Preparing Your Working Dog for the Season: Fitness, Training and Nutrition

As we move through the summer, many working dog owners begin looking ahead to the upcoming shooting season. Whether you have a young dog preparing for its first season or an experienced companion returning to work, now is the perfect time to start getting them ready.

Preparing a working dog isn’t just about increasing exercise. Building fitness gradually, refreshing training and providing the right nutrition all play an important role in helping your dog perform at its best when the season begins.

Build Fitness Gradually

If your dog’s workload has eased over the summer months, it’s important to build their fitness back up steadily rather than expecting them to jump straight into full days in the field.

Longer walks, hill work, swimming and controlled retrieves are all excellent ways to improve stamina, strength and endurance. Gradually increasing activity over several weeks allows your dog to adapt naturally while reducing the risk of strains or injuries.

Remember, every dog is different. Adjust exercise to suit their age, fitness level and the type of work they’ll be doing during the season.

Keep Training Sessions Consistent

Physical fitness is only one part of preparing for the working season.

Short, regular training sessions help sharpen obedience, steadiness and retrieving skills while rebuilding focus after the quieter months. A few quality sessions each week can make a real difference when your dog returns to work.

Keeping training varied and enjoyable also helps maintain enthusiasm and confidence.

Fuel Your Dog for the Work Ahead

As training and exercise increase, your dog’s nutritional needs will naturally change too.

Working dogs need a balanced diet that provides high-quality protein to help maintain muscle, alongside enough energy to support increased activity levels.

Monitoring your dog’s body condition throughout pre-season training is just as important as sticking to a feeding guide. Some dogs may require a little more food as their workload increases, while others may need smaller adjustments depending on how they’re responding.

A complete working dog food provides the nutrition needed to help support performance, recovery and overall health throughout the season.

Recovery Is Just as Important

Training hard is only part of the picture.

Giving your dog plenty of time to rest between training sessions allows muscles to recover and helps prevent fatigue from building up.

Fresh drinking water should always be available, particularly after exercise, and it’s important to allow your dog to cool down properly following training, especially on warmer days.

A well-rested dog is far more likely to stay fit, healthy and perform consistently throughout the season.

Small Steps Now, Big Benefits Later

Preparing for the shooting season doesn’t happen overnight.

By gradually increasing fitness, keeping training consistent and feeding a high-quality working dog food, you’ll be giving your dog the best possible foundation for the months ahead.

Starting your preparation now means both you and your dog can head into the season with confidence.

Supporting Your Working Dog with Squires & Beaumont

At Squires & Beaumont, we know that every working dog deserves nutrition that supports them through every stage of training and the shooting season.

Our range of working dog foods has been carefully developed to provide the balanced nutrition active dogs need, helping to support energy, endurance and recovery throughout the season.

Whether you’re preparing a young dog for its first season or maintaining an experienced worker, we’re here to help you get the very best from your dog.

Ready to Find the Right Gundog Food for the Season?

If you would like to find out more about our Field Dog & Game range and which formula might be the right fit for your gundog, we would love to help.

Browse the full range at squires-beaumont.co.uk

Or get in touch with our team directly:

Call us: 0151 520 1212
Email us: info@squires-beaumont.co.uk

We know many of our customers individually and pride ourselves on the friendly, personal service we provide. Whatever stage of the season you are at, we are always happy to help you find the best nutrition for your dog.

Free delivery on all UK mainland orders. No VAT on any of our working dog food.