I hunted her last year sparingly. She went on the first two hunts with the pup. But he'd point 40-50 yards from the birds and she'd go by him cause although she smelled the birds, she always pointed closer. He broke a point as she went by and I thought I retired her. Those early hunts were short, 2-3 hours.
Later, when the pup was solid but wouldn't retrieve, she came out of retirement. After a few retrieves, pup started retrieving. Cleo got retired again.
December 29, 2009 I took my first full double limit, one in Nevada and one in Kali. Cleo was there that day for some reason. Not really sure why I took her. Snow covered everything and the fog had set in, low visibility. Couldn't see 150 yards all day. 8 hour day from the time I got off of my quad in Nv til I got back on it in Kali. She hunted close the last 3-4 hours but she hunted, and found birds.
We got em early in NV then a short ride to Kali. On the way off of the hill in Kali I got a point and an honor but couldn't get both dogs in the same photo.
Last weekend of the Nevada season (3 weeks before her 14th birthday) I took her out again. My goal was a photo of her point with him honoring. Closest I came was the pup pointing and she flash pointed then creeped by him and before she stopped the birds flushed. DARN!
I would give her glucosomine/MSN and Ester C AM and PM the day before I hunted her, the morning of and then right after.
The year before (she was 12) I did the same thing and never hunted her two days in a row. At 11 she had slowed down but once the weather got cool, I could hunt her on back to back days.
I really started taking care of her when she was 10. Glucosomine/MSN most of the season and for sure the day before, morning of a hunt, right after we got done and the next day. I believe in Ester-C too. And a lot of elk, bottom round steaks. Both right before a hunt and right after.
I "roaded" her when she was young. The last 10 years I've hiked for an hour, 4+ times a week up the hill behind my house. I use a weighted backpack for me to get in shape for elk season but I think she also benefitted. And she'd trail along when I was getting my horses in shape. At about 12 she couldn't do both. If i hiked her, she'd stay home when I rode. But this was usually in 80-90 degree weather. I feel the year round conditioning helped her in the long run. A hunting partner had a littermate of Cleo's. That dog was in his backyard except for hunting season. She died 4-5 years ago.
I let Cleo inside everynight for the last five years and lately she pees on my kithen floor once/twice a week. She either just can't hold it all night or it's too cold for her to go outside. Hard to do much other than mop it up before work. I owe her that much.
Most of her early years I concentrated on waterfowl more than upland and she stayed home. That said, I took at least 1,000 birds over her. Best year was 135 chukar and 68 quail.
Pup will be 2 Saturday. He's had 211 chukar and 48 quail taken over him, by me. I don't count birds over my dog that someone else takes.
I guess my answer to your question is if you're willing to slow down when it's hot, and forget the back to back hunts, the dog will be good unitl 10-12 years old, IMO.
Sorry to ramble on so long since I probably could have answered your question in 2 sentences but I could talk about dogs, especially mine, for hours.