If your dog's behavior is out of control despite your efforts to train them, you may begin to feel like your dog is untrainable. However, we do not believe that this is true. Any dog can be trained, but it does take a lot of time, effort, and patience on the part of the owner.
At what age is it too late to train a dog? Of course, you know the answer by now: It is not ever too late. Training works at any point in a dog's life. Whether you start the day you bring your puppy home, or when your 10 year old dog finally needs to stop his leash pulling habit.
Instead, opt for reward-based training tactics that focus on giving the dog things he desires, like treats, petting and play, when he responds to a command in the desired manner. And rather than punishing him for unwanted behavior, redirect him to a more acceptable behavior and offer him a reward for that.
#1 – Afghan Hound
These sighthounds needed to think for themselves to keep track of the prey instead of looking to their owner for direction. These days, those traits are displayed as being aloof and independent. They make up for their lack of obedience by being extremely affectionate and loyal.
The Labrador Retriever earned the crown as the “naughtiest” breed. Traditionally, people know this popular dog for its friendly and outgoing nature. Yet, it seems that the breed's strength and energetic spirit could sometimes steer them into less desirable behaviors.
"Most cases however, are simply overly energetic dogs that may not be getting sufficient exercise and routine ..." This means that instead of getting more excitable when given amphetamines, these dogs tend to calm down and become more focused for training.
Approximately 35% of owners and trainers voted 8-9 months as the toughest age citing new challenging behaviors associated with their puppy's now larger size such as pulling on the leash or counter-surfing.
Why do some dogs simply not obey? If your dog ignores every “sit”, “stay” and “heel”, this isn't simply due to it being stubborn. As harsh as it sounds, such disobedience is solely down to the owner and scarce or incorrect training.
It Teaches Your Dog Life Skills
But living in a human household puts pressure on your dog that it needs to learn to deal with. Failure to properly train your dog could result in destructive behaviors. For example, they could become anxious and chew up your furniture when you're not around.
Is there such a thing as an untrainable dog? The short answer, according to animal behaviourist Dr Joanne Righetti, is no. “Most dogs are trainable. There may be some dogs with brain disorders or injuries that find it hard to learn, but this is the exception,” she explains.
The adolescent period typically begins around six months of age, and will be over when a dog reaches physical maturity around two to three years old. The most pronounced behavioral issues will be noticed between six to 12 months old.
Like humans, dogs go through a rebellious “teenager” phase (around 5 months to 18 months). During this time, they'll often test their owners, seeing what they can get away with. Being firm and consistent with your training will help establish boundaries.
6 Months - 1 Year Old
Your puppy should know all of their basic commands and have a solid foundation of potty training, crate training, and socialization. From this point on, you will continue to work with your puppy to reinforce what they have already learned!
Think, don't react. Doing nothing is the hardest part of dog training. But sometimes it's the only way to show our dogs how to choose better. Pay close attention to your own reactions to your dog's silly/obnoxious behaviors.
Generally, most puppies will start to settle between 6 - 12 months, but as mentioned above there are a few other factors that can impact puppy energy levels. Some might say that female dogs are calmer dogs due to the fact they mature quicker than males, however a more impactful factor to consider would be their breed.
Some dogs are easier to train while others are harder--it has nothing to do with intelligence, but rather on the genetic makeup of that dog's specific breed.
Work your pup through both commands for as long as it takes for your pup to fully understand that "No" means no and "Okay" means yes or go ahead. Once he has learned to apply this command to the treat, he will learn that when you tell him "no" about anything else, he is not to keep doing whatever it was he was doing.
While playing fetch, as they're running back with their toy, say “come” and reward with praise and another toss of their toy. Any time your dog is walking or running towards you, say “come” and reward when they get to you! You can use real-life rewards like play, praise, cuddles, or toys mixed in with training treats.
The Pit Bull is the most common dog breed (along with pit bull breed mixes) found in shelters in the United States. They are also the most abused, neglected, and the most euthanized.