BarbedWire Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 (edited) My older dog is turning 13 this year and he is starting to slow down which makes me sad. He is such a beautiful dog. My main concern is going for walks. I usually take both dogs out for about 45 minutes once a day but I am finding my old boy, Thumper, starts off full of beans but really slows down at the end and I feel guilty for having taken him so far. He does have some arthritis. My younger dog still thrives on her walk. What should I do? I don't want to leave the old boy home by himself because I know it would upset him, but if I take him he is not coping. If I just shorten their walk my younger girl will not be impressed. Thank you Edited November 6, 2015 by sarsaparilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Animal House Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Could you take both dogs for a shorter walk, more suited to the old boy, and then drop him off home and continue on with your girl? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 You need to change things ,you can't feel guilty you just need to make your old boys life more fulfilling in his own way . He can't do long walks & it isn't fair on him ,it also isn't fair on the other dog ,both dogs have different needs. Are you saying your old dog gets stressed if you left him ?? Our oldies here get introduced to a new routine that suits them & they couldn't care about being left because they have there own time that suits them . Dogs get old so you have to adjust the young one still has to live a fulfilling life so you simply have to make time for both Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbedWire Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 Thankyou Cazablanca. That is a good idea. I will try it but I hope my old boy is not upset when I leave him behind. Showdog, my old dog does get very stressed when left. My neighbour says he cries. I do have time for both. They are my life, but they have always gone for walks together. They enjoy each other's company. I hate seeing my old boy upset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Would your old boy fit in a pram? :D I've seen them locally. Mum is in the same situation with one of her dogs so I advised a month of weekly cartrophen injections and replace walks with driving the girls to the park, one can exercise and one sniffs around. She is also using Joint Performance. It's working really well but I understand the park drive part isn't practical for everyone. hugs to your old boy xxAnna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julesluvscavs Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 (edited) Our oldest Cav is almost 13 and she has her good days and bad days. She's starting to get very weak in her back end . She still goes to jump on the sofa but i have to give her a boost up a lot now.. It is very sad watching them aging.. We don't take her on walks now altho on the odd occasion my husband will take her on her own just down the street (not the whole street) so she thinks shes been on an outing. She does pull up lame, so she doesn't get to do it that often anymore We give her an arthritis treat daily. We do have a large backyard which one section is divided off and every so often we let her and the others have a bit of stretch out in it.. She always seems happy and satisfied she can get to do that ;) Edited April 7, 2015 by Jules❤3Cavs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 There is a lady around here who has one of her dogs sitting in a kind of little cart, while the younger one walks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labadore Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Separate walks and take your older dog out first as this may help keep him calm and relaxed when you are out with your other dog as and and this will give both dogs some one on one time with you and you can walk the pace and distance to suit their age and energy levels. I always walked my seniors on their own and loved the one on one time I had with them and quite often in the warmer months at some of the parks I would take them to, I would find a nice shady spot normally under a tree with lots of soft grass and sit down on the grass with them to give them a rest and spend some extra time with them and just give them lots of cuddles and belly rubs and pats and we would both watch the world go by. I really miss those times with my seniors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Sars here's my solution to exactly the same problem except I have three westies. The bottle of red was one balmy night when friends and I all went to the park for a 'chat' Originally, Mac wasn't coping on walks to the park at all - so I started looking around for a suitable second hand stroller. This is a Phil and Ted's three wheeler which I can steer with one hand while holding onto Macs lead and has become his Macmobile. Perse found it for me on eBay - a bargain at $50 - all its needed is one new tyre. He has a pillow in it and is really comfy. I 'walk' him in the stroller and the other two westies on a double lead. When we get to the park he gets out and has a lovely potter and sniff around and then we walk home - him snoring in the stroller. People are usually surprised but delighted when they see an old dog and not a baby! Hope it helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 There is a lady around here who has one of her dogs sitting in a kind of little cart, while the younger one walks. Raineth Boronia has a beaut little cart that she had made for her westie Penny. I looked into having one made for Mac but by the time I bought materials and paid someone to do it a second hand stroller was a much cheaper option for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 What we did with my old GSD and our younger SWF was drive them to the oval and let them both potter and chase the ball around and when the GSD had had enough he'd lie down and we'd keep playing with the little one. Initially we'd walk them to the oval but then I got worried he wouldn't make it home I think if my husband had a break he'd take the little one out for a walk in the middle of the day before the old one even knew he was home and missing out LOL I would also take them for walks and just go slower Enjoy your time together :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greyt Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I saw making extra allowances for my oldie as a time to for me to repay all the joy she had given me. For me it