So, I found this awesome Sch club in my area (like only 15 minutes from the house - Whoo hoo!) and they have been awesome.I love them all!

My weird question is, the only dog I currently have for training like this is my soon to be 7 year old Border Collie/Kelpie mix.
He is a frustratingly drivey dog that I have attempted (poorly) to make into a couch potato house dog - no go, no way. He's not a bad dog by any means, just way too much dog to be a pampered little house pet.

He seems to LOVE the tracking and the bite work - we're going slowly there, puppy sleeves and baby steps and his OB work is now incredible. Markers are awesome. I saw his eyes light up when he realized what he was now allowed to do. He seems happier and somehow, more relaxed, but more playful, if that makes any sense. I am seeing no deterimental effects at all for now.


My question though is this, he he too 'old' for strenuous work? I did take him in to the vet on request of one of the club members just to make sure he was sound enough - heart and lungs great, teeth spotless - thanks to you all and his new raw diet. Hips and knees ok, etc.


He is engaging with me like never before, I am having so much fun with him now instead of constantly nagging at him to calm down. I know he is enjoying his new job, but am I asking too much of an old man who has no idea he's supposed to be slowing down by now? It's just that the difference in his attitude is so much better now and I so enjoy seeing how happy he seems to be.

Any thoughts?
Thanks.

I hope Mara Jessup sees your post and chimes in; she just lost an older working dog who was able to remain pretty active, with reasonable adjustments, up until the end of her life.

My input... Please keep working your dog. It sounds like he has "found himself" for the first time in his life, and is finally being allowed to be who he was meant to be. He wasn't born to be a couch potato, so up until ow, he has been a square peg trying to be lovingly shoved into a round hole. If the vet cleared him (you might ask if he/she would suggest hip stays), I would absolutely continue working that still very young dog. I personally would rather live 60 full, exciting, healthy challenging years (okay, let's say 70) rather than 90 boring, lonely, repetitive years. Go have fun with your dog...he needs it desperately.

I agree: Keep it up! I recently set up some agility equipment and my nine year old (who hasn't "played" agility in at least a year) lit up and loved doing it.

You know your dog's limitations...listen to your gut and have fun with your pup!

Is 7 really that old for a Border Collie? I'm no expert on that breed but I thought they lived to around 12 or more years. I would think at 7 he would be in the prime of his life.

I say both of you should go for it. It sounds like you have found a great club that is fully accepting of your unusual (for Schutzhund) dog. You've had him checked out by a vet and he's got a clean bill of health.

I look at it this way. He could easily live to be 12 or 14, so at 7, he's only about halfway through his life. Now, think of all the humans in their 30s and 40s (or older!) who take up a completely new hobby or activity. Wouldn't you hate to be told you're too old to get involved in a new passion!

So just pay close attention to him, like you would any age dog, for signs of stress or injury, but, yeah, by all means, enjoy!

Almost seven? Kipp is 6.5 y/o and still going full tilt. With that breed combination, your dog is in his prime right now and probably will be until about nine or maybe a little later. By all means, go for it! I think Missy would have killed me if I had tried to make her slow down at that age

The only thing I'd be sure to do with a dog at this age is to get him on a quality joint supplement.

I hardly slowed Missy down when she was diagnosed with the beginning stages of CHF at nine. I made sure she didn't over do it, but otherwise she lived to do things with me so I let her carry on as normal - serious ball games, stockwork.

When she was diagnosed with hemangio (at age twelve) I was a bit more careful as to much knocking around and a tumor could rupture. But I set up simple gathers she could do with the sheep and tossed the ball or frisbee to her instead of bouncing it on the ground. I also kept her on pain meds so she could get out and do things. Seven weeks into her diagnosis and she pestered me to get out and do something That's a working dog.

Working breeds live to work. They would rather have a few bumps and bruises to be able to get out and do something than stay safe at home. So get out and have fun with your guy knowing that keeping him active is the best thing you can do for him!

I can't even imagine a Kelpie, much less a Border Collie as a couch potato. As long as he's able and willing let him enjoy himself at his new work.

A friend of mine's Toy Fox Terrier is earning agility titles now, at the age of 10years.

All I can say is if you have poor ethics for working your 7 year old, then I am completely morally bankrupt :-) I just started agility classes about 5 months ago with my then 11 year old Malinois, she competed in her first trial at 12. She's not as fast as she used to be, and I'm running her in organizations with lower jump heights, veterans classes, etc but she's having a ball and it's helping keep her fit and healthy. I just keep an eye on her and have cut a class here and there short, pulled her from her last run in the trial last weekend, etc because it looked like she'd done enough for that session. The goal was never competition, but just to keep her physically and mentally active, but she enjoyed it, so we'll at least play once in awhile in trials at the lower levels, I'll never ask her at this age to try to compete at the higher levels where courses are harder, higher speeds required, etc.

This was her first agility trial, on her 12th birthday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xSJ_0T6jBo

We haven't been to herding in awhile but she was also doing herding at 11, and working behind the scenes at local trials sorting the stock, doing set out, etc.

IMO as long as we don't push them, and we also keep them from thinking they can do more than they can because of drive, the longer they stay active the better. Cali's mom lived to be 16.5, and it's my hope she will make it almost that long, the better shape she stays in, the better chance we have of making it to that age.

At that age the only real concerns I would have is the jump and the wall. Both of those can be killer on the joints. If it was my dog I would definately continue on in the training but I would probably take the hit and have them do three retrieves on the flat instead of retrieving over the jump and wall in competition but I have had an older dog injure himself on the wall so I am particularly sensitive to this issue. Have fun!

To continue on Ingrid's comments about the jumps. I've seen the a-frame jump taught with targets and markers very similar to what the agility people. It keeps the dogs from launching themselves off the top of the a-frame. Something way to common in schutzhund jumping.