High Energy Dog Snacks

 Well we discovered this week that some Schaller & Weber liver pate (really a liverwurst) is like crack for Bugsy - we got the top one on this page and seriously for a dog that likes food but isn't terribly food motivated this was the craziest response I've ever seen

I also use food rolls when on the go

First, you need to make sure you are maxing out her conditioning.  Is she really physically ready for these weekends?  Otherwise, if you get her going past where her body is telling her  that her limit is, you are setting her up for injury or metabolic reactions (labs are prone to these).

Once you are sure that she's not crashing because she's past her safety limit, many of my herding trial friends have discovered that carby treats are welcome and useful to provide that little extra burst of energy.  There's doggy "energy bars" available, but it's cheaper to make some of your own.  There's a ton of recipes available online.  Different dogs utilize different carbs best - most of mine do best on barley and oatmeal, with molasses - but one of my dogs does best on cornmeal with honey.  There's even recipes for grain free bars that use potato flour or sweet potatoes.  I include a tasty protein source like organ meat - kidney in particular has a ton of fat which keeps the bars nice and gooey.

Are you at outdoor events? I will "lace" Emma's water with some plain pediatlyte. That keeps her hydrated, and more up. I also make carb heavy treats. Things like fig bars, carob brownies, liver brownies, etc. Emma is a big fan of sweet potato and cooked, fruity, carby, things.  Tripe seems to help a lot with that "worn down dog" thing, too. It doesn't make a lot of sense, to me, but what do I know?

I also give Emma free access to her crate, when we're out, and will sometimes put her in there to rest. Being at a trial all day is WAY stimulating. They're around dozens of dogs they've never met, people they've never seen, in a place they've probably never been. It's a lot to take in. Breaks are REALLY important. 

That's another good point.  It makes a difference, I think, to feed something that's more easily utilized.  When I fed kibble, I switched to easy to digest canned food and tripe (canned) for the road and never got "travel tummy."  Now for short trips I freeze their normal food, but replace the RMBs with meat patties. 

Thanks for the suggestions gang!

Yes Teddi's events (so far) are outside. She is a dock jumper. It isn't a full out "fitness" sport. Yes she needs to be fit, but they only jump 2 times each class (no more than 3 classes a day at a competition) and I do not practice her much because of her hip situation, so it is not an 'endurance' fitness thing. She is fit, I would like her fitter but we have had soundness issues and we get her conditioning up where it should be to have another problem set us down. This weekend I plan to let her swim a lot, she will have plenty of rest breaks too. I need her to let some of her six week pent up energy out. I just thought it would be a good time to try feeding her to figure out "what" and "when" so when we do get to compete again she does not "bottom out".

What was happening was she would start "shaking" like she was cold. At first I thought she was but when it happened again in 90+ degree heat I thought no she is not cold. The last event I took her to, I thought she was hungry, so I bought her a grilled chicken sandwich. I gave her the chicken breast (not the bun) it did not help her for her final jump BUT about 15 minutes after the finals were over she was energized and ready to play again. I know when I get really hungry I can have a "hypo glycemic" episode. I thought  maybe something like that was happening to her. So that is why I am looking to learn how to feed my performance dogs. I have never had them before this is new territory for me.

She is still and adolescent too, so I think she is still burning more calories that way too. She will be 2 in October. We try very hard not to push her because she is still very young. However she has ENERGY we just have always had to control it.

 

The shaking would have scared me. My dogs will occasionally shiver in anticipation, but never in exhaustion. Maybe something like Nutracal should be in your bag, just in case? I'd definitely bring some good snacks along, as well. 

http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=327

big selection of power boosters. I like Zukes power bones myself.