How to Teach an Old Dog New Tricks

You’ve heard the old saying, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” Well, my 11 year old dog learns new ones regularly, so that saying is really just a myth.

It isn’t hard to teach an old dog something new. It does take patience and a sense of humor. Here are a few things to know.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Good quality small or medium size dog treats
• Patience

1. Start with something simple, especially if you haven’t tried teaching your dog anything new for a while. If you’ve never taught it any tricks, remember that the more your dog thinks this is a game, the more willing it will be to learn.
   
   Decide exactly what trick you want to work on first.

2. Pick a time of day when your dog is active and when you have time to work with it.

3. Show your dog the treat, then gently show it what you want it to do. If it does it even by accident, reward and praise them, using the name of the trick when you do--“good sit” or “good rollover.” Be enthusiastic when you praise.
   
   Each time you try the trick, put the dog in the position you want or show it what you want it to do while giving the command (sit, lie down), then do it again, just giving the command without demonstrating.

4. Spend at least 10 minutes at a time working on a new trick. If the first session’s a dud, don’t lose heart. One of two things may be happening--your dog either “gets” what you want but doesn’t want to do it or just doesn’t get it.
   
   Here’s a secret. If you have a breed known for its intelligence, it may be trying to fool you into thinking it’s dumb! Don’t fall for it! But be patient. If Fid gets it and there’s a yummy treat in store for doing it, your pet will come around with encouragement and repetition.

5. Make training fun for your dog. When you’re working to teach it a new trick, have it do one or two of the tricks it already knows before and after working on the new one. Then go back and try the new one again before quitting. It all reinforces that it’s a new game and there’s a “cookie” for doing good.
   
   At the end of each session, whether or not it did the trick right, praise your dog for being a patient and good friend. This reinforces it’s “fun time.”

Tips & Warnings

• Older dogs like to be lazy sometimes, just like we do. It may take a while for them to learn something new AND they may not want to do it all the time. Have patience and keep things light and fun. Remember, doing tricks should be fun for both of you.