The 5 Best Dog Food For Hunting Dogs
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The Sporting or Gundog Group is one of the largest and most popular groups of dogs registered by kennel clubs. Many of our favorite breeds today come from this group, such as the Labrador Retriever, the Golden Retriever, the Cocker Spaniel, the Brittany, and others.
Even if you have one of those sporting dogs, you probably won’t need to feed him a diet for a hunting dog unless you are actually doing field work or other performance work with him. If you are hunting regularly, a hunting dog typically burns a huge amount of calories when he’s out for a day of work.
If you hunt with your dog, you’ll need to find the best dog food for hunting dogs.
Compare Best Dog Food For Hunting Dogs
OVERALL BEST  1. Purina Pro Plan Sport All Life Stages Performance 30/20 Formula Dry Dog Food | BEST FOR DUCK HUNTING DOGS  4. Kinetic Performance Power 30K Formula Dry Dog Food | BEST FOR ACTIVE DOGS  5. Sport Dog Food K-9 Series Project K-9 Hero Multiple Protein Formula Flax-Free Dry Dog Food | ||
Protein 30% Min | Protein 30% Min | Protein 26% Min | Protein 30% Min | Protein 30% Min |
Fat 20% Min | Fat 20% Min | Fat 18% Min | Fat 20% Min | Fat 22% Min |
Fiber 3% Max | Fiber 4% Max | Fiber 3.8% Max | Fiber 3% Max | Fiber 2.6% Max |
Calories 475 kcal/cup | Calories 384.93 kcal/cup | Calories 399 kcal/8oz cup | Calories 462 kcal/cup | Calories 542 kcal/cup |
Our criteria
There are all kinds of theories about the best way to feed dogs today. Unfortunately, many of the current popular ideas are based on dog food marketing. Your dog is not a wolf and doesn’t need to eat an “ancestral” diet. And, as much as you love your dog, he doesn’t need to eat foods that mimic your human diet either.
He has the gastrointestinal system of a dog, not a human, and he won’t thrive if you feed him a diet based on foods that sound appealing to you.
Keeping your dog healthy and helping him live a long life depends on following the best canine nutritional research.
We try to follow the criteria provided by the World Small Animal Veterinary Association when choosing foods for pugs and other dogs.
Most hunters will feed their dogs regular dog food during the off-season, when their dog is not working. Hunting dogs don’t need all those calories when they’re relaxing at home. But once it’s time to start training and working again, you can make the switch to a food that is formulated to provide your dog with more energy and stamina.
Let’s take a look at the best dog foods for hunting dogs and what you should know about these foods.
The Best Dog Food For Hunting Dogs Reviewed
Purina Pro Plan Sport All Life Stages Performance 30/20 Formula Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 30% Min
- Fat: 20% Min
- Fiber: 3% Max
- Calories: 475 kcal/cup
- Real chicken is the first ingredient
- Promotes strength and endurance with lots of real meat protein
- Enhanced with amino acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, and glucosamine
- Reasonably priced
- Some people won’t like the ingredients but Purina Pro Plan is formulated by veterinary nutritionists
Purina Pro Plan also makes other Sport Performance Formulas if your dog can’t eat chicken or needs less protein and fat.
Available in 6-lb, 18-lb, 37.5-lb, and 50-lb bags.
Eukanuba Premium Performance 30/20 Adult Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 30% Min
- Fat: 20% Min
- Fiber: 4% Max
- Calories: 384.93 kcal/cup
- Made with high levels of meat protein and fat to promote lean muscle and sustained energy for your dog’s best performance
- Complete and balanced nutrition without fillers
- Reasonably priced
- Contains fewer calories per cup than Purina Pro Plan Sport All Life Stages Performance 30/20 Formula Dry Dog Food, though this could be a pro if your dog needs fewer calories
This formula has about 384 kcal per cup. Like many of Eukanuba’s foods, it features the 3D DentaDefense System which has been proven to reduce tartar build-up in 28 days. This is a very good food for canine athletes and it’s also an all life stage dog food.
Available in a 29-lb bag.
VICTOR Performance Formula Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 26% Min
- Fat: 18% Min
- Fiber: 3.8% Max
- Calories: 399 kcal/8oz cup
- Contains 81 percent meat protein from beef, chicken, and pork meals
- Added glucosamine and chondroitin help with long-term joint health
- Made from gluten-free grains
- No corn, wheat, or soy; pea-free
- Very affordable
- Adult maintenance formula so it cannot be fed to puppies
This formula features beef meal as the first ingredient. It also contains chicken and pork meals so it has lots of meat protein. Glucosamine and chondroitin are added for joint protection. Victor uses gluten-free grains such as grain sorghum and whole grain millet.
Available in 5-lb and 40-lb bags.
