Canine Training – Training Aged Canines
There is a saying that has plagued elderly dogs for many generations . This saying, ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ is a fantasy . Many species, including humans, absorb new things never confronted before. Everyday like humans, dogs attain new things throughout their life. Even my eleven-year old Yellow Lab is still intellectually alert and craving to learn in new ways. He sleeps on his new sofa dog bed more than usual, but is still very animated to learn.
understanding new behaviors and tricks is often as demanding as unlearning old tricks. Take golf for example, its more arduous to unlearn an unbalanced swing then it is to be educated the right way the first time. Dogs prosper when they have a routine. Changing that routine after years of repetition needs much more time and composure . Attempting to get my old lab to do ‘high five’ was easy , but when i attempt to get him to do ‘shake’ all he wants to do is ‘high five’. It requires a lot of focused instruction and redirection of old routines.
Depending on your canines age, physical limitations could hinder your canine’s ability to be taught new tricks. A two-year-old canine has the greater ability for retrieval, jumping, running, or obstacle course maneuvering . The older canine , though able and eager in it’s younger years, may often desire to do all those things, but tires more easily and becomes distracted more often. If you’re going to instruct your old dog new tricks, you’re going to need to provide the canine with sufficient dog bedding for quicker recovery of long sessions of training .
Training sessions with your older canine should be for only small periods of time with as many repetitions as able . If you have obstacle courses design them smaller and jumps lower. If you’re bringing your dog for runs make them shorter. If you toss the ball twenty times normally , only toss it a few times. The concept here is to make the lessons and instruction less strenuous and more engaging . You want to keep your older canine attentive and not let them lose focus because they are too fatigued .
Always give your canine the chance to recover from a training session. Let the canine have a longer time to recover between sessions. Be sure not to forget that all canines wish to please their owner so badly that they will risk their own body to do it. Be aware of your canine’s signs of fatigue and never strain them too hard .
Food rewards have always been a positive motivator for any dog . This is still true for older dogs , but only in moderation . We may want to reward our elderly canine for comprehending a new behavior, but older canines can easily be ‘over treated’. They gain weight more quickly and lose pounds less quickly due to an aging metabolism.
We all know the saying, location, location, location for the real estate business . The almost exact saying goes for teaching dogs , consistency, consistency, consistency. If you change the routine in which you deliver a trick the dog will become confused or begin compromising tricks and behaviors together. Be specific with the time of day you teach your dog tricks. Teach them in one area of your lawn and play with them in another. Similar areas for unique lessons help maintain a sense of familiarity as a foundation for new lessons. For example, when you grab the dogs leash, does he/she not correspond that with a walk or car ride? Grab Gather a stick for playtime and grab a tennis ball for lesson time. The canine will still think its having fun but will know the difference in how much focus is needed for the task at hand.
Always try to focus more on building on the canine’s existing strengths, since elderly dogs are less manageable and the instructor more easily discouraged. One canine will be excellent at fetch and release, the other does well with a Frisbee. The point is, rather than push desired behavior, work with each dog’s special strengths. Remember, consistency, and enjoy many more years with your older dog .
