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What makes a dog "old"



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 3rd 07, 01:47 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Janet Boss
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Posts: 4,368
Default What makes a dog "old"

It seems that I've been hearing more and more about peoples' slowing
down "old" dogs, to find out that the dog is 7 or 8. What's with that?

I know we all age at slightly different rates, but none of my dogs have
been the least bit "old" at those ages. I tell these folks that I
have a 10.5 yo dog who races after balls, wrestles with the almost 2 yo
dog (can you believe Rudy will be 2 on 7/10?!?!?) and is very lively and
playful. They look at me like I must be imagining things.

I almost wonder that people seem to enjoy having an "old" dog. I guess
I don't get that. I want to keep them as youthful for as long as
possible, and keeping them active helps achieve that. I think for some
folks, it's just an excuse to stop doing much with the dog.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
  #2  
Old July 3rd 07, 01:59 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
shelly
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Posts: 6,155
Default What makes a dog "old"

Janet Boss wrote:

I tell these folks that I
have a 10.5 yo dog who races after balls, wrestles with the almost 2 yo
dog (can you believe Rudy will be 2 on 7/10?!?!?) and is very lively and
playful. They look at me like I must be imagining things.


I dunno. I can see that Harriet, at 8yo, has slowed down. She is
still active, however.

I almost wonder that people seem to enjoy having an "old" dog.


I would hope that I'd enjoy my dog, even after she started to show
some age! The alternative is too grim to contemplate. I'm sick of
seeing old animals on Freecycle.

I guess
I don't get that. I want to keep them as youthful for as long as
possible, and keeping them active helps achieve that. I think for some
folks, it's just an excuse to stop doing much with the dog.


I don't know where this is coming from, but my take on what you are
presenting is obviously different than yours.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)
  #3  
Old July 3rd 07, 01:59 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Melinda Shore
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Posts: 7,732
Default What makes a dog "old"

In article ,
Janet Boss wrote:
I almost wonder that people seem to enjoy having an "old" dog.


I think there's a tendency to pathologize stuff, whether
it's behavior or health. Maybe it's easier to think in
terms of labels and diagnoses than it is to think in terms
of description - I don't know. I do think that in a lot of
cases you're right - that age is being used as an excuse to
do less with the dog.

There are 12-year-old dogs who've completed the Iditarod.
Use it or lose it! (People, too).
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community
  #4  
Old July 3rd 07, 02:11 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Kathleen
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Posts: 942
Default What makes a dog "old"

Janet Boss wrote:
It seems that I've been hearing more and more about peoples' slowing
down "old" dogs, to find out that the dog is 7 or 8. What's with that?

I know we all age at slightly different rates, but none of my dogs have
been the least bit "old" at those ages. I tell these folks that I
have a 10.5 yo dog who races after balls, wrestles with the almost 2 yo
dog (can you believe Rudy will be 2 on 7/10?!?!?) and is very lively and
playful. They look at me like I must be imagining things.

I almost wonder that people seem to enjoy having an "old" dog. I guess
I don't get that. I want to keep them as youthful for as long as
possible, and keeping them active helps achieve that. I think for some
folks, it's just an excuse to stop doing much with the dog.


I think folks whose dogs are old at 7 or 8 probably never did much with
them to begin with.

Scully and Zane (BCs) are 7 and 6 respectively; Cooper (JRT) is 4.
People meeting them consistently underestimate their ages*. They're
thin and fit and shiny and very, very busy. They chose the right
parents and won the DNA lottery, eat a well balanced diet, get their
shots and meds on time, and get tons of exercise. They are also
accustomed to a high level of human interaction and aren't shy about
soliciting if they think we're slacking off.

Kathleen
*Not that I think John Q. Public is any great judge of dogs. I've been
asked many times if the JRT is the BCs' puppy.

  #5  
Old July 3rd 07, 02:12 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Janet Boss
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Posts: 4,368
Default What makes a dog "old"

In article ,
Shelly wrote:


I would hope that I'd enjoy my dog, even after she started to show
some age! The alternative is too grim to contemplate. I'm sick of
seeing old animals on Freecycle.


Wow - did I phrase that wrong? Of course I enjoy my dogs when they are
seniors, and appreciate them no matter what. I just love that they can
stay active and youthful for as long as possible,

I guess
I don't get that. I want to keep them as youthful for as long as
possible, and keeping them active helps achieve that. I think for some
folks, it's just an excuse to stop doing much with the dog.


I don't know where this is coming from, but my take on what you are
presenting is obviously different than yours.


