# What's the oldest GSD you've ever known?



## Blanketback

I was just googling around, and one website said that shepherds should live to 17 years of age! I know a healthy 12 year old, and I've had people tell me their GSDs lived to be 16, but I thought they were very lucky. Can this be true?


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## Zeeva

6 and some months...The one I met at the dog park...I don't go any more and don't have other GSD owning friends besides the forum here :/


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## doggiedad

can what be true? friends of mine had a GSD that lived to be 15 yrs old.



Blanketback said:


> I was just googling around, and one website said that shepherds should live to 17 years of age! I know a healthy 12 year old, and I've had people tell me their GSDs lived to be 16, but I thought they were very lucky.
> 
> >>>> Can this be true?<<<< [/QUOTE]


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## doggiedad

Zeeva; inhale, reflect, release. 6 and some months ain't old. :crazy:



Zeeva said:


> 6 and some months...The one I met at the dog park...I don't go any more and don't have other GSD owning friends besides the forum here :/


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## robk

I have a co worker who claims her boyfriend's GSD is 18 and that he purchased the dog from a pet store. She says he is blind and incontinent which would make since if the age is true.


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## NancyJ

My Linus lived to be 15 but hemangio took Toby at 11 and Cyra at 9. Oscar died of kidney failure at <1. Grim is 9, Beau is 1+


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## Blanketback

I thought that 12 was the average. Obviously some will live longer, just like with humans - most people don't live into their 90's but some of my relatives did. And I knew a woman who was 100 in the nursing home, and she was always wheeling around in her chair, which is probably what kept her going, lol. But to come right out and say "shepherds *should* live to be 17" seems unrealistic to me. Don't get me wrong, I'd love it to be true! I'm so jealous of the little dogs, with their longer lifespans.

ETA: robk, 18! Wow!!!


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## Liesje

My first GSD's mother died right before she turned 14 I think. I have a GSD right now I got off CL and he's supposedly 11.


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## Guardyan

Tracy Bullinger has some long-lived shepherds including Zen's sire who lived to be 14 1/2. 

http://www.bullingershepherds.com/longevity.html


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## DunRingill

Ianna is 14.5 years old....and is still trotting (well sorta trotting, often it's a pace) around the back yard. Still carries a ball and wants us to throw it. She doesn't sit anymore, it's either stand or lie down. She needs help going up and down stairs, and smooth floors can be too slippery for her. But really she's doing quite well! Her half sister lived to 16 years 8 months.


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## Gharrissc

My parents had a two GSD that lived to be 16 and 17.5 years old. They just passed away last year.


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## arycrest

The oldest GSD I've ever had was Honey who died when she was 13years 9months old. The oldest one I've known of was a former co-worker of mine had one that was 18 (she was sleeping behind his truck and he backed over her and killed her so who knows how much longer she might have lived).


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## Vagus

I was in contact with a breeder a few weeks ago and asked her about the average lifespan of her shepherds. She said that hers usually pass on just shy of 16 years. 

Curious, I then asked if she feeds them anything special and she said they eat Advance with the occasional Royal Canin thrown in (which apparently really brings out the shine in their coats?). On a similar note, another breeder I visited absolutely swears by RC and was showing me her older dogs - they looked great. Full of life, alert, bouncy and easily keeping up with the younger ones. 

(BTW this is no RC plug  - I don't even use it myself)


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## k9carrie

My shepherd, Jackson, has a birthday of January 11,2000. This makes it easy to keep track of his age. He is very active and pretty sound-a little stiff when he first gets up just like his mom! Sounds like there are alot of elderly shepherds out there. I really enjoy the old ones!


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## Chicagocanine

Bianca was from Bullinger lines on both sides...too bad she didn't get the longevity.


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## fuzzybunny

I took Jazz to a holistic vet 2 years ago and the vet said his GSD was 18 or 19 years old. I don't remember which and I obviously can't validate his claim since I never met the dog but if that's true then Holy Crow!


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## NancyJ

Question...was the site telling it you it SHOULD be 17 years SELLING something?


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## APBTLove

The oldest I've known was my first, he lived to be right around 17 and probably would have lived longer. But his quality of life was getting so poor we all made the decision to let him go peacefully on the front porch on a warm sunny day. 

The 2nd oldest was my other, Dutch. Who was around 14/15.


