Senior Dogs - Changes We May Notice

Typically, the senior lifestage begins at 7 years, although this depends on your dog's breed and size. This may be the time to begin thinking about adjustments we can make for them to continue living their best life!

What are some things you may notice from your elderly dog?

• Greying on the face

• Slowing down on walks

• Drinking more

• Hearing or vision impairment

• Sleeping more... a lot more!

What are some considerations we may need to implement?

1. Changing them onto senior food. Older dogs will need less calories as they move less, but we still want to keep them at a nice weight to avoid extra wear on their joints

2. Adding extra rugs and runners throughout the house. If your dog is struggling with their mobility and you have tiled or wooden floors, the risk of them slipping increases. Some elderly dogs may become reluctant to walk across these surfaces for fear of hurting themselves

3. Shorten or reduce their walks. They may no longer be able to walk for as long as before, and I've often seen elderly dogs refusing to walk - listen to them!

4. Giving them space. Some elderly dogs may prefer to head off into their quiet space more frequently

Watching our dogs grow old is both a blessing and a curse!

But remember, they are here for only a short time of our lives, but we are their whole life!

It is a myth that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but we do have to bear in mind what tricks we might be teaching them.

The beauty of scentwork is that it doesn't discriminate between the age, mobility or experience of a dog. If you don't start scentwork until the senior age, you can still compete with the pups!

Emma, Elmtree Dogs

(BSc, MSc Animal Behaviour & Training, UK Sniffer Dogs Scent Detection Instructor)