Sweet Senior Series – Part 1 “Why Seniors are Special”

Vader is our (Matt and Christie’s) Sweet Senior. He turns 13 in August, and we have been able to trust him to make good decisions when left alone since he was just about a year old. Slowly, over the last year or so, his choices became a little more naughty. LOL.

It started with stealing some banana bread off the counter. No big deal. Then he must have believed that the couch pillows contained squeakers….because he spent an afternoon on a mission destroying a few. We incorporated some management – putting tempting stuff high. It mostly worked, but wasn’t perfect, and when he dismantled a pair of binoculars, we decided to take it more seriously.

I understand that we are emotional creatures. I see social media posts constantly about the human impact of behavior changes in senior dogs. For us, we only felt bad for our boy. Of course the easy answer is “Crate the dog.” Ask any question, on any public forum, and “crate the dog” has become the mantra for the uninspired. OF COURSE I believe in crate training. But after 12 years loose, simply tossing Vader in a crate would only exasperate any stress or anxiety involved in the behaviors.

Helping a senior, by addressing ALL of their changing needs, requires looking at multiple factors. A short overview of what we have done, and continue to do, is provided in the graphic. I hope you will join me each week for a new post in our Sweet Senior Series, as we go through various parts of helping our aging pets live the best quality of life possible.

Again, we would love to see your Sweet Senior posted on social media with the hashtag  #SweetSeniorSeries. If I may use your dog’s picture in future posts, please let me know.

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