Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

RE: Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

kaiarlo — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 18:16:06 GMT

Aww he sounds like a lovely dog :) Thanks for the reply, nice to know it can be done with patience and perserverance, I will mention this to her :)

RE: Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

Sally Gilbert — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 13:25:09 GMT

I took on a rescue as a foster dog; he was younger - poss 9-12m but relly didnt understand where he should go to poop and pee. It took a good couple of months of being very consistent to re-train him. We never scalded - just took him straight out if we caught him - we did the whole puppy thing of after waking/eating/every other minute taking him to the garden and waiting for him to go - once he went we would praise (but not OTT - we found if we did this he'd pee in the house and wait for praise!) We crated him at night which helped him be clean at night too. It just took time and patience but it was so worth it - he was a wonderful foster and I wish we'd been able to keep him!!

RE: Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

kaiarlo — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 10:09:47 GMT

Thanks so much for replies. Yeah difficult one. It turns out she has invested in a dog flap now so the dog is letting himself out every morning... this has stopped the problem but unfortunately started another one lol! He now goes outside at 6am and barks outside in the garden til the owner (bear in mind she is quite an elderly lady) gets up and lets him in! Aaargh.. Poor lady got him as a companion after her husband died last year and it is turning into a bit of a nightmare! He is a lovely little dog otherwise tho and is a good companion but hoping these little problems will sort themselves out. Have suggested if problem continues she makes an appt with a behaviourist.

RE: Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

nickyc — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 14:12:02 GMT

Hey

It is possible to teach and old dog new tricks, but saying that it does take the right owner.. I had similar issue with an eldery dog I took on who had also been allowed to use pads indoor, so hence learnt behaviour.. It took time, but with a good rountine and as last person suggested going right back to basics.. I would add in a product called Calmex as well, as could also be anxiety related, and if dog would tolerate the introduction of a crate for night times and when dog is unattended to prevent accidents when owner not around, hopefully this could be phased out at a later stage. Definately and cant ephasize enough no telling off especially hours after accident, as this will only cause the dog further anxiety and likely to increase the behaviour, and will also effect the bonding process. Again a rountine vet check with urine screen etc just to ensure is behaviour related. I would seriously get owner to consider a behaviour consult to get both owner and dog on the right track, and also warn owner difficult behaviour to resolve, but is possible, but could take at least 6-12 months to come right, but only with a consistent training programme!

RE: Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

Alison Hague — Fri, 13 Mar 2015 07:59:36 GMT

Sorry - no quick fix for this one I think - firstly don't think the puppy pads/newspaper route really works, they just mean two lots of behaviour they need to learn - next please please NO PUNISHMENT, the dog will have no idea why its being told off and is more likely to do things when the owner is not looking - the golden rule is praise what you want & ignore the behaviour you don't want. You have to try & create circumstances so the dog doesn't fail so take it out regularly - every hour or so initially - and if it perform outside then give lots of praise - any indoor accidents should be quietly cleaned up - using bio detergent and spraying the area with surgical spirit (check the carpet in a hidden area first to make sure the spirit doesn't affect it) to remove any residual scent the dog can detect. Go to bed as late as possible and maybe get up once during the night to give the dog the opportunity to go then. Its really just going back to puppy training & persevering til you get a result. I realise this might be difficult if you relative is really elderly but there aren't any shortcuts to learning a new behaviour just praise for doing the right thing and no obvious reaction to any mistakes - what the dog wants is interaction from its owner and it will try to do what it gets a reaction for - also it might be advisable to get a VS to check the dog just to eliminate any physical causes - hope this is of some help - Ali