Dogs who have been housebroken for years often begin having accidents as they get older. Again, because medical conditions can be to blame, have your older dog checked by your veterinarian. There are some medical conditions like bladder stones and colitis which can result in an increased frequency to urinate, and others like arthritis and vision loss that may make going outside to urinate more difficult or painful. Once you determine the cause, you can then deal with problem. If going outside has become more difficult for your pet, a ramp may help. If a medical problem is resulting in an increased frequency to urinate, treating the medical problem or simply increasing the number of times your dog is taken out may help.

  Many older dogs develop an increased sensitivity to noise because, as they age, they may be less able to manage stress or to remove themselves from the sources of noise because of immobility. Cognitive dysfunction can also be to blame. The best approach is to determine the noises that are affecting your dog and then treat him using desensitization, counterconditioning or even medication. For instance, once you've determine that a certain noise, such as thunder, is causing a fear response, try to desensitize your dog to thunder. One good approach is play a recording of thunder at a very low volume level, rewarding your dog when he doesn't respond with fear, and then gradually increasing the volume over several days or weeks and rewarding him appropriately.

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