# When the heart and body diverge, what do you do?



## Koda'sMom (Feb 13, 2013)

Koda is approaching 12 years old. She still has the heart and drive to do things like she did when she was young but her body obviously disagrees. How do I decide when to force her to stop? I don't want her to injure herself or make herself sick but I also don't want to kill her spirit.

Take walks for example, she is obviously fatigued after 1.5-2 miles in our heat but when I drop her off at the house to continue with walking the pup, she is incredibly unhappy and doesn't want to be left behind. She has no quit in her.


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## Buckelke (Sep 4, 2019)

could you walk them at different times? That way each would have a special time with you.

Ellie was like that - a fighter. Spent her whole life fighting on the streets, in shelters and several homes. With us, she never gave up on anything. If was hard to let her go because even with dm she wasn't going to quit. Just the way some dogs are, I guess. About all you can do is give her all the help and love you can.


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## Sunsilver (Apr 8, 2014)

Buckelke said:


> could you walk them at different times? That way each would have a special time with you.
> 
> Ellie was like that - a fighter. Spent her whole life fighting on the streets, in shelters and several homes. With us, she never gave up on anything. If was hard to let her go because even with dm she wasn't going to quit. Just the way some dogs are, I guess. About all you can do is give her all the help and love you can.


Buckelke I had to make that decision with my first German shepherd, who had spondylitis in her spine, and reached the point where she could no longer walk. It was SO hard, because she was only 9, and obviously still had spunk and spirit, but with the arthritis, she no doubt was in a lot of pain, though she never showed it. 

Agree that walking them at different times would be a good idea, if you can afford the extra time!


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## Mike_E38654 (Oct 15, 2020)

That's a hard question that only your and your family can answer.

My approach is to wait a while after I have finally seen that my buddies have lived all the good days they will ever have and mostly all the OK days. Then we make a best OK day we can and start their new, last, adventure.


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## Koda'sMom (Feb 13, 2013)

I'm by no means talking about death! She still has at least a few good years in her. I'm talking more about limiting activity and exercise for her own good vs letting her decide and possibly get hurt. Even in her youth I had to decide when to stop an activity because she will literally go until she drops. Learned that when she passed out playing fetch. She is not good at taking breaks and resting.


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## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

It is so sad when they get old, isn’t it?
One day, while playing fetch, Hans lifted his leg as if to urinate, then limped over to me with this incredibly sad look on his face, leg still up.
I thought he pulled something, so I waited a week, then tried again. Nope, same thing happened.

I had to decide to stop all fetch, which still makes me sad. He has to make do with romping around the house with Rolf and several jolly soccer balls, and going outside to sniff and do his business.
Walks need to be short, because he starts dragging butt fairly quickly. He has bad hip dysplasia.

I take Rolf to the park or hiking for his strenuous exercise, since Hans would see us outside. In addition, the chemicals in the yard really bother Rolf, so it’s just as well. I have a yard that is now only used as a dog bathroom.


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## Jorski (Jan 11, 2019)

We are their guardians. Many of these dogs would work, or retrieve for example until death with no regard for their own comfort.
So, you give enough to strike a balance between enough to have a fulfilling life, and limiting activity to stay within their physical limits.


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## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

Oh that is a tough one! 
Being left behind for a walk, has gotta be one of the top doggy sorrows!

I'm a "softy" owner but I'd consider a bribe (like a chewy or small kibble find) to make up for waiting at home alone while you walk more with the pup. 
And a calm repeated command seems to help with mine, i.e."Stay here, we'll be back" - so they understand that this is what needs to happen, and that this is what you want them to do...

My dog will play/run zoomies to the point where he is limping the next day, so I know what you mean. Sometimes we have to be the Brains in the partnership!


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## middleofnowhere (Dec 20, 2000)

Koda'sMom said:


> I'm by no means talking about death! She still has at least a few good years in her. I'm talking more about limiting activity and exercise for her own good vs letting her decide and possibly get hurt. Even in her youth I had to decide when to stop an activity because she will literally go until she drops. Learned that when she passed out playing fetch. She is not good at taking breaks and resting.


