Longevity

[Root Beer]

Have any of you had dogs who were able to trial comfortably at 9, 10, 11, or so years of age? I don't necessarily mean running as they might have in their prime, but dogs who could still run solidly, relatively pain free, and still enjoy themselves?

 

If so, I'd love to hear about them!

 

Maddie is 8 going on 9. Right now she is still running well, but I am seeing some hind end weakness creeping in. I've started giving her regular walks again and I plan to do some strengthening with her. Other than that, she is in fantastic shape and she still runs with vigor and loves it.

 

I'll be without an Agility dog when she has to retire, so I'd love to hear that (barring injury, of course) it's really possible for her to have 2 or 3 years left!!

[Liz P]

Hind end weakness is not just "old age" in a 9 yr old dog. Unless you know she has HD or arthritis I would be investigating that further.

 

I did have a dog who ran on a dog sledding team through age 11. He died a few months later of cancer. That was the only thing that slowed him down.

[airbear]

Craig, who is my Lou's uncle, is still running 4.1 - 4.3 laps in flyball, and he's 10.5. He looks just as good now as he did when he was 4 or 5 - no hind-end wobblies, no next-day stiffness. Only the slight grey on his muzzle gives him away.

 

And to toot my own horn a bit, Wick is 8 or 9, and she's still running in the 6 YPS range in Jumpers over 22" jumps. I've thought about moving her to 16", but there's no physical reason to do it, as far as I can tell. It just seems that that's what you do when your dogs reach a certain age. I'll run her at 22" this summer and video her runs to see how she looks, and then make a decision from there.

[Laurae]

Craig is still running in field stockdog trials in the open ranch class. He'll be 11 next month. This is probably his last year of competition, but he's fit and, other than losing a little speed and being more prone to overheating than Taz is, he is doing great!

[agilityrunningdogs]

Annie is still running well at 9, granted she is a small dog. This past weekend she got 2nd to a 3 year old dog who tried out for world team, she has qualified for Nationals for the past 4 years, and if I hadn't of screwed her up she would have won best Agility Dog overall at Terrier Nationals back in May. She is not as fast as she used to be, I can now beat her on straitaways and am having to do more frontcrosses, but she still loves to run and does quite well. I have had to adjust myself to her, and she gets away with alot (if she knocks a bar, oh well, we keep running). It also takes her longer to recover from trials, they used to crash Sunday night after we get home and be up and running by Monday morning, but it takes Ann at least until Monday night before she is ready to go again.

[Maralynn]

I don't do anything competetive with Missy, but at 10.5 y/o she can run and jump just about as fast and sharp as ever. She gets a little stiff at times, but never wobbly. On one hand I'd like to get her to slow down a little because of her heart problems, but on the other, I'm thrilled that she is still enjoying life as much as ever.

 

Hind end weakness is not just "old age" in a 9 yr old dog. Unless you know she has HD or arthritis I would be investigating that further.

 

Agreed

[MrRipley]

Anna (my 60-lb. black mutt) is 11 and still in great shape. We compete in 22" Performance III in USDAA and can still Q! She's been on Synovi G3 or Joint Max for the past few years, but shown really no signs of arthritis. Just recently I feel like I see a little bit of stiffness if she's been lying down for a while... but she recovers quickly.

[Root Beer]

Hind end weakness is not just "old age" in a 9 yr old dog. Unless you know she has HD or arthritis I would be investigating that further.

 

I did have a dog who ran on a dog sledding team through age 11. He died a few months later of cancer. That was the only thing that slowed him down.

 

I don't really mean weakness like she's wobbly or anything. In fact, you wouldn't be able to tell except that she tends to poop out a bit toward the end of her jumpers runs, especially if she has already run a few courses.

 

She's in excellent shape. You can really tell the difference between her and Sammie, who is 10, who is not nearly as physically fit.

 

Granted, you never know everything without an x-ray, but based on what I see, I really do think what I'm seeing is the result of a very sedentary winter and that fact that she's no spring chicken.

 

After a week of leash walks on our vacation last week, I already see a difference in her fitness level.

 

Next time I take Speedy to his chiropractor, maybe I'll take Maddie along and have her give her a look see, though.

[Liz P]

Here are just a few possibilities for hind end weakness or a subtle decrease in fitness in a dog...

 

disc disease

arthritis (hips, knees, back, etc)

heart problem (arrhythmias, valve disease, congestive heard failure, DCM)

tumor (spleen, liver, lung, spinal cord, brain etc)

diabetes mellitus (aka sugar diabetes)

Addison's disease

low thyroid hormone levels

heat intolerance

sub clinical infection with GI parasites

TBD (Lyme, ehrlichia, etc)

 

That is why I say if you are at all concerned a visit to your vet is in order.

[MaggieDog]

Maggie is performing at the same level (she was never really into it tho) at 10yo as she did when she was 3-4yo in USDAA P1 agility. She just finished her P1 Jumpers and Gamblers titles this past winter with faster times than we normally see at trials, even!

