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Senior Dogs – Can their behaviour change?
By Scotty Valadao – Accredited Behaviour Consultant (ABC of SA™): Tellington TTouch Practitioner
When is a dog considered a senior? – Dogs are considered senior in the last 25% of their lives. Just look up your dog’s average life span and do the math.
The answer to this question is most definitely yes – the behaviour can change. Sadly we don’t always realize how subtle the aging process can be and often miss some of the signs that a problem could be developing. We seem to have a tendency to think of our dogs being ‘forever young’ until we receive a slap in the face as my hubby did the other day. A family member, here in Portugal, seeing our Brady for the first time said ‘what a lovely old man’. My husband was shocked and told me about this later saying that looking at Brady now, he was really seeing him properly – the white circles around his eyes, more white around the muzzle etc. – in his eyes, because the dog is full of energy (border collier) we just hadn’t realized that our 8 year old is no longer a young dog and is in fact, now a senior.
Although we can all see physical changes such as above and other physical concerns such as arthritis, gum or teeth decay, aging can affect your dog’s memory, its ability to learn quickly, its hearing and eye sight. It can even bring in changes in your dogs sleep patterns and walking, pacing at night may occur as well as barking/whining, or you may find your dog standing staring at nothing in particular. Your dogs energy levels will change and often its appetite. It’s tolerance towards other dogs and children may be affected with the dog seeming to be less amicable than before, and its elimination patterns may go awry. Dogs, like people, can experience age-related dementia so if you have a dog that has suddenly forgotten what a cue such as ‘come’, ‘sit, off’ etc means, do keep an eye out for any other changes in behaviour.
Due to all these subtle changes that take place as above, it often occurs that the dog is prone to stress more and can start to show symptoms of anxiety. I am going to cover here the three most common behaviour problems/changes that I deal with myself in senior dogs to increase your awareness and offer some advice. Before I do so, what is so very important is to realize that with all behaviour concerns, the quicker the concern is tackled, the quicker the resolution can be. The majority of these concerns are better undertaken with a professional behaviourist to assist, as they may start small, but can quickly escalate.
Very often your vet’s assistance is also required, so don’t hesitate to take your dog to the vet to receive help with any medication or treatment that can improve your senior dog’s quality of life. At the end of the day, they can’t drive themselves to the vet and use their credit cards – it is up to us, their owners – to be aware of the changes and to do all we can to help them enjoy these ‘golden years’ that they so richly deserve given the love, devotion and companionship they give us throughout their lives.
Another point to bear in mind, is that here we are talking about changes taking place in behaviour due to aging, but sometimes changes in behaviour are an indication of a more serious physical problem, so do keep an eye of your senior and as my own vet always says ‘if in doubt, check it out’!
Separation Anxiety – this to me at least, is one of the worst behaviours there is to modify as it takes so much work from the owner and can take a long time to turn around, plus, a dog should never be left alone longer than it can cope with, which makes it very difficult for owners, especially if they work. Do look for signs of separation anxiety and tackle straight away. It really would be an idea to get in a professional to assist you, as this behaviour does tend to become worse as time goes by. Some of the more common symptoms:-
a. One of the things to look out for is a dog that starts to become anxious when owner is making preparations to leave the home. Behaviour may include, barking, demanding attention, turning in circles, running to pick up a favourite toy, inappropriate elimination, excess salivation, pacing, panting etc.
b. The dog may start to pay you even more attention when you come home than normal and may even be a bit ‘over the top’ and act as if you have been away for weeks, rather than just a short period.
c. If the dog is being destructive, barking, chewing, exhibits inappropriate behaviour etc only when you are out, this is one of the definite signs that the behaviour has already begun.
If your dog is barking/whining while at home, it may be that the dog is trying to get you to come to it, which sometimes happen with older dogs due to a lack of mobility, or even has the need to eliminate. If you feel for attention, ignore the barking and it should soon stop, otherwise your dog has just found a new way to train you! If you feel the dog has the need to eliminate, walk to the door calling the dog and take it outside to eliminate and praise lavishly afterwards.
There is an article on the site that will assist with the modifications that need to be introduced if you do not have access to a behaviourist. These are lengthy so I am supplying a link to the article instead - read more on Separation Anxiety.
