Grumpy old gsd advice?

Hi everyone,
Wondered if anyone had any advice with my old dogs behaviour?

I have an old Gsd. He has arthritis and is on pain medication. Physically sound and in good health otherwise (bloods fine etc.) His pain score is good and he can run as well as the best of them!

He has however become quite grumpy as he has got older and has stopped listening to me when asked to do something such as go to his bed etc. He has started to snatch food from the children's hands and also growled at them a few times, he also won't listen to them at all ( older kids-10 and 11)
He has not been shocked, he is not deaf or blind and they didn't do anything to him. He will also growl if asked to do something he dosent want too.
I think he feels in competition with the children? For example if they eat he thinks he should be eating too!

I have implemented some new rules such as no food in the same room, no touching dog unless he approaches etc but how can I get him to respect the children for one and also stop him growling when I ask him to do something he dosent want too?

Nothing in the house has changed, he has been with me for 11 years since. 6. Weeks. He has always been quite 'dominant' however he has always listened but it seems he has decided that enough is enough and he is bored of listening now.

Any ideas?

Hello L at 11 your dog could have a degree of Canine Cognitive Dysfunction...
Medication can help..

Also I don't see how anyone can know for sure from moment to moment that he isn't in pain if he has arthritis.
Pain isn't necessarily constant, it varies. Dogs in pain can be grumpy and unpredictable.

For me elderly dogs have earned the right to a bit of leeway , I wouldn't ask an elderly dog to do something he doesn't want to do but find another way around a situation.

I think you are wise with your rules regarding food and 'touching by consent'. I would remove him when the children are eating likewise when he has his food. These are standard measures I would implement anyway with any dog.

Can I just add , never ignore or punish a dog for growling heed this warning and try to avoid situations that lead to growling.

Thank you meg I will look into that!

I'm pretty sure he isn't hugely painful as such. He is on quite strong NSAIDs and has no trouble getting around/running/getting up as normal. I do accept however that he is a lot slower than before but I can move or touch him anywhere and he has never grumbled as if painful. His arthritis is in his lumbar spine only- the rest of him is very good for his age!! When he has growled it has always been in a jealous possessive sort of way rather than they fell on him etc which is a little more worrying as on a few occasions he seems to have growled over something very trivial which I wouldn't have predicted!
He did snatch food from my daughters hand leaving tooth marks. I blamed myself for this as he should never have been around the food but he had never done this before until now.

He has never ever growled at me it is only the children.
He has also never bitten or attacked anything in his life.

Things I've asked him to do are things like leave the room when the children are eating, to which he pretends to lie down and sneak up to them and when told to get out of the room he will growl.
He has not got standard food aggression in that I can remove food from him easily even from his mouth if necessary and he also lives with 2 other dogs and they can move around without him growling even when food is involved.

A lot of the problems stem around his being so greedy! He is an ideal weight, 2 meals per day and has never been starved in his life. I thought he could be bored and obsessing about food but he still gets two good walks a day which tires him out and he sleeps the rest of the day away!
It is difficult as he does have IBD and must have prescription diet and no treats ever so I can't bribe him.

I just hope he dosent get worse the older he gets!

Thanks again!

I can well understand him 'grumbling'when asked to forgo the chance of food, I would too . Also dogs hate being told off and can get quite defensive.

I would try to turn a negative moment into a positive one by luring him out of the room to a comfy bed with a treat he can eat (there must be something contained in his diet like a bit of fish or chicken or use his favourite toy if he has one) and do this using a bright voice and lots of praise when he follows.

Hello. I have an 11 year old grumpy GSD mix, too. She sometimes will growl at our cats or my puppy when she is in a bad mood and they come near her. She won't growl at me or any of the other people in my home (there are no children).

Her hearing is fine, her sight is fine... and she does have arthritis (mostly her right hip) and is on meds (Rimadyl and aspirin)... but she moves pretty well most days, as well.

She has always been sort of grumpy, though. I just take it easy. When she is in one of her moods, I keep the cats and my puppy from bothering her and I give her her space.

Surely there is something you can offer him to lure him from rooms? You can use a bit of his natural food if needed. Growling is good... it means "I'm not happy". Never punish a growling a dog in any way. If you do, the dog might skip to biting the next time.

He's growling because he's annoyed. I wouldn't let him take food from the children, though. You said he's on a special diet... so this needs to be stopped ASAP. Don't let the kids bring food around him at all.

