Darcy.d Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Hi, I wondering, since Gus is 10 years old, can he learn any new tricks? Ive heard that old dogs cant learn new tricks. He already knows sit, shake and down (He might know more tricks from his previous owners). And also, when dogs tilt their head sideways when they hear odd sounds, does that mean they are intelligent? Thanks Darcy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Old dogs CAN and DO learn new tricks. Only dumb dogs have a hard time learning tricks, in my opinion (IMO). Just got to figure out what is a good motivator for your dog, be it certain kinds of treats (try diff kinds) or a toy reward such as tugging or fetch. Tilting head is not an indication of intelligence. For my dogs it's like they are saying 'what? what did you say?' How quickly your dog figures things out (not just tricks/obedience) is indication of obedience, IMO. But you can of course have a really smart dog and an unknowledgeable trainer - which would make it hard for the dog to figure out what you are training - thereby making the dog look dumb. (I've seen it!) Cute signature, btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darcy.d Posted July 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Thanks so much for the advice. My mum and I were discussing it last night. Gus always tilts his at odd noises, but our maltese poodle cross never does it. So we were thinking that our cross wasnt as smart as gus. Thats great gus can learn new tricks. I was thinking of teaching him some new tricks today. Thanks Darcy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 Tilting of the head really has nothing to do with intelligence. I puppy-sat an Aussie pup that ALWAYS tilts his head - and he is a VERY smart pup! But of course, it can go the other way too. I really don't like that old saying about old dogs and tricks. It is so far from the truth! And so many people believe it. Some people start agility training when their dogs are 8 years old and they are competing by age 9, that's impressive! So go ahead! Teach away! I am sure Gus will love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darcy.d Posted July 28, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 does your god have to be intact or un neutered if you want enter it into a contest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 does your dog have to be intact if you want enter it into a contest? Nope. Certainly NOT. I believe that only the AKC has that rule (and even then, it is only for the conformation shows). All other dog-sport organizations allow intact, neutered, purebred, mixed, old, and young dogs into competition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsy84 Posted July 28, 2007 Report Share Posted July 28, 2007 My family got our old dog when I was 6 and he was 4 months. I kept teaching him tricks up until he was 12 last year. Although he was an enlish setter and *not quite* the brightest star in the sky, he knew a lot of tricks and voice commands. The last one I taught him was "spin", which he had to do very slowly and carefully because he was so old and not as agile as he used to be. It was more of a wide loop than anything But if you're commited to being patient and teaching your dog, it should have no trouble picking up new tricks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darcy.d Posted July 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 omg thats really good. my auntie used to show her old english sheep dog and said that only intact dogs are allowd in dog shows. gus doesnt seem to have arthritis or anything but needs to loose weight. thanks everyone for the advice darcy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie_Dog Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 omg thats really good. my auntie used to show her old english sheep dog and said that only intact dogs are allowd in dog shows. gus doesnt seem to have arthritis or anything but needs to loose weight. thanks everyone for the advice darcy Show dogs do need to be kept intact (seeing as how the show world is all about breeding for the best dogs, and then breeding the best dogs to create more best dogs). But there are lesser dog shows where you can enter fixed dogs. I'm not sure how common they are, but they do exist. There are also the little fun shows where you can enter fixed, mixed breed dogs, lol From what I recently read, dogs tilt their head to better understand what they're hearing. Kind of like how we tilt our ear towards someone when we can't quite make out what they're saying. When a dog tilts his head, he's trying to hear better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 Aussie Dog, You may want to make perfectly clear which 'show dogs' you're referring to and clarify a bit... um, more for educational purposes... catch my drift (nudge) ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kat's Dogs Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 There are the "shows" where dogs trot around in a ring and a judge looks at their structure and judges them against a breed standard of looks. These are the shows Aussie Dog is thinking of. There are not just "lesser shows" for mixed bred dogs. The Mixed Breed Dog Club of America is a mixed breed organization that offers all the same things the AKC does, and they have all the same titles and everything but for mixed breeds - including Conformation dog shows. Mixed bred or shelter dogs are just judged on their structure to the standard of a healthy dog. What I was really refering to as a "show" were the agility trials, flyball, tracking, freestyle, obedience, rally, dock dogs, disc, and so on. But there IS indeed an official organization for every dog sport that will allow mixed breeds/dogs without AKC registration. There is really so much more than the AKC when it comes to dogs. That is as far as I am going with that discussion/clarification! If anyone wants to take that further go ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbc1963 Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 does your god have to be intact or un neutered if you want enter it into a contest? I think the commandment is "Thou Shalt Not Enter Thy God in a Contest." Sorry. Couldn't resist. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc4pack Posted July 30, 2007 Report Share Posted July 30, 2007 Kinda cute I thought!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darcy.d Posted July 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 lol im kinda confused? so i can take my doggie to agility training? it might different over here in australia but i doubt it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darcy.d Posted July 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 oops! just realized i said 'god' LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darcy.d Posted July 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 sorry for asking heaps of questions lol. but i only have one more. i have just looked at the armidale dog club site and it doesnt say whether or not you can enter neutered or mixed breeds, so i am going to ring up. but if they do say yes, would you think people would laugh at my for bringing a 10 YEAR old bc??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pax Posted July 31, 2007 Report Share Posted July 31, 2007 Starr learns new things all the time, she is 10. She is a trained Open dog who had all her commands for moving sheep when I met her. I am a novice sheep handler. I use a clucking noise to get the sheep to move, which is not a standard part of a real shepherd's repetoire. She has learned the clucking noise means to move the sheep OR herself in the direction they are facing, slowly. I know she didn't know it before she came here. In fact, I'm sure she had a real command for that action which she had to replace. So, yes, I think these dogs are capable of learning something new every day. If they lived as long as we did they'd outsmart us and rule the world, I'm sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisingRiver Posted August 1, 2007 Report Share Posted August 1, 2007 lol im kinda confused? so i can take my doggie to agility training? it might different over here in australia but i doubt it.. You can take your dog to agility trails and training. In the states, only the AKC says that your dog must be registered as a purebred (or registered as a purebreed lookalike that you apply for) to do agility. Not sure what your Airdale club is putting on. Is it a 'beauty contest' type walk around the ring and show off your dog? Sure people might laugh, some people are snobs. Who cares! Do what you and your dog enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.