Conditioning, Handling & Nutrition

11:13 AM

by Ken and Janet

Each dog performs best when they are in condition to perform. We utilize several means of getting the dogs in condition. We vary the type of running from free run to harness running from horseback or ATV and even swimming for those who like to swim. Dogs are put into groups of like condition and ages so that they run with similarly athletic dogs. Dogs under a year are not run in harness from ATV as we feel free run. We track each run for time, distance, temperature and humidity to have a precise evaluation of their performance and improvement.

We handle dogs both on foot and horseback. If a dog is purely a companion hunting dog we will work that dog only on foot (still condition on ATV if over 1 year old). If a dog may compete in the Hunt test or Field trial arena, we work both on foot and horseback so they become accustomed to seeing their handler in both scenarios.

With changes in activity levels typical to camp, we need to ensure the dogs get top nutrition. We feed Purina Sport Performance 30/20 All life stages. We can feed special kibbled diets if need be - those diets must be supplied by the Owner as not all feeds are readily available in rural South Dakota. We do not feed RAW of BARF diets so if your dog is on one of these they need to be transitioned to a high quality kibble exclusively no later than two weeks prior to camp. All dogs are weighed weekly and tracked for weight gain/loss as well as health checked after each run and again individually on weigh in. We have Veterinary services available in Mobridge for standard and emergency care, and Bismarck for advanced services if necessary.