How Vet Behaviorists Help Dogs with Dementia & Their People

Many people don’t know about the existence of veterinary behaviorists, much less how they can help us. I didn’t until I got deep into the dog training world. Vet behaviorists can help dogs with canine cognitive dysfunction and many other problems, and they can help the dogs’ owners a lot as well. Veterinary Behaviorists Are […]

My Name Is Moses

tiny yorkshire terrier peeking out of a wastebasketA guest post by Cathy Hester, as told by Moses My Old Life My name is Moses. For the first 16 years of my life, I had no name. I had no person. I had no life. I lived at an Amish farm in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I lived in a dirty hutch in a dark [...]

Six Fun Enrichment Activities for a Dog with Dementia

Sniffing as enrichment activity. Senior rat terrier sniffing a tire.

My rat terrier Cricket lived to be about 17 and had dementia since she was 14 or 15. As her cognitive abilities decreased, I was still able to find things she enjoyed. Enrichment activities are important at any age. Our activities just got simpler and simpler as we went along. I had taken Cricket on a […]

Euthanizing My Dog With Dementia: The Dreaded Choice

small, elderly rat terrier with her head on a pillow

Cricket was my familiar, my baby, my little soulmate. We chose each other and stuck together like glue. Adopting a Middle-Aged Dog When I got Cricket from rat terrier rescue, she was already about six to eight years old. I thought I was in for heartbreak by adopting a middle-aged dog. Well, I was, but not […]

Loving Enrichment for a Dog with Dementia

Jennifer Fearing gives treat to her dog with dementia

Enrichment is a win/win situation. Studies say that we **may** be able to slow the onset and progress of canine cognitive dysfunction by enriching our dogs’ lives. But even if we don’t, we certainly are helping them in the moment. I have gotten to know Jennifer Fearing and her lovely dog Yoda through my book and […]

Keeping a Wandering Dog Safe and Happy at Night

A Jack Russell terrier with canine cognitive dysfunction

My friend Jane Jackson has graciously agreed to share her story about her wandering senior dog Beetle and how she kept him safe at night. These are her words. “I have a Jack Russell Terrier who will be 16 the day after Christmas.  In the last year, he had started to pace and wander at night […]

Webinar: Canine Cognitive Dysfunction

Eileen Anderson holding rat terrier Cricket with advanced dementia

Is your old dog starting to act a little…different? Or do you have a mentally healthy senior dog and you hope to keep him or her that way? Join me in my webinar on canine cognitive dysfunction and dog dementia through the Pet Professional Guild on Monday, December 14, at 1:00 PM U.S. Eastern Standard Time. I’ll be […]