What should I feed my gundog on shoot day?

Gun dogs need enough food and water to keep them working well throughout shoot day.

By Mark Whitehouse

Thursday, 26 November 2009

I'm a little confused as to what's best.

MARK WHITEHOUSE SAYS: I have a picking-up team of six spaniels and two labradors. All vary in age from two to eight years.

I have a routine that all my gun dogs get a small feed around 6am and an exercise around 9.30am.

This allows any food to get well into the digestive system and does not cause
them any discomfort.

On a shoot day I would continue with the same routine that I use all year round, a small morning feed and a large evening feed.

I take plenty of water along with me on a shoot day so as to prevent the dogs from dehydrating.

If some of the older dogs need a ‘pick me up’ at lunchtime I will give them a complex carbohydrate and glucose drink or even a Mars bar, both of which have a high sugar content.

Remember not to feed your dogs a lot of dark chocolate.

At the height of the season I could be out working my dogs three times I
a week so I always use a top quality food with a good protein content.

I would feed this in the evening around 5.30pm and to this I sometimes add
half a pound of raw tripe.

This helps the dogs to keep in good condition and prevents then from losing too much weight.

For more gun dog health advice click here

Will my gundog puppy be free from infection?

I’m hoping to breed off a young bitch I hav...

Will deafness end my gundog’s working life?

It cleared up within a couple of weeks but I'...

Gundogs Training

Will my gundog ever react well to shot?

My young spaniel currently reacts badly to it.... Read more

Gundogs Events

URC novice & veteran tests at Nettleton Woods

The Lincolnshire Area of the United Retriever Club held novice and vet... Read more

Gundogs Health

What procedure do you follow when weaning puppies?

I am about to breed my first litter of puppies and find that I am gett... Read more

Comments

ken jenkins

Mon, 10th May 2010 16:39:36

feeding a gundog, or any working dog for that matter a complex carbohydrate and glucose drink will not help it to maintain its energy levels throuought a hard day at the office simply because dogs do not get their energy from carbs and sugars as we do. granted such drinks do have their uses in their ability to help the dog recover more quickly from an arduouse session and will help in reducing the risk of the dog cramping up. dogs derive most of their energy from fats, and a meal heavily loaded with fats the night before an expected hard day in the field would be far more benificial to the dog. also the addition of tripe into the meal will make little difference as tripe is around 80% moisture. a far better option would be a meal of fatty beef ofcuts which has both a high protein level and a high fat content.

Shooting Gazette February 2012

A SPORTING TEAM: Enjoy all of the best shooting commentary with driven shooting's finest journal.

Sporting Gun March 2012

ON SALE NOW! £3.60

The Field February 2012 issue

Scottish geese, Icelandic ptarmigan, African tigerfish

Shooting Times & Country Magazine

Don't miss this week's issue (on sale Wednesday 1st February). FREE PRIZE DRAW - it is week 3 of our great "Gun a Week" competition, see P53 for further details and how to enter! Plus, who is top dog? Paul Rawlings reports on the 2012 Cocker Spaniel Championship. Get down to your newsagents and buy your copy today!