DOGGIE POWERBAR?????

i have a year1/2 old black lab female she is in great physical condition and i plan to hunt her very hard on pheasants this year. she is the first dog i have ever sent to a gun dog school. ihave trained all of my other dogs myself. my question to the crowd is how do you keep the dog fully charged after long days in the field in a row. some people say feed them when you take your breaks. others say never feed them untill you are done hunting because they cant digest their food and it may actually kill them. like i said she is in good shape but with the amount of pheasant hunting i will be doing i dont want her to run out of gas 3/4 of the way through the day after 3 days of hunting. DO THEY MAKE A DOGGIE POWERBAR???? i love mt pooch like a kid and i know she will give me all shes got i just want to make sure she got some to give. sorry im so wordy. and any advice would be great

They make one, I just saw an ad for it in my last DU magazine. Don’t have it here at work, but I think it is one of the large food companies that makes it. A friend of mine gives his chocolate Josie an Oatmeal Cream Pie middle of the day, she is such a nut for birds it’s hard to tell if its the sugar or just her instincts at work.
With my yellow Lou, I just make sure that I have a water bottle on me at all times and give him a squirt about every 1/2 hour. Then when we get back to the truck we break out the bowls and top them off with cold clean fresh water from a 7 gal container.

They make one, I just saw an ad for it in my last DU magazine. Don’t have it here at work, but I think it is one of the large food companies that makes it. A friend of mine gives his chocolate Josie an Oatmeal Cream Pie middle of the day, she is such a nut for birds it’s hard to tell if its the sugar or just her instincts at work.
With my yellow Lou, I just make sure that I have a water bottle on me at all times and give him a squirt about every 1/2 hour. Then when we get back to the truck we break out the bowls and top them off with cold clean fresh water from a 7 gal container.

oatmeal cream pie!!!! is this a little debbie comercial. but hey if it works ill try it.

oatmeal cream pie!!!! is this a little debbie comercial. but hey if it works ill try it.

Proplan makes one. I got two free with a bag of food a while back.

Proplan makes one. I got two free with a bag of food a while back.

I dont think you are supposed to feed until they are done, just water! Might want to ask your vet about this before trying some advertising gimick food.

I dont think you are supposed to feed until they are done, just water! Might want to ask your vet about this before trying some advertising gimick food.

I have talked to my vet and also my trainer about this. They also agreed that you are not suppose to feed the dogs before you hunt them. It takes energy to burn the food and this makes them less active in the field. It would be like you eating a big breakfast and them running 5 miles, 5 to 10 percent of what your dog runs each time in the field. As for the sugar in the cream pie that is a big no-no. The sugar will really screw up the blood sugar levels. It gives them a quick high and then they will crash.
The best thing that you can do is get the dog in great shape, along with yourself, and feed the dog good food. There are supplements that you can give that make your dog use their food better. It gives them better and more consistent stools along with great looking coat. If your interested in what I use PM me and I will tell you as I don’t want this to sound like a Ad for something that I use. So feed them after you are done hunting them and you should be fine. Water, water and more water.

I have talked to my vet and also my trainer about this. They also agreed that you are not suppose to feed the dogs before you hunt them. It takes energy to burn the food and this makes them less active in the field. It would be like you eating a big breakfast and them running 5 miles, 5 to 10 percent of what your dog runs each time in the field. As for the sugar in the cream pie that is a big no-no. The sugar will really screw up the blood sugar levels. It gives them a quick high and then they will crash.
The best thing that you can do is get the dog in great shape, along with yourself, and feed the dog good food. There are supplements that you can give that make your dog use their food better. It gives them better and more consistent stools along with great looking coat. If your interested in what I use PM me and I will tell you as I don’t want this to sound like a Ad for something that I use. So feed them after you are done hunting them and you should be fine. Water, water and more water.

My dog seems to do pretty well in the field with grass and swampwater. Can’t stop her and she hasn’t had a problem yet.
But seriously I started hunting my dog last year and she would barf up her breakfast on the way to hunting. I think she was still getting used to car rides. I’ll know this year. I normally hunt her later in the morning at the earliest so I feed her on regular schedule which means early AM feeding. Only water during the day. Except I do plan on taking a few milkbones out for filler and treat.

My dog seems to do pretty well in the field with grass and swampwater. Can’t stop her and she hasn’t had a problem yet.
But seriously I started hunting my dog last year and she would barf up her breakfast on the way to hunting. I think she was still getting used to car rides. I’ll know this year. I normally hunt her later in the morning at the earliest so I feed her on regular schedule which means early AM feeding. Only water during the day. Except I do plan on taking a few milkbones out for filler and treat.

just got of the phone with two different vets and both of them said NEVER feed your dog in the middle of a tough days hunt. when they and digesting their food their stomach could twist up causeing a potentially fatal condition. the advise that they gave me was get your dog and a morning and evening eating routine “not eat when ever they want because the dish is always full”.the morning of the hunt cut the ration in half then when the hunt is over double the evening ration. so actually you are feeding them a little extra during an extended hunting trip. hope this helps. if you are like me the best part of hunting is watching your dogs work so i do my best to keep them in tip top shape. good hunting!!!

just got of the phone with two different vets and both of them said NEVER feed your dog in the middle of a tough days hunt. when they and digesting their food their stomach could twist up causeing a potentially fatal condition. the advise that they gave me was get your dog and a morning and evening eating routine “not eat when ever they want because the dish is always full”.the morning of the hunt cut the ration in half then when the hunt is over double the evening ration. so actually you are feeding them a little extra during an extended hunting trip. hope this helps. if you are like me the best part of hunting is watching your dogs work so i do my best to keep them in tip top shape. good hunting!!!

