I have a 9 year old, 75lb, Lab/Pyrenees/Anatolian mix that developed “Canine Cognitive Dysfunction” at the young age of 6. At the time we took him to the vet due to random weight loss, small short lived bouts of confusion, and anxiety with no known cause.
They did blood work, checked thyroid function, did a neuro exam on him, looked at him from head to tail, took fecal/urine, etc. Nothing physically wrong with him.
We tried two different pills to try and see if they would help. They did, but he’d reach a plateau and just revert back to the behaviors.
One of the more annoying behaviors is his barking. He has a deep bark and will just start barking for no apparent reason at times. I’ve watched him wake up from a deep sleep barking, while the two other dogs give him this “WTF man?” look.
The vet, behaviorists, and a trainer, have no idea how to stop it. The trainer (really good, helps train the dogs at a nearby shelter) said there is really nothing that can be done. She had a dog with the exact same barking issue and it went on till he left this world.
More exercise might make an impact, try adding another walk to his daily routine, preferably a long walk. It doesn’t cost anything to try. ( If it works you could always pay a teen to do it daily, if you’re not inclined to sacrifice the time!)
Yeah, if his joints can stand it, try walking in the evening. There’s a reason dog-knowledgeable people recommend exercise for most behavioral issues – it works in a lot of cases. A tired dog is likely to be less anxious, as well as being sleepy.
Because of his cognitive functioning, he may do best if you keep to a routine…as close as possible to the same time, same habits, same path, etc. as you can manage. Dogs are comforted when they recognize what’s coming next.
If the old man learned anything from that, he’d learn that barking means he gets a treat. Dogs are never too old for that trick.
I would suggest that the only thing to do is to comfort him. Touch him, say his name, sing to him. Make soft eye contact. Tell him it’s ok, he’s a good dog.
He is a good dog. He’s just barking to those other doggies on the other side of the bridge.
Another opinion for more exercise. If you’ve got a body of water within easy walking distance, it beats a plain walk in the park. (For what it’s worth, we’ve got a hyper-aware dog that goes off at a slightest tap most of the time… not a good trait when living in the middle of the city. After 30 minutes to an hour in the local river, she is out like a light+generally more quiet for the rest of the day.)
One of my K9s was displaying CCD(Syndrome), and the vet prescribed Selegiline (Anipryl). It seemed to be working but she died (was put down–totally unrelated) not long after we started administering it, so long term results I can’t attest to.
He gets 30+ minutes of exercise every night in our 3 acre fenced in pasture with the other two dogs. He has some neck/hip issues that make long walks too hard for him, even with various joint supplements.
We put him on Anipryl first and it only worked for three months before it stopped working.
A neighbor’s senile dog improved markedly on Clomipramine. I remember they said it was expensive, but the dog died about six months later of other disease and they thought the medication was worth it.
I have developed an intense dislike of barking dogs.
Having a massive, drug-required trouble getting to sleep + 3 dogs barking 50 from your ears will do that.
When you have nothing between you and the dog, there ARE several ways to stop the barking, all of which break some of our biggest rules of behavior.
They aren’t cheap, but the Good Life Dog Stopper ultrasound units do work.
A recent medical crises took me away from my home for 5–6 days (still not sure exactly how long).
When I awoke after 10-12 hours of unconsciousness, I was amazed how quiet these dogs are now.
I have rigged a switch by my bed to turn on 4-6 units at the same time/
I only pushed it a few times to remind them of the Rule.
Oh yes - the origin unit has a 70 foot operating limit. They had found a spot just 71 feet from the unit. There is now a new unit with double the range.
Okay, so I know my elderly cat isn’t exactly a dog, but he was an increasingly persistent senile yowler until I got him on two supplements: melatonin and SAM-e. Apparently they are both used for anxiety in dogs as well; it might be worth asking the vet about these (or other options).
(Melatonin is pretty cheap and widely available as a sleep aid for humans, so it might be an easy try; just have the vet advise on dosage and check for interactions.)
Our oldest dog has some hip issues. The morning after a long hike in the woods (following us on horseback) she is exhausted, stiff, and sore. The morning after pontooning, swimming, and wading she is just exhausted.
Never had a situation like yours myself, but my mom had a constant barker. The dog had several quirks, most of them I attribute to my mom spoiling the thing to no end. As far as barking went, it didn’t take much for the dog to start barking, we used to joke that a rabbit must have farted in the next county.
When my mom landed in the hospital for a couple of weeks, I ended up with little ‘yappy’. I ended up getting a Thundershirt. (you can google it). I didn’t know if it would work, but I was desperate for uninterrupted sleep. The shirt worked like a charm!
I don’t know if it will work for yours, but it really helped my mom’s dog.
