Pets & Animal Dog Breeds

Train An Older Dog

Talk about dog training and to the majority of people, and it will bring to mind a little puppy being taught fundamental instructions.
Indeed, you may possibly have been told that it is simply not possible for one to teach a mature dog.
Fortunately, for a lot of people that have taken on the training of a more senior dog, this is simply not correct, and the fact is, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! So if you are considering getting an older dog from perhaps a dogs home or refuge, yes you will be able to train him with perhaps just a little more effort and understanding on your part.
One thing that must be born in mind when training dogs, and older dogs are no exception, is that any form of negative reinforcement whilst training, like shouting or physically hitting your dog will be counterproductive.
Dogs discover something totally new every single day, therefore teaching your more mature dog doesn't need to be way harder than for example teaching a young puppy.
However it is dependent on your dog, the undesirable behavior your dog has acquired before you acquired him as well as his attitude with regards to being taught.
A very important factor for one to keep in mind is that your older dog may possibly already have a few difficulties with vision as well as hearing which will need to be taken into account whilst training.
Ensure that you give any instructions loud and clear and make certain that your dog can easily see any hand signals.
If perhaps you are a long way away from your dog and you call him but your dog does not respond, it may possibly be due to the fact that your dog cannot hear you and not always due to the fact that your dog is disobeying your instruction.
Furthermore, more mature dogs will not have the same amounts of energy as a young puppy therefore you may possibly decide to make the training periods not as physically demanding as well as for a shorter duration.
However it is obviously dependent on the age of your dog.
A more senior dog will probably have significantly less stamina than for example a dog which is 3 or 4 years old.
Taking on the responsibility of training an older dog is often very enjoyable, but your dog may possibly come along with a few undesirable habits that sometimes can be challenging to rid him of.
However don't give up on training your mature dog because it can be achieved.
You will need to keep in mind that some of those undesirable habits you have noticed, probably have previously been embedded in your dog for perhaps several years and therefore it may take some determination on your part in order to change them.
One very important factor which can genuinely assist any dog to be attentive as well as open to being trained is to make certain that your dog receives the correct diet.
Make sure you provide your dog with a good quality commercial food or make home made meals for him.
In either case, you need to make sure that the bulk of his food comes from meat.
If purchasing commercial dog food make certain you purchase a top quality product which lists meat as the main ingredient and doesn't list "by products" on the label.
Training an older dog can often be a little more challenging however it can typically be extremely satisfying.
Remember, your dog is a pack animal and by applying the appropriate training you'll be able to become established as the alpha dog within your "little pack".
Training any dog correctly will help him to become well behaved as well as being a delight to be with.
So dog training is not just for the young puppies so don't delay any longer, start training your mature dog now.


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