There is a saying that has besieged elderly canines for many generations . This saying, ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ is a fairy tale . Many species, including humans, learn new things never faced before. Everyday like humans, canines grasp new things throughout their life. Even my nine-year old Golden Lab is still intellectually bright and willing to learn in different ways. He recovers on his new sofa dog bed more than usual, but is still very willing to learn.
Learning new behaviors and tricks is sometimes as demanding as unlearning old tricks. Take golf for example, its more difficult to unlearn an unbalanced swing then it is to be taught the correct way the first time. Dogs blossom when they have a routine. Altering that routine after years of repetition needs much more time and patience . Trying to get my old lab to do ‘high five’ was easy , but when i try to get him to do ‘shake’ all he tries to do is ‘high five’. It requires a lot of concentrated instruction and redirection of old routines.
Depending on your dogs age, physical limitations could hinder your canine’s ability to learn new tricks. A two-year-old canine has the best ability for retrieval, jumping, running, or obstacle course maneuvering . The older dog , though able and eager in it’s younger years, may still 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 faster recovery of long sessions of instruction .
Training sessions with your older dog should be for only small lengths of time with as many repetitions as able . If you have obstacle courses make them shorter and jumps lower. If you’re bringing your dog for runs make them shorter. If you throw the ball twenty times normally , only toss it a few times. The purpose here is to make the excercises and instruction less demanding and more engaging . You want to keep your older dog interested and not let them lose focus because they are too tired .
Always give your dog the opportunity to recover from a training session. Let the dog have a longer time to rest between sessions. Be sure not to forget that all dogs want to please their master so much that they will threaten their own body to do it. Be aware of your canine’s signs of fatigue and never strain them too much .
Food rewards have always been a positive motivator for any dog . This is still true for older canines , but only in equanimity . We may want to reward our older canine for understanding a new behavior, but elderly canines can easily be ‘over treated’. They gain weight more easily and shed pounds less quickly due to an aging metabolism.
We all know the saying, location, location, location for the real estate industry . The almost exact saying goes for training canines , consistency, consistency, consistency. If you change the routine in which you deliver a trick the dog will become confused or start compromising tricks and behaviors together. Be specific with the time of day you instruct your dog tricks. Teach them in one area of your property and play with them in another. Similar areas for unique lessons help maintain an idea of familiarity as a foundation for new lessons. For example, when you gather the dogs leash, does he/she not incorporate that with a walk or car ride? Grab Gather a stick for playtime and grab a tennis ball for lesson time. The dog will still think its playing but will know the difference in how much attention is warranted for the task at hand.
Always try to focus more on building on the canine’s existing strengths, since older canines are less adaptable and the trainer more easily discouraged. One canine will be excellent at fetch and release, the other does well with a Frisbee. The point is, rather than force desired behavior, work with each canine’s unique strengths. Remember, consistency, and enjoy many more years with your older dog .