Have you ever considered that your dog that you’ve had in your family for over a decade, or that very senior citizen you found in the pound might also need some training? Usually, it’s in fact a selling point that older dogs don’t need training, which is one of the benefits of taking a dog to rehome. However, it’s always a good idea to keep your dog up to date with training to keep your dog in its best shape. Take a look at our guide to understand what the most beneficial behavioural training for older dogs is and how to implement it.
Why would you need to?
So why would training for older dogs like yours? Haven’t they done their time and earned their right to retire and fall asleep in front of the TV forever? Sure, but you might want to keep up with some training to keep their mind sharp and engaged, keep their physical health at peak for as long as possible, and of course strengthen the bond between you and your furry friend.
When it comes to the mind, you might want to keep up training in order to spot cognitive changes in older dogs. You can spot signs of dysfunction quicker with gentle training and regular games. You can spot CCD, or Canine Cognitive Dysfunction, like disorientation, decreased interest in affection, and changes to their sleep cycle with brain games.
Additionally, your dog might have gotten into some habits that you want to rectify. Maybe a past owner let them slide, or your circumstances have changed, like a child in the house or a new set of furniture and you’re not about to tolerate a dog on the sofa anymore. With some training, you can introduce alternatives to jumping on people or furniture, and other habits that you might have a problem with today.
Physical considerations
However, before we start addressing training tactics, it should be stressed that training an older dog requires a gentler touch. Rather than long sessions every day, consider shorter and more frequent training sessions to get the point across but allow your dog time to relax. You might want to also adapt your dog’s exercises for reduced mobility or arthritis issues and try to avoid wearing them out.
It’s important to keep up with gentle, reward-based methods to not stress your older dog too much. Avoid harsh corrections and celebrate small victories to get the most out of training older dogs in later years.
Sensory changes and adaptations
Additionally, remember that your dog might have some new health issues that will affect how they perceive you, and you’ll have to accommodate for them in your training. If simply shouting a command is literally falling on deaf ears, maybe it’s time to incorporate hand signals or touch cues to get your point across. This will require a bit more retraining on your part, and you’ll have to train yourself to get into the habit of training with new signals.
Focus on life skills and safety
Training an older dog should start with the basics. Keep reinforcing recall and basic obedience training for the safety of your dog and everyone around them. Calls like “come” “sit” and “stay” are first on the list, but then you might want to expand into “wait” for the sake of staying at doors while you’re out and about.
Additionally, you can start to address any new anxieties or fears that your dog might have developed over the years with training for older dogs. A change in owner, a change in schedule, or a change in environment, like moving home, might cause anxiety and resulting symptoms such as pacing, tremors, barking, or self-destructive behaviour. With regular training, you can calm your dog and lessen these behaviours.
Socialisation for older dogs
Just because your dog is no longer a young Buck doesn’t mean they don’t need socialising. This is another instance where training for older dogs can come in handy. You’ll reduce any anxiety and depression in your dog, keep their mental capabilities sharp, and allow them to stay adaptable to changing situations. However, be patient and don’t force interactions so as to not overwhelm your dog. Keep initial interactions brief and enforce positivity with treats and praise.
When it comes to how you socialise your dog, consider calmer environments rather than high-energy play to consider their limitations, and be sure to introduce them to calm dogs and people of all types of genders and ages to get them exposed to new experiences.
Conclusion
If you are worried about how to train your dog, it might be better to put them into specific training classes where their boundaries or abilities won’t be pushed. With one-to-one classes, they won’t be forced into an overstimulating environment with dozens of other dogs with more energy and still going through their own training process.