Training Older Dog

Get Easy With Training an Older Dog - Basic Tips & Tricks to be Followed for Training Older Dogs

For most, training an older dog is more difficult than training puppies. This is because you are teaching your puppy to learn and get exposed to totally new and fresh things and basics. On the other hand, older dogs have already gone through the learning phase of their lives and this makes it difficult to make them to unlearn certain things and learn some new ones. In some aspects, dogs share similar traits which human beings do. Meaning, as they age, they begin to get more used to or get set in things they have already learned. At some point of time, you might feel the aptness of the phrase, 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'. But grass is greener on the other side and in fact, it might be easier to train an older dog than in case of a puppy. One of the facts which might support this statement is the fact that the older canines have better attention spans and they are more mature to get hold of what you are trying to teach them. So let's browse through the different methods which you can put to use for training older dogs.

Training an Older Dog

Before jumping on to the techniques for dog training, here are some more reasons why you should feel that the task won't be so difficult. It is true that nearly all dogs who are over the age of 5 know what it means when someone says 'No'. To add to this, older dogs are calmer and less restless than the young ones. So, this makes it easy for them to focus on the training. Apart from these, older canines are able to interpret the dominance of their masters and this might make it easy for them to accept your leadership.

The first training lesson that should go into practice while training a puppy is to teach him to understand and follow your commands. However, as mentioned, here we are talking about an animal who is mature and may not respond to any of your commands so effectively, no matter how much you try. So, let your pet do his stuff and you take the advantage. For instance, if you see your dog sitting in a place, you say 'sit' and reward him with a treat or make him feel that he has done a good job. Repeat this method every time he sits and eventually he will sit on your command. Likewise, you can also use other commands like stay, come, heel, lie, etc.

The next module would be about training older dogs to pee outside or to go potty outdoors. Choose a spot outside for your dog to do his stuff and bring him to the same place each time. If your dog is taking a longer time than needed, be patient and praise him in every potty training session. Repeat this frequently and after some days put him on a regular potty schedule. That is, in the morning, after meals or after play and at nigh before bed time. It is a good idea to accompany him each time he goes out for his needs and do not forget to praise him. Not to mention, use phrases like 'Go toilet' or 'Wanna pee?' or whatever you think is a suitable command.
While house training older dogs and even puppies, it is obvious that accidents might occur indoors and when they do, do not burn your brains shouting at the animal or punishing him. This would do no good for the purpose of the training. Instead, get rid of the mess quietly and carry on with the training. Make it a point that you clean traces of urine or feces from indoor accidents with products which would also get rid of any odor or scent. This is because, if your dog gets any scent or odor, he would assume that he has found the toilet spot and thus, the accident may be repeated. To prevent accidents from occurring at night, lessen the amount of water and food at dinner time.

Older dogs who did not undergo proper behavioral training have the tendency to bite their new owners. The main factor which gives rise to such kind of a behavior in an adult dog is when the animal starts assuming himself as a pack leader and takes the house as his possessions and may think that the owner is trying to usurp him. Simple tricks to training older dogs not to bite include putting away toys away from his access after having played with him, and not allowing him to get on your furniture. Commanding him to stay down for about 20 – 40 minutes and feeding him after you have had your meal also helps in making him understand that you are the pack leader and not he. Talking about training older dogs to hunt, well it might give you a tough time. This is because, hunting takes long years of practice and it also depends upon the type of breeds. For instance, Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and Springer Spaniels have in their natural instincts to to want to go after, retrieve, and return a shot game. However, even they need to undergo rigorous training modules for this.

So that does it for most important and basic tips and tricks to be followed for training older dogs. Te task is easy, as well as, difficult. All what is needed is diligent attempt from your side with loads of patience and consistency! Whatever you do, just make sure you maintain an unbreakable and wonderful bond with your canine friend.

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