The attitude of an older dog is similar to that of a person who believes you can teach old dog new tricks. The older dog feels that he already know everything and there is nothing that needs changing. In fact, dogs usually reach this knowledge by age of one year and it is thoroughly set in two years of age.

They learned to communicate with others of their species, fought for their place in the hierarchy, know when to eat, where the food is coming from, where their bed is located and when it is time to sleep.

These things were learned mostly through trial and error, often by receiving correction when overstepping boundaries. Dogs are instinctual creatures, developing an inner sense of timing, place and behavior. What we as human don’t understand is that if our pets were left with their parents, they would receive a canine education that would help them fit into their family packs. We have taken them out of their packs and merged them with our own. Without mother dog to teach the pup what is or is not proper, who will. It is now our responsibilities.

After going through the difficult puppy stages of housetraining, destruction and high activity, many dogs owners feels the job is complete. The dogs tell its owner when to play and eat, that no shoes are safety left outside the closet, and if anything is disagreeable a growl will quickly control the situation. Some dogs may stop their destructiveness provided if they have confine or otherwise prevented from having access to tasty couches, carpets, and new shoes. However, the problems have still not been confronted and solved.

This situation is similar to an adult who never learn to read. The person was able to find work and shelter but was never able to each intended education and career goals. In short, the person wasn’t guided properly by their parents or simply never had the opportunity.

This same situation hold true for dogs. They are never too old to learn. While they may think they know everything and have achieved a high status in your household, they can still learn to become obedient and develop good house manners.