When are we too old?
 

When are we too old for getting a GSD puppy? I hate the idea of waking up one day and realizing that there are limits for certain breeds to own.

are you referring to the fact that you might die of old age before yr pup does or that you will be to weak/frail too handle a certain type of dog??

if it is the first question and assuming you die of old age and not prematurely good forward planning, if it is the second depends on yr health - i don't believe it takes much physical ability to manage a high drive dog if you are an experienced trainer.

Hopefully never. :) There is a gentleman training in a club in our region that has to be 89 (I remember when he turned 86, but not which year). He got a new puppy last year. He has been doing regionals every year with his other dog. He needs help in tracking and doesn't always have the best trials, but he still trains and still titles his dogs. They give him a reason to go on.

I've hit the age where I face this problem. Currently I'm down to three Hooligans ... Slider who's 10-1/2, Bruiser who will be 8 the first week in April, and Faith who's 5. I'm not sure if I want to have one or two dogs, only time will tell.

My current plans are to get older dogs, retired breeding dogs, etc. in the future WITH the agreement that if/when something happens to me, the breeder will take him back and either keep him or help find another home for him.

I think 'old' is only one part of it. For me, it's health. Grim was a challenge, but still turned out OK. I have help, though. I think I could do one more without issue. Depends on how things go.... maybe I'll hold out longer than I think I will! ;) It also depends on the 'type' of pup. I'm just now trying dog sport, and I'm not at the top of my game. There are a couple of older people at the club I go to. Maybe the guy is who Lisa's referring to, IDK. It makes me happy that even the older folks will do what makes them happy!! Just have a plan... you always need to have a plan no matter how young you are!

the suckful thing about aging is knowing or realising OK that is the last football game i will ever play in life, that is last time i will ever......, when you commenced whatever activity at an early age and it made a major part of yr life experiences it is hard to let go, but let go you must or it will be ripped from you anyway, always good to have a say in it if you can. i felt my vertabrae go crunch in a football match and i cried, not cos of the pain (there wasn't any) but cos i knew that it was over forever.

of course some activities you basically just get better and better at the longer you do it regardless of yr physical status (within reason), i think dog training is almost one of those activities that are quiet doable in old age, maybe not decoying tho :-)

i am 55 and my next gsd will be my last. i will be in my late sixties and will only adopt older gsd from then on.

The last Shepherd I raised from a pup is 11. I'm think I'm going to be rescuing the older ones from now on. :) Shepherd puppies are a handful. I do have a lab mix puppy but she is a breeze compared to shepherd puppies. I might change my mind if the right pup comes along, you never know. (I think it would have to be a white one) :D

if you love the sport side of it one could always get into an admin role or judging, mentor etc - age can only be an advantage and you potentially could have a positive influence on the breed you love and new trainers that will be yr legacy for decades long after you could not pick up a leash anymore.....or not.

Yeah, that's the one. Getting purebreds from breeders that will take them back , no matter what, is the best way to go I think. I am a trainer but you need a certain strength for raising pups. Retired breeding dogs seem like a good idea. Old age is a long way from now (MHO :) but it was a shock one day when I realized that I could not have the dogs I would like to own one day. Anyways, WD keeps me young for now and I still plan a pup when he is 2 or 3 years old.