Dec 08/ Jan 09

Field Notes
Is An Untrained, Older Dog a Lost Cause?
by Vickie Lamb

ou’ve acquired a new dog, not exactly new – it’s four years old – but you’re still pretty excited. That is, until you learn he doesn’t know how to do anything. You thought you were doing a good deed by giving this older dog a home, but you didn’t bargain on a companion without manners or any obedience training. And now you wonder how you could ever hunt with this dog, much less do anything else. Is this dog a lost cause?

You’ve probably heard that old adage that You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Maybe you’ve come to believe those words. Indeed, you may know a few neighborhood dogs that seem to fit the bill, and you’ve become brainwashed.
While it’s not easy to tackle the training of older dogs, it’s not impossible. In fact, it can be very rewarding. It helps to recognize a few things about the learning chain of dogs as they master new “tricks” and to realize why puppies may learn things faster than older dogs. These principles can then be applied to training your older dog.

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