The aim is to provide them with as much water and energy as possible for the competition and to positively influence their performance. But although many owners swear by this form of competition preparation, it makes little sense in reality.
The "giving soup", as feeding with homemade meat soup is often called, is problematic in several respects and often causes the opposite of the desired effect.
On the one hand, too much water washes valuable minerals out of the dog's body. These are however important for the health and efficiency of the four-legged friend. If he loses now in short time too many of them, they are missing during the load. Thus its condition suffers and it is not able to furnish its full achievement.
In addition, meat soup is an unnecessary strain on the gastrointestinal tract. The dog's digestion must perform at its best to process the dubious mix of water and other ingredients. That costs unnecessary energy and makes the quadruped sluggish. Immediately before and during a physical load this is naturally everything but desired.
Apart from that the body of the dog cannot absorb such large quantities of water anyway. The surplus liquid is therefore led without larger detours from the body. Excessive watering can also result in one or two unwanted pee breaks during the competition, which also costs valuable time.
Of course, a sufficient supply of fluids is essential, especially for sports dogs. An extreme watering, as it is often practiced, is not recommended for the reasons mentioned.
Instead, the water supply should always be adapted to the duration of the load. Who puts the same amount of liquid in front of his dog before a three kilometer long Canicross distance, like a sled dog, which must cover a distance of 100 kilometers and more, should reconsider this practice therefore again.
By the way, the watering should also be moderate after the load. Several small water rations with a pleasant temperature prevent that the dog spits out the water again.
Due to the mentioned disadvantages it is advisable to do without the usual extensive watering before competition and training and to give the four-legged friends what they really need instead. In addition to a quantity of water appropriate to the duration of the load, special snacks with carbohydrates and medium-chain fats are a much more suitable alternative.
In this way, the dog is provided with all the necessary nutrients for the sport. At the same time its digestion is spared and its mineral balance is not unnecessarily confused. This clearly promotes performance better.
