Posts Tagged ‘training older dog’
Ways To Train An Older Dog
You can teach an old dog new tricks but it would take much more effort to be able to do that. Training an older dog needs a proper mind-set. Older dogs are already through with that stage in their lives where they are shaped and influenced on how they would behave or act. Older dogs, same with humans, have established their behavior already and this means a more difficult training. As a trainer or owner, you may have to display more dominance in instructing an older pet compared with a puppy because older dogs have already learned some things during the past and they can manipulate the retraining done. Some older dogs understand things better so things could run along more smoothly. It would be a little more difficult to change the bad habits. Staying patient and sticking with it will pay off down the road. This will be rewarding not only to you but to the dog as well.
There are still more things you need to consider before the start of the training. Older canines and pups are quite different. You have to understand that dogs may have some health problems. Bare in mind that older dogs compared to younger ones have different physical capabilities.
You must make sure your dog is in good shape. Due to old age, some dogs may have developed some health problems. They could also be overweight and this will affect your training. The best thing you could do is to go to a veterinarian if you are in doubt. Some of these older canines may not be able to hear as well as they once could and their joints may be stiff. You are not dealing with a puppy here. Some dogs may experience some pain when you teach them to jump or roll over. If he does not respond to your commands, try to observe his physical condition. The reason that he may not lie down or jump is because it is to painful. Something else you may run into is that your dog may not hear very well. Some older canines don’t hear quite as well so some of the training may be affected. Using certain signals may help if you run into this problem. By doing this, even if his hearing is going he will still be able to understand. Of course, a lot of patience is needed to train dogs with this problem.
Understand that older dogs are not as active as puppies. Their physical abilities may be affected by their age. Do not forget that there are limits to what a dog with some age can do.
Put some effor into it and make it fun.
Same techniques could be used in training old dogs and puppies, however the exerted effort is different. Invest in some training tools and join training classes for the dog. This will improve the bond between the two of you. Just like in all training programs, rewards and praises should be used while training an old dog. Show enthusiasim and support and stay away from force. Don’t get angry or frustrated when he can’t get what you want him to do. In a short while, you will have the result you wanted and all the hard work you and your dog had will pay off.
training an older dog.
training a mature dog is possible, but it needs to have at least some basic obedience. There is not much chance of teaching it to do tricks if it is a badly behaved dog in the first place.
The basic commands such as sit, down, heel etc, should be known by your dog before trick training starts, because this will make things so much easier later on. Once these have been mastered, you can start to build on them and your dog will soon be entertaining your friends with the following three simple tricks.
Begging.
Have your dog sit in a corner of the room with his/her back to the wall while you stand in front of him/her. The walls will back up your dog and give it the confidence that he/she won’t fall over if he/she lifts his/her front legs off the floor.
Take some small pieces of food and hold them above your dog whilst enticing him to reach up for it. Praise him/her every time it takes the food and repeat this procedure slowly making him reach higher each time.
Whilst encouraging the dog to reach up for the food, you have to make sure that he is keeping his haunches on the ground. This can be achieved by moving the food forwards over his/her head slightly making the dog shift its weight back over its hindlegs,which will teach him/her to keep its balance.
When you dog has practised the begging trick a number of times in the corner of the room, you can gradually start to move away from the wall and get you dog to do it where it has no back support. You should expect at this stage that the dog seems to go backwards in its learning, but this is perfectly normal until the dog can to master it by just using its own body weight.
Shaking hands.
There are 2 parts to this trick for your dog to learn. Both, a verbal part and a non-verbal part that work together to give the dog a prompt that you would like it to do the trick.
In the first place, your dog needs to be in a sitting position. Make a single word verbal command such as ‘shake’, and at the same time reach out with your right hand until it is only a few inches from your dog’s right leg. Your outstretched hand is the non-verbal cue.
Initially, your dog may just sit motionless unsure of what to do, so with your left hand, kindly push its right leg forwards until it rests in your right hand. Once he/she has done the trick properly, praise it so that he/she knows he/she has done what you wanted it to do.
Praise the dog every time it does it successfully and practise it many times gradually reducing the amount of left hand prompting until only the verbal and non-verbal cues are all that is needed.
The main thing about training an adult dog to do these tricks is that the dog will learn at its own pace.
Do not scold the dog when he seems not to be learning, it is always better to be patient and give him/her more encouragement.
Training The Older Dog
There are some who believe that when a dog has a little age on him then it is a little to late to train him to behave properly. These beliefs are untrue. Sure, it may be true that training a pup might be a little easier, but training an older dog can sure be done.
Many times you will have some knowledge of the older dog that you want to train. In the case that your dog is a stray his background will be unknown. So, if the history of the older dog is unknown it will be crucial that you begin to train your pet in a kind and gentle manner.
Here are some ideas to helpyou train older dog, you can also use some of these tips for training a puppy
Time To Relearn
Be aware,your new older pet is sure to have acquired a few unwanted behavior issues during his journey in life. Besides having to learn the right way to handle things, your dog is going to have to un-learn quite a few. Just be patient because he does not know any better yet, but he is going to.
Now that you know that it’s coming, be ready to stop him right in his tracks.
Watch Your Tone
A nice firm tone of voice will be your most powerful weapon when you begin to train your older dog, you don’t need to yell though. You will want your dog to think that you are in control, so don’t sound upset or angry. Look for the positive and when you see it, give him a treat and an awful lot of praise.
One Word Commands
It is best to use single word commands when training older dog or any age dog or puppy. It is simpler for your pet to comprehend words like “stay”,”come”,enough,””down” than it is for him to understand “Go lay down,” “Stay right there” or “Won’t you please just sit down”
The First Time
It is important to know that once your dog understands a command that you expect him to follow through with it. Begging is one thing that you should not do. This one is important. When you want your dog to come, Spot Come, and if he doesn’t, do not delay calmly go and get him, of course if he does come Lots Of Praise. Anytime you have your dog 4 or 5 times to follow a command it won’t be long before it is 5 or6 so it is very important to get to the point of “One Time”.
Good Behavior=Rewards
Punishment for unacceptable behavior is really not very effective, but when you reward your dog for the positive things that he does he will begin to respond in kind. Any time your dog follows a command that you have given him, shower him with attention and praise.
The right way to train your puppy or older dog is through the reinforcement of their good behavior.
Do not let the thought even enter your mind that you will not be able to teach your dog anything. By using correct training methods, it will seem like it took no time at all for your older dog to begin behaving properly.