Your older dog has started wandering at night, waiting by the wrong side of a door or turning away from company they used to enjoy. It is easy to put those changes down to age. They are worth a conversation with your vet.
This guide helps you notice and describe what has changed. It cannot diagnose your dog or replace advice from your own veterinary practice.
Quick answer
- Contact your vet about new changes in sleep, toileting, interaction or familiar habits.
- Behaviour alone cannot tell you whether the cause is pain, a sensory change, cognitive dysfunction or something else.
- Phone straight away for a sudden marked change, especially confusion or difficulty walking.
- Keep a short record, but do not delay urgent help to finish it.
Is a behaviour change just part of getting older?
An older dog may prefer a different pace, but a new behaviour deserves attention. Blue Cross advises contacting your vet when your dog's behaviour changes. Age is useful background for the appointment, rather than an explanation that rules out illness.
Think about your own dog's usual day. Have they stopped greeting you, become reluctant to go outside or started avoiding touch? A small change that keeps happening can be easier to describe with a specific example than with “they seem old now”.
Changes in hearing or sight can affect how a dog responds. Pain can also alter sleep and interaction. A vet check helps distinguish possibilities that can look similar at home.
Which changes should I tell the vet about?
Night waking, pacing or a different sleep pattern
Note when your dog wakes and what they do next. Do they need to toilet, walk between rooms, call out or struggle to settle? Record whether it happens every night and when it began.
Night waking can occur with cognitive dysfunction, but it does not establish that diagnosis. Tell the vet about the whole day, including appetite, drinking and movement.
Confusion or changes to familiar habits
Mention getting stuck in corners, seeming lost in a familiar room, staring or no longer responding as usual. PDSA lists confusion, pacing, forgotten commands and altered sleep among possible signs of cognitive dysfunction.
That list is a reason to arrange an assessment, not a home test. Do not repeatedly ask your dog to perform a task to see whether they can still do it.
Toileting accidents or different social behaviour
A previously house-trained dog having accidents needs a health check. Tell the practice whether they are weeing more often, straining or drinking differently. An accident is not proof of dementia or deliberate misbehaviour.
Also mention new withdrawal, clinginess, irritability or growling. Dogs Trust explains that physical health can affect behaviour even when pain or illness is not obvious. Give an uncomfortable dog space rather than insisting on handling.
When does it need urgent help?
Call your vet or their out-of-hours service immediately for collapse, difficulty breathing, a seizure, severe pain or repeated attempts to wee with no urine. A swollen tummy with unsuccessful retching also needs urgent attention.
If your dog suddenly seems very confused, cannot walk normally or deteriorates quickly, phone straight away and describe the change. Do not wait for a routine senior check.
For a gradual change without those emergency signs, contact the practice to arrange an appointment. Mention any loss of appetite, vomiting, increased thirst or weight loss when booking so the team can judge urgency. If you are unsure which category fits, call and ask.
What can I do while arranging the appointment?
Keep the day familiar and make essential places easy to reach. Leave furniture in its usual position, clear trip hazards and offer quiet rest. Help your dog outside for regular toilet opportunities without forcing exercise.
Do not punish accidents or confusion. Avoid startling a resting dog and allow them to move away from interaction. Keep children safely separated if your dog seems uncomfortable or unpredictable.
Do not start a supplement, change medication or swap a prescribed diet to address unexplained behaviour. Ask your own vet what, if anything, should change.
Your behaviour-change checklist for the vet
A few useful notes are enough. You do not need to arrive with a diagnosis:
- What is different, and when did you first notice it?
- Was the change sudden, gradual or intermittent?
- What happens at night, and how often?
- Have eating, drinking, toileting, movement or interaction changed too?
- Has anything changed at home or in their routine?
- Which medicines do they take, including any recent changes?
- Can you safely record a short video without provoking the behaviour?
Diaries and videos can help the vet understand what happens away from the consulting room. If nights are becoming difficult for your household too, say so. That is useful information for planning care together.
Reviewed: 19 October 2026
