Calling it quits

Knowing exactly when it is right to call time on a canine companion's working career is one of the most difficult decisions a gundog owner will ever face

- David Tomlinson

FEW professional sportsmen are able to retire at the top of their game.

Most can't resist the prospect of one last match or one more round before hanging up their boots, racket or clubs. It's the same with sporting dogs, although it is usually the dog's owner rather than the dog itself that gets the timing of when to call it a day wrong. Now as the days start to shorten and shoot dates become imminent there will be many owners who genuinely believe that their old dog is good for one more season. Sadly, many will be disappointed, for a dog's sporting life is depressingly short.

A study undertaken by John Houlton published in Vet Record in 2020 showed that the majority of gundogs stop working at the age of 10, albeit good numbers go on to 11 and some to 12. He found that fewer than 2% were still working at the age of 13. The survey was based on 665 dogs of more than 20 breeds, working in a variety of disciplines. Labradors and English springer spaniels were the most numerous breeds featured in the survey, and picking up and beating were the most frequent types of work.