Old dog, neat tricks

Don’t write off mature dogs — their slower, thorough approach to finding retrieves can make them invaluable, says Ellena Swift

- Ellena Swift

A team of dogs usually comprises varying age and ability levels. It is common to have at least one youngster that is in training and learning its trade from older members. The middle-aged dogs are generally the main workers that are old enough to know their job and young enough to carry out most of the work. They hold the most attention and admiration, often closely followed by the exciting up-and-coming prospects.

Sometimes overlooked are the older, semi-retired dogs. They tend to potter around, rather unassuming, quieter, less dramatic and perhaps not inclined to hunt as far, hard or find as many birds as their younger counterparts. These older dogs may be slower, struggle with hearing and even their sight.

However, with age, experience and less physical ability tends to come wisdom, understanding and invaluable knowledge. So perhaps these dogs, despite being old, do not need to learn any new tricks.

My brother is a gamekeeper and, like most, has at least three dogs in his kennels at any one time. When running the line he needs to be able to concentrate on his job for a great deal of it and not his dogs. This means they need to remain with him and be focused at all times.

Sadly, one of his dogs, Potta, as became a little bit of a liability for him as she got older. Her hearing deserted her, meaning that she often got lost from him. So when she was 12, despite being physically fit, he retired her. She remained at home on shoot days. But it became apparent that she was massively unhappy being left and did not want to retire. So I offered her a place in my team.

Loyalty