Adapting daily life for an ageing dog
Your dog is getting older, and you can adapt his daily life to help him. A few adjustments are enough: non-slip floors, a warm bed that is easy to reach, shorter but regular walks, and scent games to keep his mind busy. And if he slows down or changes, show him to your vet: it is rarely just age.
What changes as he ages
Your old dog is still your everyday companion, and you can adapt the home to his changing body. Ageing, in itself, is not a disease, according to the 2023 guidelines of the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). When he reaches old age depends mostly on his size: a large dog becomes a senior at around 6 to 7 years, a small dog more like 9 to 10. From then on, your job is to spot what is changing in him, and to adjust his daily life.
Adapting the home
Put these adjustments in place one at a time, without changing everything in the same weekend.
0 / 5A raised bowl is not always a good idea. In large and giant breeds, a study from 2000 found a higher risk of stomach torsion, a life-threatening emergency. More recent work has not found this link, but to be on the safe side, keep the bowl on the floor for these dogs and ask your vet for advice. For a small or medium dog who struggles to lower his head, a raised bowl can, on the contrary, bring relief.
Moving his body and working his mind
He no longer has the body he used to, but he still needs to get out. If you used to walk for two hours, it may now be forty-five minutes, on soft ground, and rather several short walks than one long Sunday outing that leaves him worn out for two days. Do not forget his mind either: a dog keeps learning at any age. Five minutes of sniffing, or a simple new trick, is enough to stimulate him.
Scent games are the perfect activity for a senior: they work his mind without tiring his legs.
Let him smell a treat
A strong-smelling treat he loves, held in your hand.
Hide it in the room
Neither too obvious nor impossible to find: the corner of a rug, the leg of a piece of furniture.
Say "find it" and go with him
At first, walk towards the hiding place with him to show him the game.
Mark the find with a "yes!"
"Yes!" is your marker word: always the same one, it tells him he has just got it right. Then give a second treat from your hand, so that he also wants to come back to you.
Stop on a success
A few searches are enough: at any age, a dog makes better progress in short, spaced-out sessions than in long, repeated training (that is what a study from 2011 shows).
The small everyday changes
He lags behind at the end of the walk
- Shorten the walk, but take him out as often as before: two short strolls are better than one that is too long.
- Let him sniff at his own pace, that is what the outing really is for him.
- If he has started coming home earlier recently, make a note of it and talk to your vet.
He hesitates at the stairs or the car boot
- Set up a ramp, or help him with a support harness, rather than forcing him to jump.
- That hesitation is often joint pain, not stubbornness.
- Stiffness on getting up that eases after a few steps is worth mentioning to your vet.
He sleeps a lot more
- A senior will happily sleep 14 hours or more: that is normal as long as he stays lively and keen when he is awake.
- What should worry you is a dog who seems switched off, listless and absent once he is up.
- In that case, do not tell yourself "he is just old": see your vet.
He paces in circles at night
- If he gets lost, paces in circles or sleeps by day and stays awake at night, it may be cognitive decline, an ageing of the brain that blurs his landmarks and his memory. It is not stubbornness.
- If he gets lost or has an accident indoors, do not tell him off: he is not doing it on purpose, it is the illness.
- Talk to your vet early: caught in time, it is easier to manage.
When to worry?
Watch and make a note
- He is stiff when getting up, then it eases after a few steps
- He sleeps more and plays a little less
- He has recently started hesitating at the stairs or before jumping
Book an appointment
- He drinks and urinates far more than before
- He loses or gains weight for no reason
- He gets lost, paces in circles, or sleeps by day and stays awake at night
- You feel a new lump under your hand
Call straight away
- He pants at rest and his gums are bluish, grey or very pale
- He cannot settle at all, he seems in distress
- He collapses or loses consciousness
- AAHA — Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats (2023)
- Guidelines for the Recognition, Assessment and Treatment of Pain, WSAVA Global Pain Council
- Salvin H. E. et coll. — Under diagnosis of canine cognitive dysfunction: a cross-sectional survey of older companion dogs, The Veterinary Journal (2010)
- Glickman L. T. et coll. — Non-dietary risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (2000)
- Demant et al. — The effect of frequency and duration of training sessions on acquisition and long-term memory in dogs, Applied Animal Behaviour Science (2011)
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Frequently asked questions
Why does my dog sleep so much?
An adult dog already sleeps 12 to 14 hours out of 24, and a senior moves towards the top of that range, or beyond: this is neither laziness nor a sign of boredom in itself. What matters is how he is once awake: a dog who sleeps a lot but stays lively and curious is doing fine. If he becomes listless and absent and suddenly sleeps far more, see your vet rather than telling yourself "he is just getting old".
Why does my old dog pant so much?
Panting is how a dog brings his temperature down: after exercise, in hot weather or when he is excited, it is normal. What should alert you is panting at rest, with no heat and no exertion, which can hide pain, a heart problem or a hormonal one. Move him somewhere cool, offer him water, and if his gums turn blue, grey or very pale, or if he cannot settle at all, go straight to the vet.
How do I carry a dog with a bad back?
Slide one forearm under his chest (behind the front legs) and the other arm under his hindquarters, without pressing on his belly. Hold him firmly against you and stand up by bending your knees, not your back. Never by the legs, the scruff or the collar; for a heavy or fragile dog, a support harness with handles is safer. But be careful: if you suspect a real back or spinal injury (a fall, a cry of pain, hindquarters that no longer respond), do not lift him in your arms: slide him onto a rigid, flat support, without twisting him, and call your vet before moving him.
At what age is my dog a senior?
It depends mostly on his size. A large or giant dog reaches old age from 6 to 7 years, a small dog more like 9 to 10. In practice, "senior" corresponds to the last quarter of the life expectancy. It is the right time to space vet check-ups more closely, often twice a year.
My old dog gets lost in the house at night, what should I do?
If he gets lost in a familiar place, paces in circles at night or sleeps by day and stays awake at night, it may be cognitive decline, not stubbornness. He is not doing it on purpose, so do not tell him off. Leave the furniture where it is, add a night light, and talk to your vet early: caught in time, it can be slowed down and managed better.
Can I give my old dog a painkiller when he is in pain?
No, never a medicine from your cabinet: ibuprofen, paracetamol and aspirin have a very narrow safety margin in dogs, and a dose designed for a human adult poisons him, sometimes fatally. An older dog in pain is not waiting for the medicine cabinet, he is waiting for a consultation: the painkiller will be chosen, dosed and monitored by your vet, because a senior's kidneys and liver need particular attention. In the meantime, there is plenty you can safely do for his comfort: ideal weight, non-slip floors, a warm bed.
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