Mention dog training and most people think of a little pup being trained the fundamental orders. In fact, you may have heard that training and older dog is impossible. Fortunately, for many people who have adopted an older dog, this is not factual and, in truth, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!

Dogs learn new things every day, so training an older dog doesnt have to be any tougher than teaching an adolescent pup. It actually depends on the dog, the unpleasant behavior he has picked up and his attitude toward learning.

One thing to remember is that an older dog might have various troubles with sight and hearing that need to be taken into consideration when training and older dog. Make sure you speak your commands loudly and that the dog can observe your hand signals. If you are far away from your dog and call him and he doesn't come, it could be because he cant hear you and not necessarily because he is not obeying the command.

In addition, older dogs may not have the same amount of energy as a youthful puppy so you may want to make training periods less strenuous and for shorter time durations. It depends on the age of the dog, of course. An older dog will have less strength than one which is 3 or 4 years old.

Adopting and training and older dog could be rewarding, but he might come along with some bad habits which can be a challenge to interrupt him of. Dont give up on your older dog, it can be done. You need to understand that some of these unpleasant behaviors have been deep-rooted in your pet for many years and it may take some special diligence to rectify them.

One thing that can really help your dog be as alert and open to training as possible is to make sure he receives the proper nourishment. Remember to nourish him a good commercial food or prepare homemade foods for him. In any case, you want to ensure the majority of his healthy diet comes from meat. Make sure you procure a quality food that lists meat as the very first ingredient and has no by products on the label.

Training an older dog can be a bit more of a challenge but it can also be very rewarding. Remember, your dog is a pack animal and by proper training you can establish yourself as the alpha dog in your little pack. Training your dog properly helps him to be well behaved and a pleasure to be around.