When to feed?

I know of some hunters that believe that Dogs will hunt better if hungry because it will make them hunt better. There might be some truth to this. This really makes sense with the predators in the wild. But the predators will eat what they hunt. On the flip side dogs will hunt for hogs but will not eat them in the field. So, I feed my dogs about 1/3 ration several hours before the hunt. This is so that they can have a small amount of hunger yet have enough energy to hunt. I feed them the regular ration after the hunt.

If the dog is a large dog with a barrel chest the dog needs to have a small ration before the hunt and then needs to be rested before feeding after the hunt due to these type of dogs getting bloat.