Old Dog, New TricksOld Dog, New Tricks
It's never too late to train an older dog to respond promptly and correctly to commands.
Every year thousands of families adopt adult dogs, whether from friends, relatives or the pound or rescue society. These new owners need to understand and deal with the specific problems an older dog may have, especially if its history is unknown.
Old Dog, New Tricks provides expert insights into basic adult dog behaviors. It explains how to communicate effectively with an older dog and create a great partnership. Many issues are peculiar to older dogs and, in particular, rescued ones. David Taylor addresses them all, including socialization and previous training (or the lack of either), genetic factors and adaptation to a new environment.
The book contains practical solutions to ensure good dog behavior:
- Step-by-step obedience drills
- Welcoming the new arrival
- How to assess a dog's problems
- How a dog "thinks"
- How to be a good owner/master
- Communicating with a dog
- What to look for in a rescued dog
- Tackling problem behaviors
- Understanding the effect of a dog's prior history
- Mental and physical changes in older dogs
Old Dog, New Tricks has everything needed for human-canine harmony in any household generous enough to give an old dog a new home.
Veterinary surgeon Taylor takes on the challenges of older dogs, rescued dogs, and mature dogs with new owners, starting by explaining how the relationship between dogs and humans developed and the questions to ask before taking on a mature dog. He covers using basic commands, caring for the needs of older dogs and using special techniques for dogs that are aggressive, destructive, fearful, phobic, excitable or unruly, and gives detailed tips on toilet and feeding problems. Taylor even gives tips on training dogs with significant disabilities (deaf dogs often learn up to about 50 signs) and the photos are delightful. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
A well-illustrated, comprehensive and practical guide to training older or rescued dogs that covers obedience drills, communication and problems such as anxiety, socializing and physical difficulties. Appropriate for all breeds.
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- Buffalo : Firefly Books, 2006.
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