Your dog has been your faithful companion for years, more than a decade now. And your beloved friend has started to become more and more erratic; things that didn’t bother them before are now causing problems in the house; he may even have problems with them not expecting to come out, or being more aggressive than he’s seen them in a long time.
What happens is that as your dog gets older, a number of age-related issues make it difficult for him to follow the rules. Common effects are things like separation anxiety: he’ll get anxious when he knows you’re about to leave, and when you’re gone he may act out: make noise, make a mess, destroy things. When you come back, he will be very excited to see you.
Dealing with separation anxiety starts by being casual about it. Signaling that you are leaving or returning only rewards the behavior. Work on teaching your dog good obedience techniques, such as having him give a long “stay” command and relax while he does it. What happens is that your dog associates you with his pack; and dogs are conditioned to be more comfortable in a pack. When you want to break this behavior, take short breaks, come back before the dog gets anxious, and give him a treat. For longer outings, give them a treat they have to work for.
When you’re with your dog, take time to do things you both enjoy; running outside is a good idea. If you can’t get home in the middle of the day to care for your dog, consider having a sitter come by to take your dog out for exercise at the dog park.
Another common problem in older dogs is aggression; this, in older dogs, is often a symptom of bringing new dogs into the house (and the old dog doesn’t want to give up his place at the top of the non-human hierarchy), or due to cognitive difficulties. Other things that can cause problems include moving, adding a new member to the family, and anything that disrupts an older dog’s routine. Sometimes putting the dog in beloved dog clothes may be all it takes to calm the wild beast.
A significant number of older dogs experience increased alarm at loud noises. This is often the result of an older dog not being able to handle stress or cognitive difficulties. Remember that your dog can hear frequencies that you cannot. It may be the thunderstorms that scare them; it could be something that only they can do here. Look for other environmental cues to see what is causing your dog to startle, such as a train whistle or traffic noise.
Many older dogs will vocalize when in a more stressful environment; this is usually whining or howling, and is an integral part of many of the problems described above. Other signs of canine stress include a change in sleep patterns, causing them to pace the house or vocalize. Sometimes this is due to physical changes in your dog; inflamed intestine, colic, arthritis and more can make it difficult for them to sleep for an extended period of time.