subject: Training Your Older Dog [print this page] Training Your Older Dog Training Your Older Dog
Mention dog training and most people think of a puppy being shown the basic commands. Actually, you might have heard that it is difficult to train a mature dog. Thankfully, for most people who have adopted an older dog, this is not true and, actually, you can teach an old dog new tricks!
Dogs learn something totally new every day, so teaching a mature dog doesn't need to be ay harder than teaching a pup. It depends on your dog, the improper habits he's acquired and the attitude toward learning.
One thing to consider is that an older dog may have some issues with sight and hearing that require to be taken into consideration when training. Make sure you speak your commands loudly and that the dog can see your hand signals. If you're far away out of your dog and call him up and he doesn't come, it could be because he can't hear you and not necessarily because he isn't obeying the command.
Additionally, older dogs might possibly not have the equivalent energy as a young puppy so you might want to make services less strenuous and for shorter time periods. This will depend on age the dog, of course. A senior dog will have less stamina than one that's 3 or 4 years of age.
Adopting a mature dog can be rewarding, but he may come along with some bad habits which can be a challenge to interrupt him of. Don't give up on your older dog, though as it can be done. You need to keep in mind that a few of these bad behaviors happen to be ingrained in your pet for several years and it could take some special persistence to fix them.
Something that can really help your dog be as alert and available to training as you possibly can is to ensure he gets the proper nutrition. Be sure to feed him a great commercial food or prepare homemade foods for him. Either way, you want to ensure the most of his diet comes from meat. Be sure you buy a quality food that lists meat since the first ingredient and it has no "by products" about the label.
Training a mature dog can be a bit more of a challenge but it can also be very rewarding. Remember, your dog is a pack animal by proper training you are able to become established since the alpha dog inside your little pack. Training your dog properly helps him to be well behaved along with a pleasure to be around.
