Teaching An Older Dog
Posted by Oze Parrot on 26th February 2006
The majority of people who keep Dogs have them for companionship and treat them as pets. In order for your Dog to be pleasant company he must be taught to behave himself, do what he is told and to observe a few good manners.
Dogs are very much like children, in the sense that they must be shown right from wrong and taught to behave themselves, for their own good and for the good of others.
Puppies can learn basic commands as early as 6 to 8 weeks of age, and this is the time to commence your pet dog’s training and build a strong relationship with him. Waiting until the puppy is much older and larger makes it much more difficult to Teach Your Dog .
A dog trainer will spend more time Teaching an Older Dog because the animal will be more set in it’s ways. One has to be dedicated and blessed with perseverance to Teach an Older Dog to behave differently, than the behavior pattern, to which he has become accustomed.
All behavior patterns are new to a young pup, whereas with an Older Dog these patterns are already established. So, what you have to do is retrain the dog by getting him to break old habits and adopt new ones.
It is not impossible, but at times you will wonder. You will have to be more strict with an Older Dog as you must demand obedience from the animal in order to break his, previously acquired, bad habits.
An older dog will be more likely to comply with your commands if he thinks that it is his idea rather than yours, for example, if he goes to sit, then you give the command to sit and then praise him, he will think it was his idea and if you keep on repeating this process eventually you will have him sitting on command. This process will work for many of the basic commands such as, fetch, come, stay and heel.
Depending on your dog’s nature, you may find that your Older Dog is fairly easy to train, but some dogs have a streak of stubbornness and are not very susceptible to basic training methods. Teaching an Older Dog will always be more difficult than training a young pup. Bad habits need to be broken and long term habits need to be altered, your dog will thank you for it eventually and the end result will be well worth your perseverance.
Teaching an Older Dog can be a formidable task, try making it fun by joining a class or try to get some support from family or friends. Invest in some training products like toys and treats, or you could enroll your dog in a training school. One thing is certain, while you are Teaching your Dog a few manners, the bond between you will grow and you will end up with a faithful companion.
For further information visit our website at: Teach Your Dog
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