Can An Older Dog Be Trained?

QUESTION:

My dog is already an adult – he’s over six years old. I feel like a lot of things are well and truly instilled in him – both positive and negative things, and he’s very stubborn in a number of ways. Any advice for training a strong-willed adult dog?

ANSWER:

It’s more of a challenge to transform an older dog that has already developed a lot of bad habits, especially if the dog is dominant i.e. possesses a strong will. That’s why I always recommend beginning my Perfect Dog training when you first bring the dog into your home (preferably when the dog is a puppy – even as young as 8 to 9 weeks old).

However, it can certainly be done. It just means you have to be determined to be the “bigger dog” i.e. an unwavering authority in your dog’s life. I have successfully trained thousands of older, stubborn dogs that have been well set in their ways – and so have a multitude of people around the world that have found my Perfect Dog system.

Yes, you can “teach an old dog new tricks” so to speak, so I encourage you to resist any temptation to believe the old adage that you can’t. As long as you thoroughly apply the principles I teach, you will achieve the same kind of success as those dog owners that have naturally submissive dogs.

– Don Sullivan, “The DogFather”