faster than a younger dog. He can no longer jump as high, run as fast or even keep retrieving items. This is because of his old age.

Try training an older dog with shorter amounts of time but with lots of repetition. You should make his runs shorter and the obstacles should be kept lower. Instead of throwing the ball for fetching 20 times, you can keep repeating it for just two or three times. In addition, older dogs can lose their hearing so don’t think they are ignoring you if they are facing away from your direction or are in a far distance.

Since older dogs require a longer recovery period during his training, you should give him adequate rest. Even if you both are enjoying a game of fetch, you should know when you must stop since dogs can keep playing longer no matter if it is no long safe or healthy for them. Because an older dog’s ligaments can easily stretch more, you should not overdo the training as injuries can occur. With regards to the rewards he receives during a right trick, you must cut down on these. This is because older dogs will have more problems shedding the extra weight off as compared to younger dogs.

Similar to any dog at any age, it is important to be consistent with his training. If you have a constant start and end period everyday for training the dog, it can help cure him and train him better. In addition, you should take him to a place where he is already familiar with so that learning new things will be easier for him.

Because older dogs have a tendency to be less compliant, you should focus more on their current strengths instead. While one dog is good at playing fetch and release, the other dog might not be and will choose to hang onto the ball. Also, there are some dogs which like playing with a Frisbee but there are also others that never seem to like it. The whole point of training though, is to tone what your dog is best good at so that you can get a desired behavior from him.