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I was visiting a houndman last week, he had a dog that he still can run at 14 some. I know of a 12 year old dog as well that can run decent, but I have another buddy who had about a 8 year old dog who was so old and broke down, he had to be put down recently.

What contributing factors are there to breaking a dog down at a young age? We have alot of time and money invested in our dogs, making them last as long as possible should be our goal.

I think roading could be one, but one guy has roaded his alot thru its life. I also believe size may make a difference as well. The dog my buddy had to put down was a larger build dog. Feed?, housing environment? , stress? What other ideas do you think?

IMO bigger dogs take longer to develope and should not be overly hunted till they mature physically. Have had many dogs last 12-15 years. Smaller dogs mature faster, but my preferance is larger, but you have to let them grow into their body and joints fully developed or they will break down at a younger age.

genetics is what is the biggest factor i think. some familys just live longer than others like people. when it comes to cat hunting u can hunt dogs at an older age because the race is a slower pace , if u run bear than a dog that is fine on a cat race might be to slow .

jc

jc hit it dead on i would also like to add how well a dog has been taken care of and how hard it gets hunted. a dog that is well taken care of hunted 2 days a week 3-4 months of the year will last longer than most that get hunted 4-5 days a week 7 months of the year

Yeah, I think big n blue had a good point as well as JC. Growth at a young age determines alot of factors later on. Overall all good valid points. Hope to see more responses.

You folks have covered the things that determine the lenght of service a dog can give you pretty well. Jc i will add the reason old dogs can stay in a cat race is because most cats circle & most of those old dogs learn to cheat a little. Where as most bear or coyote tend to cover more ground & sometines a straight line. In my opinion it takes a toughter hound on those 75 to 100 pound bear that decide to run hard. Am sure I am not the only one that has run bear that made you wonder, did they take a coyote. And hours later arrive at a tree to see a scruny bear with sides going in and out like an accordian. (sp) Now this is just my experience & in no way meant to controversal. I have sure been guilty of hunting old hounds way past thier prime. But those smart old hounds can sure be a big help at times on cats that want to be tricky. Not to mention thier value as box, locators & check dogs. The older I got the longer I kept those old hounds. Now why would that be? thanks Al Baldwin

All good points. As mentioned there are a few variables to consider. Here's my two cents on what to think about.

Anatomy and Physiology – Anatomically speaking, some dogs are just built better than others. Physical conformation and the resulting bio-mechanics affect how much stress they put their body (joint, tendons, ligaments, etc.) under. Physiologically, some dogs have internal biological processes that are more efficient, other dogs heal better and faster, some are more sensitive to heat or cold, etc. These things will affect the amount of physical stress a dog can take before it starts to break down.

Temperament – Some dogs feel no pain, or don't react to it and will hunt until they drop. Other dogs will slow down or quit hunting when physically tired or stressed. One dog may seem to wear out quicker when it’s just them reacting to physical discomfort. Other dogs will hunt until they drop dead.

Physical Size – Hunting is really an endurance sport, and there's an optimal body type/size for it. Too big, and the dog's weight puts too much stress on the vital organs, tendons, ligaments, muscles, etc. Too small, and the dog has to work overtime to overtake the game. Larger body masses also have a harder time dissipating heat, contributing to heat exhaustion (although they are warmer in cold climates).

Diet and Exercise – Hunting is a phyiscally demanding job for the dog. Proper diet and the right exercise will help prepare the dog's body, and minimize repetitive stress and traumatic injuries. Proper diest and exercise also helps the dog recover faster, and even to be stronger, for the next hunt.

Repetitive Stress and Traumatic Injuries – Just like us, when we blow out our knee, rip tendons in our shoulder, or simply wear down the cartilage in our joints, it WILL really affect us more as we age. In dogs, these can add up and take away valuable hunting years.

Age – When I was in my twenties, it seems I could eat anything, drink anything, do anything, and get up for work bright and early the next morning. Fast forward 20 years and it just ain’t that way anymore. I have to watch what I eat and what I drink. I have to be more careful with injuries too because I just don’t heal up like I used to. Hunting dogs are the same way. As they age, if you don’t take this into account, you will increase the wear and tear on them, and their bodies will break down prematurely.

IMO, all these things affect how much a dog can take before it affects their hunting ability to the point they are retired. A good trainer will monitor their dogs’ health and adjust accordingly to get as many high quality hunting years out of them.

Here’s an example from my pack. I’ll compare two dogs…one is about 66 lbs in hunting shape, the other 48 lbs. We’ll do a 12 mile hunt one day. Dogs probably put in 18 to 20. The next day, I could hunt both again, but the 66 lb. dog is going to have sore feet. With the smaller dog it would be like I hadn’t hunted him all week. If I hunted 4-5 times that week, and did it for several weeks straight, that bigger dog is more likely to get an injury, or have his hunting ability adversely affected. If I was a guide, that larger dog would probably be gone. Since I hunt for fun, I can allow him to lay up before hunting or exercising him again.

fat dogs are a mans worst enemy hard on joints and body

I know this is the cat forum, but it seems on long, fast running bear you really see them start to slow down at 8. 6-7 you'll notice signs that they are slowing down a bit but still seem to hang. Unless you have an exceptionally gifted dog, the younger ones should be keeping ahead on long runs. If not, well you're younger ones are a tad shy on what they should have. I like older dogs, but I treat them more as a pinch hitter and try to get them in on what they are good at.

As for what breaks them down, I think it's already been covered. I know dogs that have had to fight through lymes, infections, or a heat stroke, it seems to really age them. Sometimes it's just a bad set of cirmcumstances that knocks the years off them, but mostly it seems to be genetic.

Up here in Alberta it can get real cold at times, I have always believed that a heated dog house can add a couple of years of hunting to an old dog. They seam to recover much better after a hunt if they have a warm dry place to sleep during the -30 weather

All really good points, keep em coming!

A couple other things, rough terrain wears a dogs years down faster. A dog that runs roughneck, crashing through and leaping over and off things is putting more stress on joints and that takes it toll over time.

Plenty of shade in hotter months is also a must heat is as bad as the cold.