Aggression

As dogs age, their hearing, vision, and sense of smell decrease, and dogs may be more easily frightened, which in some cases can even lead to unprovoked aggressive behavior .

In this case, it is first recommended to go to the veterinarian for a physical examination to understand whether there are physical triggers so that treatment can be implemented.

Active daily training (obedience, sniffing, agility, etc.) will have a positive effect on helping dogs maintain interactions with other people and animals.

According to surveys, dogs’ aggression reaches its peak when they are around 8 years old.

Anxiety

If your dog was prone to anxiety when he was young (for example, due to noise phobia or separation anxiety), the condition will often become more severe as he gets older.

Positive reinforcement training may help curb anxiety-related behaviors in dogs.

Destructive

Some dogs become destructive as they age, a condition that can cause problems for families. At this stage of your life, your dog may lose a favorite friend or two, and he may even develop self-harming behaviors. Some older dogs may have pica for the first time, and other dogs may lick and bite their own body parts, as well as dig and chew. Many of these behaviors may be based on boredom, so it's important to stay active on a daily basis.

Allergies, Fears and Phobias

When an older dog's vision or hearing begins to deteriorate, even his own home may become a "scary" place.

At this stage of your dog's life, it is important to keep his environment stable. Don't move his food or water bowl, his litter box, his bed or his toys. Try to avoid rearranging furniture in your home.

Also try to be consistent with meal times and bathroom, walk and play times. If your dog becomes more sensitive to normal household or neighborhood sounds, playing background music can help.

Open defecation

When an old dog defecates in the open, there are many potential reasons such as forgetting toilet training, and not one of them is intentional disobedience.

Still the same, please go to the hospital for examination first to rule out potential health risks including urinary tract problems. In addition, it can be improved by increasing opportunities to go to the toilet and adding more toilets at home.

If your dog wets the bed in the middle of the night, make sure he doesn't drink too much water before going to bed, or that he has one more opportunity to go to the bathroom before going to bed at night.

The quality of sleep becomes worse

Some older dogs willHaving trouble sleeping at night. This includes poor sleep quality, insomnia, extreme sensitivity to sounds, irritability (pacing, barking), etc. All dogs, whether old or young, need appropriate exercise every day. Increase the amount of exercise appropriate to his condition, with the goal of tiring him out before bed so he's more likely to get a good night's sleep.

Let your dog sleep in your bedroom. Sleeping close to his owner can help relieve his restlessness at night.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

When a dog performs the same action over and over again, including persistent licking and biting of body parts, as well as tail-chasing, spinning, jumping, "biting the air" and staring blankly at the sky. , indicating that dogs also exhibit obsessive-compulsive behavior. There is currently not much medical explanation for obsessive-compulsive disorder. The way to improve this situation is to stop this behavior in the first place, talk to him, touch him, massage him, and help him calm down.

Barking

Excessive barking is more common in older cats than in dogs, but dogs can also "gruntle" when they feel upset.

An increase in vocalizations may be due to cognitive decline, or it may mean that the dog is in pain. If an underlying medical condition has been ruled out, try training your dog to respond to gentle verbal cues such as "quiet" or "shhh," and reward her generously for her efforts.