# Engaging Older or Retired Dogs



## David Ruby (Jul 21, 2009)

Out of curiosity, once your dogs are retired from sport, are older and need less physically demanding things to do (even if they can do bitework maybe need to tone it down a bit), or are just simply near elderly, what do you guys do with your dogs?

I am asking for myself because my parents have an elderly dog that still wants to play yet has to be somewhat managed so he does not overdue it and reinjure his knee (which he'll do from just running around too explosively on his own if you throw the ball too much or something like that). I'd like to see them do something with him that might be fun yet less physically intensive. In his case, the mind is strong but the body is, sadly, fading.

I am also wondering what activities those of you with high-energy/high-drive dogs do to keep your dogs physically healthy and mentally stimulated when they are too old to safely go full-on in bitework all the time like a younger dog.

-Cheers


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## Tiago Fontes (Apr 17, 2011)

David Ruby said:


> Out of curiosity, once your dogs are retired from sport, are older and need less physically demanding things to do (even if they can do bitework maybe need to tone it down a bit), or are just simply near elderly, what do you guys do with your dogs?
> 
> I am asking for myself because my parents have an elderly dog that still wants to play yet has to be somewhat managed so he does not overdue it and reinjure his knee (which he'll do from just running around too explosively on his own if you throw the ball too much or something like that). I'd like to see them do something with him that might be fun yet less physically intensive. In his case, the mind is strong but the body is, sadly, fading.
> 
> ...


 
Swimming, in your case might be the best thing.


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

all your parents need to do is use a little imagination and spend more quality time with their dog and keep it engaged rather than consider it "retired" ... imo, using that label reeks of anthropomorphism ... dogs don't retire ](*,)

of course i'm assuming THEY were the ones that competed and/or did the bitework with the dog ... hopefully they weren't given it when it was "retired" by someone else


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

David Ruby said:


> I am also wondering what activities those of you with high-energy/high-drive dogs do to keep your dogs physically healthy and mentally stimulated when they are too old to safely go full-on in bitework all the time like a younger dog.


Swimming and hiking, the hiking usually involving a swim also  Both are low impact but will keep the muscle tone and conditioning up. I have a 13.5 year old right now that I try to swim/hike with multiple times a week. I've been busy lately and we haven't gotten out as I would like and I can already tell. At this age they can loose muscle tone REALLY fast, which makes them more prone to injury and downhill they go.

I try not to engage Cali's drives to much, because she will forget she is fragile now, and go full tilt, something her body can't handle much of. One bad spill and she may not recover. That happened to Raptor many years ago, he got slammed into going through a gate by a younger dog, 4-6 weeks crate rest, and he just never really recovered.



rick smith said:


> of course i'm assuming THEY were the ones that competed and/or did the bitework with the dog ... hopefully they weren't given it when it was "retired" by someone else


I don't see why this is a bad thing? Most of my dogs stay with me when they retire, but I have placed a couple in retirement homes and I've been the retirement home for a few that weren't my competition dogs. If a dog spent it's life as a kennel dog when it's owner was competing it, I think coming and spending time on my couch is a step up for that dog, vs spending it's retirement in the kennel watching the younger dogs go work. I have an older female I'd like to find a home for now. She was my son's dog, and is used to being with "her person" pretty much 24/7. He moved out and is trying to find a place he can have her in, but if he can't, I will try to place her. She can spend her life with me but if the right situation comes along ... I give her attention, take her on hikes, but she knows she's just another one of the dogs now, vs being "#1", if I can find her a situation where she'll be #1 again, I'll rehome her.


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## David Ruby (Jul 21, 2009)

rick smith said:


> all your parents need to do is use a little imagination and spend more quality time with their dog and keep it engaged rather than consider it "retired" ... imo, using that label reeks of anthropomorphism ... dogs don't retire ](*,)
> 
> of course i'm assuming THEY were the ones that competed and/or did the bitework with the dog ... hopefully they weren't given it when it was "retired" by someone else


Well in this case your assumptions are wrong. My parents' dog is a pet, so "older" and not "retired" from sport. He plays, however if left unchecked he's a danger to himself. And he was my dog, he was just not good living with young daughter hence they got him so he could have a nice home and play ball. He's too old and gimpy now to be allowed to do anything too physical or explosive, he'd just injure himself.

