Old Dogs, New Tricks

There is a saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

However, an older dog is just as capable of learning new commands as any other dog.  The only difference is that an older dog’s brain is a bit more ‘set in its ways’ than for example a puppy’s, plus an older dog might have ‘learned’ behaviours from experiences during the course of his/her life. Therefore, training an older dog might require a bit more effort, perseverance and understanding.

There are many reasons why a pet owner might be faced with the task of training an older dog.  You may have adopted an older dog from a rescue centre and do not know much about his/her background or previous training.  You might have an older dog that you would like to introduce to some new activities such as obedience training or agility.  Or your dog might have always had a training issue but you have never got around to sorting it out.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to train your dog, it is never too late using positive and rewarding methods.