Alot of great advice here guys.
The best way to make sure your dog will be able to hunt hard and often is with a pre-season routine.I see alot of hunters in the NW part of Iowa who only get their dogs out on opening week-end and expect them to perform at a high level.
I hunt upland game with 2 English Setters and a Golden Retriever.The golden is a slow easy worker who has no problem hunting all day because of his slower pace.But when you get into a breed like setters it’s a different story.My setters are very hard and big runners and they of course will wear down during the day.I have tried giving them little snack treats during hunts but it does nothing for them.Hell half the time they won’t even take them.They do require alot of water during their hunts and to me that is way more important than giving a dog a treat or food.
I’ve only fed my dogs once a day for going on 11 years now.It is the same time everyday and it has worked great for me.I feed them in the late afternoon and they know when it’s time to eat.I would think you might run into problems if you have a dog that is used to morning feedings and then taking them out on hunts.
Best of luck hunters,only a month away until opener.
Ryan Hale

Alot of great advice here guys.
The best way to make sure your dog will be able to hunt hard and often is with a pre-season routine.I see alot of hunters in the NW part of Iowa who only get their dogs out on opening week-end and expect them to perform at a high level.
I hunt upland game with 2 English Setters and a Golden Retriever.The golden is a slow easy worker who has no problem hunting all day because of his slower pace.But when you get into a breed like setters it’s a different story.My setters are very hard and big runners and they of course will wear down during the day.I have tried giving them little snack treats during hunts but it does nothing for them.Hell half the time they won’t even take them.They do require alot of water during their hunts and to me that is way more important than giving a dog a treat or food.
I’ve only fed my dogs once a day for going on 11 years now.It is the same time everyday and it has worked great for me.I feed them in the late afternoon and they know when it’s time to eat.I would think you might run into problems if you have a dog that is used to morning feedings and then taking them out on hunts.
Best of luck hunters,only a month away until opener.
Ryan Hale

What abouit this?

I usually feed my dog before bed (9 or 10) at night the day before a morning hunt.

But what about opening day, when you head out at 5:30, and may hunt until 7 at night? Won’t the dog get hungry in that amount of time?

What abouit this?

I usually feed my dog before bed (9 or 10) at night the day before a morning hunt.

But what about opening day, when you head out at 5:30, and may hunt until 7 at night? Won’t the dog get hungry in that amount of time?

MossBoss, I do the same thing all the time, most of the time he wont eat anyways. He does loose weight after a long trip but packs it back on in no time.

MossBoss, I do the same thing all the time, most of the time he wont eat anyways. He does loose weight after a long trip but packs it back on in no time.

I will have to say after reading some of the posts some people think sugar is bad but its not. Thats what they burn. I cary a bottle of honey with me and give her a little bit every now and then especilly on hot days. Not all dogs need the extra sugar though. Ive seen several dogs colapse in the field because of low sugar it looks like there haveing a ceasor. It happened to me with my youngest three years ago and it scared the s#%t out of me. Turns out she just burns through it to fast. You do not want to be stuck in the field when this happens and not be prepared, it may never happen but if it does and your not prepared you will regret it. Water is the most important though. That is just my 2 cents. I phesant hunt 3 states from oct. through jan. and havent had a problem since.

I will have to say after reading some of the posts some people think sugar is bad but its not. Thats what they burn. I cary a bottle of honey with me and give her a little bit every now and then especilly on hot days. Not all dogs need the extra sugar though. Ive seen several dogs colapse in the field because of low sugar it looks like there haveing a ceasor. It happened to me with my youngest three years ago and it scared the s#%t out of me. Turns out she just burns through it to fast. You do not want to be stuck in the field when this happens and not be prepared, it may never happen but if it does and your not prepared you will regret it. Water is the most important though. That is just my 2 cents. I phesant hunt 3 states from oct. through jan. and havent had a problem since.

I was just wondering if you could feed your dog hotdogs. It has a lot of protine and some sugar. The only reason that I am asking this question is because that is what I was told to do and after reading this I am a little lost. Can some one help me out????

I was just wondering if you could feed your dog hotdogs. It has a lot of protine and some sugar. The only reason that I am asking this question is because that is what I was told to do and after reading this I am a little lost. Can some one help me out????

I am no expert but I would not and do not feed my dog any table food.

I am no expert but I would not and do not feed my dog any table food.

Geez Guys:

I guess it makes a difference if you are working in the water and killing lots of ducks or if you are our busting brush for cackling birds. My dog cares not to eat in the am if she knows we are going to take a run. My preference is the am/pm feeding times, but if I am in the field and know I am done for the day I will feed her once she has cooled down, before the ride home. She gets her exercise and fills her belly and sleeps like a baby. Ducks, I will feed her in the blind, because usually the action is not too intense during the middle of the day. If I am pheasant hunting, my preference is water, water and more water till the end of the day. My two cents and agree that there were lots of good thought ahead of mine… or maybe I just validated some of them???

Mark

Geez Guys:

I guess it makes a difference if you are working in the water and killing lots of ducks or if you are our busting brush for cackling birds. My dog cares not to eat in the am if she knows we are going to take a run. My preference is the am/pm feeding times, but if I am in the field and know I am done for the day I will feed her once she has cooled down, before the ride home. She gets her exercise and fills her belly and sleeps like a baby. Ducks, I will feed her in the blind, because usually the action is not too intense during the middle of the day. If I am pheasant hunting, my preference is water, water and more water till the end of the day. My two cents and agree that there were lots of good thought ahead of mine… or maybe I just validated some of them???

Mark

I have never done this, but I have a friend that will borrow a ear or two of corn from the field while pheasant hunting. When we take a break he will shuck it and let his dog eat it. Anyone ever hear of that?