Arthritis for Dogs Rapid Relief for your Dog from painful arthritis symptoms

Elderly Dogs – Pain Or Fear Aggression

As humans get older they can become less patient, more irritable, less secure or downright cantankerous "so can dogs"! As your dog ages, you will nearly certainly notice changes in his behavior and reactions. Dread or pain may cause him to be aggressive at times when you would not expect him to be; most dog owners become confused as to what has changed their loving, loyal and gentle pet into an animal that they do not recognize.
There are several things that you can do to help your dog during his twilight years and the starting point should be in observation. Does your dog have difficulty standing up just after he wakes or with walking "this may be due to arthritis or joint problems for which there is no real cure and it will cause pain".
You may want your dog to get up and go for a walk with you and if you try to force the issue he may show aggressive behavior such as growling or even snapping at you. Many people who are arthritic have terrible days, so why should a dog not have them too?
If your dog even thinks you are going to make him do something which is going to cause him pain, he will be worried and that might cause him to bite you. The answer to the problem is not to force the dog to do anything which you know is likely to cause him pain. Understanding and consideration for his age and condition can serve to avoid unpleasant confrontations.
Aged dogs and small children should not be together because a child will not fully know that their gentle playmate is now no longer capable of joining in the fun. If you consider that the rule of thumb is that 1 dog year equals 7 human years, depending on the breed, you dog at 10 years ancient is really 70. Children trying to play rough house with a 70 year ancient grandparent might get a clip round the ear but an elderly dog will bite them. The best thing for you to do with the children is limit the time they are near the dog. Clarify to them that the dog is getting ancient and is in pain so must be left alone. Also make sure that they know that the dog may bite if they don’t keep away.
If you own more than one dog and they are younger, you should separate them from the elderly dog as much as possible. Puppies are boisterous and may accidentally cause pain in which case the elderly dog may seriously hurt a puppy. But, puppies are pretty smart so if your dog warns them off with a growl or a nip the puppies will quickly learn to steer clear of his space. Generally, it is not honest to expose an elderly dog to anything which might cause him dread or pain so use your own discretion when deciding what you will do to protect the dog from actual or perceived harm.