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Barking Older Dog


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Can someone provide me with advice as to what to do with my 12 year old cavalier? He is driving us all absolutely nuts. He has developed this behaviour where he goes outside and stands there and barks at nothing. We have to go outside and bring him in. If we lock him in the house with us, he scratches on the glass door to get out. We let him out and he does it again. He does this multiple times during the day. There is literally nothing for him to bark at. We are all going nuts. Our neighbours haven't said anything but it must be driving them nuts too. He is predominantly an inside dog but he just does this stupid barking thing.

 

 

 

 

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It sounds like a new behaviour for him? At 12 I would start with a vet visit. He could have canine old age dementia, which the vet can help with. Or he could have failing hearing or eyesight. 

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Just now, Diva said:

It sounds like a new behaviour for him? At 12 I would start with a vet visit. He could have canine old age dementia, which the vet can help with. Or he could have failing hearing or eyesight. 

Thanks for the reply. I thought eyes and ears too so I took him to the vet. The vet gave him a total clean bill of health although dementia wasn't discussed. Will look into it further.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/26/2018 at 10:25 AM, jemappelle said:

I think this is a Cav thing!  My old girl started that when her companion dog passed away (she was also 12 at the time).  It also drove me nuts.  After a few months I decided to get a pup and that seems to have cured her.  

Its is driving us berserk. We have resorted to keeping him inside and going out with him when he needs to go out. As much as I would love another dog, we have decided not to get anymore dogs so unfortunately its not an option.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would find another vet .At 12 the dog will be having eye sight changes ,deafness certainly starts to creep in and the dog can no longer Rely on all senses to help.

Dementia certainly happens .

Remember whilst it driving you  nuts it’s no joy for the dog either especially when owners get frustrated ,the dog doesn’t understand why your all annoyed at it .

Just like a human with the same issues ,no fun for them and takes a special to deal with family members affected .

Instead of going out and just bringing it in ,redirect the dog,give the dog confidence .

My old boy started at 13 to bark early morning did it annoy yes but we New it wasn’t his fault,he wasn’t doing it deliberate,it was a legit issue for him and being annoyed would have made my beautiful old boy upset ,the changes where hard for him .

His eye sight was changing and it took him time to adjust ,when he barked we got up,made him move and took him straight to bed .

We also embraced his barking and learnt the tones which alerted us to any issues 

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While you're getting his health checked, you could try out some self entertaining puzzle games to keep him distracted and reduce his barking?

 

things like a kong stuffed with dinner, a snuffle mat (personally I just scatter kibble through grass for a similar effect aka a kibble trail)

http://www.allpetseducationandtraining.com.au/snuffle-mat-mayhem.html

 

bonus, recent research suggests that puzzle games help old dogs stay keen :) so if his cognitive abilities are failing, the puzzle games and teaching him a new trick might help him out and more time to enjoy the golden years with him

https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/02/dog-cognitive-brain-games-touchscreen-lab-video-spd/

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On 1/25/2018 at 10:02 AM, cavmad said:

Thanks for the reply. I thought eyes and ears too so I took him to the vet. The vet gave him a total clean bill of health although dementia wasn't discussed. Will look into it further.

I am really surprised at this.  Surely it is something that should have been brought up at the consult?  

 

Tamar occasionally does this.  She stands on the back steps and, because of the lie of the land, this is quite high and overlooks neighbours on all sides.  I am sure she is talking to the neighbourhood and letting them know she is there.  Despite being 14, she doesn’t do it obsessively and I am sure she is just enjoying herself.  (BTW - I don’t let it go on for long because I AM aware, very aware, of the rights of my neighbours.)  

 

This is not what is happening with your fellow, though cavmad, and I hope you can get to the bottom of it.  Some dogs have barks which just seem to split your skull :laugh:  

 

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1 hour ago, persephone said:

@cavmad

Dame Danny's darling has a houseful of geriatric dogs ...  she certainly is one with loads of experience in what they can be like :)

And one geriatric human being :rofl:  :rofl:

 

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at this, persephone.  Thank you for your recommendation :laugh:  :laugh:.  However, I have to be honest and clear: I have not had any first hand  experience with dementia or CCD; my many many oldies have had only medical issues and then extreme old age when bodies start to fail big time.  I think I and the  dogs who have been part of my life have been lucky in this respect.  I know from my readings here and on other platforms that looking after mentally challenged dogs can be very difficult and it can be extremely difficult to ascertain whether the dogs are suffering or not.  

 

That said, I do have the occasional experience of seeing a dog/s just standing and staring into the distance, or just sitting there looking into space.  But then, I do that too :) :).  

 

One of the worst experiences I had was several years ago when I looked after a little dog for another DOLer.  I had been advised of this little dog’s problems, but it was clear to me after just a few hours of this poor little dog being here that she was brain damaged and suffering.  It was heart breaking and terrifying.  But that isn’t what this thread is about.   

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