I must not be saying it well. Some of the people I've talked to seem
RELIEVED that they don't have to bother playing ball or such.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com
  #6  
Old July 3rd 07, 02:24 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Melinda Shore
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Posts: 7,732
Default What makes a dog "old"

In article ,
Janet Boss wrote:
Wow - did I phrase that wrong? Of course I enjoy my dogs when they are
seniors, and appreciate them no matter what. I just love that they can
stay active and youthful for as long as possible,


I understand what you're saying. As I'm getting older (I'm
51) I'm definitely finding that I'm getting creakier and my
speeds are going down but my endurance is better, my health
is excellent, and I feel great. Locally we've got
80-somethings who are still participating in Nordic ski
races and in road races. There's no reason that our dogs
can't do it, too. It's not a question of how old we get but
how we get old. So, I think maybe where you went astray is
by describing an active, healthy lifestyle as "youthful."
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community
  #7  
Old July 3rd 07, 02:26 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
shelly
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Posts: 6,155
Default What makes a dog "old"

Janet Boss wrote:

Wow - did I phrase that wrong?


Beats me, but for whatever reason, I didn't interpret in the manner
in which it was intended.

Of course I enjoy my dogs when they are
seniors, and appreciate them no matter what. I just love that they can
stay active and youthful for as long as possible,


Yep. I love my "old" dog. She changes all the time, and I learn
new things about her every day. And she can still bounce
effortlessly over the couch. Ahem.

I must not be saying it well. Some of the people I've talked to seem
RELIEVED that they don't have to bother playing ball or such.


Ah! Yes, I've encountered the "How long until my dog is grown up
and magically well behaved?" mindset. And, of course, they also
want the dog to require no training or exercise. I have to wonder
why those sorts of folks get dogs in the first place, because they
don't seem to really *enjoy* them, at least, not in a way that makes
sense to me.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)
  #8  
Old July 3rd 07, 03:22 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Suja
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Posts: 2,483
Default What makes a dog "old"


"Janet Boss" wrote in message:

It seems that I've been hearing more and more about peoples' slowing
down "old" dogs, to find out that the dog is 7 or 8. What's with that?


There is a semi-regular dog park visitor, 6 year old Lab, who barely moves.
The owners say they give him a break because he's an old dog. OTOH, the
mother of the guy who owns the dog thinks it's utterly shameful that the
young dog has turned into a slug, and he's spending the summer vacationing
with her, where she promises he'll get lots of running about, swimming in
the ocean, schmoozing with lots of people, canoeing with her, etc. It'll be
interesting to see whether he changes by the time he returns.

I know we all age at slightly different rates, but none of my dogs have
been the least bit "old" at those ages.


Well, Pan is supposedly getting into her older years, since she's a 6 year
old Dane, and their average lifespan is about 8. People still ask me if
she's a puppy, and she sure doesn't act like an old dog when we're out and
about. Khan has slowed down considerably (age unknown, but he's 8 or 9),
but we only noticed it in comparison to a young dog like Satchmo, who was
bouncing off the walls. Both dogs still do day hikes, so they are plenty
active enough for us.

I tell these folks that I
have a 10.5 yo dog who races after balls, wrestles with the almost 2 yo
dog (can you believe Rudy will be 2 on 7/10?!?!?) and is very lively and
playful. They look at me like I must be imagining things.


We have a 10 year old GSD at the dog park (big for a Shepherd too), that
doesn't look or act like it's anywhere close to being an old dog. The 13
and 14 year old dogs (Heinz 57) that live with her with her are very creaky
and arthritic, and both look and act their age. The owners say that she
must have extra special genes, because all the dogs have been getting the
same kind of mind-body workout through their lives.

I almost wonder that people seem to enjoy having an "old" dog.


Some people do like having a lower octane dog, especially if they had a
balls to the walls dog in its youth. It's a wonder that Isabelle survived
her youth, given her exercise requirements. Now that she's 6, she's
mellowed into a dog that is okay with a walk in the morning, a couple of
frisbee sessions during the day, a five mile run at night and play sessions
thrown in throughout the day. They even have the option of skipping some of
this stuff once or twice a week, and still having a mostly sane dog to come
home to. She'll do just about anything you want to do with her, but it
isn't mandatory anymore.

Suja


  #9  
Old July 3rd 07, 04:19 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
M Healey
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Posts: 79
Default What makes a dog "old"

Shelly wrote in news:f6dir2$sq5$1
@registered.motzarella.org:

...I have to wonder
why those sorts of folks get dogs in the first place, because they
don't seem to really *enjoy* them, at least, not in a way that makes
sense to me.


Well, it doesn't make sense to me to waste the present by longing for the
future. "When he grows up" "when he gets a little older" -- or "when my
dog is trained".


  #10  
Old July 3rd 07, 04:26 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
shelly
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Posts: 6,155
Default What makes a dog "old"

M Healey wrote:

Well, it doesn't make sense to me to waste the present by longing for the
future. "When he grows up" "when he gets a little older" -- or


Amen.

And, for those who truly feel that way, why not adopt an older dog
to begin with? That way, you can start enjoying the golden years
immediately.

"when my dog is trained".


I think "when my dog is trained" is not entirely unlike the Easter
bunny.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)
 




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