A trained dog is a happy dog

By Craig Babstock
Times & Transcript Staff


The old phrase, 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks,' irritates dog owners to no end.

Cindy Goguen owner of Khoof-Shaw Dog Training and Services has her seven-year-old Australian Shepherd Max sit and stay during a training session.
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Cindy Goguen owner of Khoof-Shaw Dog Training & Services says training a dog is always well worth the effort for owners.

"That's absolutely not accurate," says Darr Houssen, who's trained many an old dog in her 27 years in the business.

Houssen, who operates Houssen's Dog Training Centre with her husband Jim in Indian Mountain, says it may take a little longer to train an adult dog, and you may have to use different methods, but they can certainly learn 'new tricks.'

Cindy Goguen, who runs Khoof-Shaw Dog Training & Services in Saint-Andre-LeBlanc, has the same opinion on training older canines.

"There's no age limit," she says. "You can teach an old dog new tricks."

That provides hope for anyone whose adult dog suffers from behaviour problems. It's nice to know it's never too late to get the pooch to stop chomping the furniture.

But both trainers also agree the best time to start training your dog is when it's still a puppy. Houssen, who has 12 dogs of her own, says between two to four months old is the perfect time to teach a puppy basic obedience.

She describes dogs at that age as both lumps of clay ready to be moulded and sponges eager to soak up new information.

Training a dog is important and not just so you can show off by making your pet sit for company. An obedient dog means a calmer household, a stronger bond between pet and owner and a dog who's more content because he knows his role.

An untrained dog can be trouble.

"If the human doesn't intervene and become the pack leader, the dog may try to take on that role or look for another individual to fulfill it," says Houssen. "That can snowball into disastrous behaviour."

That behaviour may include aggression, dominance, obsessing over toys, chewing on furniture and separation anxiety. While adult dogs can be trained out of such troublesome behaviour, it's easier to teach puppies the right way to act from the start.

More importantly, many people who can't handle their dogs often turn them over to places like the SPCA, or an extreme cases have them put down. Training a dog after bringing it into the home will likely increase the odds she will stay there and have a happy life with her new family.

Goguen, who has four dogs of her own, says some of the basic behaviours to teach a dog are to come when called, to be quiet, the 'leave it' or 'off' command to stop the animal from chewing or eating something and also the command to not jump up on people. The first one may be the most important.

"The recall command could actually save a dog's life, for example, if it's running across a road," says Goguen, adding it's also helpful if the dog decides to chase an animal while walking in the woods.

There are different ways to train a dog, including one on one sessions, a class setting, or at home using one of the many dog training manuals available. The owner can also use a clicker during training, which is a device that makes a noise when the dog performs an appropriate behaviour.

Goguen says she meets with her clients, determines what their goals are and gets to know the dog and it's personality. She then comes up with a game plan for training the dog. She rewards the good behaviour with a toy or a treat or a chance to run or play.

"It makes the dog want to work with you," she says.

It can take anywhere from four sessions to a dozen, all depending on the behaviours being taught, the age of the dog and if there are pre-existing problems.

Whether the dog is being trained or not, it's important for owners to walk the animal at least once per day. A tired dog is less likely to cause trouble, which makes for a happy owner.

"Many dogs are locked up in the house all day and they don't have an outlet to get out their energy," says Goguen. "It builds up and they become frustrated."

When asked if any particular breeds are easier to train than others, Houssen says it really depends on the individual dogs. Just because one member of a breed is easy to teach or difficult, that doesn't mean the entire breed can be classified the same.

While people who work with dogs are known as 'dog trainers,' that's not entirely accurate. Their profession is more about teaching dog owners the proper way to handle their animals and reinforce positive behaviour.

"If the owners make the changes necessary for their dog, that's what makes the magic happen," says Houssen.