I find a work around - something that still gives the dog joy. For instance, one dog was nuts about my mare. When trail rides needed to be shorter, she went the shorter distances and waited for our return. Then when she couldn't do that, I drove her to the outdoor arena, tacked up, rode the horse down and worked in that arena. The dog loved it. She was tied to keep her from trying to go around the arena with us. It's just like when they are young and you know to put them up when they still have "go" in the tank. 

While I always wish they had longer lives, that their ability lasted longer (hey I want the same thing for myself...), I look at the dog and remember - I remember the funny stories, I remember the games, I remember the joy. I am glad they are still around to remind me of those times as well as share these times with me.


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## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

1.5 - 2 miles is a great walk for a 12 year old dog. Is there anyone else who can do something with Koda while you continue with the younger dog or the other way around?


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## Koda'sMom (Feb 13, 2013)

GSDchoice said:


> Oh that is a tough one!
> Being left behind for a walk, has gotta be one of the top doggy sorrows!
> 
> I'm a "softy" owner but I'd consider a bribe (like a chewy or small kibble find) to make up for waiting at home alone while you walk more with the pup.
> ...


I've already turned into a softy lol I've always been strict on limiting people food and treats but since she turned 10 I'm more lax. She always shares my fries and I share most of what I eat (as long as it's dog safe) with her now. Also she gets to sleep on the bed with me more and since the puppy gets a cookie at bedtime so does she. We go for drives in the pasture just so she sit with her chin on the open window and smell all the smells.


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## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

Ha! 
My senior guy does the same thing when riding in the car...rests his head on the doorframe with his nose sticking out! We thought it was a unique thing. 

Anyway I hope he'll be doing 2 mile walks at 12 (he's 10-11 now)!


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## Dunkirk (May 7, 2015)

I see someone in my neighbourhood walking her 2 dogs most days, in the last few months one is now pushed in a stroller/baby buggy. Could that be an option for you?


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## davewis (Jan 7, 2020)

Koda'sMom said:


> I've already turned into a softy lol I've always been strict on limiting people food and treats but since she turned 10 I'm more lax. She always shares my fries and I share most of what I eat (as long as it's dog safe) with her now. Also she gets to sleep on the bed with me more and since the puppy gets a cookie at bedtime so does she. We go for drives in the pasture just so she sit with her chin on the open window and smell all the smells.
> View attachment 571431


That is a heartwarming picture. I can imagine all the hours Koda spent in the truck while you ran errands. Now you probably slow down, take the long way around, or even make a couple of unnecessary trips so she can enjoy what she can still do.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

My old girl love to ride in the truck with me everywhere no matter how short, to put her chin on the windowsill just like that. I always made a point to bring her even if it was a hassle. It made her happy.

My girl was a service dog, worked her whole life, and was very athletic. She did not care for retirement! We took up Rally obedience in her old age as a hobby. It relaly brought her back to life because I would groom her and shine her up before competition and she felt like she was going to "work" again. They have a veterans class that has limited exercises, no jumps etc, and she continued to compete in vets until she was 12 years old.

We also did AKC trick dog stuff which she LOVED, and a lot of tricks are mental but not really that physical to execute. I turned all her old service dog tasks into tricks which also helped her feel like she was still working.

I even found a group on FB that was for keeping senior dogs active and it had all these exercises to do with them...I wish I could remember the name.

I took her swimming a lot. After the vestibular she had to wear a life jacket because her equilibrium was gone, but she still swam with her tilted head and loved every second of it! 

We also alternated taking her for short walks some days and then I would either walk the boys again later for their "real" walk, or just everyone got a super short walk on her day and they I'd double the boys' walk the next day.

I don't think she would have lasted as long as she did had she not had some purpose...something to look forward to. She was a true working dog and she had no desire to lay around on the couch. Even something as simple as asking her to walk me to the kennel (just up my driveway), so she got to go out the door with me and think she was needed. 

