Next Step in Dogs Training
In humans, aging hastens declines in
short-term memory and logical reasoning skills, making it more difficult to
learn new tasks. Previous research has found similar declines in dogs, but
long-term memory is a little-known aspect of dog biology. (See "Many
Animals—Including Your Dog—May Have Horrible Short-Term Memories.")
That's why Wallis and colleagues are studying how dogs both young and old
memorize tasks, and whether the animals can remember them months later.
The results are still in the works, but Wallis
expects to discover that it's tough—but not impossible—to teach old dogs new
tricks.
This is how:
1. Get some
treats that your dog likes. Take
small pieces so that you can give it one for each thing it does without
worrying about your dog getting fat.Some dogs, especially Labradors and
Beagles, are extremely food orientated, and so you can set aside a portion of
their daily kibble into a treat pouch, and use this to reward them.
2. Choose an environment with few distractions, such as your backyard. You want the dog to listen to you, rather than watching
other dogs having fun in the park. During the early stages of training, when you
aren't sure of your dog's response, keep your dog on a leash. This saves
unnecessary shouting to get its attention if it starts to wander off. Instead,
just gently reel your dog in.
3. Keep training sessions relatively short to begin with. A typical training program involves two daily sessions
of 10 - 20 minutes each. Also reinforce commands by asking the dog to
"sit" before meals, or "stay" when you go to get his or her
lead.
4. Be realistic about the speed of progress. Yes, you can
teach an old dog new tricks, but it takes longer. Don't expect him to pick
things up as quickly as a young puppy within their socialization period.
However, do not be discouraged if progress is slow. – Stick with it and you
will be rewarded in the end.
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