i'm a new owner of an old dog. HELP!

[changcasyo]

Hello everyone! I have a Dachshund named Hotdog, my mum gave her to me last December 2011. Sadly during that time I have to attend uni so i left her to my parents since my dormitory doesn't allow pets and i only go home once a month. Now, i'm about to finish my degree and i'm decided to get her back but i don't know how to tame her. Here are some of my specific questions:

1. can i still train her to obey me even if she's already old?
2. she likes to run after cars and motorcycles, what should i do?
3. she's not potty trained, how do i do this?
4. i believe she's malnourished, what are the specific diet/nutritional needs of a dachshund?
5. is it possible to bring her to long travels at her age and condition (not potty trained)?

thank you so much! I know i should bring her to a vet but i'm too broke for that so i'm depending on you guys. Thanks big time! BTW, she's the one on the attached photo.

 

[Penny]

You seem concerned about how old she is but you never mentioned exactly how old she is. lol
Of course you can train her.
Why do you think she is malnourished?

 

[changcasyo]

You seem concerned about how old she is but you never mentioned exactly how old she is. lol
Of course you can train her.
Why do you think she is malnourished?

ohh haha.. she's about two years old... that's not too old right? and well i believe she is malnourished because she doesn't get to exercise, she is too thin and she doesn't get to eat proper food... she's being tied in a dog house, sometimes with no water..

 

[vizzla]

Old dogs can do anything an younger dog can do but not always as fast or long. So just let her decide how much she wants to train or walk.

An older dog doesnt need as much energy as an younger dog so get a dog food for older dogs, maybe your vet can helt you there?

Any dog can be trained. But if the dog is starting to get blind or def because of age you must take that in to your training technics

Good luck!

 

[changcasyo]

Old dogs can do anything an younger dog can do but not always as fast or long. So just let her decide how much she wants to train or walk.

An older dog doesnt need as much energy as an younger dog so get a dog food for older dogs, maybe your vet can helt you there?

Any dog can be trained. But if the dog is starting to get blind or def because of age you must take that in to your training technics

Good luck!

She's not that old so i think we still stand a chance. thank you so much... i hope we get to have more time to bond.. and yeah i think a visit to the vet will help... my only worry is that the local vets (especially those in the government) doesn't give good assessment, they'll just recommend expensive stuff that can only be bought in their clinics.. >_< uh oh!

 

[Penny]

Gosh, if she were 5, I wouldn't be worried. lol
Just get a good quality food. Look at what's available where you are, the first 5 ingredients, and make sure the protein source is first. You can always start a new thread and let us know what you have available and get comments.

 

[Penny]

I was thinking too that rather than buying dog treats, give her apple, strawberry, blueberries, or cooked veggies. Very healthy, but not too much either.
Remember dogs cannot have chocolate, avocados, onion and there are many plants that people have in their gardens and flower beds that can give a stomach ache or is poisonous. There is also a mulch that is poisonous but I can't recall off hand since it isn't available here.

Hope there's a bunch of photos coming for us soon.

 

[changcasyo]

Wow thank you so much for all the help... i'll surely take note all of that..

one more thing though, she keeps on running after cars and motorcycles when we go out walking or even if she just hears one coming. and we live near the road where many motorcycles and cars passes by. how should i correct this? any easy and basic corrective actions for this?

thanks a bunch!

 

[Penny]

Keep her on leash. She could be killed.
All of us here, when close to the road, keep our dogs leashed. Better safe than sorry.

 

[lucerogina]

Agreed. I keep Elliott leashed anytime we are outside. You never know when he could dart off and what lies ahead. Always better safe that sorry.


Loving my Elliott,
Gina

 

[jasonoz]

No dog is too old to be trained. You just have to be really consistent with her. If you let her get away with something once without re-directing her, she'll think it's ok to do and definitely will do it again.