senior dog Archives - Smart Dog University

Living with Old Dogs: Lily’s Cliffhanger

April 20, 2017

Living with old dogs…it’s an adventure, to put it kindly.

A rollercoaster, even.

I’ve been sharing more of my old dog stories lately.

It’s what my life is like these days. I’m thankful for Schooner because while he’s middle aged (4 is getting up there for some Great Danes), he’s still playful and agile.

So my old girl, Lily, is 15 and 3 months.

Lily, old dog, black lab, Labrador, clicker training, Frederick. Smart Dog University Yes, at age 15, she gets credit for every month — when she’s 15 and a half, I may even start giving her credit for the weeks. Her canine cognitive dysfunction is in high gear. Her eyesight is getting worse, and I fear her hearing has completely abandoned her. I have self-diagnosed her with degenerative myelopathy, too. [I’m a dog trainer, not a veterinarian, so obviously, don’t rely on me or this blog for veterinary advice. Consult with your veterinarian for veterinary advice.] I’ll write another blog post about all these issues later, I just want to give you a glimpse into my crazy life and my crazy brain.

Early in the morning, around 5:15a, Lily fell out of bed.

No worries, the mattresses are directly on the floor to ensure she can still sleep on the bed and to be sure that when she does get out of bed (onto the carpeted floor) she doesn’t hurt herself. I heard her and I waited for her to get up and walk into the hallway, which is my cue to get up, follow her, and let her out to go to the bathroom.

But there was no noise. No movement.

I throw the covers off, flip the light on, and there she is, lying just as she fell. I go over to her, put my arms under her shoulders (at which point she usually rights herself and I then help her up). Nothing.

She still doesn’t move.

She’s breathing, she’ll even blink if I move my hand toward her face. But no movement. I call for my husband who is getting ready to leave for work. He gets on one end, I’m on the other and we lift her up. I’m sure she’ll start to move, stiffen her body, or somehow show some sort of indication that she’s aware of what’s happening and will try to help.

Nothing.

She’s breathing regularly, her gums are nice and pink, she blinks as I move my hand toward her eye. I watch her for another 15 minutes before the other dogs come in and tell me it’s their breakfast time. Confident I’m going to be calling my husband later in the day to tell him Lily has died, I reluctantly take care of the other dogs and get their breakfast ready.

Before I’m finished getting their breakfast ready, here comes Lily, be-bopping into the kitchen looking well-rested and ready for the day.

I laughed and laughed. That’s Lily. We joke that she’s like a Timex — takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’. She’s a tank: she’s not fast, but there’s nothing that can stop her. We know her time is coming, and it’s not too far in the future. But I believe that right up until that very minute, she’ll be trucking on — over and through anything that’s in her way.

So until that time comes, I’ll still check her breathing (at least) five times a day while she’s sleeping to make sure she’s still alive, I’ll clean up after her (the degenerative myelopathy contributes to her incontinence), and our house will look like a wayward home for throw rugs and runners (to help her keep her footing on our hardwood and tile floors).

Are you living with an old dog? Leave a comment with your adventures and roller coaster rides. I’d love to empathize with you.

Old Dogs + Young Dogs: Living (Together) Happily Ever After

February 3, 2016

It’s important that your older dog lives a full and happy life – especially if she’s living with younger, more rambunctious dogs.

In our household, we’ve got a 165 pound, three year old Great Dane living with our 55 pound, 14 year old Labrador. Size difference alone is enough to give any owner pause, but when the 55 pound dog is ancient in dog years, the concern escalates. This month’s newsletter focuses on what you should be looking for if you’ve got an significant age discrepancy in your household, as well as some easy changes you can make to ensure that both the older and younger dogs’ needs are being met.

Regardless of size differences, there are some big differences between young dogs and old dogs.

older dog, younger dog, dog training, dog obedience, clicker, Frederick, Mt. Airy, Smart Dog University — Schooner thinks this is fun. Nemo doesn’t.

Physical health

Older dogs, just like older people, frequently suffer from generalized aches and pains that their younger counterparts know nothing about. Sore backs, necks (I can identify with that), and hips mean that the older dogs might not be so fond of physically rough play such as body slamming, hip checking, and paws to the face and back. When the older dog snarls at the younger one, she’s not just being grumpy – she’s in pain and grumpy because of that pain.

Endurance + persistence

Young dogs wake up ready to go, go, go! And they can GO! all day. When we were raising service puppies, I could barely get up from my office chair before the young dog was up, tail wagging, ready for the next adventure – even if it meant we just went to the bathroom. Older dogs generally have less endurance than the younger ones – they often don’t like to play as hard or for as long. The fabulous game of “chase me, I have your favorite toy!” is fun for five minutes to the older dog, not the 45 minutes that it is to the younger dog.

