We all keep a close eye on our dog’s physical health as they grow, but their emotional health is just as important. Understanding how dogs’ behaviour changes as they get older can help you support your canine companion more effectively.
In this blog we explore how a dog’s well-being and emotional balance can shift across each of your dog’s life stages, common reasons behind any changes in behaviour and how to spot the signs your dog might need a little extra support.
In simple terms, emotional balance is your dog’s ability to cope with everyday experiences, recover after challenges, adapt to change, and generally stay comfortable in daily life.
It’s not just about a dog never feeling stressed or unsettled, as this is a natural part of life, but more about how well they’re able to recover. By supporting their emotional balance, you’re also supporting your dog’s mental health.
Emotional balance underpins everything. It supports a dog’s well-being and quality of life, makes learning easier and helps them enjoy day-to-day activities.
Throughout each of a dog’s life stages, emotional balance supports their relationships, both with you and with other dogs, and helps them adapt to change. Perhaps most importantly, it also helps dogs recover after challenging events.
A dog with good emotional balance tends to show a mix of the following signs:
Throughout their life, a dog’s behaviour can change, along with their emotional needs. Understanding your dog’s life stages can help you recognize what kind of support your furry friend needs as they age.
Puppyhood is a whirlwind of learning. Your puppy’s discovering the world for the first time, and the socialization period during these early weeks shapes how they respond to new experiences through their life.
Puppies can be more sensitive to what’s going on around them and can get overwhelmed easily. Learning to cope with all this newness is part of growing up. Throughout this time you can show your support by looking after your dog’s well-being.
One of the biggest challenges puppies face is settling into a brand new home, with new people and new routines. You can help them settle into their new family by keeping routines predictable, offering gentle, tailored socialization and using confidence-building training. Throughout this, it’s important to go at your puppy’s pace.
Adolescence can sometimes feel like an emotional rollercoaster for you and your dog. You might notice a change in your dog’s behaviour, such as pushing boundaries, “forgetting” training overnight, reduced focus, fluctuating confidence or a bit more frustration than usual.
In this stage of a dog’s life, patience is key. A few tips to help can include:
To support your dog’s mental health and emotional balance the ADAPTIL Calm Collar provides calming pheromone support wherever you both go.
Adulthood tends to be a more stable phase for your dog’s well-being. By now, your dog’s daily routine and relationships are established, and you’ll have a good idea of what they can cope with and what may cause them stress.
However, even the most resilient adult dogs can struggle if stress builds up over time, or if they face big changes, like a house move, a new baby or other shifts to their usual routine. These are all common causes of a change in your dog’s behaviour, even in dogs that are usually settled.
To help maintain your dog’s emotional balance, keeping routines predictable really helps, along with additional support from an ADAPTIL Calm Diffuser to provide a comforting, reassuring environment for your dog to rest and relax in.
So, how do dogs change as they get older? Emotional changes are common at this stage, which makes supporting your dog’s mental health and physical well-being important. You may notice your dog has reduced resilience or struggles with things they used to do easily.
It isn’t always clear when older dogs are struggling. They may become more withdrawn or passive, which can be a sign they need some extra support. Changes to their sleep cycle are common too, and this can have a knock-on effect on their emotional balance.
Supporting a senior dog means offering predictable daily schedules and adjusting exercise, training and play to suit their changing needs, without stopping them altogether. Try to make any changes gradually and keep up with more frequent health checks. If you notice changes in your dog’s behaviour or habits it’s always worth checking this with your vet as these changes could be the first signs of an underlying illness.
Regardless of your dog’s life stage, several factors can affect their emotional well-being and cause a dog’s change in behaviour, including:
If you notice your dog isn’t their normal, happy self, that’s often the first sign their emotional well-being and balance may need more support. To know how you can support your dog’s mental health and well-being, look for signs such as:
It’s also important to learn the more subtle signs of stress:
Whatever stage of life your dog is at, a few core habits you can do to help support your dog’s emotional balance include:
For more advice on supporting your dog’s well-being and emotional balance, explore the rest of the ADAPTIL blog and discover how our products can help them feel calm and secure. And while you’re there, sign up for our newsletter for expert tips and the latest updates!