Ever had a senior GSP? Please chime in

[GSP 4 me]

My male GSP is approximately 4 yrs-old and he still acts and plays like a pup. I've run into a few other folks that own GSP's similar in age, but the oldest GSP I have personally encountered was an 8 yr-old female. The owner mentioned her dog was still very active, but settled down some.

Since this is my first GSP, I was wondering what some of you could tell me what GSP's are like when they get up there in years. General health, hunting ability, temperment, activity level, tolerance of children, etc. I've meet a few people that told me they had GSP's live very well into their teens. I love my dog and look forward to growing old together.

As a side story, I was walking my dog one day and noticed a truck at a stop sign just out of my peripheral vision. The driver was alone at the intersection, but she barely moved so I decided to look up and she had a passenger starring intently at my dog. The passenger was an old GSP with a liver colored head, but with lots of white/grey fur all around the muzzle and eyes. It was a pretty cool moment as the driver smiled at me and she went on her way.

[Sharon]

A GSP is meant to run and find birds. That's its' purpose in life. At 4 he is in his prime. Unless it is getting enough good off leash exercise, it will be "very active" in the home forever.

A well -exercised, conditioned, properly fed ( not allowed to get fat), GSP - or any upland bird dog - can stay healthy and hunt past the age of 10. ( I have a hard -muscled , well- conditioned Jack Russell terrier, still hunting hard at age 11.)

[nj gsp]

My last GSP was a rescue. He was an older dog (probably around eight) when I got him in 2001, and he was diagnosed with inoperable bladder cancer in the summer of 2005. His last days were spent on the porch, so he could let himself out when he had to pee which was every 30 minutes or so. He loved to hunt. We hunted public land, and despite having to pee every 15 minutes, we took it easy but he gave it his best, as always. He pointed a rooster, which I shot for him. Never big on retrieving birds that he thought were easy for me to get on my own, he brought that bird to me, put it in my hand, and went back to the hunt. I didn't have to say a word the entire time, except "good boy." And he was.

That was his last hunt, and we had to put him down when the tumor finally closed off his urethra two weeks later. I guess he was around 12-13 years old.

He was always quiet in the house, loved to sleep, loved to eat, and always got exited when it was time to hunt. The only thing that dog loved more than birds was food, which I expect was because when I rescued him, he had nearly been starved to death.

I hope someone takes me out and puts me on birds for my last hunt too. Take care of your dog, keep them fit, hunt them often, treat them with love, and they will give you their all until the day they die. That's the way it works.

[EddieF]

I had a solid liver GSP until last year, she was 13. She wasn't a hunter, but I'll share my experiences with her aging anyway, in case you find it useful.

She was really active for almost her entire life. I'm trying to remember when she started getting grey, but she got very grey in her muzzle and on her feet and it all happened over the course of about a year. I think she was about 7 or 8. Up until then, everyone thought she was still a puppy. After that, she still acted like a puppy, but started to look older because of the grey.

She didn't really start aging until she was 12. Then over the course of a year and a half, she just aged an awful lot, started falling apart. Teeth, eyes, skin, stomach, she just got old. So in two years she went from being a really healthy 11 year old to being a clear decision when it was time to put her down (she had a mass/obstruction and I didn't want to put her through surgery at her age/condition).

[Killer Instinct]

I hope someone takes me out and puts me on birds for my last hunt too. Take care of your dog, keep them fit, hunt them often, treat them with love, and they will give you their all until the day they die. That's the way it works.

Amen.... I couldn't have said it any better.....Make memories now, whether it's a GSP, ESS, ES, GWP.... Whiz, our previous ESS, who was more my dog than the hubby's dog, went about the same way that the dog did in Marley & me - just seem to get old all of a sudden (or maybe we just didn't want to admit or see it at the time).... she always had a bum front leg (she had broke it twice when she was a pup), and then it seem in 2007 that her rear leg started to atrophy & she couldn't walk without favoring both her front leg & then her hind leg.... it was then after going through the summer of 2007 that we finally decided to let her go (it took the hubby 3 mos before he could come around to the decision to let her go, that underwater treadmill therapy, injections, massages, pills, were not going to make her stop getting older)... we set her free on 9-15-07 & I miss her to this day......

This is my daughter & I along with Whiz, our first field bred English Springer Spaniel - Date was 2003 - she was 10 years old:



This is our family photo taken on 5/2007.... We had to put Whiz to sleep on 9-15-07.... She was 14 1/2 years old....



This is Whiz in 7-2007, 2 mos before she died....

[Tejas]

I lost one this summer that was two weeks shy of being sixteen. She still looked young when she was thirteen, except for her eyes as she started to develop cataracts. She hunted regularly through her thirteenth year and sparingly her fourteenth year.
When she was fourteen I would only let her run about 30 to 45 minutes and then only if the temp was cool. I'll never forget her last point as I had her out along with a couple of hot shot younger dogs and she found the first covey of the day.