was a celebration of the cycle of life rather than a sad time. I carried her up and down the stairs to toilet for 2 years before she passed as sometimes, her legs couldn't bear her weight. I had her on cortisone and the difference in her spirit was like day and night compared to when she didn't have it. So long as your oldie can smell the the different scents that outside of the backyard offers, he will be happy. When it comes time that he may start losing hearing and night vision, it is better to take him out in full light. I love the pram idea. Good luck to you and to him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Gifts Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 We bought a proper doggy pram for our sbt girl as she refused to be left behind either and her slowness was dictating the activity level of walks for all 3 of our dogs. When she got tired she would go in the pram and we could continue on. She lasted till almost 17 so you do need to find a way for both dogs to get exercise and enjoy life outside of the house. I'm not sure what breed/size dogs you have but if you look in Jonah's photo thread you will see a kid's cyclist pram type option for a bigger dog. I've seen something similar used for an elderly GR too. And of course the Macmobile for DIYers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbedWire Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 Thank you so much for all your wonderful replies. He's not bad enough yet for a pram. He starts off bouncing around and all excited, but he tires. Driving them to a park is a good idea. I will just have to experiment. I just love him so much and I hate seeing him struggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 (edited) I don't know the size of your dog. But when I had an older tibbie and a younger one, I could take them the same distance by doing a variation of the Scouts Pace. (Scouts Pace is walk for a length of a telegraph pole, then run a length & so on. It's how people can conserve energy to go over a longer distance). With my small tibbies, i carried the older one for a telegraph pole, then let her walk a telegraph pole... and so on. Obviously, you can only do this with a small weight dog, and you can vary what length of carry/walk you'll do. For a bigger dog, I'd try walking the selected distance portion , then having a few minutes stop to conserve energy for the next leg...and so on. An occupational therapist taught me this energy conservation trick for going for a walk after major surgery. Edited April 7, 2015 by mita Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbedWire Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 I don't know the size of your dog. But when I had an older tibbie and a younger one, I could take them the same distance by doing a variation of the Scouts Pace. (Scouts Pace is walk for a length of a telegraph pole, then run a length & so on. It's how people can conserve energy to go over a longer distance). With my small tibbies, i carried the older one for a telegraph pole, then let her walk a telegraph pole... and so on. Obviously, you can only do this with a small weight dog, and you can vary what length of carry/walk you'll do. For a bigger dog, I'd try walking the selected distance portion , then having a few minutes stop to conserve energy for the next leg...and so on. An occupational therapist taught me this energy conservation trick for going for a walk after major surgery. Thank you Mita, my boy is a mixed breed around 12 kilos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 There is a lady around here who has one of her dogs sitting in a kind of little cart, while the younger one walks. Raineth Boronia has a beaut little cart that she had made for her westie Penny. I looked into having one made for Mac but by the time I bought materials and paid someone to do it a second hand stroller was a much cheaper option for me. Oh yes I can imagine :) The one this lady uses looks like it might be designed for gardening, but I'm not entirely sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loving my Oldies Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Could you take both dogs for a shorter walk, more suited to the old boy, and then drop him off home and continue on with your girl? This is what I have done in the past. It does depend a lot on a dog's personality as to,the course of action you take. I like the idea of going to a park and let the younger ones run around and the older ones sniff around - but depends on other users of the park, other dogs etc. I agree with the points that dogs get used to a routine and often the excitement and running to the door/gate when leads are brought out is just habit. So we get the idea that the dog still wants to go for a walk, but really they are just acting out of habit, hence the slowing down not long after the start of the walk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbedWire Posted April 7, 2015 Author Share Posted April 7, 2015 Could you take both dogs for a shorter walk, more suited to the old boy, and then drop him off home and continue on with your girl? This is what I have done in the past. It does depend a lot on a dog's personality as to,the course of action you take. I like the idea of going to a park and let the younger ones run around and the older ones sniff around - but depends on other users of the park, other dogs etc. I agree with the points that dogs get used to a routine and often the excitement and running to the door/gate when leads are brought out is just habit. So we get the idea that the dog still wants to go for a walk, but really they are just acting out of habit, hence the slowing down not long after the start of the walk. A very interesting post DDD. You are right. I think he has been slowing down for a while and I have not noticed it. He tries to keep up, no matter what. Yes I need to rethink and reassess where he is at. He is very loved. About a month ago we had a thunderstorm and he ended up on my bed during the night. (My dogs usually sleep in their own beds.) So now he sleeps with me every night. He's a good boy though. He doesn't hog the bed. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westiemum Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Lucky you Sars!! All my lot are still very spooked by all the builders and contractors coming and going - so they all sleep with me - and I get the Gaza Strip down one side of the bed if i'm lucky!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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