Training a Senior Dog
Cookie, my very first dog, turns 14 today. She’s the one who started me in dog training and I’ll never be able to do enough to repay her for that. There are some things an aging dog just can’t do. As your dog slows down with arthritis, blindness, and deafness, it can be difficult to do your usual activities. A 20 minute walk around the block turns into a 20 minute walk two houses down. Agility is out of the question. Blindness or deafness may make commands difficult.
With that in mind, I wanted to share some ideas for training and enrichment with an older dog.
Scentwork- Scentwork is one of the easiest activities to do with an older dog. Dog’s noses are strong, and as your aging pooch starts losing her hearing or sight, it’s comforting for her to be able to use her sense of smell.There are many ways you can play this game. Try putting treats in one closed fist and offering both hands to your dog, and reward when she noses the hand with the treats. Or, get some cardboard boxes and start with food in all three boxes. Once she understands the idea you can remove the food from two of the boxes so that she has to search for the right box.
Tricks- Yes, old dogs can learn new tricks!She might be too sore to be able to do some of the tricks she did as a puppy, but you can still teach behaviors such as a nose touch or target, putting her paw up on your leg, or walking around you in a circle. Be creative and work with your own dog’s physical limitations.
Visual commands- if your dog’s hard of hearing but still has her sight, you might be finding it difficult to communicate commands that were once commonplace. Go back to the beginning with each command, teaching it as if your dog has never done it before. Instead of giving the verbal command before showing your dog how to comply, give her a distinct visual sign instead. She’ll catch on fast and now you can communicate with your pup again!
Chew toys and food puzzles- Dental health is equally, if not more, important in an older dog. Whether your older dog has loved chewies growing up or has never really had one, try a few out. Kongs stuffed with wet food can be easy on a tired jaw, or spice it up with a special bully stick or pig’s ear that they’ve never had before. Try feeding her in a food puzzle, a variety of which are available.
Do you have any other tried and true methods for training or enriching a senior dog? Tell me in the comments :)
