Month: June 2013

Your senior dog’s crate is his private sanctuary—a place where your dog can feel safe and secure. It’s never too late for crate training an older dog, especially if your primary purpose is to help your buddy adjust to a new lifestyle. Now that your older buddy is no longer as agile as before, crate training may be the only other option left. So how do you start the crate training process? Here are the steps.

The first part is about introducing your dog to the crate. This should be placed in an area where most members of the family are. Don’t lock your older buddy in it yet. Instead, encourage your buddy to enter it by placing treats. Forcing them in will only be counterproductive.

The second step is letting your dog feed on the crate. This will allow them to associate the crate with something positive, such as eating. Put the food all the way inside the crate. If your dog is anxious and simply not ready to enter, only put it as far back as your dog is ready to reach into. Once your buddy is comfortable, you can close the door in the meantime. Just make sure that you open it at once after your dog eats inside the crate for the first time. For every successful feeding, close the door a little longer until your buddy has settled in.

Third, prolong the crating period of your older buddy inside the crate.

After your dog is eating his regular meals in the crate with no sign of fear or anxiety, you can confine him there for short time periods while you’re home.

Crate Training an Older Dog the Slow and Sure Way

• Call him over to the crate and give him a treat.

• Give him a command to enter, such as “kennel.” Encourage him by pointing to the inside of the crate with a treat in your hand.

• After your dog enters the crate, praise him, give him the treat, and close the door.

• Sit quietly near the crate for five to ten minutes, and then go into another room for a few minutes. Return, sit quietly again for a short time, and then let him out of the crate.

• Repeat this process several times a day, gradually increasing the length of time you leave him in the crate and the length of time you’re out of his sight.

• Once your dog will stay quietly in the crate for about 30 minutes with you mostly out of sight, you can begin leaving him crated when you’re gone for short time periods and/or letting him sleep there at night. This may take several days or several weeks.  (Read more here)

Fourth, you can finally put your older buddy in the crate when you leave. At first, do this only when you leave for a short period of time—around 20 minutes or so. Make it a point not to make your departures long and emotional. After this, you can also crate your older dogs at night. Don’t do this all at once, as this might give the impression of social isolation. You might also want to move the crate near to wherever you sleep.

At first, your older buddy might whine or suffer from separation anxiety. This is the entire point of the abovementioned steps. With this, you can be sure that your fur baby don’t associate crating with anxiety and stress.

You might feel frustrated or embarrassed because of your inability to leash train your dog, but with perseverance, your dog will soon come around. Senior dogs who tug or pull their leash may be difficult to train. But after four to five weeks of steady training, they should be able to get rid of this habit. At most, leash training an older dog takes six weeks.

The first step is for the senior dog to get used to the leash, which means having to wear it often. You can also make your dog wear a leash while eating or doing fun activities—this way, your beloved pet will associate it with fun things.

On the second or third day of doing this, you can start by walking your dog in familiar places. One great place to start is your home: around five to ten minutes should be enough.

The third and fourth steps are the most crucial, and you will have to be careful:

Get Comfortable Leashing Training An Older Dog

Step #3

When you are confident enough after leash training within the house, you may take your dog outdoors. You need to allow you dog to drag the leash around. You should occasionally pick up the leash and follow him. Make sure you offer him a dog treat while walking with the leash in your hand.

Step #4

Now, comes the important part of leash training an older dog. This is where you teach him you are the master and he has to follow you. You need to hold the leash in your right hand and then coax the dog to walk on your left side. This can be done by holding the leash in your right hand and a treat in your left hand. Continue to walk and say, ‘Let’s go’ or ‘Come on’ to make him understand that it is time to walk. When he follows your orders correctly, praise him a lot. (More here)

Lastly, if you have difficulty with your dog that keeps tugging and pulling, the trick is to take a counter-wise turn, and then start walking in the opposite direction while holding the leash. You can also stop firmly, hold onto the leash, and be firm. Both will establish your authority and will get an otherwise stubborn dog to follow you.  Keep doing this, and you’ll soon realize that your senior dog is already perfectly leash-trained!

Though advanced in age, your dog might have gone through several stages and will need re-training, or they’ve probably never been housebroken before. Either way, there are tried and tested methods that will help your dog adjust to the new environment.  If you’ve just made the admirable decision of bringing home an adult dog from the shelter, potty training an older dog is the first challenge you and your new companion will overcome.

First of all, take your senior dog outside on a leash when you bring him home for the first time. This will help them understand that this is where your dog should pee and poo.

The next concern of you and your new buddy is the time to eliminate. You must set up a schedule for this, and follow that schedule religiously. It could be after meals, at playtime, or during your morning walks. Follow this routine until your dog gets used to it. In the meanwhile, you can place your dog in a crate until your dog gets used to the routine.

Potty training your older dog won’t happen overnight, and sometimes they won’t stick to the routine. In this case, watch out for some telltale signs.

Tackle Potty Training Your Senior Dog

Dogs will often pace, pant, bark or run around the house to get your attention when they have to go. Take them outside as soon as you notice such behavior.

It is best not to overreact or punish your dog if he or she goes in the house. If you do, it could make your dog fearful. If you catch him or her in the act, it is best to firmly say “stop” or “no.”

Take your dog outside promptly if he or she does eliminate in the house, and continue using positive reinforcement.  (Read More)

Because older dogs are more patient, potty training them should be easy. All it takes is a positive attitude, and you and your furry pet will get there soon!

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Ever heard of the popular adage “you cannot teach an old dog new tricks?” Skeptics may very well believe that this is true, but in the general sense this is most definitely false particularly when it comes to disruptive behavior. Barking is a natural behavior for every dog which is useful when it comes to guarding against intruders. It is a different matter when your furry friend barks at every car that passes by the window. It signifies a long neglected issue which needs to be addressed.

When it comes to training, there is usually an association of pain which is normal if you want your pets to remember this training. Same goes with people, a little spanking on your kid’s hand will do to help train them become more restrained and less spoiled. But with older dogs, hurting them simply will not do. It takes an enormous amount of patience, consistency and persistence. How to train your senior pet dog not to keep barking all the time? These are just a few helpful tips.

The Guide On Training an Older Dog Not to Bark

• Remain calm. When your pooch starts barking like crazy, remain calm and exude a positive composure. Showing your dog negative reactions and emotions while he is at it will only confirm his need to keep barking, that he is right to be as upset as he already is. (read more here)

• Give a command. You need to use a certain command for your dog to stop barking. Any command will do such No or Enough. Some pet owners have had enough luck with a certain command for that specific behavior. Whatever command you choose to give, be sure to have consistency and do not ever change the cue.
• Positive reinforcement. Each time your pet complies with your command, reward him with a treat or an extra special pat which communicates to him that he has done the right thing. Pets are most likely to remember and will look forward to that yummy dog biscuit or affectionate gestures given to him each time he does something you are pleased with.
• Negative reinforcement. Of course, there has to be a balance in training your pet. It may not be a more physically inclined form of discipline, but it has to be done. For example, you can squirt your dog with water from a bottle if he continues barking after you have given your command. This form of corrective method startles your dog and distracts him from barking at the object or person he is barking at.
• Establish your position. Once you have successfully gotten your pet’s attention, command your dog to lay down. This is another form of reinforcing your position as your dog’s alpha. Your pet needs to realize that if the alpha is not concerned, he should not be concerned as well.

Repeat. Each time your senior dog barks, repeat this process. With each progress, wait for a while longer before praising your dog from ceasing to bark. This sends the message that the silence, and the calm demeanor is not what’s being rewarded but the silence.