Nutrition for Peak Performance
How do you best "fuel" your working dog for peak performance?
This question indicates the basic knowledge of the need for increased energy for your Schutzhund dog during his working career. The question is, which is a better energy source: fat or protein and, for that matter, we must include the third source of energy and that is carbohydrates.
I will not discuss the smaller and equally important ingredients like vitamins, minerals and the micro "extras." OK, fat is the best provider of energy, both stored in the body and fed in the diet. It contains about twice the amount of calories than protein and carbohydrates in the same amount of weight. There are many types of fat and some are pretty good for other functions besides energy production but we will discuss that later. Fat is taken into the body pretty much unchanged and deposited into storage areas for later use. In the well-maintained dog the fat will supply a large amount of energy rather than stored as body fat. Basically, the working dog needs lots of calories and can use all the energy he/she can eat so getting "fat" is not a concern.
Protein can be used for energy production, however it must first be "broken" down, as it cannot be utilized for energy directly. I consider it a rather inefficient form of energy compared to fat because it must go through a series of reactions before it can be used to power the body. Instead, protein should be thought of as the Builder's Square of the body. In the adult animal it replaces the worn out muscle cells and other tissues of the working dog so it is vital to the diet in quantities sufficient to supply the body with replacement building materials. If there is too much, the extra is converted to other energy forms like fat. In other words, energy is not the main function of protein and as such, logically speaking, does not need to be fed in amounts exceeding the body's need to replace tissues. The working dog does need more protein than the non-worker due to the higher rate of body tissue turnover, but he does not need "high" amounts.
Carbohydrates, which are predominately the grains, like corn, rice and oats supply what I call "quick" energy. "Carbos" are ingested and broken down chemically, into sugars that can be used right away in the body. Extra carbos are stored in the form of glycogen (actually a complex sugar) which also can be used right away for energy needs, prior to the use of fat. The body cannot store a lot of carbo energy so it is used up rapidly and extra amounts over that capacity are converted to fat. The concept of carbo loading the evening before an event like in human competition also makes sense in the dog. A high carbo meal will replenish the glycogen storage for use the next day. That will at least help the dog with energy needs prior to and just into the competition.
So what is the ideal mix of all of these things? Basically a relatively high fat, moderate protein diet would be best. Unfortunately, the commercial pet food market cannot cater to a small segment of the dog population such as the working dog and there is not what I consider an "ideal" working dog diet until now. A high fat diet will provide the needed calories to maintain a hard working animal that burns four to five times more calories than the average pet and a moderate protein intake will assure materials for body maintenance. By providing a higher fat content the dog will be able to consume enough food to maintain. Lower fat diets make it hard for the dog to eat enough volume to meet the caloric needs. I have seen dogs eat up to fourteen cups of food daily just to maintain weight. I feel a minimum of 22% fat and a maximum of 24% protein is ideal with carbos filling in the rest.
I do not want to advertise, but the only product that I am aware of in this category is BEST BREED WORKING DOG DIET that I developed in consultation with Gottfried Dildei just for your type of animal. It is a 23% fat, 23% protein diet. Another option is for you for formulate your own or add to one you are using, as well. I have taken good base diets and added specific amounts of oils to bump the calories. You must be careful when doing this as digestive side affects occur if you throw things off too much. I would be happy to help if you have questions about a diet to meet the needs of your individual animal.
Gary Cotton, D.V.M.