Last dog?? Nooo! But no pups...

[Steve007]

I note several references to "this may be my last dog" on this board or even even --- aakk! -- no more dogs. Putting aside the matter of genuinely serious health problems, this is a bad move.

I thought about putting up a post about "no pups", but I guess this will do. For the record, I am a (retired) serious breeder with some serious accomplishments, I have had a number of dogs born in my upstairs bedroom who have lived out their entire lives in my home. So goodness knows, nothing against puppies.

However, each of my last four dogs was purchased as an adult. They have ranged from a 1 1/2 year-old dog who didn't know anything (my non-dog wife thought he was crazy) to a six-year-old Field Champion. Some I purchased for significant amounts and others people gave me free, as I have genuine credentials as a good home. They were all extremely well bred, not "rescue dogs." All of them became excellent house dogs, by the way, though none of them quite started off that way.

Of course, there was a downside to selecting an adult. By definition, they are sadly not going to live as long on average as a fuzzy little baby dog. But that is balanced out by the fact that you can start an immediate relationship with them and get good results in whatever your heart desires pretty quickly. Hey, we're supposed to be dog trainers, right? And I will stone-cold assure you that the emotional attachment eventually be just as strong.

If you are concerned about the possibility of passing away before your dog does, well, how do you know that? What if you would be wrong to deny yourself the enormous benefits of what a dog brings to your life? And, if that happens, I have formally written into my will that if anything happens to me, any dogs I might have get a fair amount of cash money left to them for the purpose of their upkeep and maintenance. They will not have to rely on charity.

In any case, I suggest that should never be a "last dog", at least not on purpose. There is a good reason people with dogs live longer than those who don't. That doesn't mean that there won't be a last puppy. Hopefully in the past..

The facts are that there are a lot more good dogs than there are good homes. Adult dogs. Select properly, and you will not go wrong.

[Sharon]

Well said!

For me, the key sentence is " Putting aside the matter of genuinely serious health problems, "

I have Parkinson's Disease, and if you know anything about PD you'll know it gets worse by the month, so you reach a point where you don't even have enough energy to brush your teeth, let alone care for a dog.

[Steve007]

I was not precisely referring to you, Sharon. Others have said similar things recently, and it is always a thought at a certain age. I was contemplating a post of this nature previous to your post, and I guess I was partially thinking about myself. I am down to one dog now, and he is 13 1/2. I was preparing to get another adult three years ago, but COVID shut down our national specialty and that's where people would have brought their dogs for me to see/pick up. If I got another now, my dog would chase/wrestle with her and get hurt.

I was gratified by CJChills' note that he got a long-haired dachshund at the age of 84, and was delighted with it. There is more to dogs than bird hunting.

[Sharon]

I was not precisely referring to you, Sharon. Others have said similar things recently, and it is always a thought at a certain age. I was contemplating a post of this nature previous to your post, and I guess I was partially thinking about myself. I am down to one dog now, and he is 13 1/2. I was preparing to get another adult three years ago, but COVID shut down our national specialty and that's where people would have brought their dogs for me to see/pick up. If I got another now, my dog would chase/wrestle with her and get hurt.

I was gratified by CJChills' note that he got a long-haired dachshund at the age of 84, and was delighted with it. There is more to dogs than bird hunting.

That is so true. Sometimes you just need something to get you up in the morning and get out there for a walk.

Only wish I might be as bright and wise at 84 as CJ

[DonF]

I worry about out living my dog's. Stormy will be 10 Oct 10th and figure I'll outlive him. Snicker is just 4 and Abby not two yet. No idea who would spoil them like I do. Then too when my son leaves for a couple days he leaves his dog's with me and one in particular really miss's him. Get's on the back of his 4 wheeler and just stays there. My dad had an old dog when he died and a brother took it home. Dog went out back in some brush, layed down and about a week later was gone! I'm pretty sure Snicker and Abby will both out live me and bother's me what will happen to them when I'm gone. Know my son will take them in but he doesn't share his meals with the dog's enough! If somehow I out live Snicker and Abby I'm going to the humane society and adopt an old dog to live with.The idea of out living my dogs don't set well. Idea of living without one is worse!

