Even Older Dogs Can Learn

This weekend, I was with my aunt’s 13 year old sheltie who has cataracts, has lost much hearing, and doesn’t move around like she did. I see learning as enrichment and I love teaching so I wanted to give Molly something constructive to do. I went to my car and brought in an orange cone and some dog treats, and began teaching her that when she touched her nose to the tip of the cone, she would get a piece of food. Soon, this dog who had been wandering through us aimlessly, not fully engaging with anyone, began wagging her tail and was intently interested in bumping her nose to the cone. After a few minutes, I took the cone up and came back to it later. Her just seeing it caused her tail to begin wagging again and she did about a dozen more repetitions of touching the cone’s tip. By the way…Molly is a dog who has had very little formal training in her life. It is just a reminder that learning and enrichment is important for all ages.