[diane allen]

My 13 yr old (who didn't start agility until age 4...which probably is a really good thing!) still runs in a few NADAC runs on a weekend. She has arthritis in her front feet, but generally that only bothers her on longer walks on rough ground. She had "shoulder instability" (vet diagnosis) this past winter, and I decided she was done with USDAA. And she finished her Versatility Medal (the Skilled version of a Vers. NATCH) in April. AND she ran three classes a day at a NADAC trial over Memorial Day weekend - Qing in all her jumpers runs (at 12"!), and several others - two weeks before liver surgery. She may still do a few tunnelers or hoopers, and I hope to get her back in enough shape to do jumpers now and then.

 

And oh yeah, she never did much at national events (both venues mentioned) until she was a "double digit" vet - winning that category at NADAC two years in a row (then getting beat, at age 12, but a 10 year old! - but coming in second then), and being the only 16" Performance dog in the Veterans Showcase at USDAA Nationals at age 11 who ran clean! [unabashed brags there - yup indeedy!]

 

Yes, you should have some time left! But this so depends on genetics, diet, conditioning (I see more dogs injured at agility who are just out of shape), and attitude than age!

 

diane

[zenotri]

We have a quite a few 9 & 10 year old dogs running well in agility right now in Australia. Also a couple of 11 & 12 yo who seem to be running just as well as they did when they were younger.

 

I think it depends on the dog. I retired my males at 8yo as I felt they were just too heavy in build to perform the way their brains wanted to. There is a dog who is exactly the same age & build as my 12yo male running right now. It breaks my heart to watch that poor dog, it is such an effort for him.

 

We just had a discussin on when to retire a dog on another list. It is interesting to read people's different views on the subject.

[Pat W.]

My guy Ashe ran at performance 22" until age 13.5 years, He also attended the USDAA Nationals in '05 at age 12. He was a great dog and would have continued running until he fell over if his hindquarters had not started to fail. He suffered from Lymes for 5 yrs prior to retirement with no problem at all. My daughter is currently running Meg who will be 9 in Dec. She also ran Rush her 1st partner until he was 11 yrs of age

[HillcrestBCs]

My male Mick is still running in field herding trials at 9 years old. Mick has been kicked by cows, butted by rams and his body is a bit soar, but he is still going. My female Kate was competing in agility past 9 years old. I retired her because I had young ones that I wanted to start.

I have known plenty of dogs that have gone on competing in herding and agility into their senior years. If the dog is sound and healthy then there is no reason why he/she couldn't keep competing.

 

Brittney

[juliepoudrier]

I have a 9-y.o. running competitively in USBCHA open sheepdog trials. She's as fast now as when I got her at 3.5 and doesn't have a problem completing a large, difficult course as long as I've got her in shape. I have a couple of youngsters cooling their heels in the lower classes because Kat isn't yet ready to retire.

 

J.

[DeltaBluez Tess]

Tess will be 11 in a couple of weeks. She just ran in a Open trial and got 2nd place, quite handily. She would have placed in the top 20% the next day, aside from a couple of handler errors which cost us dearly. She kicked the pants off my other younger Open dogs. In fact, she was the oldest Open dog and kicked a lot of butts. She is in good shape and I give her Total Joint Care and Energy Edge. She is in great physcial shape also. I am retiring her at the end of July, not due to her age but that I have three other Open dogs (Nan, Lucy and Roo)

 

What I enjoy about running her is how seasoned she is...in the shedding ring, at the lift, etc....she has been there and done it as well as thousands of hours on farm work at home. We look at each other on the field and she reads my mind. If I give her a really bad command, she will stop and look at me to say "TRY AGAIN" and quickly I realize I screwed up. Then I give her the proper command and she is off like a bullet.

 

 

Does she act old? She is at the first of the pack when they race about and can clear a four feet fence with ease.

 

I am sure she will let me know about her opinion on retirement in a few weeks.

[Root Beer]

Thanks, everyone!! That is very encouraging!

 

Granted, I will retire her when the time comes, but right now we are having so much fun running together that I never want it to end. It's good to know that she could have several more good years in her!

[Lenajo]

I think it's almost impossible to compare working (stock) dog longevity to agility. Work dogs - as in hard daily cattle and farm work - have a lot of wear and tear. Talked a bit with a NZ stockman who exports to this country while he was here on a tour and runs some 10000 head over 2 mountains in his country. His dogs last barely 5 years. They have so many injuries from working in the mountain terrain that arthritis renders them virtually unusable by age 6.

 

American farm work, trialing ,depends on what kind, how much, etc.

 

Agility/Flyball dogs are like show jumping horses. Some of them will last forever, and others, particularily those started very young and encouraged to get speed before they are in control of their body will have much shorter careers. There is more repetition of movement at speed than with stockwork, and certainly often less natural footing.

 

I think all of us need to look within when it comes to retirement for our dogs. I know I personally see far more dogs being worked beyond a fair age for them than I should. Handlers get stuck on one dog emotionally, won't/can't find a younger replacement, or simply can't see the forest for the trees. "Just one more time" is such an easy thing to give in too. Nobody wants to get old, and seeing our dogs do just that is a painful reminder easily ignored.

