Time again for another Dog Agility Blog Event! Today's topic: Aging.
A young Porter - Look, no gray on his muzzle!
Ah, where do I even start... I have so many opinions on aging & retirement...
Let's continue with the teeter analogy.
Would you rather have your aging agility dog ride the teeter smoothly down onto the ground & into retirement?
Or would you rather they tackle it head-on, slamming it down with the same power they've held throughout their entire career? Then rushing off into the next phase of their life?
Or there is the possibility that they stumble onto it, slip, lose their footing, and bail? A formerly great agility dog, now just falling off the teeter into retirement?
There is no easy answer. A lot of people may not even realize that there is perhaps a bad answer.
If you're lucky, you may even get to choose your dog's teeter performance into retirement. The unlucky have no choice. The greedy will not make the choice.
Take some time & think about it. Realize that you're not the one on that teeter. But you are responsible for putting your dog onto it.
Another young, spry Porter :)
Don't forget to visit the other blogs taking part in today's event. Here are a few of my favorites so far:
- Agility Engineer: Don't Be THAT Guy!
- Mutts & A Klutz: The Young & The Restless
- Michele Fry: Dog Club Aging
I will leave you with a video of a young Porter (although he still does this if it is a particularly good bone...) :
My chiro vet told me to quit the agility now if I wanted Wilson walking as an old guy. That's all it took. It was neither a loud bang nor a smooth landing, but at least it occurred without a loss of footing! If I hadn't already been training Jimmy, I bet it would have been harder to let it go.
ReplyDeleteOh, and as to the video, that almost doesn't look like a bone, but rather....LOL! Just sayin' :-)
Great analogy. I haven't had to make that decision yet for an older dog, but did retire one dog from competition because I was pretty convinced he was going to hurt himself at a trial. At home he's fine. :)
ReplyDeleteLoved the teeter analogy -- very creative, and thought-provoking. A short and sweet post, but full of punch!
ReplyDeletePorter looks a very entertaining little fellow, and pretty darn good at entertaining himself, eh :)
p.s. Thanks so much for the shout-out! I'm blushing :-)
ReplyDeleteGood analogy. So much for us to think about as our guys age. It should always come down to what is best for them. Thanks!
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