At what age do you consider a dog to be 'old'?

Cinnamontoast

Cinnamontoast

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And does it depend on breed/size? My ten year old runs round like a pup and has decided he wants to join in with gun dog training, he swims like a fish rather than run on terra firma, he's as active outdoors as the three year olds. He is very sensible and much quieter in the house, but that's just his nature.

Gratuitous pic:
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He's adorable, but then I'm a sucker for Springers.

In answer to your question I think it depends on the dog and their attitude rather than years. He'll let you know if he needs to slow down.
 
I don't think 10 is old for a springer. My springers' great-grandma was recently pts at the age of 16 and their grandma will still come along to a shoot day - she is 13. There is another springer who is on our shoot who will do a morning's beating and she is 15.
That said, it very much depends on the dog. Our friend's springer is 7 and starting to show some joint problems - just a bit stiff and a little lame after a day's shooting. They have decided to retire him from beating and he doesn't get the long walks he used to.
I hope my spangle girls take after their great grandma and make it to 15 or 16!
 
Age, it's just another number really. It's the quality of life that matters. Your lad is wanting to, and capable of being active, so let him. What a smashing looking dog (and a lucky one by all accounts).

How are you Cinnamon toast??
 
my springer x collie is 7 this year - shes old before her time - she acts and tbh looks like 11...+

she does still bounce but that is becoming less often now sadly.

i think 11/12+ is old tbh.
 
My border collie is 11 this year. I do think he is starting to get 'old'. He still bombs around like a 2 year old and has the mentality of one too. However I have noticed that he has started to lag a bit on long walks, nothing major though. Most of the time he is running off ahead of me, but towards the end/going uphill he keeps beside me or slightly behind. I had noticed that he had also lost a bit of the 'spring' in his gait, however a joint supplement seems to have helped him.

Waaaaa I don't want my boy to get old :(

This was him when we had the snow recently

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Your springers are lovely and he doesn't look like an older dog at all. How are you going to cope with them with your leg injury? I have an 8 year old sprollie and a 3 year old springer and they are both very active and full of life, couldn't really tell which one was the oldest. I went to get hay last autumn and was greeted at the farm gate by an obviously elderly collie but asked the farmer how old he was and he was 23!!! The farmer did point out that he no longer worked him and he now lived in the house as he didn't like the cold.:D
 
We also had a lab that was very healthy right to the end when she was 16 and had a fit and had to be PTS. She was still coming out with the horses on rides right up to the week she died. Fabulous dog.:)
 
OH does majority of dog walking, Captain Sensible (older boy) doesn't jump on knees, other two can be crated or told to stay on their bed. :rolleyes: Gonna be tricky!
 
Bertie is really starting to show signs of old age now, he'll be 15 years old in July. He's worn a coat this winter as he's felt the cold.
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This was him a year ago, playing in the snow.
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Teagan will be 12 years old in August and I don't feel she is getting old yet, just her eyesight that has been a problem most of her life.
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and the others are mere babies at 7 years and nearly 3 years old!
 
My last Border Terrier didnt really get 'old' untill he was 13 / 14 and we lost him at 15. Last Ridgie became very old at 9 but tootled on fairly happily until she took herself off to a quiet place to leave us at 12.

Current family pooches are babies at 3. Little terrier types seem to go on forever!
 
I consider a dog 7+ to be a dog's 'old age'. Whether they act old or not is another matter. My old dog was like an old man at the age of five, the bitches we had before that were going strong with barely a grey hair at ten.
 
Our old lab is 16 and an half, although she started to go grey shortly after having her first (and only) litter of pups aged 4, she was kept relatively young by her daughter and was still quite active till about 14yrs of age when we lost her daughter quite suddenly. After that old age seem to catch up with her quite quickly. :(

She still enjoys life, likes going out on little walks for lots of sniffs, plays with her toys and demands fuss but I'm not sure how much longer she will be with us, although I've been saying that for the past 2-3yrs so who knows!!

This is her taken 2yrs ago aged 14and half..

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My boxer is 9years old and has slowed down alot. He has hd which i think is what stop him being young. He cant do long walks or whole days on the yard but he still bounces around, plays with my other dog.

He is grumpier and sleeps more as expected and gets more grey hairs by the day.

This is him Nov/dec last year
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My JRT was a rescue at around a year old. I have had her since summer 1997, so that makes her about 17 this year. And although she is hard of hearing and her eyes aren't great, she still has plenty of bounce (in between sleeping :)) and lots to say for herself. About 15 months ago she found herself in the middle of a horse scrummage, got trodden on and broke her leg badly - vets were doubtful about how well she would recover but as ever, she proved herself to be a tough cookie. All the vet nurses were scared of her lol. This was her at that time with her fetching bandage around the scaffolding she had to cope with for a few weeks. No long term affects except on my bank balance

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I only really noticed my last collie was getting old when he suddenly had a middle aged spread - sadly turned out to be fluid from liver cancer but he made it to 15 bless him.
He was lively and nimble until about 14 so I like to think when they are showing their age that's when I see them as being old.
 
My terrier X is 13 yrs and although she's a bit deaf and her eyes aren't so good, she is still always ready for action. When we cycled through the woods by the house the other day, she did 3 circuits to our one.

However, she isn't as nimble as she used to be when she'd play football with the foal and a Jollyball.
Rabbits don't take her seriously these days either.

Her helicopter tail wags round at the speed of a turbine on a calm day now and her speed is more Morris Minor than Ferrari.
 
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