Training Older Dogs – The Easy, Efficient Way
In the past, someone who was looking for a dog almost always bought, or adopted, a puppy. But these days it is just as likely that a prospective dog owner will head for the local shelter and bring home an older dog.
This is an admirable trend and one that should be encouraged, but it does raise some problems. Chief of these is that many of the dogs come with established behaviors and habits. Some are just difficult or stubborn, some have anxiety issues, others are outright aggressive.
Unfortunately, this often leads to the dog being returned to the shelter. A great pity because, with a method and a bit of application, most problem behaviors can, in fact, be corrected.
Before you even start thinking about training though, there are two misconceptions you need to clear up. The first is that you should pity the dog.
It's a sad reflection on our society that many of these dogs have been beaten, mistreated and abused, but unfortunately you can't change that. What you can do is provide love, care and affection. You can show them that not all humans are like those that have hurt them. But pity plays no role in this.
Dogs are quite willing to forgive and forget, so focus your energy instead on creating a stable environment, and providing consistent leadership and positive training.
The other misconception is that negative training methods are needed to control "difficult" dogs. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Most of these methods, which include things like shock collars and choke chains, have been proven to be ineffective for dog training, and no reputable dog trainer uses them.
When using these methods on an aggressive dog, or one that may have been previously abused, you have no idea how the dog will respond. He may well attack you. Or you may make the problem worse, or trigger other behavioral problems. So never use negative training methods on a dog.
What approach should you take? Start with the basics, crate training, potty training if required and then some obedience work. Keep it positive and reward based with lots of praise and treats, and remember that dogs can learn at any age.
Be patient and diligent and remember that training an older dog, with established behavioral patterns, is different to training a pliable puppy.
Also bear in mind that not all dogs are as easy to train as others. Many factors come into play, such as breed, age and state of health. With an adopted dog there is also the issue of an unknown past life which may have left the dog traumatized and fearful.
Proceed slowly with patience and persistence and you will succeed. If you doubt that, look up Frank Inn on Wikipedia. This famous Hollywood dog trainer found almost all of his canine movie stars at dog shelters.
To find out more about dog training, dog walking, dog health and other interesting dog advice check out dogsanddogtraining.com

