A: Dogs of any age can be trained. Its never too late!
In fact, a recent survey of Bark Busters dog trainers clearly indicates that you can “teach
old dogs new tricks,” or, more accurately–senior dogs are easier to
train than the average dog in terms of time and effort.
The survey also discovered that the
easiest-to-train breeds are Golden Retrievers, Pit Bulls (commonly targeted
by breed-bans) and Poodles. Surprisingly, popular family
breeds like Labradors, Bulldogs and Beagles, were found to need the most
time and effort to train.
When asked to rank the ease of training dogs on a number of factors,
Bark Busters trainers said that senior dogs and mixed breeds are actually easier to
train than the average dog.
Keep in mind that every dog is
different. Breed and age aren’t the only factors that determine how “trainable” a dog is. The dog’s relationship with its owner and the environment in which he lives are also important factors that help determine a dog’s response to training.
nothing to do with the dogs themselves. Instead, the owner’s consistency with training, the owner’s personality, and the owner’s bond with the dog were the factors that mattered most with successfully trained dogs.
The reality is, any dog can be trained as long as the owner is willing to commit the time, energy, and consistent reinforcement of desired behaviors.