Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

[Minihuntur]

I've got a 2 yr old crossbreed (he's too nice to call a mutt) and he loves to hunt, but I need a new retriever, can I train him easy enough, I've never trained a dog, any tips?
Minihuntur

[fabsroman]

I trained two golden retievers that were older dogs. One was 2 years old and the other was 5 years old. If the dog is smart, you should have no problem training it.

[DogYeller]

Mini, I don’t know you or your dog. If the dog is smart and you’re soft you’re not gonna make much progress. On the other hand, if the dog has the basics of obedience down and you are tough enough not to give up. Go for it. At two years you have an adolescent, they learn fast at this age. You are probably going to have to use Force Fetch, if you want a dependable retriever.

I also have trained two mature dogs to retrieve. One was a Norwegian Elkhound the other was an Airedale. They both did a good job, but they had their idiosyncrasies. If you can live with imperfection you will probably be pleased.

[Catfish]

When I was 16 I had a cross between a Red Bone and a Grey Hound. I had him retrieve a duck for me., that I shot off the wing with a .22 rifle, that was back befor I found out that no one could do those thing. :D

[gumpokc]

It' isnt so much a matter of _can_ you teach an old dog new tricks, it's simply getting the idea across and hoping the dog isnt in a contrary mood.

We had a stray show up and adopt us where i work at, vet estimates her age at 5 years, beautiful little red heeler.
She's really smart ( and spoiled now) but she learns things like lightning.

Here's a simple test for your dog, is it breathing? ok, it can be trained, only question is _if_ the dog wants to learn, some can be as obstinate as some people you know :)