TGIF! We made through this week, so that’s good. Also, the trade deadline has passed which means barring injuries or concussions all team rosters are set. What you see now is all you’re going to get, for better or worse.

Survival – Personal Edition

Let’s teach an old dog some new tricks. Much like middle aged dads, old dogs have routines and are set in their ways. Unlike those dads, there’s still hope for the old dog. Let’s get to it!

• Patience is mandatory. A forgotten aspect of learning something new for an old dog is unlearning a current and long standing way of doing things. So it will take time.
• Give credit to the old dog. When learning the trick, make them think it was there idea. For example, if teaching an old dog to sit, praise the dog whenever it sits on its own while saying the word “Sit.” Eventually, the old dog will put the two together, remember the praise for sitting, and respond to the command.
• Keep training sessions regimented and short. An old dog is going to tire mentally and physically pretty fast. So keep the sessions to under 15 minutes and do no more than 2 a day, and do them at the same time everyday.
• Keep the sessions upbeat and fun. Don’t make the sessions feel like punishment. Also, the smarter dogs will intentionally play dumb. Persistence will fix that.
• Reward that old dog with treats when they do perform the new trick. Of course, don’t be too generous or you’ll turn that old dog into a porker.
• As a last resort, take the old dog to a training class. Being surrounded by other dogs can provide an example for them to follow.

Great, now your dog has a new trick. Once trained, repeat for other new tricks, one at a time.

Click here to get to commenting

Survival – Species Edition

Time to put the sexy in Friday!

Enjoy the weekend, folks! Alright, now let’s get to the comments!