# Aging in Poodles



## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

My spoo, Mia, will be six years old at the end of June. We've always been very active together, engaging in dog sports and on- and off-leash play. Her Vet is always impressed that her heart rate remains below 60 bpm, and our trainers say that she acts more like a 2 yo.

I recently cut back on her exercise, a combination of my schedule and the summer heat, and I'm beginning to think this is actually better for her. Our new schedule includes a short on-leash run with me in the morning - less than 2 miles - with some stops for sniffing. In the afternoon she lazes on the patio, enjoying the breeze, and, I think, the sounds and smells of the day. In the evening we may play a bit together or do a little Rally or Tricks training. On other days, my husband takes her for another short but energetic walk.

When we do hike with her off-lead, she's still a mile a minute - scenting deer, chasing squirrels, jumping into lakes and rivers. But our hikes are shorter, 2 or 3 miles at the most, and often only one mile, down from the two hours plus at our heyday, when she was 2-4 yo.

Mia's my first dog, and I just want to make sure I'm giving her the right amount of exercise and stimulation. Mostly I'm surprised how quickly time has passed. She's not quite a senior, yet, but she's getting there, while I still think of her as my perfect puppy. I wonder if I missed some signs of her aging. Then again, maybe it's just the heat that's slowing her down.

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have, or have had, older spoos about the signs of aging, how they slowed down, and other thoughts about watching your dog grow old without you.

Thanks in advance.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

I find my girls settle down quite a bit after 5 yrs old, but still love the play. They do not and never have gone for walks but do zoomies in the house,


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Thanks, Glory. This doesn't seem to be a popular topic, on the forums or elsewhere. I guess it's hard on all of us to see our pups surpass us in age. Still, it surprises me that there's so much info available on the proper amount of exercise and stimulation for puppies and young dogs, and so little info on signs that you need to slow down as your dog ages.


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

I think Spoos are a funny breed. They seem to go with the flow. Hot days we go nowhere... chill in the house for the day. Tonka's cool with that. But he always has been, really... since he was five. 

Now, at eleven, I don't see much change. He did get knocked down three times last summer at the park. This year he notably stays away from the general mob, definitely won't run with them any more. A big change there! But from age??? 'Cos last spring he was still running with them... at 10. 

Every morning we walk up a half-flight of stairs to go for our morning walk. His progress up those stairs ahead of me is something I monitor. Does he leap up them??? Plod??? 

And then, thinking of two old guys going up the stairs, I monitor myself too. Am I in a leap mode or a plod mode. Hmmmmmm....


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Lily will be eight in early September. So far I don't think she act at all like a senior and we haven't really reduced our activity levels. She has always maintained a very consistent weight and we did "well senior dog" blood work for the first time this year and everything was totally normal. the major changes I see in her are in her knowledge, focus, decision making and confidence as we continue actively pursuing a number of different performance sports. I generally do not think of her as old, nor does anyone who knows her.


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## kayla_baxter (Jul 17, 2015)

I would imagine a spoo would take longer to show their age. Heck, my Dane is 6 now and he's actually in the best shape of his life and has the most drive that I've ever seen in him. 


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## bigpoodleperson (Jul 14, 2009)

My last spoo completely wrecked his knee at 7yo, got addisons a month later, and died at 9.5yo. His knee was bum for the rest of his life and that really affected us and our activity. I didn't really have a chance to watch him grow old slowly, so I can't comment too much on this.

My dog Draco is 4yo now, and is settling nicely. He will still play ball forever, and go for hikes as long as we want. We just got a puppy, and I expect Draco to keep up with us for a long time. 

I feel that keeping them active is helpful as they get older. Keeps on muscle mass, keeps them more trim/slim, mentally is good for them, and keeps their joints moving. We will keep going as long as Draco does and monitor him as he gets older.


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

I remember taking Rita (spoo) to the beach at age 14, and she ran a quarter mile in front of us as we walked, then turned around, zoomed past us and ran a quarter mile back before turning around and zooming past again. She did this for our entire hour walk. She played for hours every day with a litter of Scottie puppies at age 16. A friend of mine who was very knowledgeable in dogs was watching them play and couldn't believe she was that age. She said she didn't believe Rita was more than 10! She was a very very active pup and didn't settle at all until she was 5. I don't think we ever gave her nearly enough exercise...I don't remember ever seeing her tired until after her stroke at age 17.


