Gun Dog Forum

What is the appropriate amount of time after feeding that a hunting dog should exercise? Since it has been hot this summer, I've been feeding my dog at 5 pm, then waiting until 8 pm to exercise him. Is that enough time? He has not displayed any negative effect that I can tell, but just wanted to get some opinions. The dog is a 12 m.o. GWP, in very good shape. The exercise he gets in the evening is my wife and I getting about 100-120 yards apart and then calling him back and forth, with time to catch his breath in between. He loves this game and RUNS full out the whole distance. We do this for maybe 5-8 reps, depending on his level of attention with the game. The terrain is nice grass, football/athletic field. I jog with him on gravel in the AM for pad and distance conditioning. Is all this appropriate? He seems to handle it better than I do....

Thanks
Al

It is better to wait till after exercise to feed

I don't feed during the 2 hour period before we go for training , nor the two hour period when we get back.

Too many horror stories of torsion etc from dogs that are running hard on a full stomach.

Rather be overly safe than sorry.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2221152_prevent-dog-bloat.html

I have found with my one GSP that if I exercise him even 3 hours after eating, he gets really runny stool. I have switched to feeding once a day and that is in the evening so I know all exercise is finished. He has it in his belly overnight to digest and then is ready to rock in the morning. No issues at all.


Bill

we have always fed at 5am and went out hunting or training about 3 to 5 hours later with no issues UNLESS its waterfowl and we go out and set up by 5am, we have just fed the dogs later in the evening before and they were fine with not feeding before a hunt early in the am, we have also fed VERY little snacks throughout the day when we rest but mainly watered them small amounts often, i think each dog and each situation is different..for example me taking my dogs out in june to train 3 hours after feeding here in canada or in michigan is not nearly as hot as say someone in Louisianna so temps, how hard the dog is being worked and for how long should be taken into consideration so i wouldnt generalize a rule for ALL dogs since theres lots of variables to consider, jmo.....ruth

Look up stomach torsion, activity after eating and drinking can cause this as well. I just had to put a female down that was only 7 years old. Activity BEFORE always!

Not only should you not feed before exercise , it is not necessary. Dogs perform at a much higher level and have more endurance on an empty stomach. Running after feeding can cause bloat and or torsion. These can kill your dog in a matter of minutes if not operated on.There is plenty of info on this online. If you run the dog at night And feed at night, wait at least until the dogs heart rate has gone back to rested. The 2 hour suggestion cant hurt. Sounds like your exercise is going good. It is hard to replicate what a dog will do in the field without a serious roading program. I have been free running my dog in the evening for an hour at the dog park wish I could do more myself.

GUNDOGS wrote:we have always fed at 5am and went out hunting or training about 3 to 5 hours later with no issues UNLESS its waterfowl and we go out and set up by 5am, we have just fed the dogs later in the evening before and they were fine with not feeding before a hunt early in the am, we have also fed VERY little snacks throughout the day when we rest but mainly watered them small amounts often, i think each dog and each situation is different..for example me taking my dogs out in june to train 3 hours after feeding here in canada or in michigan is not nearly as hot as say someone in Louisianna so temps, how hard the dog is being worked and for how long should be taken into consideration so i wouldnt generalize a rule for ALL dogs since theres lots of variables to consider, jmo.....ruth

You can generalize (in my opinion) physiology across most dog breeds.

let me give you info feed your dog once a day at night that would be about 12-16 hours prior to hunting.
This all comes from conditioning and feeding of sled dogs.
Remember that GSP's hold many records for sprinting sled dogs!! You have never been ski jouring before its a blast and keeps dogs in shape in dead of winter.

Here is why and its not just my opinion.

http://www.georgehickox.com/articles/co ... aining.pdf not George wrote it but it was given by Arliegh.
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/documents/ ... rmance.pdf
viewtopic.php?t=2191

One you dont want a dog to have anything in its digestive tract while running. Could cause small tears.
two dogs replenish there glycogen supply best about 15 minutes after exercising they are built that way remember they had to chase down there food then eat no reason to run after catching something. The dogs that could "replenish there stores" faster when chowing down had a better chance at survival in the long haul.
http://www.blackicedogsledding.com/page10.html

I feed once a day in the evening after exercising or working the dogs.

Northern C, Thanks for posting, good stuff. I always feed about 6:00pm. During extensive hunting periods, I will suppliment with something like Redpaw Perform Energy Recovery Treats a couple of times during the day and after the hunt...

Would you recommend glycogen supplements like those sold at LCS?

roaner wrote:Would you recommend glycogen supplements like those sold at LCS?

Probably not necessary for most hunting pets.....if your hunting multiple days in a row for hours then it surely can't hurt, it will help them recover a little faster.

I have a friend that is the editor of a fitness magazine and many training athletes are going back to fruit and grains after a workout, bananas & oats, instead of malto supplements.

mcbosco wrote:I have a friend that is the editor of a fitness magazine and many training athletes are going back to fruit and grains after a workout, bananas & oats, instead of malto supplements.

Yeah, high carb meals within an hour of training is best for replacing glycogen stores in the muscle. Protein within an hour also to rebuild and repair muscle that's been damaged. (For a person, anyway)

Bill

mcbosco wrote:I have a friend that is the editor of a fitness magazine and many training athletes are going back to fruit and grains after a workout, bananas & oats, instead of malto supplements.

Just curious as to what this has to do with the thread?

