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Just wondering if anyone has trained a senior with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (doggy dementia) to use pee pads after a lifetime of doing his/her business outside?
Have a 15-year old shih tzu with CCD and ruptured disk (this is a reinjury of the disc) who has just started peeing indoors at night only. Not sure if the "incidents" are from the dementia or the reinjury of the back.
He's on medication for the dementia and, in general, doing great, but I do need to help him learn to use the pee pads at night.
Also, I ONLY want him to use the pee pads at night if possible. I'd love for him to retain his potty training during his most cognizant hours (early morning and afternoon) if at all possible.
Just wondering is anyone has trained a senior in a similar position.
(NOT interested in debating quality of life. His vet and vet specialists think he's doing great, and they are the people's opinions that I trust.)
Maybe in his case you could use Diapers. Asking him to Remember to use the pads may not work. Other wise train as you would a puppy. Take to pad praise when he does it, etc. But IF he doesnt get it & misses Why at his age whould you scold so training would be useless.... Try diapers less confusing.
Just wondering if anyone has trained a senior with Canine Cognitive Dysfunction (doggy dementia) to use pee pads after a lifetime of doing his/her business outside?
Have a 15-year old shih tzu with CCD and ruptured disk (this is a reinjury of the disc) who has just started peeing indoors at night only. Not sure if the "incidents" are from the dementia or the reinjury of the back.
He's on medication for the dementia and, in general, doing great, but I do need to help him learn to use the pee pads at night.
Also, I ONLY want him to use the pee pads at night if possible. I'd love for him to retain his potty training during his most cognizant hours (early morning and afternoon) if at all possible.
Just wondering is anyone has trained a senior in a similar position.
(NOT interested in debating quality of life. His vet and vet specialists think he's doing great, and they are the people's opinions that I trust.)
Thanks...
Dogs with CCD don't usually retain training very easily. I would be worried that he would train to the pads and substitute using them for pottying outside. Have you asked your vet's opinion?
You raise good points. I've been working with him today to become familiar with the pad, just seeing and smelling, so we shall see how tonight goes.
He knows that he's supposed to go outside, he's just not making it to the door. He's leaving the bedroom and aiming for the front door, but either the back injury or the dementia is short-circuiting him before he has time to get there. So, my theory is, with the pee pad right located in the general spot he's been hitting, maybe he can learn to use the pee pad.
My question was more along the lines of:
If you've trained a dog in this situation, did you:
1. Do the training when he was most alert? Or did you try training when he needed to pee?
2. If you successfully trained to the pee pad, were you able to train the dog to use the pad during certain times of the day? Or did the dog start using the pad only (in lieue of outside)?
3. Did you use treats to train? Or another method?
4. Did you have a particular place in the hourse to locate the pad? What was your reasoning?
5. Did your dog come to seem comfortable with the pad? Or was it more of a daily effort to get them to use the pad?
Like so.
Also, two notes, unless things become very much worse indeed, I will not be putting him in diapers. That's just personal preference, but he does not deserve to have to wear a diaper, especially not through a full night of sleep. And I'm not going to use punitive training measures on him, never hinted that I would. I'd like to accomplish this with as much love and support as I try to do everything else with him.
Also, my vets -- regular and specialist -- do not have strong opinions on this. Barnaby is on Anipryl (med prescribed for CCD) and, as such, is doing much better than most dogs with CCD, so anything I can do to keep him focused, engaged, and behaving normally is on the approval list.
You trina just as you would a puppy! Take to pad when its time to pee. Praise or use trests if he will take them. Are you even awake at nite to take him outside? Muchless a pad?
Obviously, I don't train him just as I would a puppy because puppies have full cognitive abilities. Hence, my question on this board for folks who have dogs in a similar condition. Your other questions, quite frankly, are ignorant and invasive -- but since you ask, yes, I am awake to take him to both a pad and outside. Any other personal and unnecessary questions you'd like to pose?
Katie -- I'm not trying to be rude to you, but this is not a normally aging dog or a normally incontinent dog. This dog has doggy dementia with the very recent addition of a spine reinjury.
The normal steps of trying to train him and trying to watch his signals to catch him in time aren't going to work. I really need someone from the board who has experience with doggy dementia and training a dog with doggy dementia.
Outlining my routine and answering questions that originate from the perspective of a normally aging/incontinent dog is going to waste your time and mine.
In reading your last post, I actually do appreciate your enthusiasm in trying to help, but this is a very, very specific problem and I really need those posters with dogs with CCD to chime in to answer, if they can.
I adopted a probably ancient senior who cannot make it through the night without a good pee. I work third shift, so I take him out (have to wake him!) before I go to work, and I got a "male wrap" from an online store- a stretchy velcro wrap and put a newborn regular diaper in it. It's part of his routine- when I get dressed for work, he goes outside, and then stands at his diaper station. I put his wrap/diaper on and give him a bit of hot dog (his teeth are pretty much gone). Often, when I get home in the morning, he hasn't peed in the diaper but sometimes he has, so I know it works for him.
I know he has dementia because he gets lost in the yard, and often barks at the wall. If he goes behind a piece of furniture or something, he doesn't seem to know how to back up or turn around.
I do love putting him in the bedroom, hearing him knock of the laundry basket, and sleep on his very ratty robe.
Best wishes with your senior. They are so endearing.
Brightdog -- They are endearing. As much so as when they are puppies, but in a completely different way.
I am lucky with this one in that I work from home so I am home with him day and night and can be responsive to his needs as they change over time. This includes what may be this temporary urination issue (I say temporary because I'm not sure if it is stemming from dementia, the back problem, or his temporary increased prednisone dosage). So far, he's peed inside three times in the last week since he reinjured his back but not three days in a row and he didn't do it last night.
I think the pee pad will work. I just need to figure out how to help him adjust to it and even if he needs it.
Also, just to clarify. I am not against diapers/wraps for dogs. They work great in some situations and for some dogs. Personally, things would have to be a great deal worse for me to consider them for Barnaby, however. It would be laziness on my part for him to have to use them now and not humane treatment of him... given that I am with him 24/7 and that he's only having one accident a day and not having accidents every day or even on most days.
The Pred could certainly cause what you describe. It's good that it's temporary, as it can raise problems with internal bleeding if they have to stay on it (how I lost my second KorgiKollie, age 13 with cutaneous lupus, and couldn't be taken off the Pred completely).
You're doing right by your dog.
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