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## carmspack

I have owned one (Asta) who we had for 16 years 
I have bred one that lived to 17 , and her genetics through her my pedigrees through her sister who passed close to 15 and her she was the dam of Keno who served for over 10 years as a police dog for Metro Toronto and was in such good health and shape no one even questioned his age-- he just kept on going - till the Vet pulled his file while giving him his mandatory rabies and was shocked - "what are you still doing here !" - and so he retired but was an honorary "k9" sitting in the cruiser with sirens going and being fooled that he was still working - (mock up training sessions) . He passed at over 14 - .
Linda Shaw's dog Timmy just over 14 - my Kilo's sister is the dam . 
RCMP SAR female Nina - almost 16. (Kilo sired)
Several hitting the 15 year mark -- letters and emails from owners -- all somehow related .
I should mention that these were animals that were thriving - in good health not medicated - just good constitutions. 
There is a genetic component . I like evidence such as registration documents which give a date of birth .


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## carmspack

" was in contact with a breeder a few weeks ago and asked her about the average lifespan of her shepherds. She said that hers usually pass on just shy of 16 years. "

could you please reveal who that would be ?


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## elisabeth_00117

My West German showline girl, Beau, passed just a few months shy of her 14th birthday. Her father passed at 15 and her mother at almost 16 years old.


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## Sunflowers

9 to me is not that old, and I have not known GSDs, but this thread reminded me of Jonah from this post:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/pictures-pictures-pictures/178000-my-retired-gsd-new-puppy-training.html


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## Blanketback

jocoyn said:


> Question...was the site telling it you it SHOULD be 17 years SELLING something?


It was a site I stumbled across while googling antibiotics, and the jist was that dogs are over-medicated....so I guess you could say that they were selling their philosophy, lol. I just thought that they were exaggerating, but now after reading about all the seniors everyone's known, maybe I should rethink this. I love hearing about all the seniors! Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO

Well according to the girl at the Burger King drive-thru, 30! But, somehow I don't believe her 
I've had several people tell me their GSDs lived until 16-17, but these were random people we've talked to on walks.
So I'd have to say the oldest GSD I've known of was 15 1/2.

I love this thread!


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## robk

Ruger's grandmother Ilona just past a way at 14 this past month. Its so sad how short of lives dogs have with us on this Earth.


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## GSDlover143

I met a German Shepherd at the age of 18. She was the sweetest!

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Msmaria

At the place we rent our videos (its LA, its normal to have a store front in front of your home..LOL) The lady has a german shepherd thats 19 yrs old. She has her on a huge doggie bed behind the counter. We started talking when Id take Dexter with me to rent videos. Before that I never noticed her dog. Shes very quiet. She said she also had a male but he passed away at 15 yrs old.


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## misslesleedavis1

On a trail run up in the forest i met a man with a 16 yo shepherd, she was in some serious shape! he said the key to her looking the way she did was, mountain biking with her and nothing but the best raw diet he could get.


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## shepherdmom

Blanketback said:


> I was just googling around, and one website said that shepherds should live to 17 years of age! I know a healthy 12 year old, and I've had people tell me their GSDs lived to be 16, but I thought they were very lucky. Can this be true?


Oldest one I've had was 13 but she was a Akita/Shepherd mix. My current GSD senior is 12. I lost one at 9 to DM and one at 5 to seizures caused by a tick illness.


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## SuperG

15 years....wish it had been one of mine

SuperG


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## Loneforce

My first shepherd lived to be 19, but no one ever believes me lol


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## huntergreen

mine was 14 when she was pts.


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## Kawasaki mick

My stunning beautiful girl jaydee lived and stayed by my side for 22 years, I found her on the beach in cleethorpes staked out tide in a bag, I tore the bag open a little face appeared lol I put her in my coat is was freezing cold snow ect had her for 22 years, miss her every day, it's been 8 year now still expect her to come up the stairs lol,


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## Myah's Mom

Kawasaki mick said:


> My stunning beautiful girl jaydee lived and stayed by my side for 22 years, I found her on the beach in cleethorpes staked out tide in a bag, I tore the bag open a little face appeared lol I put her in my coat is was freezing cold snow ect had her for 22 years, miss her every day, it's been 8 year now still expect her to come up the stairs lol,


:wub::wub::wub::wub::wub:


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## Myah's Mom

I met a shepherd in the high teens (wish I could remember exactly). Met him as a neighbor in the marina (southern CA), and he would wheel his boy down the dock in a dock cart, all cushy with a blanket beneath him. He always made sure he was in the shade, and to "do business", he would hold him up to do so.

