Aging- not much to say
The dog agility blog topic this quarter is on aging. I'm on my first two dogs, the oldest of which is only 6. I myself am also in the minority of dog sport handlers in that I'm still under 30.
Not much to say here in the youthful fountain camp. I have questions that I will have to ask myself on when to drop them down in height, when to limit their runs, retire them, and when to say good bye. Because my dogs have only a year and half separating them, I'm likely going to have to make all these decisions pretty close together. But I have no answers. No experience to draw from. And no basis to draw judgement on others on their own answers to those questions. As for my own aging, I am still in youthful bliss that anything will ever change.
So far I'm just loving living life with my dogs. I try and prolong these young days with magical blankets, supplements, and chiropractic care. They're my team mates and exercise motivators, but they're also great bed warmers, good listeners, and my daily dose of laughter. I don't think any of that will change when those days come.
Go read some other bloggers with much more wisdom and experience than here.
Dex and I used to go to a recreational agility class. There was one old golden retriever there who was a retired agility dog. He had arthritis and sometimes he felt bouncy and other times he didn't. When he was bouncy, he did the course at short dog level when he was feeling a bit sore, he would often just walk the course with his handler (the trainer would put the bars on the ground). For the contact equipment, he would just put one foot in the yellow zone and then walk around the obstacle. He LOVED it! He carried his head high and couldn't wait his turn.
I also wanted to comment regarding the duration stay in obedience. I like the idea of having more stewards in the ring to nab a wayward pooch. A tab leash might be helpful as well. I agree that it isn't fair to the other dogs to have some dog sniffing their butt, however it is an important exercise to keep in the competition.
Mango Momma
"youthville bliss"... Love it :)
My older two are just a year apart as well so I know what you mean... Sigh.