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In response to
"What do we think of the phrase, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks?" True? False? Maybe a tiny bit true?"
by
kelly
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It really depends on the attitude of the dog. If he's trying to fit in and be a member of the family, then sure.
Posted by
ceregon
Nov 8 '08, 17:11
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Some dogs are like that (corgis especially have this need to make their owners happy) and others are ambivalent. It is much easier to teach a dog to do something than to teach it not to do something.
My rescues have tended to be at the extreme end with abuse cases, and those dogs are quite motivated to find a home and stay there, especially the ones that have been fostered a lot. If the previous family didn't mistreat the dog but just let it run wild, then you may have a harder time.
You really won't know until you try obediance training. Sometimes the peer pressure of other dogs getting praised will do the trick, but you won't really know until you try.
There are a series of books by Stanley Coren. The best are How To Speak Dog and How Dogs Think. They give a great perspective and can help you a lot. As I tell my friends (who think my training methods are weird), it's easier for me to learn to communicate like a dog than for him to learn English.
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