This book is one of the publications I picked up for my son, who a few days ago adopted a young dog from a rescue shelter. I found the book interesting enough to read before sending it to my son, in case I ever stay home and get a dog.
The contents of the book are:
Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks!
Choosing the right trainer
Teach good manners in the house
The basic commands
Game time!
Dogs, just like people, settle down as they get older, but that doesn’t mean they can’t adjust to a new owner or a new home. Training a senior dog is different from training a puppy, and a senior dog may come to a new owner with his own psychological baggage from his previous life.
One has to remember that all animals are not the same; Older dogs may not learn as easily as puppies and may not want to obey every command. Making the animal want to learn is the greatest achievement of an owner. That’s why author Miriam Fields-Babineau touches on choosing the right coach as a possibility within the pages of the book.
Knowing the dog’s personality is important. A timid dog needs calm and patience, while a young dog with aggressive tendencies needs to learn to slow down and pay attention to the owner’s commands.
If you’re in the business of training your new senior dog, the author continues with the basics, such as proper house manners, a good schedule and a healthy diet for feeding, giving commands and making sure the dog understands them, using of the crate, behavior modification, teaching the dog to stay alone and well-behaved in the house when the owner is away, eliminating problems such as jumping, chewing, digging, biting, crushing, begging and excessive barking.
All dogs need obedience training. Obedience training is important because the owner also learns to communicate with the dog during training sessions. Communication with a pet occurs not only with words, but also with tone of voice, touch, and body language.
No matter how old the dog is, he likes to occupy his time and feel that his owner is pleased with him.
“Senior Dog Training” teaches the owner how to teach the dog to follow, sit, stay and come when called. At the end of the book, additional teaching of games such as rolling over and doing little tricks is mentioned.
The book, “Senior Dog Training” is in hardcover with 64 well-written and easy-to-understand pages filled with splendid dog photos and ISBN: 0793830389 and ISBN-13: 9780793830381.
The author, Miriam Fields-Babineau, after graduating from the University of Maryland with degrees in Zoology and Psychology, interned at the Boston Zoo and the National Zoo. She later moved into the field of all-species animal training, working with all kinds of animals for entertainment and educational media. She has 19 books on dogs and dog training, including Raising Your Dog Naturally, Dog Training with a Halter, and Multi-Dog Home.
This book serves as an introduction to training older dogs. Without complicating the task, it gives the basics. It’s probably the first book you read before you even bring your senior dog home.