[yorkietalkjilly]

Good for you all recognizing this baby needed vet help, recommending it and OP getting her treated. YT is the greatest!

Try not to think of your dog as being naughty if she's getting older and has lost her beloved pack-member. She's likely sad, lonely, bored, may be anxious from change and utterly frustrated and simply doesn't know how to fix it herself. So she 'acts out' - chews your shoes, chews your other belongings, proud possessions like furniture legs or pees everywhere she shouldn't, including in the big middle of your bed, releases of stress where she finds max scent of yours to show she looks to you and things of yours when she's frustrated, for stress outlets, a plea for help, as she sees you as her provider. A 9 year old dog is getting old, slower and often need more frequent trips outside if she's not peepad trained. And she can't hold it as easily as she once could due to lack of sphincter strength, elasticity or may get bladder spasms, causing her to pee right where she stands.

At her older age, having lost her only companion, a doggy pack-member, she could likely use some life skills to keep her mind and body busy and involved, life-enrichment doggy games to challenge her intellect and sense of smell, instinct to forage/hunt/find and easy, non-joint stressing obedience training to keep her engaged and vital. Teaching a dog how to 'work'(learn and test their aptitude and abilities at any age with games and easy obedience training) can keep them from feeling old, useless and getting depressed, just lying about waiting.

One of Tibbe's favorite games is me hiding pieces of his dry kibble or treats around the den behind furniture legs, etc., and then at first walking around with him saying "seek" and pointing him in the direction of the kibble if he doesn't pick up on the scent or sight it on his own. Once he finds it, a big celebration and a "Gooooood boy!!!!" praise lets him know how smart he is for scenting out hidden objects. His skills grow the more he does it. He begins to feel proud of himself for being able to quickly scent out the hidden resources. He acts very proud!

We play 'find the treat under the cup' where I hide a high-value treat under one of three small, identical plastic cups and initially I showed him to use his paw to hit 'the' cup over with his paw, saying 'hit the cup!' and right away he got it. Now he turns them over with his paw until he finds the treat - then, a big celebration and treat reward and genuine praise in his abilities. He acts so proud of himself and it's all so cute! The quicker he finds the right cup, the prouder we both are of him and he often gets it right first thing now!

We play hide and seek. Believe it or not, he invented this game himself when I first got him. He hides his chewies around the house and I go "seek" them out, saying "Wherrrrrrrre is MY chewie????" as I look behind anything and everything and if it's not there, say "No, Mommie's chewie not here. Wherrrrrrre is MY chewie? I'm going to find MY chewie!". Tibbe is right under-foot, getting more excited by the moment as I look around and when I find one he's squirreled away, I grab it up B4 he can get to it(most times - sometimes he beats me to it - an action that causes him to stick his little chest out twice its depth and run of to happily chew HIS chewie). Anyway, if I do get to it first, I hold it up proudly, waving it back and forth and dancing around in a circle as he's dancing around below, trying to lunge up for it, as I say, "Mommie WINS - I got MY chewie!!!!! Mommie WINS" until he's so excited and more than a little jealous I've got HIS chewie. Next thing I do is bring it into the den, saying "Mommie going to throw MY chewie!" and throw it for him to go get, as far as I can and he races to get it and brings it back to show me that after all, it is HIS chewie, wherepon he lies down the span of the couch and chews away on his chewie, making a big show of himself with it - too cute. When he's tired of chewing, he goes and hides it and comes bounding back to me, eyes snapping, excited and ready to play 'hide and seek' all over again. He can go at 'hide and seek' until I give out and give up! He LOVES this game and playing with him is one of the delights of my life.

I also bought him several interactive treat games and food bowls he has to forage through to get his treat or food out, using his nose, muzzle or paws to move and/or open particular compartments where his treat/food is. He LOVES the challenge - after all dogs have foraged for food for centuries and they adore working for their dinner. He will chose to eat his dinner out of one or more of his interactive games filled with kibble or forage bowls over his regular bowl every single time. Can take him up to 15 - 25+ mins. to eat dinner and he acts SO satisfied after he's done. Acts like he's just returned from a successful hunt and got his prey after his interactive dinner from one of his special bowls.

Google 'how to enrich your elder dog's life' and just read of all the fun you can have helping your baby deal with loss and boredom. It will change you both!

All these things can enrich a dog's mental and physical zest for life, with renewed interests in exercising their instincts and aptitudes, especially helpful after they've lost a beloved buddy/pack member or feel a bit old and used up.