6 yo Golden Retriever - too old to retrain?

In My Humble Opinion
1

So this morning we accepted a new (to us) six year old Golden Retriever into AdoptaFamily and so far we’re loving her to bits! We’ve never taken in a dog quite this old before and I’m wondering just how set in her ways she might be.

For instance, when the OO (original owner) brought her by, the dog jumped up on her and put her paws on the OO’s chest several times. This is a no-no in our family and so far she’s responded well to our firm “no” the couple of times she’s tried it with us. Can we break her of this or is she too old?

Also, her name is nice (Sugar) but we’d like to name her Jenny. Is she too old to learn to respond to a different name?

She’s been an inside/outside dog until now and the OO says she’s completely house broken. So far today she’s gone to the door when she needs to use the bathroom. Can we expect this to continue or will the trauma of joining a new family likely set her back? Can she learn to use a doggy door at this age or have we missed the window of opportunity to teach her?

One last thing - we’ve always free fed our critters (kept a full food bowl and fresh water available 24/7. The dog is accustomed to being fed twice per day. She is a bit overweight and we’d like for her to slim down some. We plan to walk her twice daily, plus we have a nice backyard for her to play in. Will she adjust to free feeding or will she stuff herself and put on even more weight? She’s accustomed to eating Kibbles and Bits food, but is there better choice for a a dog that needs to lose weight?

Thanks in advance for any insight you can offer.

2

Can’t answer all of your questions (no clue on the name thing) but…

My dog’s obedience class had a 5yo rescued golden in it. When he got to us, he’d just bitten the owner’s adult son. Didn’t like other dogs in his face. Was a bit of a mean dude.

It took about 24 weeks of training, normally along with the other dogs (meaning not special training) to get him to straighten up. Now he’s a total sweetie and listens VERY well.

It can be done but your entire family needs to be in on it, and be persistent. Goldens live to make people happy. A good trainer will help you all help the dog.

Regarding food…goldens can get quite hefty. And it’s not good for any dog to be overweight. Mine would probably eat herself sick if I left food out for her.

HOWEVER…sometimes we’ll sit for other dogs, and the other dog’s food goes on the floor and stays out all day (like your dogs). Dolly knows the command “leave it” and she does NOT eat the other dog’s food. It did NOT take any training, just one time of telling her no. I think if you give your new dog her own dishes - perhaps on a stand as opposed to the floor - and work with her to let her know that this is her food and the other food isn’t for her, she will figure it out right quick.

It wouldn’t hurt to give her some diet doggy food. Ask the vet if they recommend anything, and also what her target weight should be. My golden gets the PetCo brand (nutra-something?) that is diet food for large breeds.

When my golden first started getting too heavy, the vet recommended cutting her food to 2 cups a day instead of 4 (or about half of what was recommended on the bag) and giving her 1 can of salt-free green beans per night, as a third feeding. I’ve been feeding her like this for 3 years now and she absolutely loves the beans. It fills her up and has virtually no calories.

You just have to buy a LOT of salt-free canned green beans :slight_smile: I buy about 14 every time I go shopping.

Good luck with your new buddy :slight_smile:

3

IMO, yes, she can be trained. I favor the book don’t shoot the dog as a guide to training dogs.

She will likely learn that jumping up is bad. I would not rename her, but I suspect she would eventually learn that you mean her when you say Jenny.

Ask you vet about dog food.

I believe she will continue to be house broken. But some dogs do have short periods of setbacks when in a new home. I am guessing she won’t.

I’ll bet she can learn to use a doggy door. Heck, I’d bet she will figure it out for herself.

4

She certainly will learn to respond to a new name. Former stray dogs whose original names are unknown learn to do so every day. You CAN rename her. But it might be kinder not to. (Maybe you can transition her gently by calling her both names, as if the new name were an endearment tacked onto the old name.

5

She can definitely be renamed and retrained. Dogs are natural people pleasers.

I’d really take it slow and give her time to adjust before starting too many changes. Make sure she’s comfortable and acclimated to the rhythms of the house first and familiar with everyone. Make sure she knows where the doors are. It’d be natural to have accidents in the beginning.

I adopted a dog once that was about three that was never housebroken. He was kept in a crate always and messed in the crate so crate training was out. Honestly, it took about two weeks to housebreak him and he never had an accident. Dogs really do want to please. He turned out to be one of the nicest dogs I ever had and I still miss him.

I wouldn’t make any changes to her diet yet until she knows all of you really well and is adjusted to being there. Weight will drop off if she’s being exercised.

Consider signing up for a class, they can give you great tips.
Best of luck!

6

You can always teach an old dog new tricks, it may just take a little longer than it does with a puppy as they have to unlearn their old responses at the same time.

One thing to try when she jumps up is to turn away and ignore her until she settles down, then give her praise and attention when she is sitting or standing more quietly. Saying ‘No’ is OK but make it short and gruff. If you do the “no, down girl, stay down, don’t jump…” spiel while touching her then she’s likely to interpret it as a game and a way to get attention. A lot of people make the mistake of unintentionally rewarding the unwanted behavior.

