retirement age for dogs

[mbb]

at what age do you think a dog should retire from activities ie weight pull a frame lure chaseing. bearing in mind a greyhound retires at 2 -5 years old and the activities we do are very strenuous and hard on the joints etc . i know a lot would say keep going till the dog dosent want to but with the bulldog spirit bull breeds will keep on trying they dont give up easily which is what we love about them. obviously still to be kept in good shape but not so vigorously. what i wonder is what future problems with arthritis and such

[dog]

That's an interesting question and I'm not sure that there is a definitive answer to that as all dogs will be different.

Macy and Bob are nearly 7 and Yvette's Sabre is nearly 8 I think and they still love doing stuff (especially the lure) both our dogs are probably past their best but as long as they enjoy it and don't get injured then we'll carry on taking them. I don't think exercise will do damage as long as it's done properly with proper rest and recovery. The A-frame is probably the hardest on joints but Bob does it regularly and has never had any problems. I think it's important to vary the exercises to stop any excessive strain on any particular body part and not over use any particular peice of equipment. I try to do lots of low impact exercise with Macy like swimming (which she loves) and long walks without a ball or similar, I do this because she is prone to muscle strains in her shoulders rather than any problems with joints.

[neilsherlock]

Apart from monitoring the dog, i would like to say that i work with horses, some x racers, some have had a life of constant road work. The moment these horses are retired and turned out to grass, they seem to go down hill very quickly, im assuming the same would happen to a dog or any creature that has had a life of good exercise

[mbb]

thanks good replies people always ask how old to start just crossed my mind when do you stop or ease up

[neilsherlock]

i would also think greyhounds are retired when they start to slow/lose,due to not earning the winning prizes. This imo does not mean they should stop, its just not good ecconomics for the trainer. The dogs could and should be capable of a good active life until much later on as should ours

[mbb]

fair point neil never thought of it that way

[ragingstormkennels]

Hi Mark,
In my experience my boys Ben and Samson had the get up and go until they became ill with cancer, but we used to keep Ben conditioned good and it was when he got to about 7-8 we thought we'd let him just relax and enjoy just play in the park rather than 20 mile runs,long bike rides or any type of weight pulling. At 7-8 years old the dog has aged the equivilent of 49-56 years in human years......most athletes retire in their 30's.

[dog]

In humans muscle mass often starts to deteriorate at around the age of 50 by about 1% per year. Recovery rates however continue to rise as you get older. This is very important for endurance events and explains why almost all Tour de France winners are over the age of thirty.

The thing that I'm not sure about is the arthritis question (does long term participation high impact activities make it more likely?) I have a bit of arthritis in my knees and hips and the advice I've been given by doctors is that exercise will help although it's never been said as to what type of exercise that should be. I will look into and see if I can find any answers.

[mbb]

i tend to agree keep an eye on the dogs performance and willingness and workit out from there