Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks!
February 4, 2012
The old idiom “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” does not necessarily sound true. It may require added patience and a little bit of an alternative approach, but in some ways it can even be better to teach tricks to an older dog than to a young dog, or a puppydog.
Older dogs are rather a lot calmer than puppies, which can very often make dog training methods simpler as they can be more easy to work with. They are less prone to distraction, becoming confused, or having a negative emotive reaction to your attempts. Older dogs are more patient.
You will , naturally, need to be patient too , as you're employed with your dog. Some older dogs, if they haven't experienced dog training and don't very well understand the method of being taught a trick, may take more time and effort than others.
Be consistent in your approach to teaching your older dog, and in your replies to their successes and failures. It's important with all dog training that the dog be in a position to understand what you are doing and why, which is only learned thru past experience and repetition.
Reward good behavior with treats and praise, but don't punish your dog for making boo-boos. Stay firm and consistent, and let them earn their rewards, which will fill them with pride.
As long as your dog is physically able to do hence she or he should be well placed to learn just about any trick. If the dog is extremely old, running and jumping may be a bit more difficult, but there are a bunch of tricks which are still pretty simple for an old-timer. Try teaching your dog to sit, speak, or heel, for example.
You will have to keep your dog training sessions relatively brief, as older dogs will tire more quickly, but if you keep with it, stay patient and consistent, you can definitely teach him dog tricks.
Teaching dog tricks has never been so simple with the help of this dog forum dedicated to dog tricks.
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