I thought this was quite a lot of work and the love between them was just so apparent. The dog wasn't in any pain and just loved to be around his human, with good food, fresh air and some love.

I asked the owner (Noah, I believe? If you're out there, say "hi" here and PM me!) why he did this. He basically said for all that the dog has done for him, and all the miles they have sailed together, there was no question why he would do his for him, and he would continue for as long as his baby wasn't suffering in pain.

Love


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## MishkasMom

My old GSD died last year at 14.5  
Had a great life though and was never sick a day in his life


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## angelas

My grandfather's GSD was born in 1980 and passed in 1996 (4 years after my grandfather). He was a working farm dog until the day he died. And worked on three legs almost his entire life.


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## gsdsar

My first shepherd lived to just over 16 years. I have an old girl now at 11 yo and she is going strong!


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## Stonevintage

14.5 years.


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## CJM

elisabeth_00117 said:


> My West German showline girl, Beau, passed just a few months shy of her 14th birthday. Her father passed at 15 and her mother at almost 16 years old.


My GSD turns 16 today. She is old with bad hearing bad eyesight and other old girl problems but still wants to walk and eat every day. We got her at 18 months from a guy in a bad neighborhood who mostly had her tied to a tree and was going to take her to the pound and she came with AKC papers. My wife is an a natural healer and animal communicator and much of her life she has been on raw food and bones for diet so that helps with the long healthy life. My wife took her to Schutzhund training when she was young and the handler said she was the hardest biting most aggressive female he has worked with. Happy Birthday!!!!


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## WNGD

I'm glad this is a 5 year old thread so I can call bull on the 22 year old GSD claimed in a one and only post lol


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## Sabis mom

WNGD said:


> I'm glad this is a 5 year old thread so I can call bull on the 22 year old GSD claimed in a one and only post lol


One of Buds relatives made it to sometime in her 17th year, that's the oldest one I know of. Died in her sleep. Several made the 15/16 mark, Bud was just weeks from his 14th birthday. It's one of the reasons I tried so hard to track down his actual pedigree or origins.


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## Fodder

spoke to someone just this past week who said their gsd lived to 17.... impressive i thought, until she continued that the dog was blind, deaf, no teeth, incontinent, immobile and had only patches of fur left due to a thyroid disorder. although some of that is cosmetic and more of an inconvenience for the owner... makes me think the dog probably should have crossed over quite awhile sooner.


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## Kazel

WNGD said:


> I'm glad this is a 5 year old thread so I can call bull on the 22 year old GSD claimed in a one and only post lol


There’s a heeler who made it to 29. A longevity study on some medium size dogs had a 22 year old and a 27 year old dogs.

It’s not typical but it certainly could happen. Most dogs should probably be living into the 14-16 range. Plenty of LGDs which are larger and live harsher lives than most medium to large companions live that long. By not selecting for longevity it makes sense for it not to be ideal. When you normalize and accept that 12 is old enough then it makes sense that’s is what you’d see.

In a rottweiler study the older dogs tend to be escapers meaning they tended to not have any diseases throughout their lifespan. Now of course I don’t count an old half dead dog as much for longevity when it’s only kept alive through human intervention. But there are healthy old dogs who aren’t ancient when they’re 10 years old.


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## Dunkirk

WNGD said:


> I'm glad this is a 5 year old thread so I can call bull on the 22 year old GSD claimed in a one and only post lol


The person didn't say it was a GSD, I'm guessing it was a mixed or other breed.


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## Sunsilver

Star turned 14 on January 11th. She's gotten very deaf, and I don't think she can see very well in dim light anymore. She's getting weak in her rear end, and has trouble with the stairs and needs a boost to get into the SUV. But she still loves to chase squirrels and balls, and when she knows we're going to the military base where she can run off leash, she starts to whine in anticipation! She's the third GSD I've had that made it to 14. None of the 3 were related.

The breeder of my younger dog has had 2 females make it to 15 before having to be PTS due to kidney failure.
Longevity is inheritable, so that's good news for Eska!


