Can I Train My Older Dog?

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Read on for things to consider when training your older dog.

Short answer?

Yes! But, you might want to consider a few things first.

First things first, in my experience it is always best to start training your dog as soon as you bring them home, no matter what age they are. This is because helping them learn and showing them what you need them to do right from the start stops bad habits being formed by your dog. Trust me, bad habits can be formed very, very quickly because inside those little heads of theirs are usually very clever brains. What do I mean by bad habits? Well, I guess that’s subjective as everyone lives with their dog differently and has a different idea of what they do and don’t like their dog doing, but in general the biggest areas I get asked for help with include a lack of recall and running away on walks, jumping up and pulling on the lead (as foundation behaviours) and, often for puppies and rescued/rehomed dogs there will be a number of important training skills needed around the home and extra help in settling them into a household environment.

Now, this is why it is always a good idea to train your dog right from the start because having to retrain behaviours further down the line, when your dog has practiced and rehearsed the behaviours you don’t want for a long time does mean the training might take a little longer. Because, you know, habits are hard to break.

But….

In no way does that mean that your older dog is untrainable!

If you haven’t been able to start training your dog early then you don’t need to worry. I work with lots of dogs who are over a two or three years old when they start training!

What defines an ‘older’ dog? Is two or three (or older) classed as old? Your dog will have a puppy/baby phase, a teenage phase, a middle-aged phase and a senior (let’s call it mature) phase and when these phases begin and end depends on many, many factors. We know that some bigger dogs take longer to mature than smaller dogs and we know that factors such as environmental differences can play a role, as well as genetics themselves.

The actual age of your dog actually feels less relevant than the actual amount of time that they have been rehearsing the behaviour you don’t want. The longer it has been practiced for, the longer the training might take because sometimes you have to undo certain behaviours before you can train the things you do want.

What we do know for sure and what I see day in and day out is…

Dogs are capable of learning at any age.

Even senior dogs who are struggling with their physical or mental health can learn new things. I have worked with older dogs who are blind/losing their sight, deaf, suffering from cognitive dysfunction and/or have mobility/health issues and they are all capable of learning. All we do is tailor the training to that individual dog and as long as we always use fun, engaging and kind training methods, there really should never be too much of a problem. In fact, one of the best things you can do for a senior dog is to keep their minds mentally active, especially as their older years often see them become less physically active. Scentwork, for example, is an incredible skill you can teach a dog of any age which not only keeps them mentally occupied but tires them out and floods them with feel good happy hormones!

Patience, consistency and dedication to the training is what is needed when teaching an older dog new skills. We all know that habits are hard to break and it is no different for our dogs. Should we expect well rehearsed behaviours to change overnight? No. Should we expect well rehearsed behaviours to change in time if we consistently help them to learn? Yes!

Training your dog at any age will always be beneficial to you and your dog. You may have just rescued a dog, or your circumstances might have changed and now you have a new situation that you didn’t need to train for previously. Perhaps some of the issues didn’t feel too problematic before, but are now becoming stressful. Perhaps you just fancy giving your older dog a new challenge to keep their minds young. Whatever reason it is, it is never too late to train your older dog!

SUCCESS STORY

I recently trained Molly who was described to me by her family as ‘Molly, our 12 year old screaming Lab’. Molly had spent 12 years screaming at everything outdoors and by screaming, I really do mean high pitched, ear piercing screaming! Her family had recently moved to a new residential area and didn’t want to be unwelcomed by their new neighbours and those they saw on dog walks. Their ultimate goal was to be able to walk Molly to a pub or café and have a cup of coffee whilst Molly settled happily. I knew that goal was achievable but we also knew that this would take time, Molly had practiced her screaming for a long time and by now, it was practically an automatic reaction. We set about training and building up various skills that her family could put in place in different scenarios, depending on what they were faced with outdoors. We took our time and built Molly up bit by bit so that she was happy and comfortable with each new challenge. Three months down the line, Molly and her family are now enjoying lovely walks and trips to the pub with no more screaming at all. No more stress on walks, no more tension, no more embarrassment. Just lovely relaxed walks. So it can be done, even at 12 years old. You really can teach an old dog new tricks!

Do you need help with training your older dog or need help with training your new dog so that things get off to the start that you need? Head to the ‘Book Now’ page to get started.

Happy training!

Jo xx