Ladies: how old is too old for SchH? - Page 1

First, let me say that I'll be turning 56 when my new puppy is old enough for a leash. That means I'll be pushing 70 when she dies, god willin' and the crops don't die, and a German shepherd is a pretty strong creature

The problem is that I'm already feeling age creeping on...if it ain't one thing, it's another. My strength is diminishing and I get a lot of irritating owies and illnesses. The result is that I miss half of my training days, and it's discouraging. My dog should have had her title 2 years ago when she was young too...but health issues for both of us prevented that.

So the question is...and yes, I know I can still do obedience...how old is too old for SchH or PSA? Maybe I should switch to something like an ACD....sort of a sawed-off GSD. Anybody willing to share experiences? I feel pretty discouraged and could use either a reality check or a slap upside the head, please. 

I know a gal in her 70s with a VERY strong male schH3 working line GSD she purchased from Germany when he was around 3 years old.  He is one of the finest and strongest dogs I have ever seen, anyone would give anything to own a dog like him, but he is definitely a ton of work to train with.  She competes with him and will be competing at regionals soon, hopefully will also go to nationals with him.   She isn't a big gal either, on the shorter side too.  I have seen her fall and she gets right back up.  Of course there are strength issues so she has to train smarter.  She uses an ecollar and she has a coach.  She is an inspiration and is the embodiment of "where there is a will there is a way".  She and that dog have an excellent bond too.  Of course, this isn't her first time at the rodeo either, she has competed on the international schH stage a few times too.

Come on....tuffin up'........I'm 45....you're NEVER too old for dog sports!!
Seriously;.....do what makes you feel happy!...be comfortable....do whatever you feel "physically capable" of doing with your dogs.  There is no "time line" in being a team with your dog...whatever you choose to do.
Best wishes,
Robin

Don't get put off by a few aches and pains, you can work through them if your drive to do Schutzhund is high enough.  I'm older than you with a back injury and i just keep plugging away and enjoying it, even though I ache afterwards.  On the other hand, I will ask for help at some stages if I am finding it hard to manage the dog at an early part of an exercise because I am too slow or I hurt myself halfway through an exercise and there are supportive people at my club who will hold the dog for early stage bitework now and then, that can help you carry on, sometimes the pulling can get a bit much.   I happen to like the journey more than the destination so if it takes me a bit longer to get there, I can live with that and I have managed to qualify 3 Sch H 1 and a Sch H 2 plus a couple of BH tests.  Luckily, my dogs have more talent than I do

Margaret N-J

Helmut Raiser is pushing 60, IIRC, yet in 2008, he took top place in a very prestigious invitation-only tournament in the United States (The Master's Schutzhund Tournament).

I know he's a dentist by profession, so his dogs are a hobby, which means he wouldn't have the same level of fitness as someone who raised dogs as a full time business.

Edit:: and, of course, he's a GUY! 

One of my friends has a DVD she purchased from Leerburg on Building Drive and Focus. I beleive the seminar was given by Bernhard Flinks. I was absolutely astounded when I saw how overweight and out of shape a large number of the participants were (there were several very tubby ladies as well as many overweight guys.) Yet, it was obvious these people either intended to do schutzhund with their dogs, or were already doing it. 

Mind you, you don't see many overweight competitors at the top levels of the sport. Anyone who is REALLY serious needs to get themselves in shape.

And on that note, I'm going to get off this damn computer, and go work my dogs... 

I hope when I am in a nursing home, I will still be training a dog for SchH and trialing, even if I have to go to the trial field by ambulance. Where there is a will there is a way :)   Oh and there is life with good drugs on board too :)

Always,
Cee

I also have many "owies".  I do what I can when I can.   Haven't given up yet! 

Kaffirdog, may I ask what kind of back injury? the reason I am asking is I am feeling the same way VomMarischal  is feeling right now. I recently crushed a disk in my back and cracked a vertebrae The pain was unreal for sometime, to the point they put me on anti nausea pills, for days I was throwing up because of the pain. They also give me some pretty strong drugs (oxicotton), and told me I would be on them a few months. I have seen to many people addicted to the stuff so I asked for weaker stuff and would switch between cutting them in 3rd to halves and sometimes a whole one, then aspirin, booze, just not always the drugs. I was terrified of the stuff. Anyway, with that kinda of pain and length of time, I am somewhat gun shy of doing anything that may strain my back. Depending on how I move or what the days activities are, I am worlds better. No Aspirin, booze or the flippen drugs. My current work dog is old and received a spine injury years back and had to stop. So I have been wondering when he goes to Rainbow bridge If I would be able to replace him and return to the field? Never had back issuses prior so I am not sure how this progresses, any out there have a clue? Kinda funny, but I keep thinking how the heck did they do this when your only transportation was a horse, and they injuried the back, just boggles my mind.

Hey Marishal,
only you can answer that question because you know your body. We all have aches and pains as we grow older, some more, some less.
But in general, it should not depend on your age if you want to take on a new puppy or not. I always tell my husband to pop a Tylenol 3 or a Percoset if his back acts up, lol. I took horseback riding back up again in my mid-forties and I can tell you, it is not fun when you fall off.
Seriously, in one of the recent SV magazins was a feature of a handicapped man doing Schutzhund with his two females. He was suffering from dysmelia due to the medication Contagan (I do not know if you guys are familiar with that, but in the early 60s in Germany, a lot of babies were born with missing or deformed limbs due to a medication which theirr mothers took while pregnant). Anyway, he had no arms. So, he did everything with his feet and was walking barfoot year round. I was so stunned when I saw photos of him handling these two females and trialing. This gave me some perspective that even though we all have aches and pains, live is still good and doable!
Regards, Chris

In North America, the medication was Thalidomide.

And yes, it's pretty amazing what handicapped people can do!