I know what it's like to have a grumpy old GSD... it can be tough to deal with. Our cats sometimes get spooked when Jade growls at them for no reason. When this happens... she is lead to her crate (not dragged by her collar) to relax and the cats are brought upstairs.

Grumpy dogs tend to need some space to themselves, so try and look into this. Perhaps when he gets grumpy... everyone just leave the room he's in and let him have some time to himself. If this isn't possible... everyone move away from him and give him some time, then call him over for affection.

You don't say if he is entire or not? but I suspect he is. A big part of the problem is that he is uncertain of his place in the pack. He probably realises he is no longer the childrens protector as he was when they were growing up and the dynamics have changed. In his doggy mind it is only fair that he should share their food as he sees himself as equal or above them in the order.

This together with the strong painkiller that if you have ever expereinced taking them you will know how they dull your senses and slow the reactions and thought processes, if not you are very lucky and anyone who has will tell you that they leave you fuzzy and slower. So the growling and not doing is his reaction to the request and sort of saying OK, slow down.

Consider as well that 11 for a dog is actually 77 in human years so he is an old boy. As you clearly suspect he needs some careful considered help from you right now and he is lucky to have such a lovely human Is there a Blue Cross or Dogs Trust near you? If so phone them up and see if they have a behavourist (sp) who understands GSD's. Alternitively speak to someone at GSDR as they may be able to recommend somone in your area.

I'm sure with your thoughtfulness you can all enjoy your dogs retirement years together.

Hi Littlepony,

Have you spoken to the vet regards his change in behaviour? I know my old girlie went into Canine Cognitive Dysfunction and her personalty changed dramatically, but if caught early enough there are medications that can help.

NSAIDS are not pain killers they are anti inflammatory meds,
reduced inflammation = reduced pain but if you have ever had severe back pain you will know you can still experience pain with them. have a look at this and see if he is exhibiting any

http://www.cimydog.com/en/pet-owners...heir-pain.html

I would stick with managing the behaviour especially with the children as he is unpredictable and I would definitely talk to the vet, our oldies can go downhill very rapidly. God luck with your old boy and let us know how he gets on

As for dominance - bah humbug I say

Excellent GS Behaviourist: Robert Alleyne from the dog owners club. I volunteer for German Shepherd Rescue Elite of which Robert is Patron.

Only time my old GSD ever growled at me was when she was in her dotage - she was ill anyway (pyometra) and I sat beside her on her big stair and gave her chest a rough rub and she growled at me. Turned out she had a breast tumour and it must have hurt her according to the vet.

So the first thing I thought of when I read the OP was 'pain'.

I appreciate mine was a bitch, not a dog, but it was the first time in 11 yrs she had ever growled at me.

What was said about NSAIDs is correct. Often explained in the pharmacy - good painkillers do not address the inflammation and good NSAIDs do not necessarily address the pain - though if they take the inflammation down it can of course have the effect of reducing the pain.

When I am in pain with arthritis I could easily growl at everyone all day. Not every day is a bad day though.

Thanks everyone, I am doing some research now! He has been for a lovely walk today and has managed to spend the time chasing the young one so he must be feeling okay and is now in front of the fire!

In answer to some of the questions
- He is castrated and has been since he was 2y.
- He is on a combination of carprofen, paracetamol and low dose of coedine. I also have tramadol but he has never needed it. His mobility is actually very good. The vet thinks his mobility issues (ataxia mainly) are due to CDRM which is mainly painless. His hips are very good with almost no degeneration however he does have some spondulosis along the lumbar spine. The rest of him is in good health...he had major surgery last year due to a foreign body (don't ask!) and his liver/spleen/ all organs were fine. He had no tumours and has routine checks for any signs of masses and has regular bloods due to the meds he is on.

Like I say., he has never ever shown aggression to me or my partner, is has only ever been the children which leads me to think behavioural but I am often proved wrong!
He is 12 in a month so a very good age for a shepherd I know...

He is very intelligent and won't easily be bribed, for example a piece of toast is much preferable to a bland diet so he would rather not leave! He is not fussed on his own food and prefers the stuff he can't have! There are very few things he can eat except his hypoallergenic diet and boiled chicken without getting ibs type symptoms.

I was also unsure if his behaviour had got worse as my younger dog seems to have started putting him in his place a little and the 3 of my dogs are fighting for attention more? They have never really fought though and eat/sleep together fine.

I already have a behaviouralist on speed dial for OCD shepherd my youngest dog so will consult her also

I have also spoken to the family about not touching the dog when he is asleep etc which hopefully will work, although it's the food snatching which is most annoying!

Thanks again everyone!