Tell me about your senior dogs

[stacwase]

Do you find that your dogs develop odd little quircks as they get older?

Jake is getting more "bossy" as he gets older. He doesn't think people should sleep in the daytime, for example. So when I work nights and sleep days, he's constantly opening my bedroom door and barking at me.

He stays right beside me on walks - never strays off the path even when he's off leash. He's a dream on the leash now.

He's snappier. Although he was always a gentle dog, he's prone to snapping unexpectedly now.

He's much more affectionate - laying at my feet a lot, which he never did before.

He enjoys being brushed now, and he actually lets me cut his toenails.

I can't wait to hear about your senior dogs.

[Logan]

We have one "senior", who is having some pretty tough health issues right now. I've described them in Dog Health.

Murphy is not snappy at all, thank goodness, unless someone (one of our other dogs) tries to steal her bone!!! She gets quite grumpy, then. She is not one to want to be brushed, touched a lot or examined the way I want to do it. But she loves a good head scratch and will sit there for a long, long time, as long as I'm scratching her precious cheeks.

She barks a lot, at nothing, mostly when a human is not in the room with her, and sometimes when they are! Usually, we interpret the barking when we are in the room as a "I'm Hungry" plea and we're usually right!! Ha Ha!!!! The barking and getting lost has increased over the last few months, and has been especially bad the last week or so. She had me up until midnight last night, barking at nothing. She and the others stay in the kitchen/den area, gated off. That's probably part of the problem. If she were in our room, she wouldn't do that. But we have had some wetting problems (which seem to be getting better with the addition of a new medication), so we decided to keep all of them isolated into two rooms in the house. It is much easier on the carpet, but I do miss them.

Murphy was 14 in February, so she is quite a senior girl. She is a Yellow Labrador Retriever.

Logan

[BCBlondie]

Originally posted by stacwase

He's snappier. Although he was always a gentle dog, he's prone to snapping unexpectedly now.

Yeah, Miksy (my sheltie - 12yrs) is also a lot more grumpy than he used to be. I'm glad Jake likes it when you brush him now. Miksy's gotten a lot more sensitive to being brushed so he's been a lot more snappy when brushing him.. I'm thinking about just shaving him for the summer..

[stacwase]

Jake's only 7 1/2 - maybe by the time he's 12 he will not want me to brush him.

He really seems to be aging quickly, to me. I mean - he's supposed to live to be 16, and he's already got arthritis and maybe a cataract. Isn't it too early for all that?

He is definitely a lot more likeable now than he ever has been. Everybody notices it - he's become so sweet (except when he's snappy hehe).

[Dogz]

Digger is around 11 or 12 years old; he's getting up there.

I have noticed that he has nipped a few times, especially when he is excited. I don't remember him ever doing that kind of thing. I do know that he is getting older though.

Of course, he runs slower, and at an angle. Since he had a stroke last year, his face is "crooked."

[Twisterdog]

Lacie will be fifteen on her next birthday.

She doesn't want to go for walks anymore. In fact, she won't even go outside at all, except to potty. No car rides, no sitting on the back porch. She wants to sleep in her bed all the time.

She is completely deaf, and going blind, and she has a talent for finding the most inconvenient spot in the house to sleep - where, of course, she won't move, not being able to hear. She especially like to sleep right in the middle of the narrow hallway, so no one can get around her.

She isn't grumpy or snappy at all, but she screams and cries and carries on like I'm murdering her when I groom her.

[QueenScoopalot]

She was a rescued pup that I chased down on a street 15 years ago. She was scared to death of men for a year+ (hubby included), and I dubbed her "my Tasmanian Terrier". She is actually most likely a high percentage of Tibetan terrier, and she's been one tough girly the whole time we've had her. In her senoir years she started peeing all over the living room (UTI ruled out) laziness set in. Then we got a foster pup that I rescued (he was SUPPOSED to have left like his siblings...but that's another story)! Spencer is very smart, and will be a year old on the 28th of May. Once he was housebroken, Maggie seemed to have a memory 'click' and she now once again barks to go out! YAYYY!! Even though sometimes I don't want to indulge her 4 A.M barkathon...I can't not now right? Most of the time the barking doesn't start till 7 or so, so I have to admit things are going well with the old deaf gal!