Let's presume that I'm not anthropomorphizing dogs and that by "retiring" I mean not actively competing for a title or putting them through the same things you would an adolescent dog. In essence, being forced to retire. It's figurative language. Call it what you like, the hypothetical dog, say your no-longer-competing sport dog is slowing down. I am asking what you might do (or rather, fishing for ideas on what you DO) to keep your dog engaged. Call me unimaginative. I'm just trying to gather ideas. This was largely inspired by somebody posting about Feist a LDS getting a perfect score in Rally. I thought it might make for a positive topic of conversation.

-Cheers


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## David Ruby (Jul 21, 2009)

Tiago Fontes said:


> Swimming, in your case might be the best thing.


Yeah, hopefully next spring I can make time to take the dogs swimming (mine and my parents). I live in WI, so pretty soon I'd have to take them ice fishing. 

-Cheers


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

Thought of a few more things. At 11 I started agility classes with Cali  She competed in her first trial on her 12th birthday. We weren't out there trying to win speed records, just having fun. For the older dogs they can jump a lot lower, so it wasn't hard on her body, and it kept her mentally active. 

Nose work is also good, could be some fun tracking, or just games of "hide the cookie/ball" around the house and yard. Cali still loves that one, and I can control where the hides are so she doesn't do stupid things during the search. Gives her drives a workout without being to hard on the body.

I've also started to teach her a few more skills/tricks. She's already got a bag full, but I've added a few more lately, just gives her something to do to keep her mind active.

Cali has also picked up herding again on occasion. Nothing hard, super easy sheep that will just follow me around if she fetches them, I doubt she could catch one anymore if it tried to make a break for it. But she likes to work them, and gets a spring in her step.

Final thought, for now LOL Chiropractor. I'm BIG on a good Chiro for all my dogs as needed, but for a retired working dog IMO it's a MUST. The difference walking into the office vs walking out is huge.


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## David Ruby (Jul 21, 2009)

Hey Kadi, thanks for the input and the ideas. I was just trying to add some nice things to the list. Those will do.

Question on the chiro, how do you introduce that to a dog that's less tolerant of strangers doing hands-on stuff with them? I love the idea, however I can see that being a problem for some dogs.

-Cheers


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## Lisa Brazeau (May 6, 2010)

Rally or any obedience type stuff is fun for all, imo. My "retired" Presa stil loves to go to drop-in Rally and AKC OB classes. We don't do the jumps, but it keeps the mind sharp and tires the ol' girl out in a good way. We do an Old Dog New Tricks class at my place, and teach older dogs things like balances, and retrieves, and funny little tricks like spin and bow. The dogs love the interaction and having that time with their owner.


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## Kadi Thingvall (Jan 22, 2007)

David Ruby said:


> Hey Kadi, thanks for the input and the ideas. I was just trying to add some nice things to the list. Those will do.
> 
> Question on the chiro, how do you introduce that to a dog that's less tolerant of strangers doing hands-on stuff with them? I love the idea, however I can see that being a problem for some dogs.
> 
> -Cheers


A good chiro who is understanding, a pinch collar, and a muzzle LOL With my dogs they are trained that pretty much what I say goes, but with that in mind I still put a muzzle on a couple of them, just in case. And then I get in there and get real hands on with the dog while the chiro is doing their thing. I know what they are going to do, where they need to be, etc so I can stay out of their way, but at the same time the dog isn't really sure who is doing exactly what. And that comes back to my dogs understanding that I will do what I want, when I want. They are less likely to argue the chiro doing something, if they aren't sure if it's them or me. 

But also, I find that after a couple of visits, they like the chiro. They start to realize this person can make the pain go away. If you have ever been to a chiro for yourself you know how suddenly the pain can just disappear sometimes, and I think the dogs put 2 and 2 together and realize this person is responsible for their immediate relief. 

As an aside I don't have dogs that are just flat out aggressive to people. I have a few that are tolerant only because I said so, the type that are fine at the vets if I go in back with them, not so much without, but most of my dogs are social or neutral, so they may be a little easier to handle in these situations then a real asshole.

And the chiro hands out cookies :lol:


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

Kadi Thingvall said:


> .... Nose work is also good, could be some fun tracking, or just games of "hide the cookie/ball" around the house and yard.


Yes to all this.

I have one who first started FST well into his senior years. Loves it. He also likes to learn tricks with markers.

