Retirement is usually a process, not one birthday
There is no universal retirement age. Health, recovery, enthusiasm, task demands, environment, and individual temperament matter. A dog may reduce certain physically demanding tasks before ending all work, or may stop public work while still helping at home.
Veterinary input is important when pain, vision, hearing, stamina, or chronic disease may be affecting performance.
Notice when the job is becoming harder
Possible signals include slower recovery, reluctance to put on gear, hesitation in environments that used to be comfortable, difficulty performing a physical task, new reactivity, or fatigue that persists after ordinary work. These signs have many possible causes, so they deserve assessment rather than assumptions.
A dog should not have to fail dramatically in public before the team changes the workload.
Plan the handler’s support separately
If the handler relies on the dog for essential tasks, identify alternatives before retirement. That might include assistive technology, human support, environmental changes, modified routines, or a successor service dog. The right mix is personal.
Overlap with a successor dog can create training and household-management questions, so plan space, rest, resources, and one-on-one time for both dogs.
Give the retired dog a new routine
Some dogs enjoy a clear off-duty life immediately; others need time to adjust. Maintain predictable meals, walks, enrichment, social contact, and comfortable rest. If physically appropriate, simple games and familiar cues can give the dog structure without recreating a full workday.
Do not interpret retirement as a reason to remove all activity. The goal is a life that suits the dog’s current body and temperament.
Make practical decisions early
Think about where the retired dog will live, who will pay veterinary expenses, how travel will work, and what happens if the handler cannot keep both a retired and successor dog. These conversations are easier before there is a crisis.
Retirement is part of responsible service-dog planning, not an afterthought.