OK, I did a bunch of reading on Bloating and Stomach Torsion, and am now PARANOID about my dog getting either one of these, even though I exercise him before feeding in the AM, and now the same in PM. I feed Diamond Puppy formula, since my dog is just now 12 months old. When this is gone, I will switch to the DIamond Hunting Dog performance formula, probably start blending them any day now.

A trainer once told me to soak the dog's food in water for the couple meals prior to the day of hunting (for hydration I guessed?), and not to feed PRIOR to hunting. Diamond kibble is so small and so dense, I don't think it soaks up much water. Is there any danger in soaking the food in some water before feeding it? Could that cause bloating, or is that suppsoed to alleviate the danger of bloating?????

Any other tips or advice on using water with dry kibble, feeding, bloating, torsion, etc?

Thanks!

Don't know of any problem doing it but there sure isn't any avantage and I like to feed a hard dry pellet if I can. Just do what you can do and stop worrying about something you can't control beyond that.

Ezzy

The biggest thing is if the dog eats and then drinks a TON of water before, that's when torsion comes into play. Like I said I put a female of mine a while back down because of torsion, first time I had heard of this. I kinda had the same routine and she was 7 years old when this happened. It's not a problem soaking it in water, just don't use a-lot and make sure the food has plenty of time to soak in all the way, stirring intermittently until soaked all the way. I now have a 8 week old pup, I had to wet her food a bit in the beginning but now she's on dry food only (Diamond Puppy 31-20)

Ahumphers91a wrote:The biggest thing is if the dog eats and then drinks a TON of water before, that's when torsion comes into play. Like I said I put a female of mine a while back down because of torsion, first time I had heard of this. I kinda had the same routine and she was 7 years old when this happened. It's not a problem soaking it in water, just don't use a-lot and make sure the food has plenty of time to soak in all the way, stirring intermittently until soaked all the way. I now have a 8 week old pup, I had to wet her food a bit in the beginning but now she's on dry food only (Diamond Puppy 31-20)

Food or lots of water both can be a problem since what is important is to have an empty digestive system. Wetting the feed doesn't really matter if it is still in the digestive track since any feed the dog eats, wet or dry, will be wet once in the stomach. It seems to be the weight of the material that helps move the stomach and causes the problem. It's best to not feed anything the morning of the activity and from the research they are suggesting 20 to 24 hours before is best.

Ezzy

ezzy333 wrote:

Ahumphers91a wrote:The biggest thing is if the dog eats and then drinks a TON of water before, that's when torsion comes into play. Like I said I put a female of mine a while back down because of torsion, first time I had heard of this. I kinda had the same routine and she was 7 years old when this happened. It's not a problem soaking it in water, just don't use a-lot and make sure the food has plenty of time to soak in all the way, stirring intermittently until soaked all the way. I now have a 8 week old pup, I had to wet her food a bit in the beginning but now she's on dry food only (Diamond Puppy 31-20)

Food or lots of water both can be a problem since what is important is to have an empty digestive system. Wetting the feed doesn't really matter if it is still in the digestive track since any feed the dog eats, wet or dry, will be wet once in the stomach. It seems to be the weight of the material that helps move the stomach and causes the problem. It's best to not feed anything the morning of the activity and from the research they are suggesting 20 to 24 hours before is best.

Ezzy

Exactly. Infact I don't feed mornings, I feed at 3-5pm at night. It seems to be best for me and the dog's. So, any exercise that is done during the day I don't have to worry about.

Sorry to bring an old post back. Actually, some pros I know we're told by a purina rep that it is best to feed the dog twice a day and within one hour after exercise to replace glycogen...once their breathing returns to normal.

I too, have lost a dog to bloat. He was only 1 1/2 yrs old and did not eat since the night before.

My dog had some seziure issues. I switched her to raw food "Northwest naturals" she eats 2 times a day around 5 am and again at 6 pm or as soon as she is not breathing hard after exercise. On hunting days I feed her half of her morning meal 2 hours before the hunt then the other half as soon as she is done breathing hard after we are done hunting. She also gets 3 cc's of "Dogzymes" from "Natures Farmacy" 15 minutes before hunting of exercise. This is all my doing through my own research. She does great during the hunt and is very excited for her post hunt meal.

12Gauge wrote:My dog had some seziure issues. I switched her to raw food "Northwest naturals" she eats 2 times a day around 5 am and again at 6 pm or as soon as she is not breathing hard after exercise. On hunting days I feed her half of her morning meal 2 hours before the hunt then the other half as soon as she is done breathing hard after we are done hunting. She also gets 3 cc's of "Dogzymes" from "Natures Farmacy" 15 minutes before hunting of exercise. This is all my doing through my own research. She does great during the hunt and is very excited for her post hunt meal.

Everyone is entitled to feed how ever they want. But it has been research extensfully and documented that if you are concerned about your dogs health you will not feed for at least 12 hours before you start physical activity and then again not for a couple of hours after. Interestingly, when we race our pigeons, we can measure the performance very carefully by how fast they fly and we find that they too need an empty digestive tract and the energy they use is what has been stored from the two or three day before they race. Follows the exact same pattern as our dogs and our selves. Any thing you give them before the hunt is just something they have to get rid of so they can run. Hence, the wet soft stool they eliminate soon after being cut loose eliminating the undigested food still in the digestive tract.

I think it is very wise to follow the procedures that have been well established instead of spend time try to comprimize it for no good reason.

Ezzy

Follows the exact same pattern as our dogs and our selves.

Take out the " and our selves" and you are correct.