 

I know that if I can help it, I don't ever want to get caught on the field or agility ring asking a dog to do something for me that he no longer phsyically can handle doing. They know they can't do it, and it breaks their hearts. Thats not much of a reward for a long and loyal career.

[Root Beer]

I know that if I can help it, I don't ever want to get caught on the field or agility ring asking a dog to do something for me that he no longer phsyically can handle doing. They know they can't do it, and it breaks their hearts. Thats not much of a reward for a long and loyal career.

 

I certainly concur. When the time comes, I will retire her - no matter how sad I am to give up (hopefully temporarily) a sport that I have come to love. But I would never put the sport before the dog.

 

But she's not at that point right now. Right now she is still capable and loving it. I do jump her at 16 instead of 20, but I have done that since the beginning since she naturally seemed more comfortable at that height and she was 6 when she started competing, anyway.

 

I am just hoping that time doesn't come for a good while yet. It's good to hear that there are other dogs who have run comfortably and happily into their double digits. I can't count on it, but I can hope for it.

[BCjetta]

Is she the only one you do agility with?

My BC is 11 now and is still running agility. She has some arthritis in her front feet and dislocated a toe last year. Around that time I dropped her from 22 to 16. I havent done much trialing in the past year because the dislocated toe but she seems to be recovered from that now (it kept dislocating over and over so we had to cast/bandage the foot for several months and then the specialist said an additional 4 months no hard exercise.

Even with the arthritis, she's faster at a straight run than our 4yr old aussie, just as agile as ever, and just as willing as ever. I hope I have a few more good years with her.

[DeltaBluez Tess]

There were several top ranked USBCHA trial dogs that still ran competively at 11 yrs old, Bev's Pippa, Tommy's Meg (?) and Jack's Gael (?), and Gayle Cochlan's Kate (awesome dog). I asked Jack Knox last month about running Tess at 11 and he said, he ran his dog at that age and if Tess is fit and running well, go kick but so based on his advice Tess took it to heart and ran like a top at the last trial.

 

But she will be staying home starting in August to help Getty when I go to trials. It seems like everytime I go to a trial, somehow sheep escape and Getty has no dog. Now he will have Tess and she works great for him. But of course, she adores him and would walk on hot coals for him.

[Lenajo]

I really don't know if shorter jumps help. According to some european studies, dogs do much better on higher jumps because they properly round their bobies and land on the balls of their feet. Shorter, fast jumping puts more stress on the toes and wrists.

 

Is she the only one you do agility with?

My BC is 11 now and is still running agility. She has some arthritis in her front feet and dislocated a toe last year. Around that time I dropped her from 22 to 16. I havent done much trialing in the past year because the dislocated toe but she seems to be recovered from that now (it kept dislocating over and over so we had to cast/bandage the foot for several months and then the specialist said an additional 4 months no hard exercise.

Even with the arthritis, she's faster at a straight run than our 4yr old aussie, just as agile as ever, and just as willing as ever. I hope I have a few more good years with her.

[Root Beer]

I really don't know if shorter jumps help. According to some european studies, dogs do much better on higher jumps because they properly round their bobies and land on the balls of their feet. Shorter, fast jumping puts more stress on the toes and wrists.

 

I have to think that it must depend some on the structure and jumping style of the dog. The dog's natural speed might make a difference as well. I would imagine that a dog running at a moderate pace might jump lower heights more comfortably than a dog who is flying on the course.

 

I know this is a HUGE debate and there are good arguments on both sides of it.

 

For now, I observe my dogs at different heights and base my jump height decisions on their comfort level.

[Root Beer]

Is she the only one you do agility with?

 

No. I do Agility with Dean, too, but his noise phobia has rendered Agility as therapy for him, so it's very different. It's good - I love rehabbing fearful dogs - but it isn't the same as having a temperamentally stable dog who can just go out there and play the game.

 

Maddie not only has the skills (more or less) to compete, but she adores going to trials. She loves the trial scene, running the courses, everything.

 

Speedy can't do Agility - he is way too arthritic, and he's almost 8, so that's no help! Sammie is almost 10 and practically untrained (sport-wise, of course he knows manners). So, that leaves Maddie and Dean.

 

Know when I think Dean will "kick in"? When I start training a new dog! That's actually what happened with Maddie!

 

But there won't be a new dog as long as I have four. With three of them being almost 8, 9, and 10, and Dean with anxiety issues, there is going to be a period of time - after Maddie has to retire - where I won't really have a dog to run - not like she runs!

 

That's why I'm hoping she has a few more good years!

 

Even with the arthritis, she's faster at a straight run than our 4yr old aussie, just as agile as ever, and just as willing as ever. I hope I have a few more good years with her.

 

I hope so, too!

[agilityrunningdogs]

It's funny you mentioned when Dean will "kick in". Annie basically blew me off until I got Komet, then Komet never ran a clean run until I got Mal. I think a bit of family competition is healthy.