My bf’s dog is about 7 years old in human years, I expect that to already be an old age for a dog. Purchased from a breeder as a pup yet she’s never really been trained before. I’m not sure if the breed makes a difference but she’s a white German Shepard. Supposedly a smart and obedient type of dog, but Marley is not very much so. Here is what her personality is like:
-follows me EVERYWHERE. That’s an understatement... Needs to know where I’m at, at all times. -whine and cries a lot for no reason. (Seeks attention? But doesn’t enjoy playing) -She tends to sleep a lot. Not very energetic. -loves walks, but she pulls a lot and essentially chokes herself if I don’t run along with her. -chases cats/ other animals instinctively even when we yell at her, it’s like she loses all sense of self -she’s a barker. Tons of barking and I’m not sure what I can do to stop that, it’s gotten progressively worse since we moved a year and a half ago. Barks at any kind of knocking sounds, usually door knocking. Barks and whines when strangers come in. Worse if it’s someone she knows. (I’ve successfully stopped her from jumping on people! She hasn’t done that in 2 years!)
But! All is not lost, she knows: -Her name lol -come on -sit -paw -lay down -back up (lol I recently taught her that because she gets too close to the food and water bowl and it’s hard to refill it when her face is hover over it) -back in the house! (She likes to walk into the garage and shake and gets fur everywhere)
Downside is, SHE ONLY LISTENS WHEN SHE WANTS TO!!! Listens to my bf more than me, perhaps bc she knows he’s her owner, not me? Yet she likes me more, and opts to follow me around more than him. I know it’s not much that she knows and it’s sorta embarrassing because she’s not a stray dog so she should have learned a lot more.
Things I wish to teach her if possible: -stop barking... please, my ears are bleeding... -play?? Be a dog?? She doesn’t really know how to fetch, even. So idk how to play with her. -for a big dog, she has a small bladder?? We know she doesn’t really need to pee but asks to be let out very very often, just to pee for 2 seconds and come right back in. We have tried to not let this big baby out as often to teach her to hold it in. She’s potty trained to only pee when we let her out, but we’ve caught her peeing in her bed. -stop barking at the neighbors over the fence... it’s only 6:30am -anything a dog this age should have learned, and any tips or tricks would be super helpful for an amateur dog co-owner, THANK YOUUUU!!!
-Another thing unrelated is that she’s kind of skinny. She’s big but skinny and always has been. It’s embarrassing when people criticize about how skinny she looks but she’s never been a big eater. Most dogs jump on peanut butter, cheese, all kinda of human food and treats, but not Marley! She could care less for milk bones, she would carry it around in her mouth or leave it there for a few hours before she eats it. Only thing is I’ve found that she LOOOOVES, is chicken but she’s not allowed to have any because it makes her diarrhea like crazy. She also loves these tiny chicken flavored treats that’s made for pups and for training. And she likes rice and oil in her dog food, so I opt for that when I can to make sure she eats more. Is this normal? Her being skinny and not really wanting to eat?
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/aqelir/can_an_old_dog_really_learn_new_tricks/
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