Tips For Training Older Dogs

A dog is a man’s best friend. There is love between them and a sense of real companionship. But only love is not enough to control an unruly dog. You need to teach your pet to be obedient. And obedience and good behavior comes only through training. It’s a fact that whenever you think of training a dog, the first picture that comes to mind is that of training a young puppy. Also, there is this age old belief that it is impossible to teach old dogs, new tricks. To a certain extent, this is true because unlike a puppy, an old dog becomes much more set in its ways. It has by now formed its own habitual behaviors, perceptions, and most importantly its individual attitude. So, training an old dog is something completely different from training a puppy. It’ll need more dedication, effort, discipline, strictness, and, yes cunningness too. Cunningness to make your dog believe that whatever it does was its idea in the first place. Here are some methods that are practical and easy for any dog owner to apply if they wish to train their old dog. These tips will help you become a responsible owner of an obedient dog who listens to your commands and does not embarrass you in public.

 

Whilst training an old dog has its own challenges, nevertheless it’s not impossible. Training your old dog will only improve mutual communication. 

Only One Trainer
Have only one person in the family to train the dog. Ideally, the most authoritative person in the family should take this privilege. Just make sure the same verbal commands are used every time, so that your dog is not confused. 

The Concept Of The Alpha Dog
Understand that your housedog is actually a descendent of the wolf family. Hence, it considers you and your household a pack or family. All packs have a leader whom they follow. So, act the role of the alpha dog in your family. Be firm and consistent with your pet. Make it understand that your word is the law. You can achieve this by not giving way to its wishes always and involving the dog in things, initiated by you. However, if over the years you have been consigned to a lower position in the mind of the dog you’ll have to work harder to attain that status. 

Sell Your Ideas To Your Dog As If They Were Its
For instance, if your dog is about to sit down of its own accord, say, “sit” and then praise it. Give the dog a treat if you have one at hand. Soon enough, with regular repetition, it will learn to understand the association, and obey your command. You can do the same thing with ‘come’, ‘fetch’, ‘heel’ and other such commands. Remember that much like humans, dogs also have their own pace of learning, so, respect it and do not force your way. Your pet is not young anymore and you’ll end up straining it instead. 

One Command At A Time
Teach your dog only one command at a time. Move on to the next only when it has fully learnt to obey the first.

Physical Limitations Due To Age
Unlike a puppy, your old dog will get easily tired and loose interest faster due to the onset of age. So, you’ll need to reduce the training time, and allow longer breaks to the dog. Be patient and do not over work your pet as it might cause injury. 

Reward Your Dog
Never forget to reward or praise your dog when it obeys your command. This will make your dog associate a reward/praise with the command, and hence it will do the task more willingly. Do not punish or scold your dog, which will only demotivate or scare it. Positive reinforcement is always better and more fruitful than any negative reinforcement. 

Understand The Behavior
Study your dog’s behavior. If needed keep a journal. Keep notes on how it responds to different commands, the tone of commands (cheerful/stern) etc. Keep track of its span of interest and the like. This will help you immensely in knowing what its existing strengths are, and then you can work on them instead of forcing too much.