Inappropriate Elimination –this is one you will more likely pick up on, as hard to miss! Sometimes our senior dogs may have an ‘accident’ and we will put it down to the dog being locked up too long or a similar scenario rather than realizing that a problem may be developing. Some dogs may present a full flow of urine, whilst others may ‘drip’ or ‘leak’ and some dog’s soil with their faeces.
It could be that there is a medical reason for this such as a condition that increases the frequency of elimination, or that due to the aging process the dog is battling to either lift its leg or squat, or that it is finding it difficult to negotiate the stairs down to the garden. There is also the case wherein the dog may be experiencing pain due to an underlying condition which is contributing or causing the behaviour, and a simple solution could well be found at the vet
What does often occur with this behaviour is that stress levels can raise. The dog cannot perform its normal functions in the way it used to and many dogs, especially females, do not like to be ‘dirty’. Due to this keep an eye out if your dog is cleaning itself more than usual, especially around the penis in males and the vulva in females. I have known females who licked themselves so much in the vulva region that it was red and swollen, and the owners had just not thought of looking there. This is a sure indication that something is not right and your female may be ‘leaking’.
If we are adding to the dogs stress by chastising, punishing etc, we are just (inadvertently) making the behaviour worse and reinforcing it, and raising stress levels further. Just realize that your dog does have a problem and take the necessary steps to assist.
Whatever the reason for this occurring, a visit to the vet is a necessity. We spend hours and hours with our dogs, while our vets have a limited time period. In order to help your vet to make a diagnosis and suggest medication and/or treatment, try putting together a list such as the one below (regardless of the behaviour or physical concern) in order to make it easier for your vet to help your dog.
a. Start to gauge how much your dog is drinking daily and instead of just putting water in the bowl, measure the amount you are using. This will help you and your vet to see if the amount the dog is drinking is normal, or if there has been an increase in thirst due to an underlying medical condition such as diabetes.
b. See how often your dog is urinating, defecating daily.
c. If the urine light or dark?
d. Does the urine have a particular smell?
e. Is there blood in either the urine or stool?
f. What is the consistency of the stool – soft, runny, hard etc and is this different from normal?
g. See if you can determine if the stool is particularly smelly – not hard!
h. Does the dog appear to be constipated?
i. Has the dog’s posture changed while eliminating or eating?
j. Are there any changes in the dogs feeding patterns?
k. Are there any changes in the dogs sleeping patterns?
l. Run your hand gently, slowly and firmly over the whole body. Be aware if your dog shows discomfort in any area. The dog may not just get up and leave - look for subtle signs such as the dog turning its head towards you, licking its lips, putting its ears back, and trying to move its body to another position so your hand does not touch an area. Are there any whines, growls etc? Also check for lumps and bumps and make a note where they are so you can tell your vet.
m. What about your dog’s daily routine? Is he battling to sit, to get up, climb on his favourite chair, go up and down steps etc?
n. Is he sleeping more, less active etc?
o. Add in anything else you think is relevant even if it seems silly – nobody knows your dog as well as you do and even small details can help your vet.
If you find that your dog is taking strain going up and down stairs and on slippery surfaces, do what you can from the management point of view to help – buy some ‘el cheepo’ rubber mats and put them down on the path to outside. Invest in a ramp to help your dog with the stairs. If the stairs are steep, place something, short term on the sides of the ramp to make your dog feel more secure. If your dog is hesitant about going on the ramp, simply toss a few very tasty smelly treats onto it, starting close to the bottom. As your dog gains confidence ongoing this small distance, simply increase the distance. Always go slowly and don’t rush or force your dog.
Also from the management aspect, clean all areas soiled with either an enzyme based product from the vet, or use 1/3 white vinegar to 2/3 water and put in a spray bottle. Spray the area several times, sponging up the excess with paper towels. After this I find it is often helpful to put down a few drops of pure Citronella oil. On average dogs don’t like this odour and will avoid it. Unfortunately many of the household cleaners contain ammonia, which is contained in dog’s urine, and use of such to clean will only make the area smell more like a toilet!
If your dog can no longer go the whole night without soiling, start to either change your routine by taking him out later at night and earlier in the morning, or alternatively put in place an inside toilet which you dog can use day or night.Read how to train your dog to eliminate on paper.
