Sporting Dog Nutrition

Sports Nutrition for Active Dogs

In the world of canine sport there are almost as many events as there are varieties of breeds.  Dogs may compete from the recreational level right through to elite level in sports such as Agility, Flyball, Frisbee, Canicross, and sheepdog trails or may work as service dogs, herding dogs etc.  

At all levels, athletic performance depends on genetics, training and nutrition.  If the dog is in a sport that suits their breed and has the appropriate training, the winning margins within a competition may, in fact, be very small.  What can really give the winning edge is sport specific nutrition. 

Sport Specific Nutrition 

When planning how best to support the nutritional needs of the sporting dog, the B-FIT principal can help us to develop a sports specific diet that will support the demands of training and allow the dog to perform at their best on competition days. 

B – Breed of the dog – certain breeds excel at particular sports.

F – Frequency of exercise (how often over a week/month the dog trains and         competes)

I – Intensity of exercise

T – Type of exercise.

Dogs Delight for Sports Dogs

• Sporting/working dogs rely more on fat as a source of energy during exercise and our food has the amount of fat to meet these demands.  Studies have shown that feeding a high fat diet to sporting dogs allows their muscles use fatty acids earlier in the bout of exercise which has a glycogen sparing effect – leaving the glycogen for the times it is needed during high intensity (sprint) work. Some of our treats can be used in combination with our food to enhance sports performance by adding a little more fat to the diet.  Dogs love our Cheesy Grins and Peanut Butter Dreams for sporty snacks.
• The fat level of Dogs Delight also means they are highly palatable and highly digestible which can be very helpful as fatigue and even mild dehydration may reduce appetite during and after exercise.  
• Dogs Delight contains antioxidants from sweet potatoes to support athletic performance.  Strenuous exercise can lead to oxidative damage of the cells and tissues and studies which have looked at the antioxidant properties of fruits and vegetables have shown that exercising dogs may benefit from a diet containing an increased level of antioxidant nutrients to counteract the effect of strenuous exercise.  Our Tuna scones contain omega-3s for an added boost of antioxidants and our Salmon and Chicken treats are rich in sweet potatoes too.

More information on Sports Nutrition for Dogs is available on our Members Pages and by individual consultation