Is there a certain age where you can send you pets to classes?

Question

Beacuse my dog is ten and needs major work.

Answer 1

Ten is tough - your gonna live the "you cant teach an old dog new tricks". Most dogs get the basic training starting at the 5 week period. Its hard, but training is always possible, depending on how smart and responsive the dog is...
Here are some basics... Stick with it!

Training Your Dog

Training provides benefits to dogs of every age and breed - and to their owners. While getting your dog to recognize and react to your verbal commands requires time, patience, and more than a few treats, the result will be a responsible, responsive, well-adjusted dog.

A good place to begin is with an obedience class. Start at a young age to accustom your dog to learning. (Obedience classes also help form a bond between owner and dog and get the dog used to socializing with other dogs and other people. For these reasons, they are strongly recommended for any new dog owner.)

The first thing to remember is to keep a positive attitude. Your dog should associate training with fun and enthusiasm, and should be rewarded whenever he does something right. Reprimands will be needed when he ignores you or does something wrong, but these should be limited to an intense stare and a gruff, low-pitched "No!" Never hit your dog; this will just make him mistrust you, making training and control even harder. Try to follow a reprimand with some affection to make your dog know he is still a welcome part of your family.

But while reprimands may be necessary as the exception, rewards should be the rule. Treats can play an important part in training. These can be specially made snacks or they can just be individual pieces of your dog's regular food. In the early stages, they should be offered with every correct action, in addition to verbal and physical praise. As your dog gets better at obeying commands, you should use the treats less and less often and rely more on encouragement and petting.

Never give a treat without a trick. There should be no free rides for dogs when it comes to treats. Always make your dog obey some kind of command before rewarding him with a treat.

There are five basic obedience commands you should start teaching your dog as soon as possible: heel, sit, down, stay and come.

Heel:
Start standing still with your dog on a leash. Reel the dog in until his right shoulder is even with your left leg. Praise him when he is in the right position. Start walking and say "heel." When he starts to pull ahead, repeat "heel" and pull him back in. Again, praise when he is in the correct position. Repeat this practice, gradually allowing the dog to move further away each time. Once the dog has learned to respond to heel, start moving into turns.

Sit:
By speaking the command, helping your dog into the proper position and then praising, you can teach him to associate the position with the command, and the praise with the position. Help him into position by pulling up on the leash while pressing down on his rump. Alternatively, you can move a piece of food from in front of his face to directly over his head while pressing on his rear, then rewarding him with the food and praise.

Down:
This command logically follows "sit." From the "sit" position, say the "down" command and guide your dog's nose down with your hand or a toy or, better yet, some food. Bring the food from the nose straight down to the floor, then away from the dog. Your dog will naturally follow it. Praise and reward him when he is in the correct position.

Stay:
This is a slightly more difficult skill for a dog to master. While on his leash, have your dog sit. Then, holding the leash up over his head, say "stay" and begin circling. Correct any attempt to follow you by pulling up on the leash and returning him to the sitting position. Reward him when he has stayed in place for a short period. Gradually increase the distance you move away and the amount of time required to receive a reward. You will also want to associate the verbal command with holding out your hand palm outwards, the traditional "stop" command.

Come:
Once your dog has learned to stay, it's time to learn to come. Command your dog to "stay" so you can move away. Then bend down, open your arms and give the "come" command. Avoid using excited tones or praise until your dog reaches you so that the dog realizes he must reach you to get rewarded.

Once you have worked through the basic commands, you can work on more complex commands and tricks. For starters, you can teach your dog some of the incredible tricks practiced by the Purina® Incredible Dog Team by following the instructional videos of trainer Lou Mack. Given the right motivation, a dog can learn a wide range of skills. For tips on specific tricks, consult books or professional trainers.

Answer 2

Hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

Still, the obedience schools nowadays are amazing in the work they can do. Might be worth it.

Answer 3

The younger the better, but I'd enroll my 10 year old in obedience class. Giving it a try is better than the alternative.

Answer 4

10 dog years is 70 human years, the best time to start training your dog,is when it is a puppy about 2 months old.

Answer 5

Most dogs can at least learn something, no matter how old. Also, if you attend classes with him, it will help you bond and he will respect you more as master.

Answer 6

It's never too late!!

Usually you can start puppies around three months.

Answer 7

r u going to teach him to talk,hes to old fer anything else