Kinetic Performance Power 30K Formula Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 30% Min
- Fat: 20% Min
- Fiber: 3% Max
- Calories: 462 kcal/cup
- Contains plenty of meat and animal protein
- Contains a natural source of glucosamine for joint support
- Digestible fiber and a prebiotic blend support good digestion
- No corn, wheat, soy, or peas
- Reasonably priced
- Kinetic is not well-known which may put some people off, but many people with hunting and performance dogs love this food
This food is nutrient-dense so you don’t have to feed as much food as with some other dog foods. It has 462 kcal per cup. The formula contains no corn, wheat, or soy; and it’s pea-free. Chicken meal and chicken by-product meal are the first ingredients. The recipe also includes menhaden fish meal for more animal protein.
Available in a 35-lb bag.
Sport Dog Food K-9 Series Project K-9 Hero Multiple Protein Formula Flax-Free Dry Dog Food
Product Info
- Protein: 30% Min
- Fat: 22% Min
- Fiber: 2.6% Max
- Calories: 542 kcal/cup
- Good sources of meat protein
- No artificial preservatives, flavors, fillers, or by-products; no eggs or egg products
- Uses whole ground sorghum and whole ground millet as carbs for energy
- This is a 30/22 formula for protein and fat
- No wheat, corn, soy, meat by-products, artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives
- Expensive
Chicken meal is the first ingredient but the food also contains pork meal for more meat protein. This food has a whopping 542 kcal per cup.
Available in 40-lb bags.
What to Consider when Buying Dog Food for a Hunting Dog
Activity level. There are some foods that vary from the 30/20 percentages, so if your hunting dog needs slightly more or less protein or fat, you can find performance dog foods that have those percentages. (These are crude percentages from the guaranteed analysis of foods so the actual dry matter basis percentages for kibble will be even higher.) If you and your dog only hunt once a month or a few times per season, you can adjust his diet accordingly.
Size. According to one source, a 50-pound hunting dog will burn about 1,450 calories just by staying home and resting. With moderate activity, the same dog will burn 1,800 calories. With a hard day of hunting, the same dog will use up an estimated 2,200 calories. You can see why a dog that is hunting needs more fat in his diet for energy. A dog that is smaller or larger will need fewer calories or more calories, depending on the amount of work he’s doing.
Age. Your dog’s age can also affect how much and what kind of food you feed him. Many performance dog foods are all life stage foods, so they can be fed to puppies, junior dogs, adults, and seniors. But you may need to adjust how much you feed your dog based on his age, along with his weight and health factors.
The weather. Weather conditions can also affect how many calories your dog needs. Cold weather and snow, for example, will mean that your dog will burn more calories when he hunts. For each 10 Fahrenheit drop in temperature outdoors, you should increase your dog’s daily calories by about 7.5 percent.
Remember to dial your dog’s portions back and/or change foods to ones with a lower fat percentage when hunting season is over. Otherwise, with less activity, your dog could gain too much weight.
Nutritional Requirements for Hunting Dogs
High protein. The 30 percent crude protein and 20 percent crude fat numbers are often recommended for hunting dogs, but these numbers are for dogs doing lots of work. There are many good performance dog foods that have these percentages (from the guaranteed analysis), but if your hunting dog is only doing a moderate amount of hunting, there are some good performance dog foods that have 27/15 and 28/17 percentages. These foods could be a good choice for some dogs. Meat protein is easier for dogs to digest than plant proteins.
Most performance dog foods use common meat proteins such as chicken or beef, but there are some that are made for dogs with sensitive digestion. You can find foods that use fish or eggs as a primary source of protein, for example.
High fat. Fat provides most of the energy for your dog while he’s hunting. Most sources recommend between 16 and 20 percent fat for a hunting dog. The harder your dog is working in the field, the higher the fat percentage should be. If your dog is hunting one or two days every week during hunting season, go for the 20 percent crude fat. If your dog is not getting enough fat and calories in his diet during the hunting season, he can lose too much weight. Hunting dogs are often very driven to work. Some of them may not be all that interested in food at times, so getting your dog to eat calorie-dense food when he eats is important.
Good carbohydrates. Carbohydrates play an important role in a hunting dog’s diet by providing a source of energy. While they have half the calories of fat, carbs provide a stable energy source for your dog, so he can work longer without becoming fatigued. Good sources of carbohydrates for hunting dogs include rice, corn, and milo (sorghum). Carbohydrates can make up to 50 percent of a diet for a hunting dog. Even if you don’t normally like these grains, they are recommended during hunting season for the slow-release energy they provide.
Micronutrients. The remainder of a dog food for hunting dogs is usually made up of micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, prebiotics, probiotics, and other ingredients that the company uses. Some of these ingredients can vary, depending on the company.
Final Thoughts
Hunting dogs work hard, and it’s important that these gifted athletes receive the nutrition they need so they can do their job. A pointer, setter, retriever, or other hunting dog needs plenty of good protein, fat, and carbohydrates for energy and stamina. The performance dog foods recommended here should help your dog perform at an elite level.