You can now do AKC tricks and rally and even obedience with virtual submissions. Things like that at novice level are not physically demanding on the dog at all but it's something you can do together to make the senior feel like she's doing something special. Then when you tell her she has to stay home for the longer walks it's tolerable. There's tons of fun stuff to do with seniors and they enjoy it so much!


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

I'm facing this myself. But I've had to walk my two dog differently all along. My big-boy with his longer coat, feels the humidity much quicker than my smaller shorter coated gal-dog. Even when my boy was only 2 years old, if humidity was high and temps were in the high 60s, we could only go so far before he started to show signs of fatigue. So my dogs are used to having turns. Thankfully neither really knows how far the other has gone. 
Interestingly when my hubby works from home my big-boy goes under his desk at walking time. It is like he is telling me that he wants me to not forget to invite his best human buddy along. So I walk my gal-dog first and then take him for a walk after. Sadly, this summer, it won't work as well. He really needs the cooler earlier hours. 
When my husband is at the office my big-boy will gladly take his walk first.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

As mentioned water is a great way to exercise take all the stress off the joints. You have great suggestions and finding the new limits and ways to make it all work.


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## bchevs (Oct 15, 2020)

I used to have to do the same with my old retriever, she always looked so sad when I dropped her off. Sometimes I would give her a kong to keep her busy and that always made her happier. I would also walk them separately quite often, give Cara her slow sauntering walk sniffing through the neighbourhood while Whisk got a faster paced walk and a run in the fields. Usually when I got home Cara would be snoring away, so she couldn't have been too stressed out!! I felt like it was good for them to be able to do things independently too and realize that it's ok to be left behind. 

We have had to modify a lot of Whiskey's activities since he hurt his leg. We were told no more high impact activities but this dog lives to play fetch etc. He's only six so I decided I'm still going to let him be a dog and enjoy the things he loves, even if it's a bit of a risk for him now. So he gets put into a sit/stay, I throw his toy and then he's allowed to go get it once it lands. No more jumping in the air for it or hard running stops, but he still loves it. We also do a lot more tugging and scent games and when the water is clean around here I try to take him swimming. He's still allowed to play with certain dog friends as well, always supervised and if it gets too rough I tell them to cool it. 

It's definitely hard to see them slow down, but in the end they're usually happy just to be spending one-on-one time with us, even if they can't do as much as they did. As long as I'm directly engaging with him he's pretty happy no matter what activity we do.


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## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

Oh yes one other thing I did with my retiree... her whole working life she had to be so professional and pay attention. One of the great joys of her old age was going to Petco and Tractor Supply and I would actually just slack the leash and follow her around the store and let her sniff EVeRYTHInG till she had her fill. Then pick out cookies from the snack bar. This was especially fun because she never had the luxury of sniffing a store floor as a working dog.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

I cut my girl back last year when she was so tired on a walk she could barely get home again. It wasn’t anything strenuous, just a mile. She was a big hiker a few years ago. She still plays at home and I take her places where she won’t over exert, because she won’t stop. She recently started limping and looked like she was in pain, but it must have been an injury and it went away. She has always been very active, but doesn’t seem to mind doing less. She still runs around my yard and that doesn’t seem to bother her, but I closely monitor play between dogs.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

My super dog (Whippet) has always ignored his pain but at the end his arthritis became so painful that one day he screamed at the idea of me petting him. But I am sure he would have chased a ball. That scream was the sign of helping him pass.


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## CEMC (May 2, 2020)

I have learned that dogs (animals in general) know when they have had enough of anything be it food, exercise or even life itself. I have tried to fight Mother Nature a few times and always lost. Animals are instinctively much more aware of what is going on in their bodies than we are. Listen to your dog and follow her (his) instincts. There is no way to stop the inevitable for any of us in this world and all the best we can do for our loved ones is try to give them very best quality of life we can until the end.


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