Things to Consider
1. During an upland hunt your dog runs 4 to 5 times farther than you walk.
2. Thus, they burn up many more calories than they do around the house or in the yard or kennel. This applies to during training as well.
3. Extreme weather conditions, cold, wet or heat and dryness can be a critical factor.
4. Energy burned needs to be replenished.
5. A supplement containing a good amount of glucosamine and Chondroitin should be given daily during the hunting season.
6. See our HUNT DOG HUNT product.
Feeding Suggestions
1. The first thing to consider is that your dog should be on a high protein to fat ratio performance food. 30% protein to 17-20% fat is good.
2. Do not feed the dog the morning of the hunt. If you are on a morning-evening routine, keep the morning feeding to a bare minimum amount of kibble and feed very early in relation to the day’s hunt start time. You don’t want them running on a full stomach.
3. The feeding the evening before the hunt should be a generous helping of food. Also for after the day’s hunt is over. Give him at least 20% more food than his normal evening feeding. Add a good amount of water, making it “slurpy”, to keep his hydration level high. Warm water makes a nice gravy. You may want to add some canned food to entice him/her to eat well.
4. Do not feed during the day of the hunt. This can cause torsion or bloat, a very serious condition. A high protein energy treat at noon is okay but keep the size to a minimum.
Conclusion
A really good meal the night before a hunt, no or a few kibbles on the morning of the hunt, a small energy snack at noon and a robust meal focusing on hydration after the hunt will help your dog provide you with that great performance in the field!
See you again next month.
CJ & Shawnee