He has OA, and long walks on surfaces with some "give" keep the synovial fluid moving through those joints.

No trouble engaging my seniors .... they want to do stuff. 



PS 

A little o.t. but related:

He has a heating pad in his bed (the kind for dogs .... _not_ the kind for people, which are hotter and also higher voltage) with room to be off or on it, as well as one of the big Leerburg heated floor-pads (meant for new litters) in the living room, and these significantly reduced his stiffness on first waking (both in the a.m. and from naps) right away.


Just want to say again that movement is crucial for dogs with OA. I learned to do passive range-of-motion exercise on him for days when he might wake up a little too stiff to feel like moving right away, and I have a second senior now who is also benefiting from this. 

If I hadn't already known how important range-of-motion was for lubricating those joints, the results of PROM activity would have shown me.


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## Dana Miller (Nov 23, 2010)

Swimming. When my oldster retired I moved to Phoenix and bought him a pool 

And I second Kadi on the chiropractor, very helpful and even sketchy dogs start to like him after a couple sessions.


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## Craig Snyder (May 7, 2012)

I would suggest more mental training. Things your parents can do with him. 

For instance, my wife has a peg board which she has attached various objects too. A set of keys, a fake rubber spider, a ball, a toy dinosaur, an old cell phone.. etc...

On rainy days she'll pull the board out and ask the dogs to "touch the ball", "touch the cell phone", "touch the keys", etc... she uses very small treats for rewards. Like half the size of a piece of kibble.
You'd be surprised how much the energy level goes down after 10-15 minutes of this. 

Including new tricks as suggested previously. "Close the door" is one she has taught them, (train to use nose not paws for this!). "Take a bow", "spin", "What smells?" (dog bows and places a paw over their nose), "say your prayers",( dog sits and places paws on chair and lays head on paws).

All of these are low impact and doing these just 15-20 minutes 2x a day can really help with energy levels. Some of these above can easily morph into things that can really help your parents. "Touch the keys" can easily be chained into "Find my keys" and then "get my keys" Close the door can help when carrying in groceries, etc.. The dog keeps a sense of purpose by becoming a pseudo service dog.

And of course working as a Therapy Dog can be a very low impact but keeps both the dog and handler active.

Craig


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## rick smith (Dec 31, 2010)

Craig makes good points
especially about how much mental stimulation will tire a dog and take the edge off; sometimes as effective as physical exercise
- my post may have come off as a bit sarcastic, but it is true and i wrote it that way because i assume people on this list are a few steps above the pet forums in terms of knowing how to work with dogs and the value of keeping them engaged ... whether they are working dogs or not 
- imo, most of the suggestions would already be on any working dog owners list of stuff to do

- and low and behold Craig just states how there is nothing wrong with doing "pet stuff" with you "working dog" 
...good post =D>


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

I just have my handlers pull back a little on the physical part of training. Lower jumps, don't fight them so much on bitework. Afterall, a dog that has been doing it long enough has pretty much seen it all. when they can no longer meet the minimum requirements, they are removed from service. 

DFrost


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## Connie Sutherland (Mar 27, 2006)

rick smith said:


> .... ...good post




Good post, good thread. 


To have nothing to do all day when there's still desire to work burning away in there is so sad ..... _"especially _[when] _mental stimulation will tire a dog and take the edge off; sometimes as effective as physical exercise."
_



JMO!


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## Mary Buck (Apr 7, 2010)

Nosework Rally Obedience and for those inclined Rally/Freestyle hybrid. Tracking . All good ways to engage the mind without harming the body 

FWIW my very touchy GSD gets regular Chiro in a muzzle..works just fine for him but I had to try a few practitioners before I found one that wasn't terrified of him Year later he walks in and lays down and falls asleep (still in his muzzle..I am not stupid)


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## Sara Waters (Oct 23, 2010)

My old girl loves swimming after her frisbee. She loves going on walks with me and she will also do some gentle trotting next to my bike. She loves to do tricks like shaking paws and singing with me. A physio showed me range of motion exercise and she likes to lie on the grass while I do them. I also teach her things like walking backwards and exercises to keep her hind end engaged. She loves a quick game of tug and she still likes to run through my agility tunnel. She also loves nothing better than working on a good big bone for hours. She also likes working on my physio ball. I make the exercises easy and short and keep the ball stable unlike with my young dogs where I make them work to keep balanced on it.


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