Senior Dogs Need Love, Too

Senior Dogs – We Love Them!

We’ve all been there – your puppy grows up, and now they are starting to show a little gray around the face and muzzle.  Your puppy is no longer a puppy (even if they sometimes act like it! They’re starting to get into their senior years.  Some dogs age more gracefully than others, just like people, and will always be young at heart.  Some will nee more medical attention as their bodies just can’t keep up anymore.  Whatever phase of life your dog is in, getting to the senior phase is an adjustment.  But, we love our senior dogs. We have made the investment in them and their lives. And they have returned that investment full-fold with love, devotion, smiles, and giving us something else to our family dynamic.

I went through this with my own boxer, Bailey, as she showed more gray around her muzzle.  She went through my wedding (and therefore my husband moving in with us), a house move, and two new babies in her 11 years. She responded to it all with a wagging nub and countless kisses. At the time I couldn’t imagine her not laying on her dog bed in front of my desk in my office as I worked. Sadly, she crossed the Rainbow Bridge in the spring of 2018. It’s a season of life we all know comes – and my family enjoyed her as a senior dog as much as we enjoyed her as a puppy!

You hear stories of senior dogs being dropped off at shelters because owners no longer want them – they want a younger dog – and that breaks my heart.  This dog has been with you with all these memories, and they deserve to stay with you till the end of their lives.  But, rather than sit on a soapbox, I will just try to list some benefits of senior dogs – because there are plenty!

Senior dogs are great because:

1. They make great companions for senior citizens who want a calm dog.  Senior dogs are out of that excitable and exuberant “puppy stage”. So, plenty of them are just happy for a short walk or game of fetch. Or simply laying on a dog bed wherever their owners are.
2. They probably aren’t still doing any of the puppy problem behaviors.  Playbiting, jumping, chewing – these are all issues we as trainers see on a daily basis that we are trying to solve for our clients.  Senior dogs (hopefully) have already been taught these are not desirable, and are less likely to do them.
3. They are housebroken – or should be!  This is HUGE for a lot of people.  Sure, if you rescue a senior dog there may be a few days of adjustment to teach them where to go to the bathroom, but it will be shorter than housebreaking most puppies 😉
4. They have a lot of love to give.  Oh, goodness do they still have a lot of love!

Celebrate National Senior Pet Month by adopting a senior pet!

Of course, there are health issues that come with senior dogs that puppies may not have – yet.  One great way to keep them in good health is to give them some sort of exercise, and here are a few ideas.

These members of our family rarely need a lot of exercise.  Most of them just don’t feel like running around anymore, some have medical conditions (arthritis, hip dysplasia, etc.) that could make it painful to more, or they just don’t want to play.  You don’t want to force them to exercise, but you do want to encourage it.  Once you’ve gotten a clean bill of health from your vet (or at least a modified list of do’s/don’ts), try these activities to help keep your senior feeling good:

1. Walks. Now’s the time to slow things down and keep it level for certain dogs or breeds.  They may not be your running or hiking partner anymore, but they do still enjoy getting out there 🙂  Or, if you’ve adopted an older dog (good for you!) just see if they are comfortable with the activity in the first place, and go from there.
2. Jogging. If you have a breed or dog that has loved jogging with you, let them do it but modify it to their comfort level.  They may  not be able to handle the longer distances anymore, but can handle shorter treks. If you have a new-to-you dog that enjoyed walking and handled it well, you can try to increase their speed and change their terrain slowly to help condition them for more intense exercise.
3. Play dates. If they enjoyed it before, your senior dog will still like to play with other dogs.  Start with another dog around the same age if you can.  Young puppies or dogs that are a lot bigger than yours can be over-stimulating for your senior, so proceed with caution if that’s what you’ve set up.

You can still train a senior dog!  We’ve trained dogs as old as 10 years! So, if you need help with a senior dog you recently rescued, CALL TODAY: 803-561-9090

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