Training or training an adult dog is more complicated than that of a puppy, since the former already has its hobbies and/or possible ailments, and trauma. But with a lot of information, love, good training methods and a series of general steps, it is achieved!
Before training an adult dog (or anyone else) we must know that not all dogs are the same, so their responses to the guidelines, guidelines, steps to follow or commands that we wish to teach them will not be the same. But regardless of the age of the animal, it is best to train it.
Training an adult dog is always useful to avoid conflicts of coexistence and is good for both them and the owner. But his evolution in learning will depend on how his life has been until he found you since some may have developed trauma from their previous owners.
To train your adult pet you have to take into account certain things such as character, behavior and the type of breed it is , if it is.
Things to consider before training your dog
It is important to ask yourself a few questions to learn the best way or method to train him and to get to know your dog even more.
Did it belong to another owner? He is sick? What was your previous life? What is the character of the dog? How do you react to certain stimuli? For some of these questions, there may be no answer, but others can be solved by visiting the vet.
Your dog may have the ailments of age if it is somewhat older, or it may have other types of problems. For example, there are blind or deaf dogs and for this, there is special training. If your dog is deaf or does not hear well, the training should be reinforced with more gestures and simple signals.
Four general steps to train an adult dog
Did you just rescue or adopt an adult dog? Does your dog need to learn good habits and get rid of bad ones? Follow these little tips.
- The Food: Achievements and Rewards! Training an adult dog in this way has many benefits (although it is not a matter of making them chubby). Dogs generally learn fast and food is delicious! If you know what he loves to eat you can offer him small pieces of that food that drives them crazy and give them for each command that he manages to master or do better than before. Some dogs like Labradors or Beagles are great for this step. Find a quiet place:
- Try to choose an environment where there are not too many distractions, to train an adult dog. If you have a garden or a park where not many people pass with their pets, it will be great. Find a place where your dog can concentrate, learn certain commands such as coming back to you if you call him or taking care of him outside the home.
A good tip is to always carry it on a leash, especially if you do not know the responsiveness of your dog. I assure you that this will save you a lot of trouble and the occasional scream. In addition, the leash is great to redirect to you the possible distraction of the animal with a single gesture.
As soon as your dog has mastered the basic commands such as sitting, standing still, responding to your voice, etc., you can continue his training by adding some distractions (people around him, plants, areas to smell …).
- Control the time of the sessions:It is essential to take the training completely seriously, continuously, and permanently. Of course, at the beginning, the sessions (two daily) should be shorter than 10 to 20 minutes each, so that your dog does not get tired or stressed.
Over time you will notice that the basic commands are reinforced and will obey you more quickly when you order him to sit down before eating or to stay still when someone knocks on the door.
Very long sessions are not good at first because, like a person, the dog also gets tired and needs to sleep, eat or be hugged by its owner. When training an adult dog (or a puppy) you will notice that each one has their own personality, as I have mentioned previously, so training one or the other dogs will not be the same.
There are breeds that learn faster and can be trained more quickly. This happens to dogs such as German Shepherds, Labradors, hunting dogs and many others that have a high ability to concentrate.
- Give your pet time:
Do not rush your adult dog, he will not be guilty of learning slower because it will always be us (the owners) who fail in something. We must be realistic about the speed of progress and ask ourselves questions about whether the learning method we are using is correct or if we do something wrong.
Another thing to keep in mind is that our pet is no longer a puppy, so just as older people do not learn at the same rate , neither do our adult pets. Progress may be slower perhaps, but it is possible to teach new tricks, education and good coexistence to the adult dog. Never be discouraged and stay firm, to get the reward.
Why train an adult dog?
Obviously it is better to train him as a puppy but if it is too late for this a good training will also help you. Remember that it will not only help your pet not to get into trouble but it will be better for living with the owner, with his environment and strengthens the bond between the two.
Other training methods
Remember that you are training an adult dog that already has a lifetime of experiences. But training is a lifelong process and something that should be permanent regardless of age.
Teach him basic commands, such as: sit, stay still, teach him to get close when you call him, drop things he catches in his mouth, not get on the couch, jump on people, or defecate outside. Try to train these commands, so you can control your pet in a variety of situations.
Reward-based training, rewarding good behavior, pays off. This training also works very well if you have a clicker. Rather, instead of punishing the animal\’s misbehavior, ignore it. In this way, your dog will not get any benefit and will eventually cease.
Finally, information is a treasure, it is power and it is what will work best (along with practice). Read books and articles on dog training, behavior, and psychology; I even recommend you to watch the program of the Dog Charmer, an eminence.
Do you also have to train an adult dog? What do you think you do wrong with your dog?
