Canine Athletes

There is not doubt that some agility dogs give 110% when it comes to effort, giving there "all" in everything they do! Agility training means asking our companion and partner to run fast, short distances, frequently. Sometime repeating sequences several times. These dogs need a fully balanced diet to optimise flexibility, endurance, strength and speed.

Whilst good nutritional diet plays an important part in your dogs health, combined with exercise means your dog will utilise energy more efficiently and improve performance.

Body Condition Agility dogs are very active, although they are not actually working for prolonged periods of time. Their energy (calorie) requirement is only slightly higher than that of the average pet dog. Feeding a diet that supplies more energy than the dog needs will lead to excess weight gain, which will compromise performance and can result in obesity, which is thought to be a predisposing factor in osteoarthritis. You should assess your dog’s weight and body condition on a regular basis and adjust his diet as required.

Energy Fat provides the body with more energy than the same amount of carbohydrate. 1 gram of fat provides 9 Kilocalories and 1 gram of carbohydrate providing only 3.75 kilocalories. However the preffered source of energy depends on the intensity and duration of training. Research shows that endurance dogs which are training several times a week and running long distances need a diet higher in fat. Fat is higher in energy than protein or carbohydrate and also provides the dog with all important Essential Fatty Acids that help facilitate the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K. However, dogs that run fast, shorter distances on a less frequent basis should obtain more of their calories from carbohydrate. Excess carbohydrate can be stored in muscle for use later. You should assess your dogs energy requirements on a regular basis and adjust his diet as required.

Protein is an part of an agility dogs diet and is particulary important for those dogs who are more active. Feed a diet that has Quality Protein rather than quantity. Good quality protein supplies the essential amino acids that builds muscles and strength, and also adds tissue repairs and cell regeneration.

Water Your dogs body is made up of approximately 70% water and he can quickly become dehydrated. Water is an essential and necessary component for the function of the body's system. During warmer weather your dogs water requirements can more than double and water should be freely available. Water is often the forgotten nutrient and is of vital importance for the optimal performance of your agility dog.

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