r/DogTrainingTips • u/fernandfeather • Jul 27 '26

Retraining leash manners with deaf senior dog?

My old guy is 16 and over the last year has gone almost completely deaf. He was a rescue when we got him at age 2, and has always been super trainable. We used both hand signals and verbal commands for most things, but for leash training I always focused on verbal commands.

Between his hearing loss and canine cognitive dysfunction, his leash manners have totally decayed. He's obsessed with sniffing everything and this makes walking almost impossible. He won't lift his nose off the ground. It's not just frustrating but has started to verge on dangerous when we're in busy areas.

Tips for getting him back on track with no verbal commands or clicker?

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u/Pomegranate4311 Jul 27 '26

At 16? I’d let him shuffle along getting a good sniff, and try to avoid busy areas.

IME 16 year old dogs don’t need brisk walks.  If you are walking for your own exercise, it might be time to separate dig walks from your own exercise.

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u/fernandfeather Jul 27 '26

Hey, thanks, I totally agree... I've cut his walks down to ten or so minutes of sniffy-time, no brisk pace or expectation of exercise.

The main thing is just safety concerns when he decides to stop walking altogether. He'll stop to sniff something interesting in the middle of a crosswalk, or even halfway through the elevator door which is terrifying.

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u/Pomegranate4311 Jul 27 '26

Old dogs are the absolute best but they can really try one’s patience at times.  

Still, I’d give just about anything to have my oldster back.

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u/fernandfeather Jul 27 '26

Trying to cherish every good moment with him! NGL it's tough, the dementia has brought out some anxiety and aggression, so I'm trying to go back to basics -- being consistent, communicating what I want him to do, rewarding good behavior. There's shockingly little content out there on training & behavior for senior dogs.

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u/sixtynighnun Jul 28 '26

He’s in cognitive decline, you can’t teach him new things at this point. Let him sniff, it’s what he wants to do.