The new name should be no problem; as far as the dog is concerned it’s feed me, play with me, take care of me and you can call me anything you want. Easing into it with “Jenny, sugar” and “Sugar Jenny” may help if she doesn’t seem to catch on before long but I’ve never done anything to give a dog a new name but start using the new name consistently and often.

If she’s already going to the door to indicate that she wants out then just be sure you respond to that. You and she will work out a nice, regular schedule once she settles into the routine of the new house but, as others have said, don’t let a few accidents discourage you. This is a confusing time for her and she’s not sure yet how to make you understand what she needs and when. She may also be a little scared of new noises and smells and getting her own scent into the place may be comforting to her.

If she’s overweight I’d avoid the free feeding for a while. Keeping her same feeding schedule is one less thing she has to adjust to right away. If you do free feed watch that she doesn’t overeat. She may stick to her old schedule anyway even if you do have the food down all the time. I’d definitely talk to the vet about what you are feeding her though as I don’t think K&B is very good stuff. A gradual changeover to a higher quality food may be warranted.

Oh, and congratulations and good on you for giving an older dog a new start!

7

Try watching a few episodes of [B]The Dog Whisperer** on Nat’l Geo channel. The guy is amazing. The best thing you are doing right now is walking the animal twice a day. Just make sure that YOU are the pack leader on the walks. The rest will come easily after that.

Re the jumping: After saying “no” and making the dog get down, do NOT, under any circumstances, say “good dog” or reward it in any fashion. The dog is still in a state of excitement and will associate the reward with the jumping. One of Cesar Milan’s cardinal rules is to only reward a dog when it is in a calm, submissive state.

8

Just wanted to tell you that we rented all of the episodes to date on DVD and have loved them!

Jenny is a joy to our family and she’s adjusted very well. She no longer jumps on family, but will occasionally try it with folks who come over. A quick, firm "NO and she’s back to greeting nicely.

She is slimming down some, I think from the walks she gets. She also turns up her nose at the food her OO brought with her and now eats dry cat food, which I know is not the best for her, but our labrador did the same thing and lived to a ripe old age of 16+ years so it can’t be too terrible.

She and our cat, Sophie the Slut, are tolerating one another quite nicely now and even sleep on the same bed, at the same time (but on opposite sides) with our daughter. Same daughter has also discovered that walking a beautiful dog like her is a great guy magnet and has met a couple of cute guys in our new neighborhood - bonus!

Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom.

9

Thanks for the update - glad it worked out for everyone!!

10

I just wanted so say thanks from the rest of the world for breaking her of the jumping up habit. I don’t think some dog people understand just how much non-dog people hate a dog jumping up on them.

11

Cat food can really mess with a dog’s kidneys. There are acids or something in cat food which can cause problems. It’s not a really good idea, but I understand how difficult it can be getting a dog to accept something it doesn’t want.

As a case in point, my dog Bean refuses to drink from anything except her approved water bowl. A few years ago, I got tired of having to fill it all the time and bought her one of those jug waterers. She wouldn’t go near it. Hubby said that no dog will dehydrate itself if fresh water is available-- we’d just have to wait and when she got thirsty enough, she’d drink. Three days later, I caved and gave her back her old bowl. I was getting worried she might actually sicken from thirst if I didn’t.

What I suggest for your dog’s eating situation is that you find a canned dog food that she loves. Mix a little of it with the cat food so that her stomach doesn’t get upset, gradually increasing the amount. Then, over a period of several days, start reducing the amount of cat food while replacing it with dog food. Once you get to where it’s all dog food, start reducing the amount of canned food that you’re mixing with it. Eventually, you should be able to get to the point where she’ll accept the dog food happily. Put the cat’s bowl up on a piece of furniture where she can’t reach it.

If, for some reason, she won’t eat the plain dry food, there are various dog “gravy” toppings you can buy at any pet store. (Chock full of vitamins, and dogs seem to love 'em.) Put a little of the gravy on the food and stir it in well so that she doesn’t just eat the top layer.

As for your question about Kibbles and Bits-- Honestly, I wouldn’t recommend any brand of dog food that you’re likely to find in the pet aisle at the grocery store. Google “pet food poisons” and you’ll see what I’m talking about. No, your dog likely won’t die from eating that food, but it is less nutritious and often has traces of toxins which can cause problems in some dogs. As a general tip, buy a food preserved with Vitamin E if possible and check the ingredients for evidence of a lot of fillers.

As for free-feeding, I do it with my three dogs and none has a weight problem. However, all three have been raised to be free-fed. A dog who has had structured meals will sometimes have problems adjusting to free-feeding. (I knew one dog who* never *was able to adjust to free-feeding and would gorge himself every time he saw food in his bowl.) A lot of people disagree with free-feeding because controlling a dog’s food supply is important to establishing the Alpha role in dogs who have a dominant personality. None of my dogs do, which is why it’s not a problem in my household.

