Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

[Night Elf]

I have two dogs. Bandit is a beagle mix and is about 6 or 7 years old. Marley is a dachshund and is 4 yrs. old. Neither are really trained to do things like sit, stay, come. The worst thing is they don't know how to walk on a leash. I know it takes consistency. I often say Caesar Milan would have a fit if he saw my dogs, especially Marley who sits in my lap all of the time. He even wants me to hold him while I'm sitting in a dining room chair. He's 12 lbs, so not exactly an easy lap dog. :)

 

Can they be taught? How often do I spend time with them training them? How long do we need to be outside on the leash? We have a fenced in yard that they run around in. How many times should I actually walk them? (Which I hate doing because they pull so hard.) How many times a day do I sit with them and give them pieces of their food to get them to sit and stay?

 

They are good dogs. Neither is aggressive in any sense of the word. Marley doesn't bark much unless I get him to speak, which isn't really on command. I'm just making noises that makes him bark. Bandit goes nuts when someone drives into the driveway. She runs to the door going barking mad. We've tried spraying her with water but that doesn't deter her. I've tried walking up closely to her to show I'm in charge and she does back up and run away, but she doesn't calm down. She'll stop barking but she does these little yips like she's in distress.

 

I love my dogs, but I'm not a dog trainer. Ugh.

[dirty ethel rackham]

i'm not a dog expert, but I am a dog owner and I volunteer at a shelter. We teach old dogs new tricks all the time. Many times, dogs come in with behavior issues that make them less likely to be adopted. Even the old dogs learn within a day or two how to sit nicely when people come by the kennel. I've taught old dogs to sit, down, stay, roll over (can't get my own dog to roll over, but I've had dogs in the shelter do it all the time.) When a dog has an undesirable behavior, often you need to substitute a desirable behavior instead. But, it takes practice and consistency. If you do a board search on clicker-training, you will find posts with some great resources on training your dogs. You will also find many posts that will tell you to not worry about what Cesar has to say as he is not a respected source of information on dog behavior. (I cringe when I hear his name brought up.)

[Night Elf]

You will also find many posts that will tell you to not worry about what Cesar has to say as he is not a respected source of information on dog behavior. (I cringe when I hear his name brought up.)

 

Sorry, I meant that as a joke because he is the only trainer I know. I remember another show with a woman but I can't remember her name. I'm not sure I want to use a clicker to train though. It seems like an extra thing to keep up with.

[RoughCollie]

 

(No pulling; Kikopup)

 

 

(Loose leash walking; Kikopup)

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTFT7yoIJGw (Dog walking training; Dunbar)

[dirty ethel rackham]

Sorry, I meant that as a joke because he is the only trainer I know. I remember another show with a woman but I can't remember her name. I'm not sure I want to use a clicker to train though. It seems like an extra thing to keep up with.

 

 

Well, clicker training is probably more effecitve in the long run than just treats for positive reinforcement (my dog will do anything for a treat but is less likely to listen when he knows I don't have any.) It is much easier to just grab the clicker than to constantly refill the treat bag. I plan to do some clicker training with our dog this summer. I have my hands full (or should I say my brain full) right now and don't have the energy for learning new things and our dog is usually pretty good.

[Elinor Everywhere]

You will also find many posts that will tell you to not worry about what Cesar has to say as he is not a respected source of information on dog behavior. (I cringe when I hear his name brought up.)

 

 

 

Why is this? Do you not believe in the pack mentality of dogs? I haven't read his book, and I've only seen 2-3 shows, but it seems that he knows how to quietly get respect from a dog. He's gentle and patient, and very consistent (from what I could see). I've always been curious when people say they don't like him, and I genuinely wonder why?

 

(I'm trying to train my own dog to be a therapy dog for Alzheimer's patients, and she's a bit slow on the uptake. I was hoping to get some ideas from trainers, and I'm wondering why I should avoid Cesar).

 

Thanks!

[dirty ethel rackham]

It is because his understanding of dog behavior is terribly outdated and his techniques can be dangerous. The pack mentality has been disproven about wolves in the wild and has never been appropriate to apply to dogs, who have been domesticated for millenia. If his techniques are so effective, why does every one of his shows carry a warning not to attempt these things without consulting a professional? Do a little digging on Cesar Milan and Criticism and you will see lots of trainers who strongly dislike him and what he has done to perpetuate myths about dog behavior and training.

 

Oh ... And he stole the "dog whisperer" moniker from someone else who really deserved it, Paul Owens. He's a fraud.

[Elinor Everywhere]

It is because his understanding of dog behavior is terribly outdated and his techniques can be dangerous. The pack mentality has been disproven about wolves in the wild and has never been appropriate to apply to dogs, who have been domesticated for millenia. If his techniques are so effective, why does every one of his shows carry a warning not to attempt these things without consulting a professional? Do a little digging on Cesar Milan and Criticism and you will see lots of trainers who strongly dislike him and what he has done to perpetuate myths about dog behavior and training.

 

Oh ... And he stole the "dog whisperer" moniker from someone else who really deserved it, Paul Owens. He's a fraud.

 

I assumed the warning on the show was just to prevent a litigious-happy society from trying to sue. :)

 

Thanks for the info - I will dig and google and see what I can find on him. The reason I'm cautious about him is this - my little 10-pound dog has a habit of growling if she sees people or dogs out the window. This happens only when I'm holding her - she's too wimpy to growl if she's actually on the ground around people or dogs. She LOVES people, but is a bit afraid, and she's definitely afraid of, and growly towards, dogs (Napoleonic complex and all).

 

So, after watching a few Cesar shows, I decided to try his method of making a sharp sound and giving her a little poke behind her ribs every time she growls at people/dogs. (Just to make her point, she's currently sitting on my lap on the couch growling at my neighbor who has the audacity to be in his front yard.) For a solid month, day after day, time after time, I poked and tsst'd. At least 20 times a day.

 

After 30 days, is she growling less? No, she's still growling, but now when we "tsst" her she kind of turns her head like she's thinking about snapping at me! And this is a dog (just turned 1 year old) who is very passive, loves people, and licks them to death (we're working on the licking too, but that's going better). And, she worships the ground I walk on, rarely taking her eyes off me. She's never nipped or snapped, but she just kind of has this look in her eye. I'm concerned that the method I'm using is causing her to become aggressive and irritated.

 

So, I now have a dog who is getting slightly (or even THINKING about being) aggressive, but who still growls at people/dogs through our window. I really want to break her of this habit, because I want to take her to nursing homes and I can't have her growling, although she doesn't growl when she's on the ground. Or at least, she normally does't - we now call her the Growling Tootsie Roll because she was dressed as a Tootsie Roll for Halloween, and she and I were sitting outside with the bowl of candy. As the little kids (toddlers on up) came up to get candy, she growled at them!! Not impressive.

 

Any suggested trainer books I should read for this problem?