Resoures

Factors that Contribute to Canine Athleticism

There are two main factors that contribute to a dog’s athletic ability.

These are:

High VO2 max

The term VO2 max refers to maximum oxygen uptake during exercise. While this term is often most commonly heard among elite long-distance runners, all mammals have a VO2 max.

Whether sedentary or active, dogs have a naturally higher VO2 max than humans. Overall, the higher the VO2 max the greater the mammal’s aerobic endurance and energy.

Among canine athletes, the top dogs consume and utilize oxygen at a greater rate than their counterparts. Oxygen consumption is important because it is the main driving force for muscular and cellular processes during exercise.

Metabolic Adaptations

Another difference between humans and dogs relating to athletic performance is metabolic adaptation. Unlike humans, who use carbohydrates as their primary fuel source, dogs have the superior ability to efficiently convert fat into usable energy.

The reason this adaptation is significant is because glycogen (aka carbohydrate) storage in muscles and the liver is limited, equating to approximately 2 – 3 hours of moderate exercise.

Once these carbohydrate stores have been depleted, humans “hit the wall” during aerobic exercise (for instance, mile 20 of a marathon). At high intensities, carbohydrate stores are used up even more quickly, resulting in muscle soreness and cramping.

On the other hand, fat is converted more slowly (and, for dogs, efficiently) into energy. While carbohydrate storage is limited, mammals have a more abundant supply of fat. Indeed, dogs have approximately 50 times the amount of usable fat energy in muscles relative to glycogen. A drawback to fat metabolism is a high oxygen cost; however, a dog’s naturally higher VO2 max overcomes this limitation.

Therefore, since dogs utilize fat more readily than humans, their endurance and aerobic capacity are far greater.

How to Work with a Dog’s Unique Biology

A dog’s biology is only one piece of the puzzle. While their genetics give them the tools to be superior athletes, the way they are cared for determines whether their full potential is realized.

The two factors that set apart otherwise genetically similar dogs include:

Conditioning

Since fat metabolism is the key to a dog’s superior endurance and aerobic capacity, training should focus on these areas. Conditioning should comprise strategies that improve a dog’s ability to burn fat for fuel. Intense, carbohydrate-depleting sessions should be kept to a
minimum, especially before competition, to save these glycogen stores for when they are most important. By improving a dog’s fat metabolism, his or her metabolic capacity will improve which in turn will help the dog generate energy more efficiently.

Fueling

To support a dog’s ideal training and conditioning, proper nutrition is important. Canine athletes should be fed a high-quality, balanced diet that contains all the necessary micro- and macronutrients. For optimal performance, food for athletic canines should be high in easily digestible fat and protein and low in carbohydrates. By feeding a food with these ratios, you can metabolically condition your dog to more efficiently use fat for energy.

This formulation should be fed year-round for best results. During periods of training and conditioning, dogs should be fed a minimum of 10 – 12 hours prior to exercise. Because of the requirements needed for field training and hunting, Bull Valley Retrievers feeds their adult dogs in the evening after all exercise has been completed. This allows food to be processed and dogs to be ready to work the next day. Younger dogs are continued to be fed multiple time a day to allow for proper development.

Joe Scarpy – Owner/Trainer

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Coco is dressed to impress for St Patty’s day in his hat, tie and vest. Coco is part of our daycare group and is quite the class clown. He absolutely loves to stare at Sharon while she is working. We enjoy this little guys company each day he is here with us.

Say hello to Harlow a beautiful young husky who loves to be around dogs. She has a sibling Oliver who also comes to day camp. Harlow is part of our puppy program and doing very well. Watching this puppy grow up is so much fun.

Say hello to Willow our January dog of the month.  She is a 4 month old Border Collie mix. Willow has been enrolled in our Puppy Program since late November and excelled in all her lessons.  Her social skills also have earned and A+!!!!

Lucy is our December dog of the month. This youngster is cattle dog mix and full of fun loving spirit. She is doing so well with her training and she loves to be out in group playing. Watching her grow into a beautiful young lady.

Oliver is a puppy Samoyed who loves to run and play. He was part of our puppy program and has now graduated to group play. Love this fluff ball.

Meet Fendi a young Pom who loves hanging with the big dogs. This little girl is spunky and so much fun. Love having her here at Camp.

Darla is one of our awesome daycare pups. She is a little pistol and is so much fun. Love having her here in daycare.

Meet Boston a young pittie with a huge heart. He loves everyone and he loves to play fetch. He has such perfect manners too. He doesn’t bark or whine but just goes with the flow. A very nice dog to have around.