My dog is a 9 year old heeler X chihuahua. I used to post all the time....the Forum helped me so much. We live on a big farm. He moves cattle.
A year ago he went night blind. This summer his blindness has really progressed. He can't see much of anything anymore. Soon he will need a leash just to go outdoors.
It makes him depressed. He is getting much less exercise.
It is hard to find " jobs" for him now. He needs a job, even though he is old.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Betty have you tried any kind of nose work or tracking with him? Teaching him to rely on his nose more will help him ease into being without sight, I think.

You can start with him finding a treat and then laying a trail for him.... lots of dogs manage with blindness - I don’t have any experience with it through- hoping someone will post that has lived with a blind dog.

Best of luck! Give Pinker a “good boy” for me!

I will be in La Crosse all week (10/8 - 10/ 12) if you need anything.

Well, Kelly come on over if it ever stops raining!
The nose work is a great idea. The Pinker doesn't use his nose much. In fact if you hand him a treat
he has a bit of a time following the scent to find your hand.
He always eats a gazillion field mice when I mow hay with the tractor. The cover of the mice is "blown", they are exposed and running all over.
This fall they were running right in front of him, he hunted about an hr and I didn't seem him get even one. After awhile, he just went back to the house.
It was sad.

I'm sure you're right, Betty, that a dog like your Pinker needs a job or activities and ongoing training.

I agree with Kelly, too, about nose work being a good possible starting point.


Whole Dog Journal, IMO a very good print magazine for anyone with a dog, presents lots of suggestions here for owners of blind dogs: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/7_4/features/Blind-Dogs_5622-1.html

They draw extensively from Caroline Levin's book Living with Blind Dogs, which I think you already have, but there's a lot more here too.

They talk about using carpet runners as floor markers, placing one of those small tabletop fountains near the dog's water bowl as an audio alert, "showing" the dog when, for example, a piece of furniture is moved, and of course using essential oils (or even such baking extracts as vanilla and almond) to mark furniture edges, etc., or, using a different scent, to mark the way to the food dish, a doorway, and so on. (The essential oils were my first foray into special aids for a blind dog. I learned about this from an early edition of Levin's book and used the technique -- successfully -- for a blind dog I took care of while his owner was laid up with a lengthy illness.)

There are a few links to more resources at the bottom of the article.


Here's a page of activities for blind dogs: https://wagwalking.com/activity/activities-for-small-blind-dogs

It's geared toward kids, I think, but it doesn't matter. (To get rid of the pop-up --- there's only one --- just click anywhere on the page outside the pop-up, and it'll disappear.)


Here's a blog about enrichment exercises: https://barksfromtheguild.com/2018/04/09/encouraging-play-and-activity-with-newly-blind-dogs/

It has quite a few suggestions. One thing mentioned casually that I thought sounded good was "Your dog may appreciate it if you wear a small bell or a set of keys on your belt loop when you are out for a walk so she can easily hear and keep track of you."


Here is an overview of helping a newly blind dog to adjust: https://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/how-help-blind-dog-adapt/89248

Their comment about a newly blind dog perhaps withdrawing and ceasing to interact with his environment (under Play Games) might be especially applicable.


This is pretty general: https://www.care.com/c/stories/6299/17-tips-for-living-with-a-blind-dog/

But the suggestion about a safe zone in #1, and also the one (#2) about speaking before touching the dog, both seemed like very good ideas. ("Make sure you have his attention before touching him so you don't scare or startle him.") Actually, all 17 seemed like really good reminders.


I was particularly looking for jobs/activities, Betty, and I'll keep checking out sites as I find them. (I was using activities for newly blind dogs as search terms, but it turned out that activities info is pretty much mixed in with other helpful info.)

I'm thinking that other members too will find (or already know) some tips about activities for blind dogs.

Well, Kelly come on over if it ever stops raining!
The nose work is a great idea. The Pinker doesn't use his nose much. In fact if you hand him a treat
he has a bit of a time following the scent to find your hand.
He always eats a gazillion field mice when I mow hay with the tractor. The cover of the mice is "blown", they are exposed and running all over.
This fall they were running right in front of him, he hunted about an hr and I didn't seem him get even one. After awhile, he just went back to the house.
It was sad.

Well, Kelly come on over if it ever stops raining!
The nose work is a great idea. The Pinker doesn't use his nose much. In fact if you hand him a treat
he has a bit of a time following the scent to find your hand.
He always eats a gazillion field mice when I mow hay with the tractor. The cover of the mice is "blown", they are exposed and running all over.
This fall they were running right in front of him, he hunted about an hr and I didn't seem him get even one. After awhile, he just went back to the house.
It was sad.

