Training An Older Dog

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While it can be much more involved than training a puppy, training an older dog is a very easy task if you are well prepared for it. The methods used for an older pet are not significantly different than those used for standard obedience training for dogs. The most important rule to understand is that you need to be sure you are giving your older dog constant positive reinforcement. You need to be constantly making the dog aware of what your desired behavior is - if you are not consistent about this, the pet will not understand what you want from them.

There are plenty of tips for training an older dog. The one fact that nearly all experts agree is that you should not use negative reinforcement when you're training an older dog. Yelling or hitting your pet will be not help you achieve the desired results. Anything learned from this type of training will be overshadowed by the fear it will instill in your pet. This type of fear can lead to aggression problems down the road.

One of the most important things about training an older dog is the bonding time that it gives you and your elderly dog. A lot of times, older dogs aren’t nearly as active as when they were younger, and therefore they may not get as many opportunities to play and interact with you. This type of interactive training will provide plenty of fun and learning for your dog.

A common mistake that trainers make is that they forget to take into consideration the age of their pet. It is  very important to realize while training an older dog that they may not be able to physically achieve all of the training that a young puppy would. Whether it be their hips, their vision, their hearing, or something something totally unrelated, older dogs definitely have limitations. By no means does this mean they can’t be trained – you just have to be aware of these disabilities and be understanding and willing to work with them.

For More Information About Training, Visit Training An Older Dog