Idea of “what’s fun”

Older dogs can often be happy with strolls around the neighborhood, whereas young dogs often find even 3+ walks a day just absolutely boring! The younger dogs may need 3-hour adventures through the woods, or a 3 mile cross country run. Some older dogs still like to engage in play, but it’s often a different version of play than that of a younger dog. Older dogs sometimes enjoy a low-key version of the “chase and be chased” games, while some younger dogs like a more physical game like “run and jump on heads.”

What to look for

If you’ve got older and younger dogs living together, it’s important to keep your eyes open for the signs that indicate your older dog isn’t happy. Here are some of the more common signs of discomfort or stress:

Avoidance – the older dog gets up and moves when the younger dog comes into the room. Another sign that your senior dog is avoiding the younger is the subtle head turn. This looks very similar to what people do when they are ignoring another person. The head turns away, the eyes are averted, and there isn’t any acknowledgement that the other is there.
Withdrawal – the older dog lets go of a toy as soon as the younger dog shows even a slight interest.
Pain – the older dog yips or whines if the younger dog plays too roughly.
Snarling, growling – sometimes if the younger dog isn’t getting the message that the older dog wants some space, the older dog must resort to stronger language. That’s usually when we hear the snarling, barking, or growling.

What to do

Provide relief — If your younger dog just won’t leave the older dog alone, set up a baby gate to separate the two dogs. Your older dog needs rest and deserves an undisturbed place to sleep comfortably. A crate works well, too, to contain the younger dog (or the older dog if she’s comfortable in a crate). Another alternative is to keep the younger dog on a leash so you can control his access to the senior. If he can’t reach the senior, he can’t cause her any worry or distress. Do give the younger dogs something to do – a food stuffed toy, playing fetch or tug with you, or even some good manners training will do!
Protect the older dog — If your senior has any vision or hearing loss, it will be important for you to keep her safe from the younger dog that is growling or showing his teeth. Old dogs can often miss those signals due to hearing or vision loss. I have to gate Schooner in another room when we’re feeding the dogs because Lily likes to check everyone’s bowls after she’s done her dinner. She can’t hear Schooner’s polite, but serious warning growl because she’s losing her hearing.
No bullying — It’s unfair to the older dog to expect them to “put the younger dog in his place.” Many dogs will suffer in silence instead of correcting the younger, out-of-line dog. Would you expect your great-grandmother to put your grandkids “in their place” or would you instead speak to the kids and modify their behavior so they didn’t bug poor great-grandma? Hopefully, you’d get a handle on the kids fairly quickly so great-grandma could enjoy her time with them instead of counting the minutes until they were gone. If your older dog won’t stand up for herself, the responsibility is on your shoulders to curtail the younger dog’s actions and access to the older dog.

I think having multiple dogs is the greatest thing about living with dogs. I cherish every minute I have with my oldsters and I love the levity and laughter that the young dog brings to the household. I am always aware, though, of the happiness quotient over the old guys and girls. They’ve lived long, good lives – the old dogs deserve to spend their senior lives comfortable and happy.

Teach Your Old Dog New Tricks (Video)

November 20, 2014

Old dogs love learning and training.

If you have an older dog, one of the best things you can do for her is to keep her mind sharp. Older dogs are great learners! Think about it: they aren’t as wild as puppies (remember this early video from Levi?), they usually already have the basics down, and understand the learning process.

Working with an older dog can be — dare I say it — even more fun than working with a young pup.

Keeping a dog’s mind active accomplishes a few things: it tires them out (yes, thinking can be tiring), it’s great for keeping their good manners skills sharp, and it keeps them engaged in life and with you.

Old dogs need mental stimulation.

They generally don’t get as much exercise as when they were younger due to stamina and the overall aging process, so creating thinking games (training!) really gives your dog lots of benefits.

You can pick just about anything to teach your old dog. Keep their physical limitations in mind, of course — probably no high jumps, fast downs, or other activities that your dog may find uncomfortable.

Sometimes, when I’m working with my older dogs, I like to offer them an object with which to interact. I let the dog drive the training session — allowing them to choose the behavior they’d like to do with the object.

Lily had the chance to work with a red plastic cup and I love that she steered the training session and told me what we were going to work on. I love watching this girl work — no one loves work more than Lily and she’s thrilled when I call her name to be next into the training session.

Talk back! What do you think about teaching new things to old dogs? What have you taught your old dog? Leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!

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