My dog is 9 and has not hunted in 5 years.But I decided to take him and he is doing very well.

Did not use him because he would not listen and we hunted a different dog for the last 5 years.Well the other dog was stolen this summer.So brought old Hank out of retirement.

He has retrieved every duck we have killed this season but is sore for 2 days after hunting.I think he smokes because he is coughing after each retrieve also.

I'm sure he's happy that he's getting to go again. If it were me, I'd let him go until he just quit. He's probably happier out on the water with you than anywhere else he could be, and if his time comes while out retrieving ducks I couldn't think of a better way to go...

I think he'll let you know when he's ready to stop, he won't want to load up anymore when your heading out with the boat. If he still gets exited when your getting packed up, let him do what he wants to do.

Few Pic's

You'll know when he's too old! As long as he can do it, let him. I've seen a few 14 yr. olds still get after it.

Not to jack your thread up but how old is too old to breed a female.

Talk to your vet. They make medication for arthariths and soreness for dogs of this age. They're several different types and I've used of them and they all seem to work well. Just depends on which one is right for his condition.

They're too old when they sink.

I agree with all of the advice above. I had an older dog that hurt his elbow diring training, and he would be really sore for a couple of days after a big hunt. I would just give him some advil for a couple of days and he would be fine. I just wouldn't take him out for multiple days in a row. Take some pictures, because you will want them later on!

Get Hank some Rimadyl, he will love it.

agree with all the above..

let him hunt...

he'll let you know when he doesn't want to..

I know a couple of people who have giving their dogs glucosamine chondroitin -the people supplement - and have had success with it. Vet told one of them to try (dog was 18!) and it helped her out....

How is his weight? Is he in shape? overweight can greatly affect their joints.....

good luck....

Thanks Men!!!!!

ive got a 10 year old lab he cant hunt anymore cant get him too load up probably several hundred duck retrieves unreal lab,, as for as responses on this forum i would let you drown before i let my lab drown grow up people there is alot of good talk on this site, but when i hear dumb shit makes me want too not even sign on, if youve ever had a lab and hunted with them there is a bond that is undescribable, i see tons of hunters without a dog people a hunting dog is what makes a mallard retrieve special. as far as im concerened you dont have a dog retrieving your ducks then i consider people like that just out there wasting time. get a dog train him and go hunting if not take up knitting your not playing the game right

My yellow is 8 and she still goes good!! Mine was out of shape at the beginning of the season but she is doing well now!! I think 9 would still be a good age to hunt!!

kinda late on this but like owen said...take him to the vet and get some remadyll it will help his soreness and help prolong any hip problems.

Try to cut down on jumping in/out of the truck or boat because these are the things that cause him to be the most soar and wear him down the quickest as he's getting older. Swimming is hard if he has just been sitting around but is the best thing for him at the same time. (Just like swimming for humans is the best exercise, same goes for dogs)

like others have said - youll know when its too hard for him by watching him. He'll still want to but his body will tell him no. From now on (age 8 and on) are going to be the hardest for you because you know he still wants it but the older he gets the harder it gets

When I was getting ready to leave yesturday I could hear my ol boy crying in the utility room. He wanted to go bad so he finally pulled himself to his feet and made it to the front door, limping and crying the whole way. Had to tell him over and over he couldn't go. So there we were, the dog crying, the wife started crying and hell I started tearing up. Was a sad moment standing there, all three of us looking at each other and realizing the end is getting closer. I'm gonna hit him up hard with steroids this week and take him for the final weekend of the season. Will probably be the last of his lifetime. May have to carry him some and lift him in and out of the boat and truck but whatever it takes I'll get him there for his final stand.

My old jip got retired @ 9 . She had to have a historectamy (bad spelling i know) and after that she was done. Joints and energy crashed. she lives in the house now and dreams of hunting, but i don't think I could take her hunting and not let her retrieve. That would be the bullet. She's 12 now and i can see it when i pull out a gun. She still has the want just not the physical condition to do the job.

Old Hank has been doing good.On December 18th. I let him inside because the temps were going to drop. Well at 3:30 am .I was woken buy him having a seizure. I did not know what it was at the time. I really thought he was dying. Then this week Tuesday at midnight he had another one. The vet says it does not hurt them and they don't even know they had them. But i will tell you! It really sucks to sit there and hold him and tell him it is going to be OK while he is having one. I have no idea if he is having them during the day. The Vet said a few a month is not going to hurt him and as long as they are no longer than 3 to 4 minutes.

They make a medicine you can give him to help keep him from having most of them. Just remember stay away from his mouth when he is having them cause if he bites you he wont know it and wont let go.

Its been 4-5 years but my old dog had a couple that I witnessed. First time it freaked me the hell out. He had a couple convulsions and then stiffened up it a contorted position. All I could think of at the time was he got poisoned some how. Didnt last long but it was a first for me.

Do you ever feed him table scraps? Pork specifically? We had a dog years ago that got fed from the table all too often. He started having seizures and the vet said something about pork. Something about their stomachs can't process the bacteria or something. Anyway, no more pork or table scraps, no more seizures. Hope you get it figured out, I know its tough to watch stuff like that.

My chocolate lab passed away this past Sept. He hunted every year for 12 seasons. He would have been 13 years old if he would have made it to Nov. He never quit, he just got a little slower. Sometimes he would slosh through the mud and bring the duck to his hole in the blind and sit in the mud until someone got the duck from him. Then he would climb into the blind. Dang mallards were getting too heavy for him. I'll just say hunt them until they can't anymore. When my lab died, he couldn't walk without falling down. Years of enjoyment and hard, often VERY hard retrieving kept him going. If your dog is coughing and all when he gets winded, it could be heart worms. Have you had it checked? Sometimes water goes down their windpipe and causes them to cough a bit on retrieve, but that's normal. Good luck ! !