Feeding Your Dog while Hunting??

[mlgorecki]

What are some thoughts regarding feeding a dog while duck hunting. I usually feed Scout in the morning and again in the evening.

Do you guys think it's okay to give him his morning meal in the blind? Lately I've been giving him treats in the blind; then I'll let him eat a bowl of food on the way home around noon.

[HRK]

probly not a good idea like going swimming after you eat, dogs are the same way feed him before huntin, a few treats while huntin are ok

[Mark Spence]

Be careful about feeding him before hunting....unless it's a few (3-4) hours before hunting. I have heard of guy's dogs getting bloated stomachs and requiring surgery....BAD NEWS!!!!

Remi gets little tidbits throughout the hunt here and there. But, I don't feed him his normal meal until we get home and he has a chance to relax and calm down a bit. Heard a couple horror stories....I quit feeding him before the hunt....now only supplement during and give him his main feeding at home after he has relaxed a bit.

Just what I do....may not be right, but it has worked for 3 years with 2 dogs!!!

Hopefully we can get a couple dog people on here to comment on this as well......Where's Crafton at???? How about Foiles???? C'mon boyz.... :lol:

[mlgorecki]

Nah, you guys are right. It's pretty much what my vet said; but she's more of a house-dog vet, so I thought I'd solicit some opinions from gun-dog enthusiaists.

Scout is my 1st sporting dog, and it seems he's lost a little weight since the season opener. I guess that's just the nature of the beast; no different than a proffessional athlete trimming down during a respective season.

Thanks.

[HRK]

most of the time mine eats about 1-1/2 hrs before hunting havent had any problems, as for the weight loss thats typical during huntin season, if ya wanna keep the weight on try just a little extra at night PS i only feed morning and night

[ActionPoint]

My dog won't eat on a hunt, and often times will ignore food in the morning if he knows he's going hunting so this is a problem I fortunately don't have to deal with. And this is common with many hunting dogs. I often cook up a pot of chicken and rice to replace part of his Eukanuba diet so that way I can keep his carb and protein intake boosted. If your dog is willing to eat, just keep it in very small portions and look to alternatives besides commercial dog food. The ingredients used in most dog foods, especially plant proteins, take longer to digest than more natural foods.

[takem]

if i am hunting close to home i get up early and feed my dog half of his normal serving before we go, and if we are a couple of hours before we hunt i feed him his normal serving, i make sure he as time to digest so he is not going full bore right away, i have been doing this for 5 yrs now and that has worked for me and i have had no problems

[rushcreekganderlander]

My dog won't eat on a hunt, and often times will ignore food in the morning if he knows he's going hunting so this is a problem I fortunately don't have to deal with.

My dog is the same way. I work nights and get home right in time to go hunting on Friday mornings and she knows when that morning is every week. Then it's the next three. She doesn't even look at her food before we go. She just stands at the door. She won't eat while hunting either, but when we get home she eats and sleeps. Kind of like me.

[DropEmInDE]

Im a first time hunting dog trainer, and im glad someone brought this up cause i would have never thought twice about feeding her before we left, havent gotten a chance to get her in the field yet, but i had planned on feeding her when i first get up, usually about 3 hours before actually going into the field, she will be a year on the 28th of this month, and shes pretty good with everything but the Whistle still werkin on that, was hopeing to get some feathers in her mouth on monday but that hunt was a bust, not looking to werk her in the field till i know shes ready, but i want her there with me for her first season to make sure i can werk out all the issues that might arise, mostly a field hunter so dont have to worry to much about water yet, unless there a puddle in the field, but we are pretty flat here in DE so i doubt any of them will be more than knee deep, so far she has all the signs of a great dog, and she listens about as good as a child does, so looking forward to many great hunts with her in the future......and many great pics to add to the post....

[DukDog]

when i am not hunting my dog i feed morning and night. when hunting i transition same amount of food from twice a day to just once in the evening. when a dog eats and then exercises they can get a twisted gut. also it takes energy to digest food. this can take away from performance and makes it harder for them to stay warm on cold days. it takes many hours for a dog to digest food, not just 2 or 3. just my thoughts.