Friends who have not seen your dog for a long time exclaim when they see him: "He has taken a blow of old!" 

You yourself didn’t notice, because you know him every day, but your companion is becoming a senior. 

More than ever, the aging dog needs to stay at the centre of the family. He does not like and tolerates loneliness less and less and needs to feel surrounded and protected. 

Of course, his physiological state does not allow him to be as dynamic as before: your dog will take his time, will stroll more willingly; he will not continue tirelessly his ball, triggering your laughter as yesterday.

Your dog will continue to enjoy his walks, the whole thing is to know how to measure between the household and the stimulate. Regular outings during the day, but of shorter duration, can only be beneficial, both for you and for him.

 We must not stop playing with our animals under the pretext of leaving them alone.

Having mental and physical activities and a rich social life is probably the best way to limit the damage caused by aging.

Letting him sleep all day is not helping, even if he seems to want to.

He must still have long and beautiful years to live.  The mature dog often remains full of enthusiasm, even if it is a little physically diminished. It should in no case be treated like a sick.

It is a complex period to manage because we must learn to balance purely physiological disorders and those more related to cognition. Making sure that your body is healthy is essential, because an old dog that is suffering will be much more likely to let go than the one who feels good in his body.

While I have no regrets for the way I accompanied my dogs in the last years of their lives, I know today – with hindsight and everything I learned in my training – that I probably could have done better. 

 I would have pulled out my coat more often on rainy days when I thought, “Let him sleep, he’s old, he’s resting.”

In conclusion, your senior dog’s well-being depends not only on the love and attention you give him, but also on regular, if not daily, physical activity that will allow him (and you, too) to feel good in his head. but also in his body.

Michel Philibert (and his Facebook link)