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Objective: To explore physical activity patterns, including conditioning exercise and sport-specific training, and management routines utilized by handlers of Swedish sporting and working dogs participating in agility, obedience, rally obedience and working trial disciplines. Procedures: Dog handlers provided information on competition-level dogs through an internet-based cross-sectional and descriptive survey on physical activity, sport-specific training and management. Results are reported overall and stratified by participation in specific disciplines. Results: We received 1615 replies to the questionnaire. After data cleaning, 1582 dogs (98%) remained for the analysis. Of these, 430 participated in agility, 790 in obedience, 596 in rally obedience, and 847 dogs had competed in a working trial, i.e., messenger, protection, search or tracking. Number of disciplines performed by each dog varied between one and five. Most common was participation in one (n = 767, 48%) or two (n = 541, 34%) disciplines. Out of the dogs competing in one discipline, 38% (n = 294) were considered to be specialized as they actively trained only that discipline for >= 10 months per year. The vast majority of the dogs (n = 1129, 71%) received more than 1 h of daily physical activity, e.g., walks, and only n = 51 (3%) were never exercised off-leash. Preferred self-selected gait was trot (n = 907, 57%) and gallop (n = 499, 32%). A fifth (n = 319, 20%) never played with other dogs. The majority (n = 1328, 84%) received more than 1 h of vigorous physical conditioning exercise per week. Almost three quarters (n = 1119, 71%) participated in physical conditioning exercise. Two thirds (n = 953, 60%) participated in at least 3 h of sport-specific training per week and only a very small portion (n = 35, 2%) trained their specific discipline less than once per week. Median total work load, i.e., all daily physical activity, vigorous physical conditioning exercise and sport-specific training, was 16.5 h per week. Conclusion and clinical relevance: We observe physical activity at moderate to high durations and moderate to vigorous intensities among Swedish sporting and working trial dogs. Most dogs received physical conditioning exercise, but not all dogs were warmed up before training and competition. Our study provides veterinary professionals and dog trainers with valuable insights on the physical exposures and management routines of sporting and working trial dogs.

Exercise improves the health of dogs; although, extreme exertion experienced by sled dogs may lead to variable metabolic and gastrointestinal outcomes. Nutritional solutions can reduce the prevalence of these disturbances, but a deeper understanding of sled dog nutritional programs is warranted to ensure appropriate gaps in research are targeted. Supplementation of tryptophan, an indispensable amino acid for dogs, has been explored as a means to increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in central and enteric nervous system function; however, there are no empirical data to support current regulatory recommendations of dietary tryptophan for adult dogs. The objectives of this thesis were to 1) critically review aspects of sporting dog nutrition, methods of estimating amino acid requirements, and tryptophan metabolism, 2) evaluate current sled dog nutritional programs, 3) estimate tryptophan requirements in adult dogs, and 4) apply those estimations via optimizing the dietary tryptophan to large neutral amino acid ratio for actively training sled dogs, with the goal of improving metabolic and gastrointestinal outcomes. Survey- based data pertaining to sled dog nutritional management revealed the need for improvements in nutrient provision, particularly protein, in order to reduce the perceived necessity of (and risks associated with) raw meat supplementation and formulation of homemade diets without scientific or clinical consideration. Using indicator amino acid oxidation, tryptophan requirements were estimated for small (miniature dachshunds), medium (beagles), and large breed (Labrador retrievers) dogs, and all estimates were higher than current regulatory recommendations. Effects of supplemental dietary tryptophan and incremental exercise on metabolic and gastrointestinal outcomes were then investigated using Siberian huskies and a diet formulated to achieve the highest tryptophan to large neutral amino acid ratio used when feeding adult dogs to their tryptophan requirements. Tryptophan supplementation improved serotonin status and fecal quality without affecting body composition in actively training dogs, demonstrating the potential benefits of tryptophan supplementation. Specifically, tryptophan supplementation may help to support gastrointestinal function in sporting dogs under stressful conditions (e.g. intensive exercise) without compromising athletic performance. Further research is warranted to investigate effects of secondary metabolic pathways and factors that may increase metabolic demand on indispensable amino acid requirements and supplementation.

U sportskih i radnih pasa fizička aktivnost izaziva različit fiziološki odgovor organizma, ovisno o trajanju i intenzitetu. Pritom aktivnost može biti kraćega trajanja i visokog intenziteta, primjerice utrke hrtova, ili duljeg trajanja i nižeg intenziteta, poput utrka pasa za vuču saonica. S druge strane, kod potražnih i lovačkih pasa, osim poslušnosti i detekcije njuhom, očekuje se fizička spremnost za terenski rad na većem području koji može potrajati nekoliko sati dnevno, stoga njihova aktivnost uključuje intervale visokog i niskog intenziteta rada tijekom duljeg perioda. Prehrana radnih pasa mora pratiti specifične zahtjeve treninga i aktivnosti, radi pripreme organizma za rad, i pritom imati ulogu u prevenciji mogućih ozljeda uzrokovanih neprikladnim režimom hranjenja te posljedičnim utjecajem na izvedbu u pogledu brzine, snage i izdržljivosti. Stoga će preporučeni udio i izvor pojedinih makronutrijenata u obroku biti u korelaciji s vrstom, intenzitetom i trajanjem rada. Pritom će kod pasa od kojih očekujemo kratku aktivnost visokog intenziteta (trkaći psi) u obrok trebati uključiti udio lako probavljivih ugljikohidrata u količini od 50 do 60 % metaboličke energije, dok će udio masti i bjelančevina biti niži. S druge strane, kod pasa od kojih očekujemo dugotrajan rad umjerenog do visokog intenziteta, udio ugljikohidrata u obroku može biti zastupljen u znatno nižem postotku, dok je razinu energije iz bjelančevina i masti potrebno prilagoditi vrsti rada., In sporting and working dogs, exercise induces various physiological responses, depending on the exercise type and intensity. Physical activity ranges from short duration, high intensity activity such as in Greyhound races, to long duration, low intensity activity in sled dog races. In search and rescue, and hunting dogs, apart from obedience and scent detection, a many hours of fieldwork is expected, which combines intervals of high and low activity for a prolonged period. Nutrition of sporting and working dogs should be appropriate for the training and specific performance required, with the goal of preparing the organism for the high demands of activity, and also to prevent injuries related to insufficient nutrient intake, which may affect speed, strength and endurance. For that reason, the recommended portions and sources of specific macronutrients in the diet should be correlated with the type, intensity and duration of activity. In dogs which are expected to perform a short duration, high intensity activity (racing hounds), the daily ration should consist of easily digestible carbohydrates at the level of 50 – 60% metabolic energy, whilst the percentage of fat and protein should be lower. On the other hand, for dogs that are expected to perform a long duration, medium to high intensity activity, the carbohydrate portion may be lower, with fat and protein energy levels adjusted according to the specific activity.