Advice And Techniques for Training Older Dogs
In the past, someone who was looking for a dog almost always bought, or adopted, a puppy. But these days it is just as likely that a prospective dog owner will head for the local shelter and bring home an older dog.
This is a laudable trend and one that I hope with continue to grow but it does raise some issues. For example, unlike a puppy that can be taught patterns of behavior, older dogs come with established ways of being, and sometimes with major behavioral problems like anxiety and aggression.
Often this will result in the dog being taken back to the shelter, which is a pity because most dogs, regardless of age or temperament, are trainable if you employ a good method and put in the hours required.
Before you begin with training though, there are two beliefs you need to eradicate. The first is that the dog needs, or deserves, your pity.
It’s a sad reflection on our society that many of these dogs have been beaten, mistreated and abused, but unfortunately you can’t change that. What you can do is provide love, care and affection. You can show them that not all humans are like those that have hurt them. But pity plays no role in this.
Dogs are quite willing to forgive and forget, so focus your energy instead on creating a stable environment, and providing consistent leadership and positive training.
The other fallacy is that a “difficult” dog can somehow be forced into compliance with negative training methods. This is quite simply untrue.
Barbaric methods like choke chains and shock collars have no place in modern dog training. No responsible trainer uses them and if one so much as suggests you do, take your dog elsewhere.
No only that, but they can be dangerous. You may be dealing with a dog that was previously abused by these methods, and if so, they dog may well attack you. This treatment of a previously abused dog may also cause other behavioral problems, so there really is no dividend in negative training methods. Just don’t do it.
What approach should you take? Start with the basics, crate training, potty training if required and then some obedience work. Keep it positive and reward based with lots of praise and treats, and remember that dogs can learn at any age.
Be mindful that your results will be less predictable than if you were training a puppy, and that you’ll need tons of patience and persistence.
Also keep in mind that dogs are individuals. Breed, age and other factors all affect trainability, but even within the same breed there are variances of personality. With a dog that has been adopted there’s also the added complication of past events influencing how the dog reacts.
But it can be done, and in fact there are a number of well-known Hollywood canine stars, including Higgins (the lovable pooch who played Benji on TV), who were former shelter dogs.
Find out more about dog training, dog walking, dog health and other useful dog info at dogsanddogtraining.com.
Tags: dog obedience training, dog training, dog training tips, dogs
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