[sharkweek]

My own anecdotal proof of this being true -

Wife and I have the seemingly dumbest labrador in the world. We adopted him at an old age (8-ish) so we didn't get the chance to raise or train him ourselves.

But after we picked him up, it really only took about two days for him to settle in and learn exactly where everything was that he wanted, and he quickly learned how to signal when something was needed. He knew exactly WHAT we were good for, whether that be feeding, letting him out, play, back scratches that he can't reach, etc.

We were super impressed with his ability to learn a daily routine too. "When they get home, they feed me so I'll stand by my bowl, then after I'm done they play with me so I'll grab my toy, then they take me on a walk so I'll stand by my leash"

[sync]

Hey, just a quick FYI, you shouldn't play with your dog immediately after he eats, it can cause bloat, see e.g. http://www.globalspan.net/bloat.htm

[sharkweek]

This is good advice - just for clarity, when I say "play" with our old guy it's more like... the most slow motion version of play on earth. More like he jogs around the yard with his toy while I pretend I can't catch him.

[comrh]

Definitely experienced this with older dogs my family fosters. People go straight for the puppies but there are so many great older dogs in shelters. Just have to deal with some behavioral stuff (put up with barking most of the time).

[sharkweek]

HA - yep, our current dog is a talker, especially when I make any move toward the leash (and of course when he sees any murderous squirrels in our back yard).

Honestly, I know that right now my wife and I can't have a puppy, we just don't have that kind of time. That's where older dogs fit right into our lifestyle, our current old guy just wants his two quick walks a day and a big couch he can sprawl on.