conditioning on raw ( water in take)

[FrostyPaws]

Edit/PS: I guess what I am saying is, I think it is a better idea to give all that water in the AM, 12 hours before the work/show, rather than after the workout. If the dog needs the hydration to perform optimally, giving it after his workout (and possibly diluting his digestion) doesn't make as much sense as giving that same water in the AM, allowing it to be processed (and him to be hydrated) by the PM work.

I don't think it's a bad idea to give water in the morning, as I usually give 8 oz in the morning. Even then, most of the dogs won't drink all of it as there have been countless times I've found left over water in the bowl that night before work. After the workout, that is the time the dog needs the water the most. Most of the weight a dog loses is water weight, and most dogs will lose at least 1lb of weight with a decent workout. Some dogs can lose more due to their intensity. The water is needed afterwards to get the body back up and running properly through digestion, waste removal, renal function, all that kind of thing that revolves around body systems.

[R2L]

Good posts Frosty.

A sedentary house dog loses around 1200mL of water a day.

I wonder how its possible that the one dog i have in the house only eats 400 gram of raw food a day, which is 240 ML of water and dont drink anything from his bowl for weeks. This is a 45 lb dog, i don't which type of dog they used for the research but i figure its not a 250 lbs dog.

Yes, I'm adding 46oz of water to the dog's feed. Not long ago, I conditioned a 45lb dog, and he was getting 45 ounces of water, in his feed, everyday. After eating, he would be all filled with water, sure enough. He was also a very hard working dog who needed all the extra fluid given. When I would go out the next day to work the dog, he would usually weigh 46-47lbs. So, combined with the water and the feed and after him emptying out, he was only a lb or two above his show weight.

No questioning your experience but have you ever tried to give like 30oz of water for such a dog in training and check his skin count?

[FrostyPaws]

Sure R2L. I used to do that. I used to just let them drink the water they wanted from the bowl also. What I had was a dog that was hydrated, but I didn't think it was hydrated enough for the work. The dog being worked now is getting 38oz, and there are days where that's not enough water for him. So, a friend of mine introduced me to the 1oz per lb method some years ago, and since then, I've never thought about doing it any other way as most dogs are adequately hydrated with that method.

I have a friend who gives 20-30oz of water in his feed during keep. I don't know his dogs looks as he lives thousands of miles from me, but I know he wants to try it the way I do it also, and I'm about sure he's going to the next dog he works.

In their study, I'm sure they're using an example of a dog that eats kibble. My house dog eats kibble, and she doesn't drink a ton of water every day. Sedentary dog could be outside also. It's not an across the board number as each situation will be different.

[Dogman]

Like I said before on the "Heat is on topic" if you add WATER to your feed whether it be raw or kibble it WILL hydrate your dog, that simple.

[OGDOGG]

R2L, the secret to a successful keep is H20
Since my dogs don't like to drink too much water, what I'll do is 12 hours before their workouts I'll put a small amount of rice in their bowl and fill it up with water. They could see the rice but can't get to it so they'll drink most of the water then I'll take it away when they're almost to the bottom. Gets them every time

[scary]

R2L, the secret to a successful keep is H20
Since my dogs don't like to drink too much water, what I'll do is 12 hours before their workouts I'll put a small amount of rice in their bowl and fill it up with water. They could see the rice but can't get to it so they'll drink most of the water then I'll take it away when they're almost to the bottom. Gets them every time

How much o.g a like a couple spoons full? And sorry for sounding like a retard but I'm assuming already cooked rice?

[OGDOGG]

How much o.g a like a couple spoons full? And sorry for sounding like a retard but I'm assuming already cooked rice?

Just enough so it'll entice them. And yes it has to be cooked. If you give em uncooked rice it'll come out their ass the same as it goes in but yellowish in color

[Officially Retired]

R2L, the secret to a successful keep is H20
Since my dogs don't like to drink too much water, what I'll do is 12 hours before their workouts I'll put a small amount of rice in their bowl and fill it up with water. They could see the rice but can't get to it so they'll drink most of the water then I'll take it away when they're almost to the bottom. Gets them every time

I do the same thing, except what I do is dump a little tuna/water from the can in there

Jack

[R2L]

Frosty, why exactly did you think the dog wasnt hydrated enough with less then 1 oz a lb, when its skincount was alright and the dog seemed hydrated.? Just trying to understand.

Do you add 1oz a lb trough out your whole keep? I guess i can give less when still building up the work. And how about the day before the show?


Thanks all, this has been very usefull for me. Good tip on the food Ogdogg, i was thinking about their stumic and forgetting about the kidney's

[FrostyPaws]

Frosty, why exactly did you think the dog wasnt hydrated enough with less then 1 oz a lb, when its skincount was alright and the dog seemed hydrated.? Just trying to understand.

Do you add 1oz a lb trough out your whole keep? I guess i can give less when still building up the work. And how about the day before the show?

At less than 1oz per lb of water, the dog's skin was not alright after a long workout session. It wasn't alright the next day, so that tells me the dog wasn't getting enough water.

By the time I actually start my keep R2L, my dogs have been getting the extra water in their food, building up to the actual amount. So, when keep starts, the extra bit of water added to meet the 1oz per lb limit is within reach. When I start the cutdown time on the keep during the last week, the water starts to be cut back also. Since there is limited work going on, all that water would just be extra weight your dog is carrying around, and you would be over weight come show time.