Wesha got a lot more gray than Ghandi. They are both turning 11 years old this spring. We started man trailing about 2.5 years ago and they both absolutely love it. I am in awe of the dogs noses! We once had a trail that was over 16 hours old and in those 16+ hours it had been pooring rain non-stop. The trail was on asphalt too. And yet, they walked that trail as if it was nothing. Really impressive! Man trailing is also great for older dogs, because even when they may lose their hearing and part of their sight, the nose stays great. And the dogs can walk their own pace. If they want to walk slowly, that is fine. That hasn't happened yet, though. They both have quite some speed while man trailing. I am usually the brake on the other end of the leash, hahaha!
Over the last couple of months, it has happened a couple of times, that Ghandi started barking in the night. Since the dogs are not allowed upstairs, I had to get up and walk downstairs to see what was going on. Ghandi was barking in his crate and Wesha was pacing around very nervously and she wanted to go outside urgently! But never to pee or do other business. It looked more that she just wanted to flee the house. This sometimes occurred a few times a night and both hubby and I have spent part of the night(s) on the couch (not really sleeping). When one of us was on the couch, the dogs were calming down. So this happened again last Sunday (it was stormy weather and Wesha is scared of the sounds) and I decided that from now on we would take the dogs into the bedroom with us at night. This way, we sooner notice when one of them isn't feeling well or is getting nervous and we hope they find it easier to stay calm because we are in the room with them. They are getting older and it just isn't fair to leave them alone with their challenges. So we put the second crate and two other dog beds in our bedroom and when we go upstairs to go to bed, we take the dogs with us. I have to admit, that I haven't slept as well or as deep as usual, but I guess I will get used to it. And it feels good to have them with us at night. Both Wesha and Ghandi acted as if we have had this arrangement all their lives. So it really feels right.