Connie, thank you for the links. I will get a little bell. I always wear huge boots which scuff on the ground at home on the farm, my guy seems to follow that noise already.
He still helps with the cattle some. But a few days ago after helping to move some cows out of the yard,he went back to the yard and started barking near the water trough. I thought perhaps there was a critter, coon or something, hiding behind the tank. Then I noticed a dark water stain on the wall behind the tank.
The poor guy thought the water stain was a calf that just would not GO no matter how much he barked.

Eye problems can be an issue with the Heeler/Cattle dog breed.

I had a couple of dogs over the years that went blind in age but never really had any serious issue with it.

Only dog that did have any serious issues was an old Norwich terrier.

His problem was that he went deaf within 6-8 months after his sight really went at about 13/

He was always a pretty dour little dog and that combo was to much for him.

He started biting anything he bumped into and that seemed to be very stressful.

Because of him really not being happy with life anymore we sadly had him put down.

I really like the idea of doing scent work with Pinker!

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

My dog is a 9 year old heeler X chihuahua. I used to post all the time....the Forum helped me so much. We live on a big farm. He moves cattle.
A year ago he went night blind. This summer his blindness has really progressed. He can't see much of anything anymore. Soon he will need a leash just to go outdoors.
It makes him depressed. He is getting much less exercise.
It is hard to find " jobs" for him now. He needs a job, even though he is old.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Oh Betty, I read through this whole thread, and folks have made great suggestions -- I'm hoping one or a combo of ideas will work with Pinker ... All fingers & paws are crossed at my house that you will come up with a good reason for him to "get up every day" and Enjoy his Life again with each new sunrise !!!

 Quote: Connie Sutherland

I'm sure you're right, Betty, that a dog like your Pinker needs a job or activities and ongoing training.

I agree with Kelly, too, about nose work being a good possible starting point.


Whole Dog Journal, IMO a very good print magazine for anyone with a dog, presents lots of suggestions here for owners of blind dogs: https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/7_4/features/Blind-Dogs_5622-1.html

They draw extensively from Caroline Levin's book Living with Blind Dogs, which I think you already have, but there's a lot more here too.

They talk about using carpet runners as floor markers, placing one of those small tabletop fountains near the dog's water bowl as an audio alert, "showing" the dog when, for example, a piece of furniture is moved, and of course using essential oils (or even such baking extracts as vanilla and almond) to mark furniture edges, etc., or, using a different scent, to mark the way to the food dish, a doorway, and so on. (The essential oils were my first foray into special aids for a blind dog. I learned about this from an early edition of Levin's book and used the technique -- successfully -- for a blind dog I took care of while his owner was laid up with a lengthy illness.)

There are a few links to more resources at the bottom of the article.


Here's a page of activities for blind dogs: https://wagwalking.com/activity/activities-for-small-blind-dogs

It's geared toward kids, I think, but it doesn't matter. (To get rid of the pop-up --- there's only one --- just click anywhere on the page outside the pop-up, and it'll disappear.)


Here's a blog about enrichment exercises: https://barksfromtheguild.com/2018/04/09/encouraging-play-and-activity-with-newly-blind-dogs/

It has quite a few suggestions. One thing mentioned casually that I thought sounded good was "Your dog may appreciate it if you wear a small bell or a set of keys on your belt loop when you are out for a walk so she can easily hear and keep track of you."


Here is an overview of helping a newly blind dog to adjust: https://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/how-help-blind-dog-adapt/89248

Their comment about a newly blind dog perhaps withdrawing and ceasing to interact with his environment (under Play Games) might be especially applicable.


This is pretty general: https://www.care.com/c/stories/6299/17-tips-for-living-with-a-blind-dog/

But the suggestion about a safe zone in #1, and also the one (#2) about speaking before touching the dog, both seemed like very good ideas. ("Make sure you have his attention before touching him so you don't scare or startle him.") Actually, all 17 seemed like really good reminders.


I was particularly looking for jobs/activities, Betty, and I'll keep checking out sites as I find them. (I was using activities for newly blind dogs as search terms, but it turned out that activities info is pretty much mixed in with other helpful info.)

I'm thinking that other members too will find (or already know) some tips about activities for blind dogs.

How 'bout putting COW BELLS on some calves, so Pinker can work them by Hearing, just for "fun" if nothing else -- What do you think, Betty?