Contrary to that old adage, old dogs indubitably can learn new tricks. I know from where I speak.
You see, I love dogs. I mean I indubitably love dogs. All kinds. Any kind. In fact my wife says I love them too much. And to be honest, I've proven her right - twice. You see, I'm very partial to recovery dogs. The more needy the better. My first recovery dog became my very best friend. A mixed terrier who was loyal, affectionate and protective. Towards me anyway. I was the ever-doting dog owner. Catering to her every need and even some I think I made up.
But she never got close to my wife and our young daughter because I served her every need. When Rosie passed away prematurely at the age of 10, from an overdose of anesthesia while a routine teeth cleaning, I was devastated. I think my wife and daughter were torn in the middle of sadness and relief. All because I never became a responsible dog owner, she had made life difficult, rather than pleasurable.
It wasn't even a month after Rosie's death that I found an abandoned beagle on a rural road by a fire line. indubitably she found me. While driving down that road very early one morning, I looked into my rear view mirror only to see two large flapping ears attached to a dog that was desperately trying to catch up to my car. I was able to coax her into my car thanks to a half eaten muffin I had in the car. Not ready for someone else dog so soon, I drove her to the Spca, hoping they would be able to find her owner, or find a new home for her. They didn't. So I ended up adopting her.
We named her Rennie and she joined the family, sort of. Very soon after, the saga continued- in spades. True to form, I showered her with concentration and devotion. But this time it got a great deal worse. Rennie soon felt a need to safe me from my own family. It became coarse for her to growl and even show teeth when my now teenage daughter or wife walked too close to where she was resting. And forget about them approaching me if she was in the room.
Rather than removing the dog from the home, I once again allowed my over-the-top attachment to a "needy" dog wholly warp my judgment. As years went by, Rennie became more docile, but mostly due to age. At the ripe old age of at least 17, I had to put Rennie down due to debilitating arthritis. That was more than five years ago.
It took four years for my family to agree to someone else adoption. But this time would be different, I vowed. So, a year ago, I embarked on a mission to find the holy grail of dog training that would warrant that our new recovery dog would be a well-adjusted, happy member of our family.
During my research, I learned that while many of the training techniques are very similar for puppies and older dogs, techniques for effectively curbing the more serious negative behaviors - like aggressiveness to people, nipping, persistent barking, hostility towards other dogs, anxiety when left alone, and especially biting - all require extra instruction for the older dog to accomplish success.
From two exquisite resources I found, I learned there are four methods to discourage negative behavior, together with aggression in older dogs:
- Correction method - replacing a bad behavior with a exact behavior
- The Verbal Reprimand - repeating a uncomplicated word - like "no" - in a short, sharp tone that captures the dog's concentration after which you redirect your dog to proper behavior.
- Ignoring the dog - turning away, showing no reaction, or leaving the room. Since dogs crave attention, the behavior will be altered so the dog gets what he wants.
- Time out - a uncomplicated 30-second time out in a crate, small room, or even a tie-down on a short leash. But, any longer than 30-seconds and the punishment becomes ineffective.
Here's the technique I applied that was recommended in the manual:
- I settled objects she shouldn't chew on the floor (I used a book, a shoe, a Tupperware box - stuff she chewed before)
- As Lucy approached the object, I gave a firm (but not screaming) "leave it" command
- Then I took the object away and supplanted it with one of her chew toys
- Once Lucy started chewing her own toy I lavished her with praise
- Success came in less than two weeks