[cjhills]

I was not precisely referring to you, Sharon. Others have said similar things recently, and it is always a thought at a certain age. I was contemplating a post of this nature previous to your post, and I guess I was partially thinking about myself. I am down to one dog now, and he is 13 1/2. I was preparing to get another adult three years ago, but COVID shut down our national specialty and that's where people would have brought their dogs for me to see/pick up. If I got another now, my dog would chase/wrestle with her and get hurt.

I was gratified by CJChills' note that he got a long-haired dachshund at the age of 84, and was delighted with it. There is more to dogs than bird hunting.

That is so true. Sometimes you just need something to get you up in the morning and get out there for a walk.

Only wish I might be as bright and wise at 84 as CJ

Sharon
Thanks. Not sure I agree with you on the wise part.
The longer I live, the more I learn how little we know. Most of what I learned from old time breeders turned out be wrong.
I do still have 2 female Gsps that don't get much training, because I can't walk as fast and far as I once could. I do take them in the field most days
I think I will have to find new homes for one or both of them. Both are talented dogs without any training. No real hunting experience. Crate trained and collar conditioned. I am going to start looking for suitable owners. Both are Intact. But my preference would be that they be spayed family hunting dogs..........Cj
.

[gonehuntin']

I'm on my last one now. She will be 8 in the spring and I'm 78. If I live, I'll be 82-84 when she is gone. There's several things here: I don't want to outlive my dog. I don't have a child that wants it if I'm gone and sure as heck don't want a house pet made out of it. I lost my training grounds this year. I have also torn down my bird house so no more birds. I don't want to raise another pup, they are far too much work, at least a pointing dog is. If I couldn't stand not having another dog, I'd get a spaniel. Retrievers, flushers, are far easier to train and develop.

All that being said, with all of my health issues, I think I'll probably just fly fish the rest of my life. I do love that and when I do pass, I do have people to leave by battery of rods to. I develop a tremendous bond to every dog I have. They live with me, sleep with me, go everywhere with me. I would suffer a second death of someone took one of my personal dog's and threw it in a kennel. I'm not willing to take that chance.

[DonF]

Could not agree more GH! March I'll be 78 and have two I'm afraid will out live me; snicker and Abby. Fortunately I have a son that like dogs and hope he'll give them a good home!

[Steve007]

and sure as heck don't want a house pet made out of it. .... They live with me, sleep with me, go everywhere with me. I would suffer a second death of someone took one of my personal dog's and threw it in a kennel. I'm not willing to take that chance.

This seems a little confusing. On the one hand you don't want a dog made a house pet of --- though it seems your dogs are house pets right now-- and on the other hand you don't want it to get thrown into a kennel.

This may surprise you, but dogs -- especially older dogs-- make adjustments. Quite a few dogs when they can no longer hunt turn into fine house dogs and are delightfully happy in that role. And dogs who can hunt based on age are happy to be house dogs as well. In fact, all dogs that live in the suburbs are also house dogs. My FC MH was a terrific house pet, and there are plenty of serious working dogs --- I include competition obedience dogs -- that are as well. A wacky year old bird dog certainly needs some serious work and exercise to be suitable for that purpose, but a mature dog will adjust (as will you) and be perfectly fulfilled doing whatever you want.

If you want to diminish your life (imo) without another dog, that's obviously up to you, but there's nothing wrong with being a house pet and a lot right with it. People who claim "dogs have to hunt" are limited in dog knowledge beyond their own experience. There is a lot more to dogs than hunting, though exercise is obviously required.

[gonehuntin']

Well Steve, I must say, we disagree on nearly all points. First, NO, I do NOT want one of my hunting dog's made a house pet of. Where is the confusion here? Certainly all of my dog's have lived in the house, some FC's. And certainly, they have NEVER been denied the chance to hunt. A superb hunting dog that is not given the opportunity hunt is like a wild animal in a zoo. All of the life is gone from them.

You also couldn't be more wrong when you say I have limited knowledge of dogs. Perhaps in your opinion I do.

