A warm welcome, I trust you that you are all well wrapped up in this chilly weather and making sure your dogs are kept warm too!
In this article we will be taking a look at how to co-exist with an aging dog.
As I have stated before dogs and humans are much alike in many aspects, so if you have cared for an elderly person, you will have noticed how many of the illnesses that afflict older people afflict older dogs as well. So, let’s take a look at some of the more common ones, and how you as an owner can deal with them.
Firstly, be aware of any changes in the dog’s behaviour. A dog that has never been a destructive chewer begins to be destructive or suddenly begins barking or has become reluctant to go for his daily walk – he could be trying to tell you something is bothering him.
SIGNS THAT YOUR DOG MIGHT BE LOSING HIS ABILITY TO HEAR
What changes are there in your dog’s behaviour?
Loss of hearing is a common problem affecting many older dogs. Here we are only dealing with dogs that have become deaf due to old age.
You might observe some of the more obvious symptoms such as your dog pacing around looking for his owners, exhibiting extreme distress at being left alone and a pronounced startle response at being touched when asleep.
If you notice your dog is not coming when you call him as he did in the past, make a loud banging noise behind him. If he does not react you should take him to the vet for a diagnosis. If he is indeed deaf here is how you can help him to understand what you want from him.
If you have been following my articles, you will now realise why I have stressed the use of hand signals – hand signals are going to be your most important tool in helping to guide your dog.
Never feel sorry for him, don’t fuss over him more than usual, he is still the same dog as he has always been, he just can’t hear but he can SEE you and he will feel your emotion of sadness, which might distress him. To your dog being deaf is no big deal, dogs are not egotistical, so if you treat him normally he will respond normally.
You must make sure that he can SEE you when you give him commands of any sort, so when you call him give him the hand signal to come, and when he does give him a treat.
If you want him to lie down, give him the hand signal to down. We have already discussed all the hand signals for the different commands, you can of course use ANY hand signal but you must be consistent.
Take him on his normal walks, this is important as he still needs to have his daily exercise, nothing should be changed. Never let your deaf dog run free – he cannot hear an oncoming car and he cannot hear should you call him if he is not facing you. Carry on living a normal life and get your hand signals correct.
SIGNS THAT YOUR DOG MIGHT BE BLIND OR GOING BLIND
I had the personal experience of my standard poodle who is 11 years of age. He has never been a barker, but I was downstairs and heard him bark. As this was out of context for him I went to see what was wrong. He was standing at the top of the stairs and telling me he had a problem, I was not sure what the problem was but as I knew his eyes were not good, I switched on the lights and he came down to me. He then had a check-up at the vet and was diagnosed with glaucoma. His barking had alerted me that something was wrong – he was actually asking for help.
Things you can do to help your dog cope with his blindness:
- Do not change the placement of furniture or garden pots.
- Keep gates to swimming pools and outside stairs closed.
- Take him on his daily walk, keeping him on his leash at all times, fit him with a protective halo, ( the halo can be used at home to prevent him from bumping into things and getting hurt and frightened) reassure him by speaking in a calm soft tone, touch him gently to let him know you will not put him into any danger. The halo is the canine equivalent of a blind person’s white stick.
- Do not allow strangers to touch him without first warning him that someone is going to pet him.
- When you feed him put his dish under his nose so he can smell his food, and then place the dish on an elevated surface.
- Keep a leash handy, and if he is struggling to find his way up or down the stairs, put his leash on and guide him, talking very calmly to him.
- Before approaching your blind dog, let him know from a distance that you are coming, do not rush up to him, you will frighten him and he might bite out of fear.
Dogs see with their noses, they use scent to get around, and as you know from previous articles, dogs have an incredible scenting ability, therefore they are far more adaptable to blindness than humans.
A point to bear in mind is that your dog is blind, he is not deaf so hand signals are not useful here, but voice commands will remain the same as normal.
Do not indulge the dog, if you do, he will become a spoilt brat. He is blind but if he has been well trained and is obedient to your voice commands he will adapt to his blindness.
We have only dealt with dogs that are either deaf or blind, some dogs are both deaf and blind and will be dealt with in a separate article at a later stage.
Blind dogs can live and enjoy their lives the same as blind folk.
There are other illnesses relative to old age, such as arthritis, which I will deal with next week as well as how to keep your old dog fit in body and mind.
Until next time,
Kind Regards,
Keep warm and safe
Yvonne Eland ADIPCBM (UK) with distinction
Specialising in Canine Behaviour and Management
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