When is it time?

Hobie1026

Hobie1026

Active member
Here's the situation. I have 2 Springers, one is 8, one is 14. The 14 year old was my first hunting dog and has been with me on every upland hunting trip I've been on. He has hunted wild pheasants and sharptails since he was 1.

This year I'm hunting MT for the second time. Last year was a bust as I really didn't know where to look and the birds were scarce where I was. This year my research is a whole lot better and I've gotten a lot of help from the DOW there. The question is do I bring the 14 y/o or not? He's arthritic, and anything over a 1/2 hour and he's stiff and I imagine sore the next morning.

On the other hand, he's got more drive than the younger one, is better at finding birds, and still jumps out of the truck when I pull up to a field. The desire is there but his body is failing. I feel like I owe it to him to get him into birds as long as he wants to hunt, but on the other hand I feel like I'm being an irresponsible dog owner putting him through a hunt that I know is going to hurt him.

What have you all done with older gun dogs? Is there a point where you have left them home in their own best interest? Or do you let them hunt as long as they have the desire? I want to do what's best for the dog; he's a member of the family and my best friend, but I honestly don't know what the right thing to do is here. Constructive comments would be much appreciated.
 
Embrace correctly dosed and monitored, vet approved pain/inflamation meds and give him whatever time he can handle with appropriate rests in between.
Consider time of day, weather, scenting conditions and work toward having the time down result in bird contacts, whether contrived to a degree or not.
Be alert for signs of over-doing and be strong enough to recognize and say.....Enough.

If the dog is one which overdoes in the kennel box waiting to hunt...or pines away at home with a hurt heart and spirit then any resulting negatives must be added to the decision mix.
 
Give him the drops in the most prime cover because he deserves it.
 
I whole heartedly agree with OldDublin.

My little Pointer passed away a month before she would have turned 14. I took her on every hunting trip, every training session. I believe she loved to hunt and the worst thing I could do was deny her the opportunity to enjoy herself. I kept a close watch on her, gave her plenty of breaks for snacks and water but she seemed to be having a blast. Even at her advanced age she was still my "ace in the hole" in fact she pointed and tried to retrieve the first pheasant I ever killed in her last season to hunt. In my opinion if the dog is willing I owe it to them to find a way to let them hunt. She found a ton of birds for me and gave me some great memories. We were a great team and I will always be grateful.
 
Even old dogs like road trips! Take me for instance. :p
 
As long as your decision is based on what you believe is best for the dog, then you can't go wrong. It sounds like your heart is in the right place. :thumbsup:

Good luck in MT.
 
Bring him and give him the choice.

Hunting buddy has a 15 y/o GSP, and she decides the days she's going to hunt. Some days we walk to the door and she races us, others, she hops back on the couch.
Just take care to watch him so he's not over doing it in the field and making things worse.
 
I have taken my old hunters along at advanced age. Pick your hunts according to their ability, even if it is just the ride. My dogs were loving every minute of it. Enjoy while you can.
 
I would take him for sure. It might be his last hunt and you will treasure the memories. I still have fond memories of the last hunt I took my Brittany, Rocky, on. He was ailing and deaf but still had the drive. I remember vividly the last field and me being posted on the end of a slough. One of the other guys shot a rooster that went down in that slough. In went Rocky and out he came with the bird. It was his last retrieve and I'll always remember the moment.

Talk to your vet and get him some Rimadyl. Start giving it to him few days before the hunt and continue throughout the hunt. You can even double up on it on the days he hunts. i think the dosage is approx. 1 mg per pound of weight per day. I get the 100 mg chewables, break them in half and give a half to my 40 lb. Brittany. But sometimes I give her 2 halves in a day if needed.
 
My buddies lab is thirteen and we still take him. He is a fantastic black lab. He has slown down considerably, and has seizured a few times while out hunting. He still likes to walk out, and will still retrieve. I'm kinda like this, he is still enjoying it and as long as he does what does it really hurt. If he goes in the middle of a field, or while chasing a bird, that is the way it is supposed to be. I hope I am as lucky.
 
Lots of good thoughts on here. As for the dog in the original post, I let him decide. He watched as I loaded up the hunting gear from his bed on the couch and could see he really didn't want to leave. So he stayed home with his other human, laid by the wood stove, and got hand fed lots of cooked chicken.

2 months later he passed away from congestive heart failure. I know he would have gone if I had asked him but I don't think I would have been doing him any favors. In the last 2 years he was just as happy to hang with his people as he was to be out in the field.

I don't know if I did the right thing leaving him home but it felt like it; life is too short to second guess my decisions. He was loved up and spoiled rotten. His ashes this spring have nourished the grass in WPA far up in North Dakota, where I'll go back to sit, remember, and maybe bag a rooster this Fall.
 
Hobie1026 said:
Lots of good thoughts on here. As for the dog in the original post, I let him decide. He watched as I loaded up the hunting gear from his bed on the couch and could see he really didn't want to leave. So he stayed home with his other human, laid by the wood stove, and got hand fed lots of cooked chicken.

2 months later he passed away from congestive heart failure. I know he would have gone if I had asked him but I don't think I would have been doing him any favors. In the last 2 years he was just as happy to hang with his people as he was to be out in the field.

I don't know if I did the right thing leaving him home but it felt like it; life is too short to second guess my decisions. He was loved up and spoiled rotten. His ashes this spring have nourished the grass in WPA far up in North Dakota, where I'll go back to sit, remember, and maybe bag a rooster this Fall.
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Sounds to me like you did right by him Hobie. He was very lucky to have you and I'm sure you were lucky to have him. Cherish those memories you made together.:10sign:
 
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