Reactive/Aggressive Behaviour – this is not an unusual situation in a dog getting older and reactive behaviour could occur for a number of reasons i.e. pain in the body and the dog not wanting to be touched or interfered with by people or other dogs. A dog may be have less vision or hearing and if disturbed without hearing the person or animal approach, may react with aggression. The tolerance levels may not be as good as before. This is not the dog being ‘funny’ in any way – it is acting out of its natural tendency to defend itself. A change in the hierarchy in a multi-dog household, where another lower ranking dog may try to take over the position when it becomes aware that the older dog is no longer as strong may trigger reactive behaviour. These factors, in turn, can lead to increased stress impacting further on the dog’s behaviour. Not all dogs will react in this way, and some may become more dependant and/or clingy – it just depends on the individual dog.
As mentioned before, you need to examine the reasons why the behaviour is happening – what triggers it – is it a young child going to close, another dog trying to play etc. When you understand what triggers the behaviour, you can start to take steps to avoid it happening, thereby avoiding or reducing the chances of the an altercation occurring.
I am a firm believer that all aggressive/reactive behaviour should be treated by experts in their respective fields i.e. Your vet to rule out or assist with physical treatment and medication, and a qualified behaviourist who can teach you to understand a dogs body language so that you become aware of the stress building up, and who can give you the tools and modifications so that you can handle this accordingly.
General - I do find that with senior dogs an additional tool of Tellington TTouch does an amazing amount of good. It can help and reduce pain, assist the dog to cope better and lessens the stress levels. Simply by using a Wrap in a certain manner can help a dog with back problems to walk and move easier. Do check out the TTouch website www.ttouch.co.za to get more information on this wonderful modality. I really do believe that this is something every single pet owner should learn.
Just because your dog has reached the senior years and may not be as active and involved with your life as before, don’t just leave him to lie on his favourite chair sleeping all day. By engaging him in games he loves to play, but for a shorter time, or taking him out for a shorter walk, spending some quality time rubbing and massaging him, simple training, a wonderful chew bone to help clean teeth and keep him occupied, car rides with a short smell around outside before returning home etc, you will be helping him to remain healthy, keep him stimulated and quite possibly prolonging his life.
Enjoy every minute with your dog and make sure his ‘golden years’ are the very best you can provide.
The answer to this question is most definitely yes – the behaviour can change. Sadly we don’t always realize how subtle the aging process can be and often miss some of the signs that a problem could be developing. We seem to have a tendency to think of our dogs being ‘forever young’ until we receive a slap in the face as my hubby did the other day. A family member, here in Portugal, seeing our Brady for the first time said ‘what a lovely old man’. My husband was shocked and told me about this later saying that looking at Brady now, he was really seeing him properly – the white circles around his eyes, more white around the muzzle etc. – in his eyes, because the dog is full of energy (border collier) we just hadn’t realized that our 8 year old is no longer a young dog and is in fact, now a senior.
Although we can all see physical changes such as above and other physical concerns such as arthritis, gum or teeth decay, aging can affect your dog’s memory, its ability to learn quickly, its hearing and eye sight. It can even bring in changes in your dogs sleep patterns and walking, pacing at night may occur as well as barking/whining, or you may find your dog standing staring at nothing in particular. Your dogs energy levels will change and often its appetite. It’s tolerance towards other dogs and children may be affected with the dog seeming to be less amicable than before, and its elimination patterns may go awry. Dogs, like people, can experience age-related dementia so if you have a dog that has suddenly forgotten what a cue such as ‘come’, ‘sit, off’ etc means, do keep an eye out for any other changes in behaviour.
Due to all these subtle changes that take place as above, it often occurs that the dog is prone to stress more and can start to show symptoms of anxiety. I am going to cover here the three most common behaviour problems/changes that I deal with myself in senior dogs to increase your awareness and offer some advice. Before I do so, what is so very important is to realize that with all behaviour concerns, the quicker the concern is tackled, the quicker the resolution can be. The majority of these concerns are better undertaken with a professional behaviourist to assist, as they may start small, but can quickly escalate.