Certainly, my life would be "diminished" without a dog. There is little I can do about that if I don't have the physical ability to hunt behind a dog. I also think I have a totally different relationship with my dog's than you do with yours.

I'm also pretty happy standing with a walker in a trout stream.

[Steve007]

You also couldn't be more wrong when you say I have limited knowledge of dogs. Perhaps in your opinion I do.

Certainly, my life would be "diminished" without a dog. There is little I can do about that if I don't have the physical ability to hunt behind a dog. I also think I have a totally different relationship with my dog's than you do with yours.

Incorrect reading of the below sentence. You missed the ''' beyond their own experience" part. To thoroughly know a field, you have to know the one next to it. I had an old conformation judge tell me once that "you never really know your own breed until you know another breed." While addressing conformation, I think he was correct and I started studying another breed of not dissimilar structure. It gave me a broader understanding of the structure of my own breed. As it happens, I have rank in six different martial arts, though Black Belts in only two. Studying other facets of the same field have given me a broader understanding of the ones in which I specialized. You learn different things. It is the same in dogs.

People who follow only one dog sport -- regardless of their skill in that narrow sport-- are limited in their understanding. I suppose we all are, life being what it is, but they have beliefs which would be likely to change if they had broader exposure.

. People who claim "dogs have to hunt" are limited in dog knowledge beyond their own experience. There is a lot more to dogs than hunting, though exercise is obviously required.

[Sharon]

and sure as heck don't want a house pet made out of it. .... They live with me, sleep with me, go everywhere with me. I would suffer a second death of someone took one of my personal dog's and threw it in a kennel. I'm not willing to take that chance.

This seems a little confusing. On the one hand you don't want a dog made a house pet of --- though it seems your dogs are house pets right now-- and on the other hand you don't want it to get thrown into a kennel.

This may surprise you, but dogs -- especially older dogs-- make adjustments. Quite a few dogs when they can no longer hunt turn into fine house dogs and are delightfully happy in that role. And dogs who can hunt based on age are happy to be house dogs as well. In fact, all dogs that live in the suburbs are also house dogs. My FC MH was a terrific house pet, and there are plenty of serious working dogs --- I include competition obedience dogs -- that are as well. A wacky year old bird dog certainly needs some serious work and exercise to be suitable for that purpose, but a mature dog will adjust (as will you) and be perfectly fulfilled doing whatever you want.

If you want to diminish your life (imo) without another dog, that's obviously up to you, but there's nothing wrong with being a house pet and a lot right with it. People who claim "dogs have to hunt" are limited in dog knowledge beyond their own experience. There is a lot more to dogs than hunting, though exercise is obviously required.

Steve:

Are you kidding me? Gonehuntin has "limited knowledge of dogs" because he hasn't trained other breeds? I wish I had half of his knowledge about dogs ; no one makes a better contribution here in helping others with their dogs - several breeds.

PS

I hope you never find your self needing a wheelchair or a walker, like gonehuntin and me; but if you ever do, you will understand that at that point big changes have to be made, even though one doesn't want to have to make those changes.

[gonehuntin']

Steve, I don't want to argue about this, what I stated is simply my own personal view. Everyone is entitled to their own breed. I don't know where you got the idea I was only experienced in one breed. I was head trainer at one of, if not the largest training kennel in the United States. We ran 120 dogs in training at a time, both pointing and retrieving breeds. In my own life I've run everything from hounds to the DD's I now have (down to one now).

Anyhow, don't be offended, it's just my own PERSONAL view and I totally respect the view others have.

[Steve007]

Steve, I don't want to argue about this, what I stated is simply my own personal view. Everyone is entitled to their own breed. I don't know where you got the idea I was only experienced in one breed. I was head trainer at one of, if not the largest training kennel in the United States. We ran 120 dogs in training at a time, both pointing and retrieving breeds. In my own life I've run everything from hounds to the DD's I now have (down to one now).

Anyhow, don't be offended, it's just my own PERSONAL view and I totally respect the view others have.

Aha. I see your point. No offense intended. The reference to one breed, by the way, was just an example within the constraints of the specific sport of conformation and not at all directed towards you. Obviously your exposure to different hunting breeds is quite impressive.