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## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

How lucky to have a dog until 17. If I remember correctly we had a toy poodle who was 17 when I was growing up. In the last 25 years none of mine have made it past 11, no matter the breed. I was a bit taken back two years ago when visiting the vet, he told me in general they consider dogs senior after 6 or 7. That gives clarity to enjoying every moment, the good and not so good....like eating a tube of red lipstick and rubbing it all over the new carpet or eating a new pair of prescription sunglasses.


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## Tiny Poodles (Jun 20, 2013)

West U said:


> How lucky to have a dog until 17. If I remember correctly we had a toy poodle who was 17 when I was growing up. In the last 25 years none of mine have made it past 11, no matter the breed. I was a bit taken back two years ago when visiting the vet, he told me in general they consider dogs senior after 6 or 7. That gives clarity to enjoying every moment, the good and not so good....like eating a tube of red lipstick and rubbing it all over the new carpet or eating a new pair of prescription sunglasses.



Size has a lot to do with it. I would say that 14 year old Teaka just starting showing some slight minor signs of aging in the past year or so. Senior at 6-7? Maybe for a Giant. Breed...


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## sidewinder (Feb 3, 2016)

Our Rita had a stroke when she was 17, but lived almost another year, just slowly fading away. Finally, she was sleeping most of the time, and just not "with us" anymore, and we made the decision to put her to sleep. She was 18 when she died. Until she was about 16, she was incredibly active and athletic. I started noticing some arthritic symptoms about then, and a year later the stroke. She had a long happy life. I hope our new pup (coming next week) will be as happy and healthy!


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## Theo'sMom (Mar 23, 2011)

I'm curious about declining energy too. I can tell my 5 year old needs less rigorous exercise than he used to, but he still is pretty active. My 4 year old always needed less than my 5 year old to begin with and she always goes to bed at 8 pm. However, my 5 year old, despite his greater than average energy, wilts when it's over 70 degrees outside.
I'm concerned about hiking too much this summer. I'll have to see how they do and adjust accordingly. These are my first dogs too.


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## glorybeecosta (Nov 11, 2014)

Tiny Poodles said:


> Size has a lot to do with it. I would say that 14 year old Teaka just starting showing some slight minor signs of aging in the past year or so. Senior at 6-7? Maybe for a Giant. Breed...


I would agree the size makes a difference, I had one tiny toy Tina that lived to be 19.5 never wet in the house in her old age, the last 3 years she just ate and slept, cuddled and potted. Till the day she was gone she still would come to the door to meet me when I got home. 5 lived to be over 15 and than my Shotsie I had to put down due to a neighbor she was only 12


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Thanks, everyone, for chiming in. It's lovely to hear the long lives many of you have enjoyed with your dogs. My childhood spoo died at 5.5 years from bloat, and many of the older dogs I've gotten to know led such low quality lives, with poor nutrition and little enrichment, that it's hard for me to gauge what's appropriate and expected as they age.

I know you can over-do it with a puppy, especially on-leash walks which can lead to repetitive motion injuries and joint issues. I just don't want to run the same risks as Mia ages.

For the past 4 years or so, it seemed impossible to give Mia too much. Certainly I tired before she did. The only thing that really slowed her down was heat, so in the summer we shifted more to swimming and water-retrieving.

Around 2 or 3 yo, she seemed to mentally mature. She was much more keen to work with me in agility and other sports - less distractible, more focused. She seemed to be at peak form.

So now, at 6 yo, is the first time I've seen her shift down a gear. It isn't that her top speed has changed, so to speak, it's more that she requires more down time. Some of it is probably the heat, but I suspect this is what middle age looks like in dogs. Indeed, many of the older dogs I know who lead happy lives full of enrichment and proper nutrition, are spry and energetic even after 10 yo. What they are like at home, I have no idea. Perhaps as lazy and idle as Mia has become.


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