for pet lovers and caretakers?

Question

i have just recently took in a dog from the shelter......aussie/german shep mix. he's almost a year old. but whoever had him before did not train him. he chews on things too. is it possible for me to still train him to sit and lay down. teach him the word potty, no, sit, speak. what is good for him not to chew. how about that spray stuff? i love him to death already and i will not give him up......but i need to work with him. ppl tell me he's too old to train. i don't believe that. thanks all.

Answer 1

No dog is EVERY too old to train. It will, however, take consistency on your part when working with him. Work with him every day, not just here and there. Consistency is the key. Check in your area and see if there are any low cost obedience classes. Sometimes these classes aren't all that expensive and can give you some really good help in training your dog. I'm so glad you chose to rescue a dog and not purchase from a pet store or backyard breeder!!! That is a GREAT thing you did!!!!

Answer 2

Sounds like you adopted someone else's problem. You need to keep him in a crate to prevent him from chewing when you can't supervise him - not to punish him but for the same reasons you'd keep a baby in a playpen.

You can certainly train a year old dog. Go to obedience classes or read some really good books on training. Try not to do it randomly - there are a lot of bad books out there also! These are some of my favorites and you can get them on Amazon.com
What All Good Dogs Should Know - Volhard
Good Owners, Great Dogs - Brian Kilcommins
Dog Tricks : Eighty-Eight Challenging Activities for Your Dog from World-Class Trainers by Haggerty and Benjamin
Don't Shoot the Dog - Pryor
Training Your Dog: The Step by Step Method - Volhard
Dog Problems - Benjamin
Cesar's Way - Cesar Millan

Also, watch the Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel. Cesar Millan is the best trainer I've ever seen on TV.

Answer 3

Dogs can learn things their entire lives, it just takes more patience on your part as they get older. Being an Aussie/German shep mix should give it a great start by making him a very intelligent dog. However, he will still be very energetic and strong. He is still a puppy.

Get yourself a few books or browse the internet for articles on training. You have to learn *how* to teach him before he can learn anything. I'm not one for surfing, myself, but the AKC usually has good articles and links to other sites for dog training. http://www.akc.org You might look into breed-specific techniques for both breeds. Every breed of dog has it's own traits and habits, and your dog probably has a bit of both.

You can try the spray stuff for chewing, but that includes training and close observation on your part, too.

They are NEVER too old to train. I potty trained a 12-year-old dog in two weeks. And I taught her to sit, lie down, heel, and speak. She'd never had any training before. You just have to be assertive, but loving, and above all, be persistent! Don't slack or give up. And keep your sense of humor, too. I find that training goes better for me if you laugh about things. Dogs love it when they make you laugh. At least, mine do...

Best of luck to you, and good for you for giving him a home!

Answer 4

My dog was between 2-3 years old when we got her from the shelter. I taught her stuff. Yours is still a puppy (somewhat). It is just a lot of work. If you go to like the purina website, they have tips and video clips. Some dogs are just stubborn and wont train, my other dog we got at 6 weeks, now 2 years, will not stop the chewing and peeing in the house. It is also a I miss mommy thing, they get depressed and they do have medication to help with that. Good Luck and Glad you got it from the shelter.


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Answer 5

No dog is ever actually too old to train, in my opinion. But it does make it harder, and you'll need patience. First thing you should do is talk to a local dog trainer. Tell them your problems and ask what you should do about it, a good start would probably be obedience training, and then go from there. You sound like you really love the guy, and I think that's one of the biggest assets in making training work. Be patient, and give him lots of treats ;)

Answer 6

My parents got a collie/shepard mix that was about a year old from the shelter also. He had horrible habits when they first took him home, but they immediately enrolled him in school. It took a lot longer than it would have for a puppy but it wasn't that hard. Now, he is a well-behaved monster and one of the best dogs I've met. Take your time. If you really love him, it will all be worth it. Good luck!

Answer 7

He's certainly still young enough. Try clicker training. I used it with my 2x boxers, at the time of the lesson my female was 2.5 and my male was 14 months. They both picked up on it rather quickly.

Check out the article for more.

One thing, never, ever hit your dog. Not only is it a bad thing to do, it actually lowers your status in the pack hierarchy and will open the door for you dog to take that alpha position.

Good luck!

Answer 8

You can teach a young dog a new trick anytime with love and patience. Spend time to establish the bonding and get the message across what the positive behavior should be. Dogs are very sensitive to human emotion , so be stern without harsh physical punishment. Good luck.

Answer 9

He is not too old to train. Get a training book or take him to obedience school. Both my German Shep and my Siberian Husky took obedience training when they were about 1-1/2 yrs old and it worked wonders for them.

Answer 10

Bless you for loving this fellow. I don't think he is at all too old to train. Disregard the chewing for the moment though, it may be a security blanket to him. Just give him lots of love and the 'correct' stuff to chew on. Be patient and he'll come around. Best of luck! Dogs love learning to please you.