You CAN teach an old dog new tricks, owners say

With age comes wisdom, according to 71% of pet parents who said their four-legged friend has become smarter with age.

The survey of 2,000 dog and cat owners revealed that as they’ve got older, their pets are better at interacting with other pets or people (72%) and learning new tricks/commands (56%).

While 54% said that younger pets are easy to teach, 87% said that you can in fact teach an old dog new tricks.

Owners of senior pets also reported a stronger emotional connection with their pet than those who have younger pets (91% vs. 85%), and three-quarters of respondents (74%) said their pet has become a more intuitive companion with age.

Conducted by OnePoll for pet food brand Stella & Chewy’s, the survey also found that pet parents have learned a thing or two about ageing from their pets, like “age doesn’t determine how fun or sociable you can or cannot be” and you should take things in your stride “one day at a time”.

“We believe that all pets deserve love, no matter the age,” said Marie Moody, founder of Stella & Chewy’s. “My dogs Stella and Chewy, who inspired me to start the company, showed me how much I can learn from senior pets. As my dogs aged, they became even smarter companions, giving me a fresh perspective that I carry with me every day.”

Senior pet insurance from Petwise is designed to support the needs of older pets and their owners. There is no upper age limit on our policies, and cover includes access to unlimited video consultations with a fully qualified vet, available 24/7, 365 days a year.