Feeding Before Working ?

[DevonHunter 0]

Oh right, i dont know much about dogs so you know

[blacklab 0]

I feed mine their normal food the night before, then depends on how much work they do in the day, if they get extra food that night. I feed all mine on green tripe, chicken carcase's, meaty bones etc ( barf), It keeps them going all day with plenty of stamina for (picking up )

 

Lee

[neil cooney 10,416]

IMO to feed dogs before or during work makes no sence whatsoever.

A dogs digestive system breaks down food much slower than ours. So to excpect a dog to work with food in it's stomach is silly.

In a days hunting a pack of hounds might cover many many miles. Does the hunts man stop half way and give them a snack? How many of us give our dogs this much work?

Also IMO a hunting dog wether it's a gundog, terrier, hound or lurcher hunts because of it's primative natural instinct to catch prey to feed itself.

It's this same instinct we use to make our dogs work for us. Does it make sence to excpect this same prey drive when the dog's stomach is partly full.

It would be better for most of us to get our dogs to a level of fitness were they can handle the amount of work we expect of them.

JMHO.

[Gaoler 83]

Hello All,

 

Thanks for all your replies.

 

I agree with the last post in that our dogs should be fit, and all your post's have given me some food for thought !!. My Lab is extremely lean &fit and she works hard when asked.

 

Is there anything you can give a dog safely half way through the day if she requires an energy boost ?

 

Thanks again

John...

[neil cooney 10,416]

I've seen bars of chocolate given during a days beating but I don't know enough to comment.

Personally I use Lectade or Liquid life aid if a dog has had a grueller. It's a liquid used for calves with scour. It replaces lost salts and minerals in the body brought on by de-hydration. The trick is to get it into the first water your dog drinks after work stops, especially in warm weather.

Doesn't give them a boost to keep them going but does help keep them right for the next days work.

[pot shot 0]

Hello All,

 

Thanks for all your replies.

 

I agree with the last post in that our dogs should be fit, and all your post's have given me some food for thought !!. My Lab is extremely lean &fit and she works hard when asked.

 

Is there anything you can give a dog safely half way through the day if she requires an energy boost ?

 

Thanks again

John...

Great news everyone!! there is something out there specialy made for working dogs , it was origianaly made for sleigh dogs but is also marketed towards gun dogs it comes in bars of 400g size sectioned in to 8 squares, a max of 2 squares throughout the day is recommended, i cut the squares up into 4 or 6 peices and give the dogs a small piece each before each drive, it costs £3.95 a bar + £5.95 delivery, (i have got orders from people on the shoot and placed a large order to share cost of P&P) each bar has approx 6000cals, i have been using it for the last 2 seasons and it helps dogs to maintain their weight through the season. i have also used it for my bitch when she was pupping to boost her energy level. its called pemmikan and is available from www.activepetfeeds.co.uk

last season a fellow picker ups dog collapsed and fitted on the last drive from low glucose level and we gave it lucozade and some pemmikan and it was fine after (the season before one of the beaters lost their dog from the same) hope this is of help to you all it really is worth the money.

Edited October 5, 2008 by pot shot

[druimmuir 1]

I second what potshot has said I use the pemmikan bars and they do exactly what they say on the label and give the dogs a safe boost when needed thumbs up from me I give mine half way through the day as at the moment we are on partridge drives and there is a fair bot of sweeping done after the drives in quite thick cover of bracken and heather so takes it's toll on the dogs.

 

Nicola