That means my Roxy would be exluded as she's now 10 (11 in Feb!).

She's as fit as can be, does agility, walks 2 - 3 hours per day, runs so fast some dogs can't catch up with her, plays with her ball etc! I could go on! ALl outdoors! She had a twice yearly vet check in September this year and the vet gave her the clean bill of health and said she has a very strong heart.

Plus Roxy has just recently won Golden Oldie at 10 years old, for the second time in two years, out of 15 dogs, at Scruffts at Discover Dogs in London! And I don't intend to 'retire' her yet, she has loads of life in her yet!

I don't think the age limit should be 10.....or 12 for that matter, but it should be at the discretion of the judges whether or not to let ANY dog enter if they believe it goes against the welfare of the dog (or any other dogs in the competition, if they are aggressive/out of control, for example), which is obviously priority.

Scruffts at Discover Dogs doesn't have an age limit - it's at the judges discretion whether or not they are fit and healthy enough. The Companion Dog Club has a limit of 12 years old.

I don't believe age as a number should dictate what the dog does in its life, plenty of older dogs, 10+ years old have varied and full lives and rightly so if they enjoy it. It entirely depends on the individual dogs.

I would say my Roxy (and Molly at 8 years old) are fitter and healthier than many dogs half their age, especially seriously obese ones!

The difference is your dogs are fit and healthy Ive seen old dogs literally dragged around the ring in extreme heat and cold. The GP doesn't always have the sense to realise when I dog is no longer enjoying it, and the judge is open to abuse when they tell them.
Ideally I prefer how they do it as some shows were they have vintage on first followed by veteran and then the two winners run off for best veteran in show.
Ive seen your Roxy showing and she loves it and shows her socks off, but if you'd seen the owners at some of the smaller local shows we go to. Common Sense doesn't seem to apply in some cases.

Some shows run a vintage class for dogs over a certain age. I have seen 19 year old and a 17 year yorkie at a show once.

They looked like they were having a fab time and certainly not stressed.
I have seen younger dogs that looked like a good walk would kill them.

As usual the rules are made for irresponsible people and those that have fit happy dogs over a certain age get penalised because of a few irresponsible people.

You right but I prefer to err on the side of caution.

But really age is a bit of a random factor
I have seen people with puffy ill looking unfit dogs and people say 'oh but he is 5 now'
and I saw video of a 23 year old dog who didnt look a day over 10
I think if the culture was just changes to people had to man up if the judge or show organiser asked you to leave the ring because your dog looked distressed

In agility you just have to put up with it if a judge decides they want you out of the ring - heck I was eliminated cos the soft tunnel was all twisted by the wind and I straightened it out for Ben to get tru
I dont care - its the judges ring - what they say goes

Yep but have you tried asking the steward to get them to take a dog into shelter or shade i have and got shouted at was told the dogs were fine. One was 12 and grossly over weight and the other was a very elder dog shivering.

Since this was presumably a KC show----you could report them and put it in the incident book.

That IMO might be the only reason to have a KC show.

If you don't then it needs a bit in the schedule which says judges ---or organisers ---have the right to disqualify any dog for any reason and refund their money.

If people don't like that then they can do the other thing!

rune

I'd have a problem at that show. When I had my Boyo from the rescue two years ago they said he was 11. My vet reckons he is now 11. No one has any real idea so I wouldn't know if I was entering him incorrectly or not.
Dogs can vary so widely at the same age. When I was showing Cariad in the 80's & she was being a figit one judge said they do mature when the get older, to which my response was how old she's nearly 13 now.
A vet assumed my bitch was about 3,she was 7 last May, but I have a friend whose 4 year old dog looks & acts like an oldy.

Well I'll be ok with Izzy then as everybody I have spoken to has guessed her age as 2 or 3! (she's 9).

Only snag is last show I took her to she tried to bite the judge when he went to examine her so I'm not planning on repeating this experience any time soon I did apologise profusely as I was shocked.

This was before I was told by her previous owners that she had been kicked by the man they had rehomed her to for 6 months as obviously had I realised then that she had a problem with strange men when on-lead I would not have shown her.

at the end of the day like it or not class regulations are down to the organisers. i personally do not like to see an elderly dogbeing dragged round the ring by a novice owner.