Very often your vet’s assistance is also required, so don’t hesitate to take your dog to the vet to receive help with any medication or treatment that can improve your senior dog’s quality of life. At the end of the day, they can’t drive themselves to the vet and use their credit cards – it is up to us, their owners – to be aware of the changes and to do all we can to help them enjoy these ‘golden years’ that they so richly deserve given the love, devotion and companionship they give us throughout their lives.
Another point to bear in mind, is that here we are talking about changes taking place in behaviour due to aging, but sometimes changes in behaviour are an indication of a more serious physical problem, so do keep an eye of your senior and as my own vet always says ‘if in doubt, check it out’!
Separation Anxiety – this to me at least, is one of the worst behaviours there is to modify as it takes so much work from the owner and can take a long time to turn around, plus, a dog should never be left alone longer than it can cope with, which makes it very difficult for owners, especially if they work. Do look for signs of separation anxiety and tackle straight away. It really would be an idea to get in a professional to assist you, as this behaviour does tend to become worse as time goes by. Some of the more common symptoms:-
a. One of the things to look out for is a dog that starts to become anxious when owner is making preparations to leave the home. Behaviour may include, barking, demanding attention, turning in circles, running to pick up a favourite toy, inappropriate elimination, excess salivation, pacing, panting etc.
b. The dog may start to pay you even more attention when you come home than normal and may even be a bit ‘over the top’ and act as if you have been away for weeks, rather than just a short period.
c. If the dog is being destructive, barking, chewing, exhibits inappropriate behaviour etc only when you are out, this is one of the definite signs that the behaviour has already begun.
If your dog is barking/whining while at home, it may be that the dog is trying to get you to come to it, which sometimes happen with older dogs due to a lack of mobility, or even has the need to eliminate. If you feel for attention, ignore the barking and it should soon stop, otherwise your dog has just found a new way to train you! If you feel the dog has the need to eliminate, walk to the door calling the dog and take it outside to eliminate and praise lavishly afterwards.
There is an article on the site that will assist with the modifications that need to be introduced if you do not have access to a behaviourist. These are lengthy so I am supplying a link to the article instead - read more on Separation Anxiety.
Inappropriate Elimination –this is one you will more likely pick up on, as hard to miss! Sometimes our senior dogs may have an ‘accident’ and we will put it down to the dog being locked up too long or a similar scenario rather than realizing that a problem may be developing. Some dogs may present a full flow of urine, whilst others may ‘drip’ or ‘leak’ and some dog’s soil with their faeces.
It could be that there is a medical reason for this such as a condition that increases the frequency of elimination, or that due to the aging process the dog is battling to either lift its leg or squat, or that it is finding it difficult to negotiate the stairs down to the garden. There is also the case wherein the dog may be experiencing pain due to an underlying condition which is contributing or causing the behaviour, and a simple solution could well be found at the vet
What does often occur with this behaviour is that stress levels can raise. The dog cannot perform its normal functions in the way it used to and many dogs, especially females, do not like to be ‘dirty’. Due to this keep an eye out if your dog is cleaning itself more than usual, especially around the penis in males and the vulva in females. I have known females who licked themselves so much in the vulva region that it was red and swollen, and the owners had just not thought of looking there. This is a sure indication that something is not right and your female may be ‘leaking’.
If we are adding to the dogs stress by chastising, punishing etc, we are just (inadvertently) making the behaviour worse and reinforcing it, and raising stress levels further. Just realize that your dog does have a problem and take the necessary steps to assist.
Whatever the reason for this occurring, a visit to the vet is a necessity. We spend hours and hours with our dogs, while our vets have a limited time period. In order to help your vet to make a diagnosis and suggest medication and/or treatment, try putting together a list such as the one below (regardless of the behaviour or physical concern) in order to make it easier for your vet to help your dog.
a. Start to gauge how much your dog is drinking daily and instead of just putting water in the bowl, measure the amount you are using. This will help you and your vet to see if the amount the dog is drinking is normal, or if there has been an increase in thirst due to an underlying medical condition such as diabetes.
b. See how often your dog is urinating, defecating daily.
c. If the urine light or dark?
d. Does the urine have a particular smell?
e. Is there blood in either the urine or stool?
f. What is the consistency of the stool – soft, runny, hard etc and is this different from normal?
g. See if you can determine if the stool is particularly smelly – not hard!
h. Does the dog appear to be constipated?
i. Has the dog’s posture changed while eliminating or eating?
