QUOTE: .... in this specific case, the one that triggered the question is a 16 year old mixed breed. He's deaf and also has not 100% vision.

from Jose Miguel Gome at http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=31911&page=1#356280



The question was whether and how to address the nose-to-the-ground walking style of this dog.




Vision and hearing problems naturally trigger more reliance on the nose.

I've had a blind dog and three deaf dogs. There is lots of work that can be done to increase such a dog's confidence in the human at the other end of the leash in order to pick up the pace a bit IF THAT'S APPROPRIATE. That is, if the dog is sniffing along so slowly that no real range of motion is getting the synovial fluid through the joints, and peristalsis isn't stimulated (pooping), and he is physically able to walk a little faster, then there is fun work to do at home to increase the dog's confidence in following the pace and direction of the owner. This is kind of a separate topic, so this is a new thread.

I know that we have several owners of hearing- and vision-impaired dogs here, so here's a thread for how to decrease a dog's anxiety around sudden losses in those senses and/or how to increase confidence about making a way through the outside world by relying on the owner's cues.

As Duane said, meanwhile, the dog may well need this constant sniffing to feel safe outside the yard.

Can you describe what safe familiar area you have available for gradually practicing little periods of learning to trust in your intention and ability to be the dog's eyes and ears? Do you have a low-distraction yard, for example?

And I'd allow plenty of strolling-and-sniffing periods as well, even when the dog is comfortable picking up the pace for a while for some sections of his walks. JMO

Good topic, Jose!

Thank you Connie,

I'm going to try to provide more data that may be helpful.

I do have a 50m corridor. I would say that if the street is a 10 distraction (scale 0-10), this corridor would be a 3 probably. I'm afraid I don't have a 5 or 6 place do work as an intermediate place.

This dog is not shy. He is very intrepid. He can take corrections and recover quickly. However, corrections are not something that I like to use very much these days.

I can walk and run with him on the leash, but depending on the day, the context and the surroundings he attempts to sniff a lot. Sometimes he's always trying... the entire time of the walk.

Sometimes he's not relieving himself outside. He just sniffs (when I allow it) and even with a long walk he does not relieve himself outside.

If I let him loose he puts his nose on the floor to sniff and does not go far away. I'm not 100% sure on this one, but it seems that he is not very interested in the direction I take when he's off leash.

He gets really excited when he knows that he's going for a walk. His level of energy is incredibly high when he's near the gate and ready to go for a walk. He gets really excited until he gets to the first bush or landmark.

"Sometimes he's not relieving himself outside. He just sniffs (when I allow it) and even with a long walk he does not relieve himself outside. "

Poop? So you're saying that even with along walk at his normal poop time, no poop?

You have a pretty good simple journal of poop times as they relate to mealtimes?


"If I let him loose he puts his nose on the floor to sniff and does not go far away. I'm not 100% sure on this one, but it seems that he is not very interested in the direction I take when he's off leash."

You mean indoors? He's not off-leash outdoors, right, since you have no contained outdoor area?

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

"Sometimes he's not relieving himself outside. He just sniffs (when I allow it) and even with a long walk he does not relieve himself outside. "

Poop? So you're saying that even with along walk at his normal poop time, no poop?

Yes. And sometimes he poops as soon as he gets inside.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

You have a pretty good simple journal of poop times as they relate to mealtimes?

Sorry, what do you mean?

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

"If I let him loose he puts his nose on the floor to sniff and does not go far away. I'm not 100% sure on this one, but it seems that he is not very interested in the direction I take when he's off leash."

You mean indoors? He's not off-leash outdoors, right, since you have no contained outdoor area?

Actually, I let him off leash for 3 times in places with no cars and no other dogs. He just sniffs the floor as if it is the best thing in the world.

Is his poop time pretty predictable, is what I was trying to find out ....

This is necessary info so we can talk about keeping him outside at the right time until poop happens, using the same spot if it hasn't happened after exercise, rewarding, etc.

I've had more than one senior who needed a little bit of a refresher course for potty.

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

Is his poop time pretty predictable, is what I was trying to find out ....

This is necessary info so we can talk about keeping him outside at the right time until poop happens, using the same spot if it hasn't happened after exercise, rewarding, etc.

I've had more than one senior who needed a little bit of a refresher course for potty.

Well, it used to be in the afternoon walk, and I guess its still the most likely timing for him, but recently his pooping pattern is not so predictable. Sometimes he's even doing it inside the house in the middle of the night.

However, we haven't changed his meal time our amount. It's exactly the same as it has been.

I must also had that on my days off he gets longer walks than in the rest of the week.

He's not crate trained!

You want to re-train exactly as you first trained as a puppy. That includes an alarm clock and a journal to re-ascertain poop times, along with frequent trips outdoor and lots of rewards, and definitely NO chance for a new habit to take root.