Can I Train My Dog

Owning the Mature Dog

Owning a mature dog can be a sad experience as you watch your beloved pooch develop the slowness, problems and illnesses of old age.  This can be particularly poignant for the owner of a giant breed like the Great Dane.  It is a bittersweet experience as their life span tends to be short and they only live to an average age of eight to ten years. Other smaller dogs can live to fifteen plus. 

The longer the life span, the more they might hang on to life and spend years suffering from the diseases of the elderly.  The good news is that most of these afflictions of the older canine, like arthritis and incontinence, are treatable and controllable nowadays.   Your mature dog doesn’t have to suffer in old age.  You should keep a close eye on his health.  Don’t just accept “oh, he’s old so he’s bound to have a limp”.  Get him to the vet at the sign of any infirmity.  Old age is not a diagnosis in itself.

When you have an aging dog you tend to love them more and more.  You know they are not going to go on forever and every time you look into their lovely soppy eyes you can’t help but think about that.  Even though they may have arthritis, modern medications can prolong their quality of life.  Sometimes they give you a scare by straining a muscle or tendon.  You can tell if they freeze with that thousand-yard stare of pain on their face.  It makes you think, “Oh no, this is it, time for the vet and the needle if this goes on any longer”.  Then almost miraculously they can snap out of it to live relatively pain-free for another indeterminate time.  Urinary incontinence can be an alarming development (common in the spayed bitch) but thankfully this is easily cured with estrogen-based medication.  

Might I stress that when the time comes to put a dog out of it’s misery I think an owner has to be brave,  Don’t dwell on such thoughts.  Can you say that If for a large percentage of time they are happy, lively, jolly old souls?  Can you say they are not seriously suffering in any way?  Then you should treasure each happy moment with them.  But their age is frequently in the back of your mind and you have to make allowances for it.  Even if the old dog is having a good day and acting puppyish - be careful for him, as he may not know his own limitations!  Don’t let your mature dog overdo it.

It’s not all bad news though.  When a dog has lived with you for some years it knows all your funny ways.  People say their dog knows what they are saying to it, an idea which is scorned by many behaviorists. But if any dog truly does understand human language then it’s the mature dog who has lived in the same household for some years.  You can talk to a mature dog as if it is human, and really impress your friends!  They can even appear to understand phrases like “would you please adopt an attitude of horizontality?” (code for “lie down!”) because they know what is expected of them in the situation they find themselves and understand so clearly your body language and tone of voice.

And (again at the risk of sounding anthropomorphic) the mature dog seems genuinely grateful and extra loving when you have helped them in some way by giving them pills for the pain, (especially if followed by a nice treat!) or just cleaning their ears or brushing their coat.  Every day is a bonus and a joy with a cozy and comfortable mature dog.

Can I Train a Dog News

Can I Train a Dog

Puppy Training - The Value of Play

Puppy Training should be started as early as possible.  Obviously the first element of puppy training that will concern you the most is house training.  The sooner you can encourage the dog to “go to the bathroom” outside the better.  This is the dog’s first experience of training, where you indicate to the dog what you want and he (hopefully) tries to oblige and is rewarded for success.

What you should never forget is the value of play in the development of your puppy, supplementing your gentle but firm puppy training and guidance.  Puppy hood is a challenging but magical time for an owner, and all too soon it will be over.  Enjoy the joie de vivre of play with your lovely little puppy while you can.

Play and exercise are intrinsically mixed:  most dogs’ idea of play involves running around and physical activity.  It may help to get the owner fit at the same time!  You may have noticed the phenomenon, particularly in young dogs, of the “mad half hour”, or “mad twenty minutes” or in the elderly dog, sometimes “the mad minute”!   You will notice this when the dog has been cooped up inside for some time or in a car.  Suddenly he is taken out and let off the lead.  Dogs tend to shoot off like a cork from a bottle at times like this.  As long as the environment is safe for them to do so, it’s a joy to see. 

You should be able to judge when enough is enough with exercise.  Once that crazy time is over, you can see that the dog is calming down, perhaps panting, tongue hanging out, and coming back to your side.  Time to cool it down.  Don’t allow a puppy to overdo it, especially the giant breeds, when bones and muscles are still developing.  Over-exercise at this age can cause joint problems in later life - it’s just not worth it.  Err on the side of caution.

The puppy should be given its own toys to play with.  Making him aware what is his to play with - and what is not - can ensure that your sofa or shoes don’t get chewed.  Plenty of chew toys mean that he gets relief during his difficult teething period without causing mayhem and destruction.  When making a judgement as to how safe a toy is for your dog, look at its bite size. Make sure nothing you give the pup is small enough to be swallowed.  Keep an eye on the chewed toys and make sure they are not disintegrating so much that they become a danger.  If so, well, it’s apparent that the dog loves that toy, so replace it with a new one just the same.

Beware of small balls or children’s toys which will probably be unsuitable.  Many dogs love tuggy toys but be very careful as tugging does encourage the dog to become possessive about his toy.  It might encourage bad habits such as food guarding in later life, depending on his temperament or breed.

It’s a good idea to try “fetch” games with a young dog.  You will see if the dog prefers a ball or frisbee or rubber ring.  Some chase things in the air, others only like something rolled along the ground.  This can be a good idea:  the dog might get to love playing this game with you.  When you’re out in the park together in years to come you it ensures he is usually engrossed with you and the game, and not getting into mischief elsewhere!  Conversely, this game does to some degree encourage chasing behavior.  Do keep an eye on that and don’t let it get out of hand.  It’s cute to see a big dog chase a squirrel up a tree, but not so cute when it decides a Yorkshire Terrier is more interesting prey.

As with all things, incorporate training into play and make training fun.  Enjoy your little pup and guide him right, and he will become a rewarding and lovely adult dog.

Can I Train a Dog News

Can I Train a Dog