I have a nearly 14 year old Italian greyhound, and for the last year or so she's more or less stopped responding when I call her, ask if she wants to go potty, or any other 'are you ready?' type commands. I have slowly convinced myself that she's deaf or going deaf because she won't even move her head when I call her name. This is true for my wife as well.
Today while sitting at brunch I was eating steak and eggs. I turned to my dog, very calmly (and pretty quietly) told her to lay down. She immediately did it because she knew there was steak on the line.
It's amazing that steak is about the only thing in the world that will convince my dog to listen these days. I had tried previously with all sorts of treats to no avail to get her to look at me, respond, or acknowledge that I was talking to her. She just had no appetite for most foods, and she's never been one to play with toys.
Has anyone else had a similar experience with older, grouchier dogs? Did you ever find a solution or did you just ride it out?
submitted by /u/IlliterateJedi
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