What behavior changes will I notice in my senior dog?

As your dog ages, they can lose some of their hearing, so you may notice that they don't respond as quickly to you. They may not come. If you're outside, you want to be aware when you're driving that you don't put your car in reverse quickly so that your pet has time to get out of the way. Even if they can hear, they may be slower to rise. Greetings might change too. You could see them wagging their tail and looking at you happily, but they don't get up as quickly to greet you.

Another thing to think about is adding another pet when your pet becomes a senior. Some people want to think about getting a new dog, a new puppy, or even a cat. Consider how your dog might interact with that new addition. Doing so brings some senior dogs back to their puppy stages, and they get active and happy. Some are less thrilled about the new addition, so that's something to think about, and you may even want to do a trial run before you commit to adopting or getting another pet.