j. Are there any changes in the dogs feeding patterns?
k. Are there any changes in the dogs sleeping patterns?
l. Run your hand gently, slowly and firmly over the whole body. Be aware if your dog shows discomfort in any area. The dog may not just get up and leave - look for subtle signs such as the dog turning its head towards you, licking its lips, putting its ears back, and trying to move its body to another position so your hand does not touch an area. Are there any whines, growls etc? Also check for lumps and bumps and make a note where they are so you can tell your vet.
m. What about your dog’s daily routine? Is he battling to sit, to get up, climb on his favourite chair, go up and down steps etc?
n. Is he sleeping more, less active etc?
o. Add in anything else you think is relevant even if it seems silly – nobody knows your dog as well as you do and even small details can help your vet.
If you find that your dog is taking strain going up and down stairs and on slippery surfaces, do what you can from the management point of view to help – buy some ‘el cheepo’ rubber mats and put them down on the path to outside. Invest in a ramp to help your dog with the stairs. If the stairs are steep, place something, short term on the sides of the ramp to make your dog feel more secure. If your dog is hesitant about going on the ramp, simply toss a few very tasty smelly treats onto it, starting close to the bottom. As your dog gains confidence ongoing this small distance, simply increase the distance. Always go slowly and don’t rush or force your dog.
Also from the management aspect, clean all areas soiled with either an enzyme based product from the vet, or use 1/3 white vinegar to 2/3 water and put in a spray bottle. Spray the area several times, sponging up the excess with paper towels. After this I find it is often helpful to put down a few drops of pure Citronella oil. On average dogs don’t like this odour and will avoid it. Unfortunately many of the household cleaners contain ammonia, which is contained in dog’s urine, and use of such to clean will only make the area smell more like a toilet!
If your dog can no longer go the whole night without soiling, start to either change your routine by taking him out later at night and earlier in the morning, or alternatively put in place an inside toilet which you dog can use day or night.Read how to train your dog to eliminate on paper.
Reactive/Aggressive Behaviour – this is not an unusual situation in a dog getting older and reactive behaviour could occur for a number of reasons i.e. pain in the body and the dog not wanting to be touched or interfered with by people or other dogs. A dog may be have less vision or hearing and if disturbed without hearing the person or animal approach, may react with aggression. The tolerance levels may not be as good as before. This is not the dog being ‘funny’ in any way – it is acting out of its natural tendency to defend itself. A change in the hierarchy in a multi-dog household, where another lower ranking dog may try to take over the position when it becomes aware that the older dog is no longer as strong may trigger reactive behaviour. These factors, in turn, can lead to increased stress impacting further on the dog’s behaviour. Not all dogs will react in this way, and some may become more dependant and/or clingy – it just depends on the individual dog.
As mentioned before, you need to examine the reasons why the behaviour is happening – what triggers it – is it a young child going to close, another dog trying to play etc. When you understand what triggers the behaviour, you can start to take steps to avoid it happening, thereby avoiding or reducing the chances of the an altercation occurring.
I am a firm believer that all aggressive/reactive behaviour should be treated by experts in their respective fields i.e. Your vet to rule out or assist with physical treatment and medication, and a qualified behaviourist who can teach you to understand a dogs body language so that you become aware of the stress building up, and who can give you the tools and modifications so that you can handle this accordingly.
General - I do find that with senior dogs an additional tool of Tellington TTouch does an amazing amount of good. It can help and reduce pain, assist the dog to cope better and lessens the stress levels. Simply by using a Wrap in a certain manner can help a dog with back problems to walk and move easier. Do check out the TTouch website www.ttouch.co.za to get more information on this wonderful modality. I really do believe that this is something every single pet owner should learn.
Just because your dog has reached the senior years and may not be as active and involved with your life as before, don’t just leave him to lie on his favourite chair sleeping all day. By engaging him in games he loves to play, but for a shorter time, or taking him out for a shorter walk, spending some quality time rubbing and massaging him, simple training, a wonderful chew bone to help clean teeth and keep him occupied, car rides with a short smell around outside before returning home etc, you will be helping him to remain healthy, keep him stimulated and quite possibly prolonging his life.
Enjoy every minute with your dog and make sure his ‘golden years’ are the very best you can provide.