A Pet Expert Has Revealed You Really Can Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

It turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks – and here are five easy ones you can try and teach your ageing pooch.

Clinical animal behaviourist Rosie Bescoby has explained the simple techniques to get your four-legged friend engaged and showing their capabilities to take on new challenges.

According to the expert, who has been training dogs for more than 20 years, contrary to the sentiment of the age-old phrase, hounds never lose their ability to learn something new.

Perhaps the most recognisable is the classic 'spin' – but with an older dog, more patience, a slower speed and a wider circular motion are required.

Rosie Bescoby, working in partnership with lifetime pet insurance provider Petgevity [], said:“It's really important to keep an older animal's brain active and keep the neurons firing.

“And where they might not be able to get as much physical exercise as they used to, we're keeping their lives stimulated and enriched by doing so.

“People often assume older dogs are stuck in their ways and that their minds have deteriorated, perhaps because they've slowed down physically.

“However, this doesn't mean they're incapable of learning new things.

"Teaching a completely new skill, such as a trick, is very different from attempting to change an unwanted behaviour."

Other tricks suggested by the experienced behaviourist included a nose-to-hand touch, which is particularly useful for an older dog with hearing loss, giving them an opportunity to react to a visual recall cue.

And if you're not keen on your pooch shaking off their wet fur in the house, then it'll be good news to hear you can still teach your four-legged friend to do this outside before coming in by simply ruffling their fur and saying the word“shake” as they go to do so.

According to Rosie, the key to success is understanding what truly motivates your dog and using that as a reward which doesn't always have to be an edible treat – or even the same thing that motivated them in their younger years.

For some dogs, part of their regular dinner would work, but for others, the offer of something like steak might excite them too much causing them to lose their focus.

But many will be motivated by a favourite or a new toy, so the first step is to review your pet and work out what might work best for them before taking on the challenge.

Naturally, owners will provide a puppy with stimulating toys and develop some tricks in their early years, but the novelty much like for children, wears off as they grow older.

Rosie also explained enriching an older animal's life with new challenges and toys can help not only maintain their mental health but strengthen the bond between dog and owner, rekindling the emotional connection that can be lost in the ageing process.

And if you're wondering if the breed of your dog plays a part, while some are faster to learn than others, any variation of breed can take on these tricks.

She added:“The border collie would be the best as they are generally very quick at learning new tricks, but we know the poodle also has a level of intelligence.

“We get a lot of poodle crosses these days as well, like your cockapoos and your cavapoos or labradoodles, so they'll also be fairly quick at learning new things.

“While some breed builds will be less physically suited to certain tricks, there's no reason why dogs of any breed can't learn something new.”

A spokesperson from Petgevity, which offers policies for animals of any age, and covers most pre-existing health conditions with their lifetime plus policies, added:“Rosie has revealed that there is very much life in the old dog yet, with these simple-to-execute tricks hopefully bringing you and your older pooch even closer together.

"We want to celebrate older dogs, regardless of their limitations, and show there's still so many ways owners can enrich their lives – and your pet might just surprise you, too.

"There is perhaps an element of ageism when it comes to animals, and in fact within the wider industry when it comes to pet insurance, but we're here to stand with our older four-legged friends and help them live longer and healthier lives.”

ROSIE'S FIVE TRICKS TO TEACH YOUR OLDER DOG

Nose to Hand Touch: Place a treat between your fingers and hold out an outstretched hand. When you want your dog to come to you, lower your hand to their level. Do these three to five times before removing the treat, and then they should do so without. Once they get the hang of it, you can do this from further and further away as well as in other environments. This is particularly good for dogs who are hard of hearing as it's a good visual recall cue.

Middle Position: This is where you can lure your dog to walk behind you then back through your legs – this is particularly good for a furry friend who struggles to sit. Using your pet's preferred lure, have them follow your hand around the back of your legs, then swap the lure into your other hand to guide them through the middle of your legs. When they're getting the hang of it, still position your hand in the same way, just without a lure or treat, and they should follow it.

Spin: An old classic, lure your dog with a treat or toy in a circular motion at their pace. Consider their physical limitations and gradually introduce the verbal cue“spin” and widen the circle if required to give them enough space to turn properly. Remove the lure once they've got the hang of it but position your hand as if you still have it.

Shake: Dogs already know how to do this, so this is about adding a verbal cue to get them to perform the action. Ruffle your dog's coat, if they're happy for you to do so, and say the word“shake” when you predict they're about to do it. Once they do this regularly, they should do so when you give them the verbal cue, which is practical for dogs of all ages.

Go to Bed: It's important to frame your dog's bed as a positive place to be that they want to bound into – so put a treat in your furry friend's bed each time and then use the verbal cue of“bed”. Once they get the hang of hopping into bed, increase the distance they have to travel to make it more of a game, which in turn reinforces long term to your dog that it's a great place to be and not a negative.

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