CAN YOU REALLY TEACH AN OLD DOG NEW TRICKS?
By Adam Katz

Adam,

I received a surprise Christmas present last year in the form of a 4 year old female shepherd mix that my wife and daughter decided I needed to replace my long time pet who had to be put down last summer.  She really is a beautiful dog, but the shelter fibbed to us when they said she was good with other dogs and cats.  She has been rather aggressive with them.  We are 6 months into this relationship now and she is much better.  I guess she is more secure now. 

The one problem I have not solved is her desire to run out the door and ignore our "come" commands.  All this is to ask you: Will the techniques in your book and video series work on an older dog?  I'd rather not invest the money in a lost cause.  We live in the Arizona desert and she won't last long this summer if she gets out and runs off again.  I've looked through many of your newsletters, but didn't find any mention of age.

Thanks for your help.

Larry

Dear Larry:

Thank you for the e-mail.

Yes, the dog training techniques work on all dogs, as long as they are healthy and do not have any mobility problems.

In many cases, training an older dog is easier than training a younger dog, despite the saying that "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," there is definitely something to be said about maturity.

To read more of my dog training ramblings, read about my book:
Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer!