Adapting daily life for an ageing dog
Your dog is getting older, and that's no reason to wrap them in cotton wool. A few simple changes are all it takes: non-slip floors, warm and easy-to-reach bedding, shorter but regular walks, and scent games to keep the mind busy. And anything that slows down or changes gets checked with the vet: never something you just have to accept.
Growing old isn't fading away
An old dog isn't a dog whose end you're waiting for: it's a companion who simply needs the surroundings adapted to their body. Ageing, in itself, isn't an illness (AAHA 2023 guidelines). When a dog reaches its senior years depends mostly on size: a large dog is a senior around 6-7 years, a small one closer to 9-10. Your role shifts a little: you're the one who spots what changes and adapts their daily life.
Adapting the home: comfort that genuinely eases things
Put these in place gently, without turning everything upside down at once.
0 / 5A raised bowl isn't a given. It can ease a small or medium dog who struggles to lower their head, but in a large, deep-chested dog it has been linked to a higher risk of gastric torsion, a life-threatening emergency (Glickman 2000). For these builds, keep the bowl on the floor and ask the vet for advice.
Moving and thinking: gentler, never at a standstill
You shorten things, you don't cut them out. If it used to be two hours, it might now be forty-five minutes, but you still go out, on soft ground, in several short walks rather than one big Sunday outing you pay for on Monday. And don't forget the mind: making a dog think tires them just as much as, or more than, a run (Duranton & Horowitz 2019), and a dog learns at any age. Five minutes of scent work, a simple new trick, and their brain stays switched on.
Scent games are the top activity for a senior dog: they use up mental energy without taxing the legs.
Let them sniff a treat
A fragrant treat they love, held in your hand.
Hide it in the room
Not too obvious, not impossible to find: the corner of a rug, the leg of a piece of furniture.
Say "seek" and go with them
At first, walk over to the hiding place with them to show them the game.
Mark the find with a "yes!"
Your marker word, then give a second treat from your hand: the find pays off, and so does coming back to you.
Stop on a success
A few searches are enough: you make more progress in short, spaced-out sessions than in long, back-to-back ones (Demant et al. 2011).
The small everyday changes, and what to do about them
They lag at the end of a walk
- Shorten the walk, but keep it regular: two short outings beat one that's too long.
- Let them sniff at their own pace, that's their real outing.
- If they've started heading home earlier lately, note it and mention it to the vet.
They hesitate at the stairs or the boot
- Don't force them to jump: set up a ramp or help them with a support harness.
- That hesitation is often joint pain, not stubbornness.
- Stiffness on getting up that "thaws out" after a few steps is worth a vet's opinion.
They sleep a lot more
- A senior dog will happily sleep 14 hours or more: that's normal as long as they're bright and eager when awake.
- What's worrying is a dog who's flat, listless and absent when awake.
- Then you don't say "he's just getting old": you see the vet.
They wander or pace at night
- Disorientation, day-night reversal, forgetfulness: this can be genuine cognitive decline, not stubbornness.
- Never scold them if they get lost or have an accident, that would be punishing an illness.
- Talk to the vet early: caught in time, it's easier to manage.
When to pick up the phone, without panicking.
Keep an eye out and note it down
- Stiffness on getting up that eases off while walking
- They sleep more, play a little less
- New hesitation at stairs or jumping
Book an appointment
- They drink and urinate much more than before
- Unwanted weight loss or gain
- Disorientation, wandering or day-night sleep reversal at night
- A new lump under your hand
Call straight away
- Panting at rest with bluish, grey or very pale gums
- They can't settle and seem distressed
- Collapse or loss of consciousness
- AAHA — Senior Care Guidelines for Dogs and Cats (2023)
- Guidelines for the Recognition, Assessment and Treatment of Pain, WSAVA Global Pain Council
- Salvin et al. — Canine cognitive dysfunction: prevalence and under-diagnosis (2010)
- Glickman et al. — Risk factors for gastric dilatation-volvulus in large and giant breed dogs (2000)
- Teng et al. — Life tables of annual life expectancy and mortality for companion dogs (VetCompass) (2022)
- 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)
To carry on
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 edges towards the top of that range, or beyond: it's neither laziness nor a sign of boredom in itself. What matters is how they are when awake: a dog who sleeps a lot but stays lively and curious is fine. If they turn listless and absent and suddenly sleep far more, see the vet rather than telling yourself "he's just getting old".
Why is my old dog panting so much?
Panting is a dog's air conditioning: panting after exertion, in the heat or with excitement is normal. What should worry you is panting at rest, with no heat and no effort, which can betray pain, or a heart or hormonal problem. Move them somewhere cool, offer water, and if the gums turn blue, grey or very pale, or they can't settle, it's a veterinary emergency.
How do I carry a dog with a bad back?
Slide one forearm under their chest (behind the front legs) and the other arm under their hindquarters, without pressing on the belly. Hold them 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 frail dog, a support harness with handles is safer. Red flag: if you suspect a real back or spinal injury (a fall, a yelp of pain, hindquarters that no longer respond), don't lift them in your arms: slide them onto a firm, flat support, without twisting, and call the vet before moving them.
At what age is my dog a senior?
It depends mostly on their size. A large or giant dog reaches its senior years as early as 6-7, a small build closer to 9-10 (AAHA guidelines). In practice, "senior" corresponds to the last quarter of the life expectancy. It's 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?
Getting lost in a familiar place, circling or wandering at night, flipping their day-night rhythm can be genuine cognitive decline (the canine equivalent of senile decline), not stubbornness. Above all, don't scold them, that would be punishing an illness. Keep steady landmarks and a night light, and talk to the vet early: caught in time, it slows down and is easier to manage.
Can I give my old dog a painkiller when they're hurting?
No, never a medicine from your cabinet: ibuprofen, paracetamol (Doliprane) and aspirin are toxic to dogs, sometimes fatal. An old dog in pain isn't waiting for the medicine cabinet, they're waiting for a consultation: the pain relief will be chosen, dosed and monitored by the vet, because a senior dog's kidneys and liver need special attention. In the meantime, you can safely work on comfort: a healthy weight, non-slip floors, warm bedding.
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