Too old to train?

I have a nine year old mixed breed male. I was told he's part pit bull, part husky. He came from filthy people who have no respect for animals. They only gave him to us after they couldn't sell him and his siblings.

My Sparky is a trip. I never had a dog who was so aggressive toward strangers. People he sees everyday, even if it's just out the window, he's cool with them. Let someone strange knock on the door an he goes ballistic. He will obey my command of 'No Barking!', but he is not happy to do so. I can also stop his growling and staring at people in the same way. He obeys me completely, and I seem to be the one he loves the most. He is my shadow! I love him with all my heart, and he's a good protector.

That said, none of the other dogs I ever had behaved like this. My last dog, a Border Collie mix female couldn't have been more laid back. She'd bark at strangers, but if they ignored her she'd stop and go lay down. I assumed Sparky would be the same way, so I never even thought of training of any kind.

I'd get him training if it would help.

Becky

 

He could still be trained however he would need a full clean bill of health and make sure there are no arthritis problems, the constant walking, sitting, laying down can really do a number on them with that. That said you could always try some behaviour modification. The best would be to have a behaviourist/trainer come in and work with you.

 

An excellent book you might want to read is called "Dogs are From Neptune." It describes ways to desensitize your dog to things like the doorbell or other dogs.

Dogs are never too old to learn, but if he has never been trained before it could be a slow process and you will need to have patience. Do NOT use any aggressive techniques as this will only make him worse. Sounds like you have a good start!

 

Sparky is an obedient dog to start with. He listens to me on the first command. However, I couldn't walk him down the street because he would bark at anyone he didn't recognize and pull on the leash.

Interestingly, he was like this from a few weeks old. You'd think he'd be a sweet, spoiled sap the way I used to hold him while he slept and treated him like an infant! I'm assuming, though, it's mostly his breeding.

 

Definitely try to get a copy of "Dogs are From Neptune"! I think it will help you a lot.