Walking with older dogs

Just a general query.

I've got three large dogs, Willow who is 14 and a half and Storm and Meeka who are 9.

I don't really think of Storm and Meeka being old, probably because Willow is so ancient

I still walk all three together off lead for approximately 2 hours, Willow takes her own pace - slow but steady - and the other two charge about in the undergrowth in search of rabbits. They are more than capable of keeping up with our walking companion, a two year old gsd x boxer.

I was just interested to hear from others with 'older' dogs, especially large ones, to see what their exercise routines were and when their dogs started slowing down.

Hi

Well Loki is 10 in September and on meds for epilepsy but he is still up for his walks and chasing things. I suppose he's slowed from when he was young but he still has plenty of energy.

The late Molliepops slowed down over her last year, she got to 12 and was attacked and that made her slow down a lot, she no longer wanted to go out really but once we were in the car she would get excited about her walk. We stopped long walks and just wandered around the lake, sat on a bench some days in the sun so she could still say hello to everyone and could do the walk in short sections and then have a rest.

Duncan never slowed he died rather suddenly at 9.

All the terriers were like puppies until about 3 months before they died, various of them went blind or deaf or both but they didn't let it stop them.

Rosie long coat Chihuahua had knee problems so at about 10 she found it quite uncomfortable to walk far but being tiny we would still walk long distances but with her in a papoose so she could still get out and about.

collie here is 13 ..i stopped formal walks a while ago as i cannot do much. we all potter meaningfully in the fenced area around the house. many times a day. it is enough for her and especially now she has gone blind.

i was finding that she would follow me however she felt. she is my shadow. so it was for me to set the scene

Thanks for the replies folks.

Guess I'm lucky in a way cos Willow still lives for her walks whatever the weather even after surgery on her back leg and arthritis setting in, the vet reckons it's what keeps her going.

The younger two are still really active, hopefully they will be the same

The last two I lost to cancer both aged 8 so they went from running around like 2 year olds to gone in the space of a fortnight. Prior to that I had Tyler my Parson Russell who still enjoyed his walks at 14 but he gave up running around at about 12 and just used to walk and sniff etc. Dudley my Boxer was the previous oldie he lived to be 13 and gave no signs of slowing down at all, he was physically incredibly fit and active right up to the end when he had a cluster of strokes and was pts. Prior to that I had Shannon my Cocker Spaniel who died aged 10 he was lively right to the end, he had problems with his kidneys which appeared to be managed but he died one night without any signs of ill health. I guess it's no different really to walking dogs with different exercise requirements, I walk all mine together for about two hours and those that like to charge about do and the Pugs walk at the same speed as me with little bursts of running thrown in occasionally.

collie has arthritis; i keep her gently mobile as they go out several times a day rather than one longer spell.. little and often, same as us.

three times around the garden for all of us