Training an Adult Dog

Many people today are facing the challenge of training an adult dog. Whether they have postponed training their own dog or they have gotten an adult dog from an animal shelter, lots of people have adult dogs in their homes and those dogs have some of the same issues as puppies and younger dogs. They need good manners, they need to be house-trained, and they need to develop good social skills with other dogs and people. But there are some special considerations to take into account when you’re training an adult dog.

Depending on his circumstances, an adult dog may be carrying some emotional baggage that could affect the way you attempt to train him. For example, there’s a big difference between taking in your Aunt Sophie’s dog when she dies — a dog that has been loved and well-cared for all his life, and taking in an adult dog that may have been abused. Aunt Sophie’s dog may be sad and depressed but, with time, he will adjust to a new life with you. An adult dog that has been abused will need a great deal of rehabilitation. Such a dog may be fearful of certain people and may have problems with separation anxiety, at the very least. Training for these two dogs will be very different. So, it’s necessary to find out as much as possible about the adult dog you wish to train.

Depending on their age and condition, adult dogs may also have some aches and pains. You will need to make sure they are physically up to training. Arthritis in their hips or other problems could make things like sitting and some of the other obedience exercises more difficult for them. Observe the  dog and see if they have any difficulty with movement or with getting up and down from a sitting or lying position. If you’re getting an adult dog as a new dog it’s a good idea to take him to the vet for an exam to see if he has any problems you should know about. The vet can prescribe any meds that might help him live more comfortably. Many people give their dogs supplements like glucosamine-chondroitin to help lubricate their joints.

With all of these provisions, there is no reason why you should let anything stop you from training an adult dog. Dogs that are older CAN learn new tricks. Many dogs will relish the time and attention you devote to them. They have a mature attention span instead of the short attention span of a puppy. If you have an adult dog and are giving him a second chance — perhaps he’s had a bad home previously — most dogs seem to be aware of their good luck and they try very hard to please their new owner. Training these dogs is often very easy. In these cases the dogs have just had some bad luck with their previous owners.

If you have an dog with a real behavior problem, your dog may take a lot of special attention and work on your part. If it’s a problem like aggression then your dog has built up this problem over the course of a lifetime and it will not be eliminated easily. If you have problems training an adult dog like this then you may need to consult a professional dog trainer. It’s better to consult a professional than to risk your dog harming someone.

Training an adult dog can be very challenging but also very satisfying. Older dogs seem to take pride in their accomplishments and enjoy pleasing their owners. Consider your older dog’s background, health and individual needs when you train him and you should both enjoy your training.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!