Training for older dog

[Silver]

Hi everyone, I was wondering what kind of training should I pursue for a 4-5 year old rescue. He is extremely well trained now, walks real well on leash, long downs and stays, come, sits, everything is perfect.

Any suggestions?

[mickeymichellie]

Bring him into a training facility that you are considering taking classes at. Often times I dog will work well at home, but not with distractions. But if he is as good there as he is at home, then maybe you shoudl look into agility (if he has the right build), advanced obedience classes, or utility classes. All are fun to do and cause you to form a wonderful bond with your dog.

[RottiMomCT]

Originally posted by Silver
Hi everyone, I was wondering what kind of training should I pursue for a 4-5 year old rescue. He is extremely well trained now, walks real well on leash, long downs and stays, come, sits, everything is perfect.

Any suggestions?

First off, let me congratulate you on your new addition! Older dogs can sometimes be forgotten in rescue, as many people want puppies or younger dogs. My father in law adopted a 4-5 yr old Rottie 2 yrs ago and she is now the love of his life (Don't tell my mom in law that though!)...follows him everywhere!

As for training, even enrolling in a basic obedience class to help the two of you bond and allow the dog to re-learn who is boss of the house is a big help. He knew who was boss in his former home, now he's got a new one - you!

Good luck and congrats!! Keep us posted!!

[Ladysmom]

I guess I'll go ahead and add to this thread instead of posting a new one. I, too, just adopted a four year old female from the local shelter (two weeks ago), and I think I may need some training advice.

She is wonderful on the leash, and fairly good with sit and stay. I'm currently working on down. She follows me all over the house, and gets VERY agitated if I leave her crated, which I have to do when I can't keep an eye on her, because she isn't completely house trained. All of these things I can work on, and don't concern me too much. I've seen some improvement in the house training, and crating works in that she's never eliminated there.

What concerns me is two things. First, she has apparently not been socialized with other dogs. Sometimes she is calm or doesn't especially notice other dogs, in which case I praise and reward her. On a few occasions she has been very snappy, or even outright barking, growling and lunging. The main problem is that my roommates have a 2 year old yellow lab, and she's snapped at him a few times, and gets possessive of me or anyone petting her when he comes near, and sometimes growls when he walks around or goes to the water bowl. My roommates are concerned, and since they own the roof over my and my rottie's heads, so am I.

Secondly, sometimes she is VERY good with meeting people, "smiling", friendly, licking their hands and nudging for pets. Other times, she has snapped and yelped when someone got too close or tried to pet her. I've seen no pattern to try to determine when each of these might occur.

I am planning on getting us both into some kind of training, because although she listens to me and recognizes that I (and my roommates, luckily) are the boss, I think we both need to learn a LOT. Does anyone know of a good trainer or program in the Northern Virginia area I could talk to? And any advice in the interim would be much appreciated.

[Judi W]

AKC has a list of dog clubs by state. Go there and look for an obedience club in your area. Both dogs would benefit from formal training classes and obedience clubs usually offer them at an economical fee. Then set your goal for a CD title. Open comes after a CD title and Utility after Open.

I would not recommend agility for an older dog until you have an opportunity to evaluate its athletic ability and physical limitations if any. Agility is a very strenous activity so you want to be sure the dog is fit enough and without orthopedic problems to participate. While advanced (Open and Utility) obedience also requires jumping, it is not to the degree that agility does.

The bossy rescue needs to be clearly informed that she is not allowed to abuse the Lab. If she clearly understands that the people are in charge, then they need to set the limits. The Lab does not deserve to be treated that way in his own home and may not take it forever, even if he is a Lab. Formal training will help her build confidence as well as understand that she is to follow your lead in behavior and obey rules regardless of her whims.