Few outdoor pursuits fuel the desire for a road trip more than bird hunting. With an incredible diversity of species and habitat, there’s hardly a better way to sample all the wingshooting options this country offers than loading up the dogs and hitting the open road.

The canine athlete is a unique metabolic machine that is remarkably efficient in converting food into fuel for mind boggling feats of speed and endurance. However, the strategy for feeding hunting dogs is hotly debated, and there’s a mountain of anecdotal evidence supporting a variety of techniques to achieve this common goal.

If making sense of canine supplements feels like an overwhelming and confusing endeavor, you’re certainly not alone. Over the past decade, the canine supplement market has seen exponential growth along with a sharp rise in popularity among hunting dog enthusiasts.

Maintaining peak physical condition in our hunting dogs is a year-round pursuit, not an activity confined to the week before opening day. Hunting dogs are similar to human athletes in that their bodies require training and conditioning to constantly perform at the highest level.

With so much discussion about dog food, it’s easy to forget just how important hydration is in the nutrition of canine athletes. Water performs myriad functions in the bodies of performance animals, from lubricating joints to enhancing nutrient uptake in muscles.