How best to fuel your working dog - feeding through the winter months

Dogs working several days a week, whether beating or picking up, could be covering many miles of ground each week and their bodies will be starting to show the results. Hopefully they will be looking like lean, mean machines with clear muscle definition and a working attitude to match. But the weather now can be colder and wetter and working gundogs might benefit from some changes to their nutrition intake to keep them going strong and in top-notch condition. After all we all want the answer to the age-old question, how much should I feed my dog?

When it’s cold and wet, your gun dog will use a huge amount of energy simply to keep warm so they’ll need a good working dog food to support the activity. Water work, in particular, has its own set of challenges and will increase even further your dog’s energy consumption.

 

 

A good start is to feed a highly digestible, high energy food and the fat content as a key ingredient is important. Fat not only provides a preferred source of energy, but stored fat can also be a great insulator against the cold. This is not to say that your working dog should be carrying excess weight in the form of fat, but rather that a ‘good covering’ is certainly one way to help combat the effects of cold and wet.

 

Skinner’s Field & Trial Superior is a great example of an energy dense feed (30% protein and 20% fat) that can help maintain condition and performance for the hardest working dogs. It can also be a useful step-up as the season proceeds from something like Skinner’s Field & Trial Muesli Mix, Working 23 or Crunchy. 

A long, hard shoot day can place huge demands on your gun dog’s conditioning and fitness capabilities, especially at the start of the season. Some breeds and even some

personality types will run themselves to the point of exhaustion. Some are unfortunate enough to carry a genetic variant that means they cannot easily regulate their energy output. All these scenarios can lead to what is called ‘hunting dog hypoglycaemia’ – low blood sugar levels in the blood.

We talk a lot about what to feed a gundog and there is some neat science about the benefits of, alongside a diet of good working dog food, providing a digestible snack during an intense work session to maintain performance and to avoid a drop off in energy levels or even hypoglycaemia. Some, of course, may say that these aren’t needed, that if your dog is fit, conditioned and well-fed snacks aren’t necessary. This might be true for many gundogs, but some may not be working regularly at the same energetic output and a busy shoot day will push their conditioning and fitness capabilities, especially at the start of the season.

 

This is where snacks can be useful as a way of refuelling your dog. Providing a small meal at the lunchtime break can help ensure your dog has enough to draw on for the afternoon. It will help maintain blood glucose levels, aid replenishment of muscle glycogen stores at the end of the day, and support their recovery the day after.

 

 

A handful of their normal food is ideal or you could consider using a more energy dense kibble such as Skinner’s Field & Trial Superior. Field & Trial Muesli Mix is also a great choice – soak a handful in some water (warm if you like), and allow it to soak for a couple of minutes before giving to your dog. Muesli Mix is coated in wheat glucose syrup, and so provides an accessible source of almost instant glucose energy. By mixing it with water you will be help ensure your dog is properly hydrated, while making the food taste even more delicious.

 

Skinner’s have been fuelling working dogs for 50 years and have carved a solid reputation with gamekeepers, breeders, trainers and numerous country sports enthusiasts. For more information on how your dog could benefit from Skinner’s Field & Trial simply visit their website www.skinners.co.uk or call their friendly nutritional team on 01379 384247.