Is dementia common in older dogs and what is the best way to cope with the symptoms?
I have a 15 year old Border Collie who is currently getting a bit senile, mainly to the point she ignores commands, does her own thing and behaves more like a silly puppy than a sensible trained dog (which is what she has been all her life). Thankfully she is not showing any aggressive tendancies, but dogs can get “grumpy” like some older people. The first thing would be to get your dog checked out by a vet to make sure there are no medical reasons for the aggression. As regards ignoring commands, I think this is something you have to accept as long as they are not placing you or the dog in harm, and learn to be tolerant with this oldie. I now have to keep my old lady out of harm’s way when we walk out in the fields more as she likely to go off and not come back, so she has to be kept on a leash more and we have to make sure she is cannot wander off and harm herself. # Other than that, you just have to love them and laugh at them. Just do not do anything to cause the dog to feel irrita
