Research and Readings on Conditioning & Nutrition

In the process of preparing my own dogs for high level competition, I became interested in the topics of nutrition and conditioning. I wanted to use the best foods, products and supplements for my specific situation, yet the information I needed was not available from one centralized source.

This page is an attempt to remedy that. We have selected articles that are specifically about nutrition and conditioning for athletic dogs. We selected articles which are supported by current research, and which are written by individuals with a strong knowledge of at least one working dog sport.

Here, you will find information to help you select the best foods, supplements, and conditioning programs for your athletic dog, from puppyhood to old age. Most of the links are webpages. A few are PDFs and those are indicated by (PDF) after their name. All links will open in your current window, unless you right-click and open them in another window/tab.

Enjoy!

Conditioning for Canine Athletes

• Biological and Nutritional Consequences of Work at High Altitude in SAR Dogs
• Canine Massage and Stretching – Improve your dog’s performance
• Canine Performance Stress
• Conditioning Activities
• Conditioning for Healthy Dogs (PDF)
• Conditioning for the Ausdauerprufung (AD)
• Conditioning of the Competitive Dog
• Conditioning of the Weekend Warrior
• Core Strengthening and Conditioning for Healthy Dogs (PDF)
• Flyball Dogs and Injury Prevention
• Get Pumped
• Getting Peak Performance out of your Briard
• Heat Stroke
• Injury Prevention in the Canine Athlete
• Managing the Working Female During Pregnancy
• Optimum Performance: Getting the Best Out of Your Dog
• Prevention of Injury (PDF)
• Skijoring: Intro and Injury Avoidance
• Stretching
• Stretching for the Canine Athlete: From Warm-up to Cooldown
• Training & Fitness for Sporting Dogs
• Why Fluffy Can’t Go Hup - first in a four part series

Nutrition for Canine Athletes

• Chondroprotective Supplementation for the Working Dog
• Corpulent Canines
• CPN - Canine Performance Nutrition
• Demystifying Myths About Protein
• Does Diet Affect Field Trial Performance
• Energy for the Athlete in Your Dog
• Feeding Canine Athletes
• Feeding for Agility
• Feeding the Canine Athlete for Optimal Performance (PDF)
• Introduction to Acidophilus
• Nutrient Requirements of Dogs
• Protein as Body Fuel
• Relationship of Nutrition to Developmental Skeletal Disease in Young Dogs
• Stress’ Affect on Pet’s Nutritional Requirements
• The Nutritional Requirements of Exercising Dogs
• The Role of Glucose Polymers in Recovery from Exercise in Sled Dogs
• Understanding Water Balance and Strategies for Hydration in Sled Dogs