12

The way I look at grocery store cat (and dog) food is that it’s pet junk food. They might love it, but it isn’t all that good for them. My cats get dry food only (in structured feeding twice a day, because one will just eat till the food’s gone), but it is the best quality dry food we can find.

13

If you are trying to help your dog slim down I wouldn’t add a lot of “gravy” or wet food to her diet. Sometimes just microwaving dry kibble for 10 seconds will get your dog (or cat) to eat. When you warm the kibble up it helps to release some of the oil in the food and makes it smell yummier to the dog. I have also had a lot of success mixing in a little plain yogurt. You don’t have to add much and it has the added benefit of helping your dogs digestive track.

As far as store bought food goes, I feed Purina One. My dogs do very well on it, YMMV. I would stay away from foods that list corn or other grain products as the first ingredient, however I don’t feel it’s necessary to shell out big bucks for super premium foods. If your worried about your dog not getting enough protein you can always add an egg.

Just my $.02!
Barrels

14

The gravy I have is formulated for senior dogs and has very little calories. The wet food was simply supposed to be a transitional tool-- the dog wouldn’t be eating it for very long and could be placed on a low-cal food.

Here is an interesting article about pet foods:

While I’m not all that concerned about traces of growth hormone in the food, the presence of the drugs used to euthanize can become a problem. I have read that is possible that your pet can develop a resistance to the euthanizing drug which could possibly cause complications if (God forbid) you ever had to put your pet to sleep.

15

Dog-training person chiming in: of course you can teach Jenny new tricks. Goldens are particularly eager to please. I recommend finding an obedience class you can attend - preferably with someone who does clicker training.

Dogs can learn new rules and new things, and it’s especially easier if the new rules come with a change of environment (so a rehoming is ideal, for example!) Heck, I’ve seen a 7 year old rescue aussie go from not being housebroken to being a star, title-earning agility and flyball dog. They also tried their paw at freestyle and are loving it!

Regarding weightloss - take it slow. Cut the food intake, replace the “missing” food with a low-cal substitute: green beans work well, but I highly recommend mashed pumpkin. Just make sure you buy the stuff that isn’t pre-sweetened/spiced (for pies and such). With exercise and a reduction in food intake, the dog will start losing weight. You can also try to use the “Nothing in life is free” approach to training, especially if you’re retraining an older dog who needs to lose weight. You can look up the basic rules of it online - it works really really well. It’s awesome for bonding, obedience, and weightloss!

Good luck!

E.

16

Who is the maker of this “gravy”? I’m only wondering because I have only seen the Purina type stuff and that wasn’t very low cal. I would be interested in checking it out.

Also, please don’t take this the wrong way, however I would take the “information” in this article with more weight if it was from a less biased source. If you read the article very carefully and with a critical eye you will see that there are weaving words in a misleading way.

I understand that many people feel that kibble isn’t the way to go for their dogs, however feeding a raw diet isn’t always practical for the casual dog owner. Feeding top tier kibble is also not always an option, many times it isn’t locally available or economically feasible for a family.
Barrels

17

One type I use is called Vita Gravy but there are other brands which are even lower in fat such as Healthy Essentials gravy for senior dogs (24 calories per serving)

Sure. I understand. No offense taken.

Other than the FDA, there isn’t a lot of information out there which comes from what could be considered a truly unbiased source. There isn’t a lot of regulation over the pet food industry, and there hasn’t been a lot of research on it. There have been several threads on the subject, which might be worth a search if you’re interested. Some Dopers had good data on the subject.

The FDA has conducted research into phenobarbital in pet foods and has come to the conclusion that it is “unlikely” that it poses a health risk. Just like with NutraSweet, the findings are that you’d have to consume a vast quantity of it for it to kill you. Fair enough, but I’m not sure that the eight-week-long study can tell us what the life-long effects of constant exposure might be.

It’s not feasible for me to feed a raw diet. Hell, I don’t cook for my husband, let alone for the dogs.

I feed my dogs kibble: PMI Exclusive., which is made by Purina but is quite a bit better quality than their “grocery store” lines. It gets good reviews on sites which monitor dog foods for chemical contaiminates and potentially dangerous ingredients.

Sure-- I can understand that. The best thing a person can do in a situation like that is just to read the labels on the bag and make the best choice they can in their price range. Try to find foods which don’t list corn or other fillers like bone meal early on in the list and try to avoid chemicals whenever possible. (Though, of course, contaminates like BHA and BHT aren’t ingredients, so they wouldn’t be on the label.)

It’s highly unlikely your dog will die from eating kibble unless, of course, you have the misfortune to have gotten a bad batch. Nor would you necessarily die if you ate McDonald’s every day of your life. But you’re probably be quite a bit healthier and might have a longer life if you were eating better food.