[SandraDee]

Before Jasmine passed away, she started acting "wierd". We figured she was starting to go senile. She couldn't see or hear very well. She seemed to either ignore what we were saying or just not comprehending what we wanted her to do. She wasn't too thrilled with the puppies, but she didn't like Sandy either and they turned out to be great pals. However, when Sandy was a little puppy, she was 3 years younger. Jasmine was 11 when she died. My vet told me that 12 is the average age for a collie. I have had several, and that seems to be acurate, in my experience anyways. It is sad to watch these dogs you love change before your eyes.
If only they could stay the way they are at about 5-6 years old. wouldn't that be great!

[Rio and Me]

We have 2 senior dogs Mizzy and Beth
Mizzy is 15 yrs old he's always been snappy with strangers (never with us) he's slightly deaf/blind arthritus all round, flea alergies etc but he still soulders on.
Beth is 10 nearly 11 and she still act's like a puppy, only after very very long walks she will get lame but hardly ever, she really good for her age considering never been walked past the age of 2 till now crap food/water never had vaccines/vet check ups was very over wieght etc i think she will live to a very good age
Ky

[ParNone]

hi there stacwase!

Murph is going to be 14 in Oct and I find that he is quite a bit more clingy now. He does not like to be left behind, if I take Oz somewhere. So he goes to agility with us. He's gotta stay in the car, but that seems to be okay. Just as long as he knows where we are.

The last hiking trip, he wouldn't leave the trail either. Idgie was jumping into the brush, but Murph had no interest. I even let go of the leash, something I never would have done when he was younger, and he stayed right with me.

He's a lil' bit crankier to Oz and Gully. In that he wants to decide when he's ready to play and otherwise he wants them to leave him alone. But towards me, he's his same happy go lucky self.

Maddie got quite a bit crankier to Oz and Murph towards the end too. Didn't seem to be much rhyme or reason for her though. She'd attack for no reason that I could see. I was a lil' worried, since she slept next to my head, that she might snap one night and go after me, but she never did. She was always her same loving self to me. Before I'd pet her, I'd always say "Maddie, It's me", just to make sure she didn't mistake me for Murph or Oz and she was fine. But boy if they bumped her, look out.

She also got very clingy the last couple of years of her life too. I'd try to leave her in the house in the a/c, while I was doing yard work, but it didn't matter how hot it was outside, she'd whine to be out there with me. She'd stay in the shade on the patio. So it was similar to Murph in that she just wanted to be near and know where I was.

Par...

[wolf_Q]

Reggie is 11. He's not good about being brushed...he never was, but he seems worse now. He's really grumpy sometimes...I swear if Nebo even walks by he growls at him. He does follow me around all the time but he's always done that. He still has energy to run around the yard and go for walks.

[stacwase]

Is Reggie the little grey one?

[wolf_Q]

Originally posted by stacwase
Is Reggie the little grey one?

Yes

[KYS]

Sheba is going to be 11.
She has such a hard time laying down and getting back up.
She also walks with a stiff gait.
(once she is up, she does just fine)

She is much more affectionate, but is less patient when it
comes to being brushed and having her nails done.

She is also more grumpy towards little Pepper when
she comes over to visit.

But she is as purdy as ever.

[stacwase]

Originally posted by KYS
Sheba is going to be 11.
She has such a hard time laying down and getting back up.
She also walks with a stiff gait.
(once she is up, she does just fine)

She is much more affectionate, but is less patient when it
comes to being brushed and having her nails done.

She is also more grumpy towards little Pepper when
she comes over to visit.

But she is as purdy as ever.

I think they're even prettier when they're old - they develop such character!

Is Sheba on Rimadyl? Right ow Jake just takes it before a hike and the next day if he's sore, and on rainy days when he wakes up stiff.