Re: Teaching an old dog new tricks?

In Reply to: Teaching an old dog new tricks?
Category:   Other
Posted by:  Michelle Perez-Vega
Posted on:  April 29, 2003 at 15:09:51

: Hi once again! Since we got Simon eight months ago (he is 7-years-old) I have been trying to teach him simple tricks such as giving me his paw, or to "shake hands," with no success. (I heard from a friend that a dog has to perform three "tricks" before graduating from obedience class and thought I would try to give Simon a head start.) Given his past (abuse from another owner) will this mean he can't be trained at all, such as "stay," "no bark," etc.? We love him as he is, but just wondered if we should give it up. Thanks once again, your site has been invaluable.

Response:

Hi Michelle,

You will be relieved to know that dogs aren't required to know tricks in order to graduate from obedience school!

Shaking paws can be a tough trick to teach anyway because many dogs hate having their paws handled, and seeing that Simon is 7 who knows what happened with any paw handling in his past.

I bet Simon will catch on quicker to his basic commands than shaking hands :) And you will find out that trick training comes much easier after obedience training.

Glad to hear Simon and you are doing so well.

Give that boy a big hug from all of us here!