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## WNGD

Fodder said:


> spoke to someone just this past week who said their gsd lived to 17.... impressive i thought, until she continued that the dog was blind, deaf, no teeth, incontinent, immobile and had only patches of fur left due to a thyroid disorder. although some of that is cosmetic and more of an inconvenience for the owner... makes me think the dog probably should have crossed over quite awhile sooner.


I'm not impressed by longevity; I'm impressed by health and vitality.


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## WNGD

Dunkirk said:


> The person didn't say it was a GSD, I'm guessing it was a mixed or other breed.


OK but the thread is titled 
*What's the oldest GSD you've ever known?*
and they didn't say it wasn't a GSD so ..... 
But yes, if they're even correct, I'd guess a smaller or mixed breed.


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## Lexie’s mom

Lexie’s breeder said that when she was a little kid they got their 1st GS pup (white) from a litter that the neighbor’s dog had under the porch. That dog lived for 20 years according to her story and was PTS by animal control after she got loose when someone didn’t close the gate and was acting aggressively... they didn’t have money to pay some fine and get her back. Such a shame!


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## Richard H

Blanketback said:


> I was just googling around, and one website said that shepherds should live to 17 years of age! I know a healthy 12 year old, and I've had people tell me their GSDs lived to be 16, but I thought they were very lucky. Can this be true?


My female Pedigree GSD has just passed away, she was 12 years and 2 days, so all in all a pretty good innings. I've read that the average age is 11 (within the 10-13 yo range). Obviously GSD X breed can live longer. GSD'S are prone to a number of genetic ill-health issues due to the breeding over the years.

She never had any ill health whatsoever.

I usually have two dogs at a time, but I'm not looking to get another now as I have a 12 year old female SBT, and as I'm getting older, 56 now and in ill-healthmyself, I don't want to take on any more long-
term commitments.

.


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## Zeppy

Zeppelin’s Grandma “Summer” passed away last summer at the age of 16.


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## Sunsilver

Two of Eska's relatives passed away at age 16.


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## Sabis mom

WNGD said:


> I'm not impressed by longevity; I'm impressed by health and vitality.


Agree. 
Sabs probably could have held on longer. I opted to have her put down because I felt that mentally she was suffering. She was 12 years and 9 months.
I put Bud down as soon as he started failing. He was just shy of 14. Didn't seem right seeing him scared and sad.
My Punk is 11. Most guess her at 8. No one believes me. Here's hoping for 12!


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## Sunsilver

Two weeks before I put Star down, I took Eska to be spayed.
Usually when the dogs went in the car, it meant they were going to get a nice off-leash walk at the local military base.

Of course, Star had no way of knowing I had a very different destination in mind and she was VERY upset with me that she didn't get to go in the car with Eska!

That's the reason I put up with cleaning dog poop up off the floor for so long. The spirit, the spunk, the desire to chase balls and squirrels was still there. 

We know our animals best. I have a neighbour who thinks I waited far too long. I don't give a **** what she thinks! 

I think Eska's breeder never should have had Eska's grandfather operated on after he had that first major bleed from hemangiosarcoma. But I never met the dog, and I wasn't there to see how he very quickly returned to normal after that bleed, giving his owner hope that he could be saved by surgery. 😢 (The vet wound up euthanizing him on the table...)


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## Cheerful1

Our beloved Joey recently passed away at the age of 15 years and 7 months.


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## Eric Claeyborn

My German Shepherd (i.e. Cheyenne) is 10 1/2 yrs old ( B.D.-April 11, 2011) and is still healthy. We still play fetch everyday with a rubber ball, and seems to act more like a 5 yr old than a 10 yr old. I keep her off the cement because of the possibility of getting hip dysplasia. She eats dry dog food called "Eagle" in the purple bag, and she drinks bottled water because of the lousy water that comes from the tap in my town. I've never given her more than 2 cups of food everyday, and she probably weighs between 75 and 80 lbs. Lately, I've been thinking she could make it to 20 yrs.


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## markhenley

I had a GSD named Barbra that lived to be almost 17. She died in my arms of a heat attack. She was a good girl.


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## Eric Claeyborn

WNGD said:


> I'm glad this is a 5 year old thread so I can call bull on the 22 year old GSD claimed in a one and only post lol


I don't believe that comment said, it was a German Shepherd. So the dog could have been a small dog, which can live longer. Yea... this is a thread about German Shepherds, but that person might not have known that, or didn't care if it was.


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