At first her eyesight deteriorated followed by her hearing and she began to have a little trouble maintaining enough weight.
As her eyesight and hearing went, she became much more easily startled and began to exhibit what I would characterize as doggy Alzheimers. She didn't have any serious health issues other than the sight and hearing, but her personality definitely changed. She still liked to play retrieve etc. in spurts, but no longer was the super affectionate dog she had always been. She more or less maintained that general status until the last couple of months when she began to struggle to get up.

I finally came to the reluctant conclusion that her quality of life had reached the point that I must do the responsible thing in honoring her. In retrospect I feel that I actually lost her twice, but I will never forget her. I've been fortunate to have had several great dogs, but she was "the one".

[vols fan]

My Latty female gsp was 16.5 when i let her go.she went to Neb with me at 15.5 where i hunted her 45 minutes or so in the a m and also the last part of the day. she couldn't hear but she could still point birds. i have a picture of her last rooster she pointed ,took pic, flushed and killed bird,sat down nd cried then put her in the front seat and relived the last 10 years of her NEB hunts.

[Ruffshooter]

My Mercy girl, is Eight years old this spring. She is healthy, smart fun, hard hunting, competetive, sweet etc.. She has the grey on the muzzle, ( the liver dogs get it early on in life). Have not had any health problems with her other than Hunting injuries and even those have been mostly minor cuts. She looks and acts just like her dad. One could not tell the difference in the two when hunting them together until you actually got to the dog on point, they even both blinked backs. He died when he was 14, hunted hard till 10 then a little slower pace, but still harder than most younger dogs. He hunted his last year also. A Great grouse dog. He was a joy in the house also. He had the grey muzzle at age 5.

[bobman]

I have 5 out of Rawhide Clown that will be 13 in july they are fit and healthy still play with each other outside and do a good job in the field, they are slower and weaker than in their prime but still can do an excellent job on pheasants and quail which is what I hunt.

They may be getting deaf or maybe just a little more stubborn, its going to be a rough year if due to genetics they all live to the same age, I may run out of tears.

[Killer Instinct]

...... its going to be a rough year if due to genetics they all live to the same age, I may run out of tears.

I hear you.....

[Chaingang]

I have a soon to be 12 year old male who if it weren't for a little graying around the eyes and muzzle you wouldn't guess he was that old. Still spry and full of vigor and very trim and fit for his age.

[larue]

lets see,right now my hiedi bitch is 14,while max is 12,blaze is 11,boise is 10,all of them can and do still hunt,although they slow down and I do not hunt them as long or in conditions as tough as they used to.
I ran max this fall in a horseback trial,he ran pretty well,slowed down quite a bit,but I was happy with him.
Now these dogs have had an easy life,heated kennel,lots of couch time but they can be active late in life,in fact I believe
that still running them,and hunting them has added years to there lives.
With good food,good care,a gsp can lead a long productive life.

[rkelly]

My last Shorthair hunted until she was 12. I would say she started to slow down a little hunting at around 10 years of age. She calmed down in the house at around 7-8 years of age. She was as lively as ever up until she was 12.5 years old, then went downhill very fast. In 6 mos she seemed to age as a person does in 20 years. Arthritis set in and she become very slow. I had to put her down a few days shy of her 13th birthday on pheasant opener of 2007, due to congestive heart failure. The new pup refreshed my memory of how much energy and athleticism these dogs have.

[GSP 4 me]

I truly appreciate the replies thus far and look forward to more. Thanks for sharing your stories!

[demi]

Our GSP is 11 1/2, and this summer was the first time that we noticed that he is staring to slow down and is getting gray. The heat and humidity bothered him this summer, but cold hasn't slowed him down much. We still hunt him, but not as much as we used to. He's a big guy at 80 pounds, and he too loves birds first, with food being a very close second.

He has always had a great temperament and is great with children and other dogs and even cats. Our oldest daughter worked with him in 4H and earned many awards in obedince, showmanship, and even agility (he loved making his girl happy on the course!) She has moved on to college and he only gets to see her when she comes home once in a while. He was very sad at first, but when he realized he had her room and bed to himself he cheered up quite a bit. Life is full of trade-offs. We know he won't be around forever, but he has been a big blessing to our family.

[Killer Instinct]

Demi - Beautiful dogs....

[jjm204]

I personally think it all depends on the dog and their temperment. I have a 4.5 year old GSP and a soon to be 3 year old GSP. They are related. Mine are more active in the spring, summer and fall months. They like to run and play but when winter rolls around they become calm and mellow. Yes they have their moments when they are active to the point where it's out of control but generally they relaxed....but when you say birds, hunting, outside, toy, ball, etc....these words trigger activity for them. Just give them plenty of exercise.

[Killer Instinct]

Here's a poem that just about sums it up (written by someone called Magpie):

To an old Labrador (or EP, GSP, ESS, GWP, etc....)


A paw that's laid upon my knee,
And questing eyes that gaze at me,
And furrowed slightly worried, brow
Twix turn'd out ears; all ask- What now?'

My hand goes out to smooth the coat
It sears my loving heart to note
The clear brown eyes now dimming blue,
And muzzel turned all grey in hue,
Full fourteen years, in canine age,
Will spell the turning of a page

Ere many moons shall pass, I know.
It is inevitably so.
Yet still her coat has shine and sheen,
And still her appetite is keen.

