Most Golden Retrievers are not in peak physical condition because they’ve been de-tuned via a high-carb diet, which they are particularly vulnerable to along with Labs.
Any sporting dog should be capable of expending sustained energy. Carb-burning is not sustainable. Fat-metabolism provides sustainable energy.
Mushers are actually mixing sporting dogs into their gene pools (and sometimes directly into their teams) because sporting dogs have even more endurance that Northern dogs.
I think t borderlines on cruelty to take strong athletic breeds and feed them on rations that rob them of their vitality and endurance. Anyone who is around dogs can see the devastating consequences of feeding Goldens (and Labs) on high-carb diets. Almost all are grossly over-weight, out of condition, and are often limping. It is a shame.
One would think a short race like Greyhounds might be the one instance where a high-carb diet would not be disadvantageous, but I recall that a study found the opposite: that high-fat fed dogs were faster. There is no advantage to feeding Goldens any amount of carbohydrates. Doing so crashed energy and drastically cuts stamina (as measured by VO2 max scores.
People and canines have evolved very differently. Two conflate our nutrition needs is an error.
I think it is quite a euphemism to refer to Goldens and Labs who’ve had their natures as high athletic breed taken from them due to a diet that de-conditions them and promotes obesity, muscle and joint issues, and lethargy as “companion animals.”
No. These are dogs who have been de-tuned by bad diets. A Golden raised on a high-protein/high-fat diet is a very different beast.
