If the hunter knows how to relate with simplicity to the young and mature hunting dog, what are the attentions he should have towards the elderly dog? Few yet important, especially if you want this, while no longer agile, to still share hunting experiences with the owner.
It happens to all dogs sooner or later to age, just like the owners. Yet when the aging dog is a loyal hound, which you do not want to give up taking with you during the hunt, it is obvious that the hunter must have some particular regard for him. In fact, the dog, during the slow process of aging, undergoes particular physical modifications, which we will deal with elsewhere, but above all behavioral changes in the hunting field.
The hunter-owner only has to know these changes fully so that he can enjoy the company of his old dog for a long time even during the hunting activity. It is easy to imagine that, with the first signs of old age, it will begin to present evident physical limits: speed of work, vigor in walking will be limitations that the hunter owner of an elderly dog will have to get used to. The progress through woods and thickets of vegetation, but above all the heavy climbs will see him trudging along, yet your friend will not seem less happy to follow you. It is up to you to slow down the pace.
The only strength that does not diminish in the old hunting dog is the passion for hunting, that predatory attitude that will move him and give him joy as long as he has a minimum of strength.
The intelligent owner will show understanding towards the dog that will come second to the pheasant forever, supporting him with a young and capable dog that will do the "heavy" work. This on the other hand, although stronger, agile and agile, a young copy of our old hound, will be lacking in experience and sagacity to be acquired in the field. It is likely that the four-legged friend by now no longer agile and strong can still teach something in the art of finding the surprise animal and teach the inexperienced hound not to be deceived by the wild. In short, pass the baton, the inheritance.
The attentive hunter owner must however remember that the elderly dog has considerably reduced its range of action and its psychic effectiveness, and a natural decrease in hearing and sight must be taken into account, which can often deceive even the dog. more experienced. That's why you will have to get used to calling him a little more frequently and perhaps using a higher tone of voice than normal, without, this is obvious, getting impatient because no matter how old our four-legged friend may be, he still perfectly manages to interpret the feelings of the owner.
Among the changing needs there is also that of drinking more frequently; it is therefore advisable to take it with us only in those lands where water can be found with a certain ease, or during the temperate season. Too cold and too hot are absolutely to be avoided, hunting would no longer be a pleasure but a source of exponentially increased ailments and ailments.
It is also good to allow more than one day of rest between one hunting trip and the next. The older dog recovers much slower than a younger dog.
By following these small attentions, the hunter will be able to enjoy the company of his elderly hunting dog for a long time, which perhaps will no longer be a five-star hound but rather a friend with whom to share the new adventures that will arise.