With greedy love, and hope, I pray,
That God may yet defer the day,
When shadow at my feet will be
Only the ghost that I shall see,
Soothing my mind with memory,
Of field and marsh and forest tree,
Where two hearts beat and were but one
In seeking what befell the gun.

My fingers fondle under ears,
I fight with sentimental fears,
I'm deeply troubled in my mind,
What best to do? . . . To leave behind
Will cause her misery and pain,
And if she comes , there's risk again,
The slope is steep on Forest Hill
Even the very cleanest kill
May fall two hundred feet below,
To bramble, blanketed in snow
My own short breath and rheumy back
Confine me to the level track

* * *

Although we brought home only two,
It did not seem to us, too few,
We'd stolen yet another day
That no-one now could take away,
Contented, by the warm fireside,
Our love was not unmix'd with pride.
....................................................Magpie

[mountaindogs]

I have a 9 almost 10 year old and she has an old injury to one her front legs. A very long story but it did not heal correctly, and we opted at the time (when she was 1.5) not to have it rebroken and pinned. This leg started to really bother her about two years ago and has been getting progressively worse. Other than that she is still go go go and will hunt until we have to drag her out of the field limping and she still would continue if we'd let her. She was VERY high energy until about 5 and then settled into just regular high energy girl. She swims alot and we use that as therapy for her and her leg, but if I had it to do over I would have had the surgery on the leg. It is the only thing slowing her down. We still hunt her, as I believe she would pine away without it, but she just goes for about 45 minutes at a time.

I also have an 8 year old who is going strong and hasn't changed a bit except for a little gray around the muzzle starting this past year. If anything she is just smarter, and sneakier when she gets into trouble.

[Killer Instinct]

A little Off Topic, but here's the HUMAN equilivilent of growing old:

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend. I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making
my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avante garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.
Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 &70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set.

They, too, will get old.
I know I am sometimes forgetful.
But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers,
or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and
compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.
I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.
So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their
hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore.
I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever,
but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day(if I feel like it).

[Dave Gowdey]

Sorry, accidentally double posted.

[Dave Gowdey]

I've had a number of senior GSPs over the years. I've always had traditional hunting GSPs that used to get a lot of work each season. Most would hunt for 40 to 60 days per year in rugged southwestern terrain. II seems to be the year of aging. Mine always get arthritis and it begins to really show up around ten to eleven years of age. With meds, they can keep going for a while- but it's the arthritis that really seems to slow them down. Oddly enough, with my line they seem to preserve their senses and affection to the end - it's their body that finally fails them.

I've known shorthairs that were still hunting at 15 - but that's pretty remarkable. Most of the GSPs I've been around over the years usually averaged around 12-13.

I find that old age pains me more when I see it in my dogs than when I see it in myself. When I took my Annchen for her last hunt at age 11, and she pointed a small group of Gambel's quail, I didn't recognize that she was pointing at first. She looked like she was resting because she could no longer lift her tail out straight and her legs were tottery. This from a girl that was often breathtakingly beautiful on point. In finally recognized that she was on point by the fact that she stayed focused like a laser on the bush where the birds were with her eyes and nose. Nevertheless, the old lady found birds that the youngsters had missed - and I managed to shoot one of them for her. She passed away at home only five months after.

My Billy is currently 12 and a half years old - and while his mind is fine, his body is betraying him. He isn't mobile enough to do what he wants. His hind legs are not fully functional, and the arthritis in his shoulders causes him to ache. Nevertheless, when I took him out for a hunt last year he was jumping ditches and running around like crazy. I thought he might literally kill himself - though I should have known better. It's just that hunting makes him forget his age and his aches for a bit. This is an amazing breed. However, it's painful to see the best hunting GSP I've ever seen suffer the ravages of old age.

[rosiesdad]

My GSP's have all been house dogs. At 12+ Ive noticed them having a hard time holding urine for more than 4 hrs. That usually gets worse along with arthritis and other issues.
There comes a day, when too much of too many things just takes the quality of life away.. So every day past 12 is a bonus day for my dogs.

[Elroy's Bandit]

I can't speak in terms of a "senior" as my oldest GSP is almost 6 yrs old.He is mostly liver with white tick, He started greying all around the nose last year and the eyes as well. He has tons of energy, but is calm around the house, or should I say well behaved. My 2 yr old is another story.
Bill L.

[scout_on_38s]

My old Murphy will be 14 in May. He was very active and in great shape until about a year and a half ago. Since then he's started to lose his muscle mass. He still gets excited when I put the dog box in the back of the truck. He knows what that means but unfortunately he doesn't get to hunt much anymore. I took him out at the beginning of this last season and his eye sight is getting bad enough that he fell off into a creek, panicked and jump into a log jam. The whole time I was trying to get to him, worrying his next lunge would break a leg. I decided no more hunting unless it was easy terrain. This spring he'll get his fair share of preserve birds where I can control the conditions. I hope that the morning comes when I go to wake him and he will have passed. I went with my dad when he put his pointer down and that was really difficult. Not that anyway will be easy. Its great to remember all the hunting trips and points, time swimming in ponds.