Signs of aging in dogs, and how to spot them early.
Dogs are considered senior between age 6 and 10, depending on breed size. The earliest signs of aging show up in daily activity, resting heart rate, breathing, and thirst, often months before you'd notice visually. Maven Pet's sensor clips onto your dog's existing collar and tracks these signals 24/7, across the 2,538 dogs we've studied and counting.
Aging in dogs isn't a guess anymore. We can see it happening.
Across 2,538 dogs wearing the Maven Pet sensor, three signals shifted consistently between adult and senior years. These changes appeared even in dogs with no diagnosed condition, so they're age-related, not disease-only. Here's what changed.
Signs of aging in dogs that are easy to miss.
You see your dog every day, which is exactly why slow drift is so easy to miss. A little less activity this month, a little more water next month, nothing dramatic enough to notice on its own. These are the four changes that showed up most consistently in Maven Pet's data, roughly in the order dog parents catch them.
Panting more than they used to
Some increase in panting is a normal part of aging, especially in warm weather or after activity. But a rising resting breathing rate, or panting at rest with no obvious trigger, can also be an early sign of heart or pain-related changes. Maven Pet's sensor tracks resting respiratory rate continuously, so you know whether it's a trend or a one-off.
Drinking noticeably more water
Across Maven Pet's data, drinking time nearly doubles by the advanced senior years, and it rises even in dogs with no diagnosed condition. Increased thirst is also a hallmark of kidney disease, diabetes, and Cushing's disease, all of which become more common with age.
Slower on walks, less interested in play
A senior dog who tires faster or skips the last stretch of the walk they used to handle easily isn't just "getting lazy." Maven Pet's data shows a 20 to 37% drop in daily activity by the senior years. Tracking it over time turns a vague feeling into an actual trend line you can act on.
Restless at night, or pacing and circling
Occasional restlessness can come from joint discomfort or a less restful night. But new, persistent pacing, circling, or seeming disoriented (especially in the evening) can also point to canine cognitive dysfunction, sometimes called doggy dementia or sundowners.
Why senior dogs benefit most from monitoring between vet visits.
Senior dogs rack up more consistent tracking days than any other life stage, because home health monitoring is exactly what senior dog parents already want. That's not a hunch, it's why this group keeps the Maven Pet sensor on longer than anyone else.
Here's the gap it closes: a vet visit gives you one data point. A gradual 5% drop in activity, or three days of slightly elevated breathing, is invisible to anyone who isn't tracking continuously. That gap between appointments is exactly where early senior changes are easiest to catch, and easiest to act on.
Build a real baseline before symptoms show
The earlier you start, the more useful the data. A dog's "normal" is personal, not a generic number, and Maven Pet learns it in the first 7 days so future changes are measured against your dog, not an average.
Track how a new medication or diagnosis is going
Chronic condition rates climb sharply with age, about 20% of adults vs. 54 to 61% of senior dogs. Maven Pet's trend data shows whether a new medication is working, not just whether your dog seems okay in the exam room.
Bring real data to every vet visit
"They've been a little more tired lately" is hard for any vet to act on. Weeks of actual trend data on activity, heart rate, breathing rate, and drinking gives your vet something concrete to work with at every senior wellness check.
Get a heads-up, not a scare
Maven Pet alerts you when a reading drifts from your dog's own normal range. Not a panic notification, just a heads-up with enough time to call your vet before a gradual change becomes an urgent one.
What senior dog parents say about Maven Pet
"As he has entered his senior years, I've become much more aware of how important it is to catch health issues early. Instead of guessing, I know exactly how he is doing every single day. If there is even a slight shift in his breathing or a change in how much water he's drinking, I have the data to act immediately."
"I have a tracker on his respiratory rates, now heart, and a report on how much he's sleeping and drinking. Especially with kidney failure always being a concern with these guys, it helps me know he is keeping up with his water intake, and his activity report gives me an idea of his quality of life."
"I have a senior dog with some health issues. This app allows me to know when he is stressed or overexerting himself. I can respond to his needs better by observing changes in the app stats, and get a heads-up if he is starting to experience any issues."
Independent researchers put Maven Pet to the test. Here's what they found.
Does the sensor actually catch a flare-up in real life?
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common conditions in senior dogs, and flare-ups are notoriously easy to miss day to day. Independent researchers, including three of Maven Pet's own veterinarians, tracked five dogs with diagnosed OA for up to four months using the Maven Pet sensor.
Nine real clinical events happened during the study. In eight of them, the sensor's activity data lined up with when the flare-up started, worsened, or improved. In one case, the drop in activity showed up before the owner noticed anything was wrong.
You know your dog better than anyone. That's not the same as data.
Most dog parents catch senior changes the same way: a feeling that something's a little off, checked against memory of how their dog used to be. It works eventually, usually right after the change is already obvious. Maven Pet catches the same changes while they're still small.
Set it up in minutes. Your dog's baseline is ready in 7 days.
Attaches to whatever collar your dog already wears. Small, light, and most dogs stop noticing it within an hour.
Every senior dog ages differently. The first week, Maven Pet learns what normal looks like for your specific dog, at their current stage, so later alerts mean something.
If activity, heart rate, breathing rate, or drinking drifts from your dog's personal normal, you get a notification with enough time to act before it becomes urgent.
Download a monthly health report PDF covering activity, heart rate, breathing rate, and sleep. Walk in with actual trend data instead of a vague impression.
Everything about caring for a senior dog at home
Start monitoring your senior dog tonight
Maven Pet is $13.99 a month with the sensor included. 30-day risk-free return policy.
Plans cover 1 pet. 2 and 3 pet options available at checkout. The sensor fits most standard collars and works for both dogs and cats.
Keep learning about caring for a senior dog
Everything from figuring out when your dog is officially a senior, to spotting cognitive changes, to feeding and exercising an aging body. Written by our in-house veterinarians.
The senior years go by fast. Don't just watch them happen.
Aging in dogs is gradual and easy to miss day to day. Maven Pet tracks activity, heart rate, breathing rate, and more automatically, so you catch what's changing before it becomes a bigger problem. Set it up tonight.
Start for $13.99/month30-day risk-free return policy · Free worldwide shipping · 6-month minimum commitment