A dog’s aging process happens gradually, but it may become apparent suddenly, as he’s no longer able to jump onto the couch or navigate the home as easily as he used to. In my own home, I’ve been making changes for my dog Leo who just celebrated his 14th birthday. I wish I’d made some of these tweaks earlier, to save him some discomfort. These are the most important five adaptations for aging dogs I’ve made for Mr. Leo – pet steps, mats on slippery floors, a harness to help with mobility, a fenced yard with minimal steps, and an easier food bowl. His companion, Charlie, is about a year behind him in age, but will also benefit from these adaptations as well.

1. Pet Steps

Like other pampered pooches, Leo likes to sleep on the bed and nap on the couch. He still manages to pull himself on to the couch, but he’s unable to get up on the bed without the pet steps I added.

Although I keep my home free from wall to wall carpet due to concerns about microplastics and other toxins, I chose a set of steps that was covered with carpeting so that my pup won’t slip off the steps.

The steps I purchased are handmade from a seller on Etsy – they are pricey, but of course my beloved dog companion is worth it. I regret that I didn’t get them sooner.

2. Rugs or Mats on Slippery Floors

Because Leo did a lot of jumping in his younger years, his back legs are weak and he has some damage to his backbone from repeated jarrings. This means he struggles on our slippery linoleum kitchen flooring.

Small area rugs are a no go in our household since one of our cats thinks they are the greatest place to have a wild pee – so instead of cushy floor coverings, natural latex mats help provide traction to our aging dog.

Of course, rugs will work in most households, but if you need something with even more grip, a thin natural latex yoga mat will work in a pinch.

3. Harness for Helping Mobility

Leo has good days and bad days  – and good parts of the day (evening) and worse parts of the day (morning). I bet your aging dog is the same.

To help our elderly dog out in his needier moments, we purchased a harness called the Help Em Up harness that allows us to safely help him both up and down.

4. Fenced Yard With Minimal Steps or a Ramp

Our back yard is large and our dogs have spent many happy moments there playing ball, chasing each other around, and visiting our sheep. Unfortunately for our aging dogs, it’s accessed via a set of several steps, which are hard to maneuver for elderly pups.

Luckily, I anticipated the need for an easier access yard to play in and we fenced in our front yard – accessed by only one step – well before it was a necessity.

In some home situations a ramp would help an elderly canine access the outdoors for play and potty time.

5. Easier Food Dish

For most of his life Leo was a speedy eater. He was so quick to chomp down his food, in fact, that I long ago bought him the type of food bowl that has a mound in the center to slow down eating.

That mound in the center of the stainless steel bowl is now an impediment to our elderly canine’s eating. He has slowed down, and now needs an easier food dish to eat from.

One Big Regret as My Elderly Dog Ages

As I witness Leo’s loss of mobility, I am well aware that much of it is due to too much jumping and jarring of the spinal cord when he was younger. As a border collie aussie mix, he excelled at catching tennis balls in mid air. And as an alert guard dog in our pre-farm neighborhood, he had a terrible habit of jumping on to the dining room table to survey the street, then jumping down. I cringe to think of the damage all that jarring did to him.

In comparison, his dog sister Charlie is in much better shape mobility wise, though she’s only several months younger. The next time I adopt a ball obsessed dog, I’ll be careful to keep my throws low to the ground.

Live (With an Old Dog,) and Learn

I’m sure everyone with an aging canine has come up with their own list of adaptations for aging dogs. I bet that list includes a reminder to keep up the love, because even though they aren’t puppies anymore, they still need it!

I’d love to hear what’s on your list if you care to share.